Driving to dinner I actually saw a sandwich board sign that said, “got acne?” MAKE IT STOP! got milk is a registered trademark with their font. It was a successful, albeit beat-to-death, campaign that worked for DAIRY FARMERS. got acne? got fat? got leads? got sales? got gum? got diarrhea? You get it. Then, they had to resurrect the 1939 campaign by the British government at the start of WWII. Does your school auction, your concert event, your lecture, daycare all need to use this same campaign. It was WORLD WAR II for God’s sake! Give it that respect. Your stuff ISN’T THAT IMPORTANT.

The definition of borrowed interest as the backbone of your marketing or advertising campaign is defined as, besides a DUMB idea,is

“Borrowed interest is the intentional association of an unrelated theme, event or image with a product, service or subject being presented, to attract attention otherwise not anticipated. Borrowed interest advertising is so named because advertisers “borrow” consumers’ interest in something outside the company while promoting some product or service.”

Look it up on Google and you’ll be hit with examples going back to 2007 and earlier. It’s not a new concept, but for those that are new to business, or it’s their first time getting to have their marketing ideas heard, it seems like an easy way to create a successful campaign. Why not? It worked for the dairy farmers and the British government. WRONG! Come up with your OWN, original idea.

There needs to be more experienced, adult supervision reviewing this stuff. PLEASE stop doing it. Take the time to, at least, TRY to search if your next campaign has been done recently, by someone else, better and is trademarked. You’ll save yourself embarrassment. You can also hire me or another marketing professional that is a bit more seasoned. Give them the “got …” test. If they like the idea – FIRE THEM, RUN – find someone who will be honest and roll their eyes at you.