Don't Go Through the Windshield

Members of the ISP-Marketing list disagree about the effectiveness of a form of advertising that is very cheap but very annoying. How often are advertisers sued for littering, anyway?

[January 7, 2002]

On the ISP-Marketing list in December, CZ queried,

"Does anyone have any stats on response rates from distributing flyers on car windshields at local shopping malls and office buildings?"

BF offered his statistics on windshield flyer placement:

"We got about one call or inquiry per 100 flyers, then about half of those signed up. We have heard worse and we have heard better. I think a lot of it depends on the flyer and the community. Keep your flyer simple, and your cost on it low."

Others suggested that putting flyers on car windshields doesn't make your business look too good:

[MS warned] "Littering your ad all over someone's parking lot says one thing and one thing only: 'Gee, I'd like to reach you in print, but my business won't spring for a $300 ad in the local newspaper, so I'm littering up our community instead.' If I had a marketing person who suggested this strategy to me, I'd fire them on the spot."

[JG agreed] "Distributing flyers in a parking lot is not something that any reasonably responsible business would do. Lest we forget, the primary reason for distributing flyers is the generation of new business, not the alienation of the people and organizations you might want to reach."

[EA added] "When you plan the costs for something like this, factor in the lawsuits for trespassing, damaging windshield wipers, littering, etc. How do you like it when someone puts junk on your car?"

Others claimed that, if it's done right, it can be a very cost-effective marketing solution:

[CZ observed] "I agree it can be intrusive (though much less so than a telemarketing call), but does it get you to a good target market. As for the litter, most people take the piece of paper and put it in their car. This, in turn, keeps your name in their head longer than most other forms of direct marketing. When people put things on my car, I actually take the time to check it out. Direct mail, on the other hand, sees the trash without even getting opened."

[JG noted] "If the response rate is only 1 percent, that means flyers are junk to 99 percent of the recipients. That does not mean you don't do it, though. Minimize the junk by making flyers small, and maximize visibility by using light fluorescent-colored papers or white with black ink."

[BH added] "It's only junk if it's something you aren't interested in. And it is inexpensive, dollar-wise; the real cost is in your time distributing the flyers. When distributing flyers in a mall parking lot, though, always be sure to get approval from management first."

—End