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Weird Sells

By: Mark Thompson, Fri Dec 9th, 2005 12:22:06 PM

What is weird?, well in the 21st century it’s getting more and more difficult to define what is weird and what isn’t . According to the dictionary one definition is “Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange”. Surely that isn’t enough any more? A quick look at eBay and you will find hundreds of items that would comply with that definition. Toast with faces on it, Glass jars containing Ghosts and numerous examples of weird and wacky objects, (well weird and wacky according to the people who have submitted them.) The sheer number of them should preclude them from being classed as Weird. Mainstream Newspapers now have pages of weird news and no shortage of people willing to appear on them. The nightly news no longer finishes with heart warming local story it finishes with some weird local happening Weird is big news.

It seems that weird and bizarre are now mainstream and are considered marketing tools or a gateway to 15 minutes of fame. In earlier centuries the highlight of the year was the visit of a circus or a fair and their cast of weird and wonderful characters and creatures. Queues would form outside the tents as people waited to see the latest freaks and bizarre sights. The Internet is the modern equivalent of the Freak Show and with a bit of planning and preparation you can use this desire for the weird and wacky to promote your site or your company.

Viral marketing is the key to your success, Find something that people will find funny and amusing and want to show their friends and you are halfway there. Some recent examples are the plumbers van that had a naked body painted on door so that it looked like a naked person was driving. The photograph traveled from inbox to inbox each time the name of the company was seen along with the URL of their site , it was picked up by local newspapers and local TV and the work flooded in (sorry for the pun!).

It doesn’t take a big budget just a big imagination, Find something weird, photograph it watermark the photograph and place it on your site take some anti leeching precautions to stop people copying it and send the link out, visit a few forums and place the link in your signature, pass the photo to some of the many sites specializing in weird soon you will have a stream of traffic to your site.

There is no difference from the Internet to the freak shows of the 19th and 20th Centuries except that this time the freaks are on the outside of the tent!

About the author: Mark Thompson Is a former IT consultant from London. He now lives in Spain and runs a number of websites Including http://www.worldoftheweird.com

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