My 10 year old’s 3 marketing principles
- Thu, February 05 2009
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
Guess what? They’re assigning marketing homework in fifth grade. Yep.
Here was my daughter Sophia’s assignment: to invent a fantasy sled and then write a paragraph to market it. In my unbiased opinion, it was the best piece of marketing I read all week.
This is how she described her sled, which was shaped like a giant globe and had a trampoline, elevator, Egyptian desert, Eiffel Tower replica, kitchen and swimming pool among other features:
Is the economy getting on your nerves? Don’t want to spend money this winter to travel? Well, I think you need a Debbie. This eco-friendly, travel-themed sled gives anyone a cultural experience without worrying about your economic investment and more importantly, all those pesky tourists… Debbie is like traveling without ever leaving the country!
This got me thinking. Here is what ten year olds like, totally understand. And it applies to nonprofit marketing. And fundraising. And most human communication.
1. YOU MUST GET RIGHT TO THE POINT: Kids don’t have the corner on the short attention spn market. So ten year olds don’t waste time getting to the heart of the matter. Nor should we. They keep it clear and direct.
2. IT MATTERS WHO IS TALKING: Kids listen to who is real and who is cool. Guess what? So do grownups. Sophia is an authentic messenger. To her audience - mom and the teacher - she has a lot of authenticity and credibility.
3. ALWAYS OFFER DESSERT: Kids are always focused on dessert. Adults want the sweets too. Lesson: put the reward right out there, front and center. Kids get the concept of benefit exchange better than anyone on the planet. They are pretty aware of what’s in it for them in any situation. Like travel on the cheap without leaving the country or dealing with tourists…
Way to go, Sophia.
PS: Sophia could teach those spammers a thing or two. Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of fake “comments” on my blog from people called “San Francisco Personal Injury Lawyer” or “New York personal injury lawyers.” I moderate so I can delete people like this. Not authentic, folks. Lay off my blog.
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Comments
We all need a Debbie! Most people these days do not have an attention span. Very true Katya! Kids can teach us a bunch about marketing and getting back to basics with our business. Offering the reward up front is also an excellent idea. I enjoy your blog posts and try to get over here atleast once a week. Thanks for the great inspiration and refreshing marketing techniques.
And tell those 3 word comment spammers to take a hike! Personal injury lawyers….lol
Has she read Made to Stick? I have a 10 yr old myself so I have read similar “projects”. Very interesting name by the way.
Katya, I’m so glad you shared this with us. Sophia totally takes after you—it’s inspiring.
I bet she’s also good at marketing to you when she wants to have or do something! It reminds me of when I was a kid and finally learned how to get through to my dad—he’s a lawyer, so I just had to learn how to present a solid defense and he was sold.
Aren’t kids the best? 