After the first advertising campaign, we decided to launch a second buzz marketing technique that would gather a lot of users for Mobatar.

We hand-wrote thousands of Post-it notes and stuck them on cars around Rome.

Each Post-it, which says, ‘Non ti scordare di registrarti su www.mobatar.it‘, translated into English as, ‘Don’t forget to register at www.mobatar.it’, is an advertisement disguised in the form of a personal reminder. The few meaningful words on a Post-it represent the few meaningful words on each SMS advertisement sent by Mobatar since an SMS is just made of 160 characters.

Most people ignore advertisements when they see one. But when they are faced with these Post-it notes, whether or not it is an advertisement becomes doubtful. And what makes a good advertisement is when it disguises itself well and people take notice.

Yellow Post-it notes can be found sticking on people’s car windows throughout Rome. Mobatar is an innovative company, but it has gone back to basics when advertising its services.

I received this forward from a friend years ago when I was ignorant about marketing. Reading it again now has made me realize how true all this is.

Enjoy.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, “I’m fantastic in bed.”
-That’s Direct Marketing.

You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, “He’s fantastic in bed.”
-That’s Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, “Hi, I’m fantastic in bed.”
-That’s Telemarketing.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, “By the way, I’m fantastic in bed.”
-That’s Public Relations.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, “I hear you’re fantastic in bed.”
-That’s Brand Recognition.

You walk into a party and shout at the top of your lungs “I’m fantastic in bed.”
-That’s Mass Marketing.

You decide to go to a party and tell any gorgeous girls that you’re fantastic in bed.
-That’s a Marketing Plan.

You are at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You walk up to her and say “I’m fantastic in bed… but don’t tell my wife.”
-That’s Market Share.

You are at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You ask her friends if she likes blokes who are fantastic in bed.
-That’s Market Research.

You’re at a party and see two gorgeous girls. You tell one girl “I’m fantastic in bed” and you tell another “I’m a sensitive lover”
-That’s Market Segmentation.

You are at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You walk up to her and say “I’m fantastic in bed… but only on Wednesdays, with the light on, and listening to Pavarotti’s greatest hits.”
-That’s Niche Marketing.

You are at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You walk up to her and………….
-That’s Market Penetration!

What is the most effective advertising medium? Is it TV, radio, billboards, newspaper, magazine, or even mobile advertising? Considering that I work for a mobile advertising company, my answer should be mobile, of course. But it’s not.

A campaign begins its route to success when it creates buzz – when the campaign, product and/or service spreads through word of mouth. What Mobatar, a mobile advertising company based in Rome, Italy, did for its first advertising campaign was to distribute money. Distributing money certainly created buzz.

Mobatar’s service is to grant its users €5 cent for each SMS advertisement they receive on their mobile phones. Therefore, to mirror the company’s service, Mobatar produced small notes that resemble a text message, attached a 5 cent coin to each one, and distributed them to Rome’s pedestrians in the city’s center throughout the month of June.

Distributing money is something absurd, and it got people wondering about the generous company. The result of the campaign? An astonishing site traffic increase of 86%, out of which 35% was from the first day of the campaign.

We wake up to the sound of the morning alarm from our Nokia cellphone; we get a drink to satisfy our thirst from a San Pellegrino water bottle. We walk into the bathroom and brush our teeth with Colgate toothpaste; we wash ourselves with Dove soap. We put on Diesel pants, Lacoste polo and Nike shoes before leaving the house. We then walk into the kitchen to pour Kellogg’s cereal into a bowl we bought from IKEA. We then hop into our Range Rover SUV and drop by Starbucks on our way to work.

Marketing touches every aspect of our lives every single day. What makes us choose one brand over the other? What makes us decide whether to buy a Gucci or Louis Vuitton bag? Or even to visit one country over another? Advertisements, PR, buzz.

How far would you go to get your brands known? What marketing strategies would you use? Many companies have found the answer, some are still struggling to figure out how the market works.