Stealth Marketing

How do you best exploit the festive season to market your goodies and make cash? Well I've just seen a creative but rather sneaky and mean way of doing it.

We have a key-in type door system here at work where you have to swipe an electronic button past a pad to unlock the doors. Being a somewhat confusing office building with no clear reception area, we often get stragglers turning up at the door. Inevitably, someone will see them and go open to door to find out if they're in the right place.

This morning a colleague spotted someone at the door, opened up and was handed a Christmas present. No name on it, so she asked "who is this for?" and was told "the first person who opens the door". Gift-giver then disappeared.

Well another wiser colleague said "don't open it". Or rather open with caution. Which she did. It contains a pack of biscuits, a sheet of advertising and a notice that the giver will be back to collect R10 for the contents, which you have accepted.

That "gift" has now been re-sealed and is awaiting the bloke's return, to be handed right back to him.

Puts a whole new meaning on the term "unwanted gift"!