Branding lessons from the Orp man

A few of us in the office were having a conversation about the effectiveness of brand distinction the other day and it reminded me of a cute little episode I thought I'd share with you.

A number of years ago, my wife and I were on a NYC subway train going across the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn.

Standing at the end of our car was a young man in his twenties dressed in a metallic gold spandex jumpsuit, wearing a necklace with one of those flashing red and green light thingies dangling from it. His face was painted gold as was his hair, and he was carrying a beat-up tenor saxophone.

He wasn't terribly clean and he was carrying a cup.

Everyone in the car knew that we were about to be hit up for a handout.

Sure enough, as the train began creeping across the bridge, in a clear commanding voice he said...

"Greetings earthlings!... I am from the planet Orp.

Unfortunately, my spaceship has crash-landed and is in the repair shop.

It needs a very expensive part and I must have the funds to fix it so I can get back home.

On Orp, we communicate like this..."

He then played a one-minute, wild and absolutely ridiculous Jazz riff on his Tenor.

He continued...

"Could you please help me with a very generous donation so that I can fix my spaceship and get back to where I came from?

I am very anxious to get back home, and quite frankly, the food on your planet stinks!"

A man got up from his seat and went to the end door to get into the next car to avoid having to cough up, but the door was locked.

Orp man turned and looked at him and said: "There is no escape."

I felt so entertained by his novelty, his sense of humor, and his non-menacing approach to what was no more than begging that I did indeed feel compelled to give generously. (I feel guilty for saying this, but I normally give street beggars a fairly wide berth -- I generally find them scary, upsetting and an annoyance.)

This fellow really got to me and won me over; and even though it's more than twenty five years later, I wouldn't mind paying a little extra to see his act again.

**************************************************

Orp man really understood marketing and the power of branding:

-- He studied and understood his audience.

-- He took pains to ensure that his product was distinct from his competitions'.

-- He packaged and positioned himself uniquely, and virtually re-defined street begging to be the only one of his kind.

-- He knew his brand mission, which wasn't just to get customers to spend money, but to make it a truly "unique begging experience;" and this was supported by everything he did.

-- His presentation was built around an indelible "mind trigger" that would create positive awareness and irrational loyalty for years and years to come.

-- He delivered value that far exceeded customer expectations.

-- He won you over emotionally, and in turn, commanded a higher price.

-- His brand was so unusual and created such a "buzz", that plenty of non-paid brand ambassadors (like me) still feel loyal, and are willing to give him plenty of free advertising.

Wouldn't it be great to have as much success from your brand building efforts as the man from Orp?

**************************************************

Want more?

More tips and insights useful to everyone who's trying to market a product or service are contained in Mr. Gorman's entertaining, helpful and informative paper:

"Ten Marketing Secrets for Building a Sexier Brand"

For a complimentary copy, go to: http://www.agcd.com/order/orderform.html or e-mail back a request, including Name, Company, Address and Phone.

More Business News Links

Home page

Information Index