It must work or they wouldn't do it, right?

I'm no marketeer, but I've just got to wonder -- do those cheesey walking billboards work?

Before Tax Day, there was a person dressed in a very loud Uncle Sam suit, with a very tall hat, pacing in front of a nearby tax preparer's office. I'll be honest, I drove by this costumed crusader for weeks, and I never had the urge to go home and call the place he was working for.  He/she was out there for weeks, even in snow and rain. 

And then today, in front of the same plaza, there was a person dressed in an inflatable Subway sandwich outfit. (And I doubt it was Jared.) This didn't make me change my plans and say 'Hey! I could really go for one of their sandwiches today.'

These sitings make me wonder:

1 - Do these gimmicks work? Do they actually succeed at getting people to come into the plaza to have their taxes done? Did Subway sell more sandwiches at that location today?

2 - Who is dressed up in the suit? Is it the manager? an employee? someone from an advertising agency? a temp?

These are things I think about when I approach the expressway, after waving to the walking commercial du jour.

Comments

[Paige]

I think it is always the newbie. They do sometimes work (sending in buisness) about as much as a mass mailing of your resume or spam mails. I think the ratio is send 10 to get 1% return. I suppose its not bad. Pay the butt min wage. If you get 1 customer an hour out of it, it should break even, but if you 2 there is a profit.
Oh crap, now it looks like I have researched & studied up on this. Oh well I just came by from Michele's to say hi.
Hi

[K Jones]

It must work. I think it is a temp for the day that must be sweating his tush off in that costume. I sure wouldn't be caught dead in it. As for Paige's stats, she sounds like she knows what is up. We do it on occasion for my work and it does produce some effect. BTW...hotdogs and soda at a furniture store on Saturday afternoons generates close to a $50,000/day bump in sales according to the Berkshire Hathaway Group that owns a bunch of them.

[Marie]

Paige,
Well thanks for stopping by! It sounds like you know about this stuff....

K,
That is amazing! $50K!?! More than worth the cost of hotdogs & soda.

[InterstellarLass]

I don't typically go for the gimmicks myself. I guess others do. I don't buy a lot unless I need it. Too much money going to too many other places!

[Claire]

They use gimmicks like that more for raising awareness and getting the brand name remembered...and hey it worked because you've blogged about it!! In the long term it will probably get them more business but not necessarily there and then off the street!

We don't really have these over here, I did notice them a lot while I was in the States though!

[Elle]

I don't know the answer to your questions, but your post reminded me of my extreme dislike of big costumes. I'm convinced that the inside must be incredibly smelly and a breeding ground for germs.

Blech.

[Marie]

You crack me up, Elle! I've thought the same thing about big costumes -- especially at Halloween costume rental places. ICK!

[Holly]

Yes... ditto what Elle said! That is exactly what I think of when I see those walking advertisers. Just gross, and how sad for them. I suppose one does what they need to do to earn a buck though, no?

[Suzanne]

I've wondered this myself -- during tax season I would drive by an Uncle Sam (working for a tax preparer) every day. And each day I'd wonder, who on earth would choose a tax preparer on the basis of a teenager waving on from the sidewalk?