The Ms. CEO Show

It’s been drummed into our heads. Traditional advertising and marketing tactics—alone—no longer work. So, now we have to use a lot more creativity to grab attention and convert that attention into sales. Key phrase here: convert that attention into sales.

For some well-financed companies like Burger King, it is apparently worth the financial risk and potential social faux paus of offending women to push the advertising envelope and cut through the clutter. Earlier this year, they approved an ad campaign for their “Super Seven Incher” hamburger, featuring the sandwich headed in the direction of a woman’s open mouth, with the headline: It’ll Blow Your Mind Away. (Really, Burger King?)

Edgy and offensive? Or, edgy and effective? Supporters of the strategy say effective—citing the fact that it has increased the chain’s sales among young men, the targeted demographic.

Think what you will of the Burger King ad, but more importantly be mindful that as entrepreneurs and small business owners we’ve got to break through the clutter creatively without burning through cash. If your marketing gets people’s attention and gets them talking—but doesn’t get them spending, you blew it.