Quirky, Crazy, Creative Ads

Some pest control companies are spurning traditional advertisements by “baiting” their customers with inventive promotional campaigns.

A number of pest control companies have turned to alternative advertising campaigns to “catch” potential customers. Tired of traditional tactics and copycat publicity, PCOs are searching for fresh, energetic methods to promote their business and industry. They are finding that in a competitive marketplace, taking a more eccentric approach to advertising is a way to get their company seen and heard.

Clever fliers, eye-catching vehicles, technological ploys and innovative billboards are just some of the advertising avenues companies are exploring. The increased business that sprouts from inventive ad campaigns is giving PCOs all the more reason to consider quirkiness a necessity for effective advertising.

THE ADVERTISING BUG. A “bug” crawling through New Jersey is causing quite a bit of commotion.

Arrow Exterminating’s friendly “Lady Beetle” Volkswagen Bug is increasing business for the company, bolstering industry awareness and, most of all, proving creativity is good for business when it comes to advertising.

The VW automobile imitates a ladybug with loud, red paint on the top and hood, and round, black spots and beetle legs on the sides. The clincher to this ad-on-wheels is in the lettering. ARROW is unmistakably spelled on all sides of the vehicle, turning a stop light eye-catcher into a promotional vehicle for a growing business.

It’s no wonder they identify themselves as “the company all your neighbors are talking about.” It may very well be true.

“We drive around neighborhoods and get thumbs-up,” Ira Lenner, president of Morganville N.J.-based Arrow, says. “Kids love it — people love it.”

This “thumbs-up” from the public is what more and more PCOs are seeking with inventive advertising.

Some New Jersey residents will tell you there are 90 “bug cars” cruising around town, Lenner says. But there’s only one. Clearly, exposure resulted in a winning campaign for Arrow. T-shirts, “spot the bug” contests and publicity in the community papers has made Arrow a household name.

“We’re focusing on the bug in many of our advertising campaigns,” he says. “People like it. They are not looking at the pest control company of 30 years ago working out of the back of the car. They see professionalism; they see concern for the environment. That’s what we want to show our customers — we want to make them aware of what this industry is all about.”

A contest encouraged people to call Arrow every time they saw the vehicle and to report the color of the bug’s flying flag to win T-shirts. The “bug-wear” was modified, (with cut-off sleeves) for fitness centers and has become a popular beach cover-up in the company’s area, Lenner says.

In addition to spreading the company’s name through promotions, Arrow uses education as a tool to market to younger audiences. Programs in schools teach children about insects and increase awareness for the pest control industry.

“We dress the kids up as insects or technicians, with safety gear,” Lenner says. “We’ll spray deodorants in the room and point one kid in the direction of another to show how they are attracted (by pheromones).”

The company also educates children outside of the classroom with tours of the facility, presentations and allowing them to view insect samples under microscopes.

“We wanted to create an interest in pest control, and I think we did it,” Lenner says.

BIGGER AND BETTER. Advertising is not the only a way to increase business and promote industry awareness, but it also serves as a necessary tool for highlighting qualities that differentiate one pest control company from another.

“Ads are all (the customers) know about you,” says Rudy Betts, owner of Betts Pest Control, Wichita, Kan. “If you want growth you need to advertise.”

It may seem challenging to make the most of advertising dollars on a limited budget. According to a 1999 PCT readership survey, PCOs allocate an average of 6.7% of their budget towards advertising and promotion. And though some PCOs are adventurous when it comes to exploring ad options, Yellow Page ads remain the staple, consuming more than two-thirds (80.6%) of many companies’ ad allowances.

Whether or not this method pays off is questionable, Betts says. He reduced the size of his advertisement in the Yellow Pages, but that is not to say he has reduced his advertising elsewhere.

Actually, it is quite the contrary.

Positioned on a main road through town, on U.S. Highway 54, a bright yellow and brown billboard advertising his company and the Sentricon Colony Elimination System captures the attention of many potential customers, he says — especially when the billboard is “eaten away.” Every couple of weeks, a chainsaw does the work a termite would, taking a bite from the billboard.

“It’s pretty hard to miss if you’re going down the street,” Betts admits. “Friends say they’ve seen it, customers say they’ve seen it. We don’t research the numbers, but we feel comfortable with the ad.”

