By Mark Thompson
What is weird?, well in the 21st century it’s getting more andmore difficult to define what is weird and what isn’t .According to the dictionary one definition is “Of a strikinglyodd or unusual character; strange”. Surely that isn’t enough anymore? A quick look at eBay and you will find hundreds of itemsthat would comply with that definition. Toast with faces on it,Glass jars containing Ghosts and numerous examples of weird andwacky objects, (well weird and wacky according to the people whohave submitted them.) The sheer number of them should precludethem from being classed as Weird. Mainstream Newspapers now havepages of weird news and no shortage of people willing to appearon them. The nightly news no longer finishes with heart warminglocal story it finishes with some weird local happening Weird isbig news.
It seems that weird and bizarre are now mainstream and areconsidered marketing tools or a gateway to 15 minutes of fame.In earlier centuries the highlight of the year was the visit ofa circus or a fair and their cast of weird and wonderfulcharacters and creatures. Queues would form outside the tents aspeople waited to see the latest freaks and bizarre sights. TheInternet is the modern equivalent of the Freak Show and with abit of planning and preparation you can use this desire for theweird and wacky to promote your site or your company.
Viral marketing is the key to your success, Find something thatpeople will find funny and amusing and want to show theirfriends and you are halfway there. Some recent examples are theplumbers van that had a naked body painted on door so that itlooked like a naked person was driving. The photograph traveledfrom inbox to inbox each time the name of the company was seenalong with the URL of their site , it was picked up by localnewspapers and local TV and the work flooded in (sorry for thepun!).
It doesn’t take a big budget just a big imagination, Findsomething weird, photograph it watermark the photograph andplace it on your site take some anti leeching precautions tostop people copying it and send the link out, visit a few forumsand place the link in your signature, pass the photo to some ofthe many sites specializing in weird soon you will have a streamof traffic to your site.
There is no difference from the Internet to the freak shows ofthe 19th and 20th Centuries except that this time the freaks areon the outside of the tent!
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