Underdog Marketing

Today on NYTimes.com, there is an article titled “Pressed by Charters, Harlem Public Schools Turn to Marketing.” As a girl that grew up in a place where your school was simply determined by the location of your home, this entire where-will-I-send-my-child-to-school debate is somewhat foreign to me. But the marketing twist is definitely intriguing.

This seems to be the age old David-versus-Goliath situation, with public schools operating on $500 marketing budgets competing against the powerful marketing engine of charter schools like the Harlem Success Academy. A Google search for the two opposing websites makes the case in point: Harlem Success Academy has a polished, well-produced site offering a wealth of information. Harlem Public Schools doesn’t have one.

So how can the little guy make its case with restrictive resources? According to Paul Flowers, author of Underdog Advertising, forging your own path and avoiding copycat syndrome of your bigger competitors are key. He recommends following these ten core principles:

1. Think Outside the Box
2. Take Risks
3. Strategy before Execution
4. Be Contrary
5. Select Your Battlefield
6. Focus! Focus! Focus!
7. Be Consistent
8. Demonstrate Value
9. Speed & Surprise
10. Be Patient

What are some other effective ways for smaller budgeted operations to make their mark?

Link to NYTimes article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/education/10marketing.html?pagewanted=2&hpw