Yes...but I've got to do it CHEAPLY!

I had lunch with a friend today who's been given the task of marketing a new division within the parent company. They have a great product, there's even a well known spokesperson... What they don't have is much budget.

This is where you need to get creative.

While the product was developed within a structured system (which the company is very comfortable with), a value-budget marketing plan requires some real thought...and the ability to see past your comfort zone.

Imagine the first guy to say "Hey, what if we found a way to drag a sign behind an airplane!" That must have sounded crazy. Or "Hey, Tide Laundry Soap...yeah, let's put it on the side of a racecar" way before NASCAR was a household name. The ideas were novel for their time and my friend has a similar situation. He must come up with something (and I HATE the cliche) "out of the box." We're hoping to have more brainstorming sessions in the near future.

A word of advice to you; don't fear the creative. Give the most ludicrous concept a few moments to roll around in your head. Imagine. Contemplate. Start with a clean sheet & see where it takes you.

Of course, don't lose focus... Have a PLAN, a GOAL and keep everything aiming towards it. I challenge my friend...and all of you...to do more than "get your name out there"...rather, I challenge you to get into your prospective customers' minds.

"But HOW, Hammer?" Easy, my friend; you simply "Say Something Important.