Betts says he’s so comfortable with the billboard ad that he’s been using it for years, varying the frequency of the “bites” taken out of the billboard, he says. Yellow Pages, a magazine advertisement and a television spot are also part of Betts’ advertising mix, but the billboard is a repeat investment.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY. Competition among PCOs is tight and the need for business owners to stand out in order to stand up in the industry means taking advantage of technological developments.

“I think as a small businessman you have to look for any advantage you can,” says Duane Gonka, owner of Chem-Free Pest Control, Omaha, Neb. “There are a lot of us out there in the industry. I don’t have the resources to advertise like the larger companies, so a lot of times, something that will jog memories is beneficial.”

Gonka is running with technology. His company is listed in InfoUsa’s Video Yellow Pages (www.vyp.com), an Omaha-based company that allows advertisers to attach a visual clip (like a commercial) to their web listing. The prices are low — only $30 a month as opposed to $200 for a small Yellow Pages ad or $200 to $300 for a 30-second television spot.

“Visual ways are the best sales tool there is, so this is something that is working out well for me,” says Gonka, who has increased business by 25% and lowered his advertising budget from 20% to 10% with this cost-effective method.

And as consumers become more Internet-savvy, this mode of advertising will increase in potential, he adds.

“At this point (Internet advertising) is still in its infancy and continuing to grow,” he says. “When I first saw this opportunity, I thought that even if it didn’t result in a huge number right away, down the line it would pay off.”

Gonka is not the only PCO investigating cutting-edge technology. With more households becoming Internet equipped, many companies are establishing their own websites, some more advanced than others. Some companies simply list their addresses, phone number and services offered while others offer insect identification, scheduling and pricing estimates online. One drawback to Internet advertising, however, is when an ad on the Internet attracts a customer from overseas to your local company in the U.S.

SIGNS OF ORIGINALITY. While there are many PCOs now marketing themselves with creative advertising, many continue to resort to what is familiar, and in many cases, more traditional, Gonka says.

“We’re a quiet bunch of guys, most of us,” he says. “A lot of us have a tendency to not really promote ourselves in huge numbers or very flamboyantly.”

But original advertising doesn’t have to be an investment that stretches an already modest advertising budget. Simply deviating from copycat fliers with catchy incentives and creative slogans could do the trick.

If anything, baiting customers with inventive ploys generates attention for a company, says Mike Tullos, owner of Safari Termite and Pest Control, Jacksonville Beach, Fla. Though he admits his moniker alone piques curiosity, his unusual fliers are successful in winning new customers.

“You don’t want to be just like everyone else,” he says. “Anything we see advertised by another company, we won’t do the same things.”

He canvassed 100 households with bright pink fliers with peanuts glued to them reading, “Yes, we are nuts…to give you this offer.” The coupon was redeemable for a free service call.

“They thought it was a great offer,” Tullos remarks of the customers. “They would ask, ‘Can you eat this peanut?’”

Part of Safari’s regular advertising campaign includes door hangers that use a play on words to grab the interest of their customers’ neighbors. The bottom of the hanger has a large black and white question mark and the top reads, “Guess what your neighbors did?” The “nosey neighbors” are usually amused when they open up the inside to see, “…They just ordered a quarterly pest control plan with Safari.”

“Anything crazy will do it,” Tullos says. “Anytime you put something weird out there, people will at least acknowledge it. We had some more traditional fliers printed up professionally, but they didn’t get the same reaction.”

Scott Blunk, owner of Buzy Bee Termite and Pest Control, Jacksonville, Fla., attached bags of “Crunch ’n Munch” caramel popcorn to his fliers, warning potential customers not to let termites “crunch and munch your house.” The boxes of fliers he left at real estate offices were a hit with both customers and agents.

“I’m always thinking of new things,” Blunk says. “People like things different. Same-old, same-old…anybody can do that.” Whether through decorative vehicles, spiced-up signs or enticing fliers, PCOs are using originality to create interest in their individual businesses, as well as promote the pest control industry as a whole.

“Something that sparks the imagination a little bit can put the name out there in a positive note,” Gonka says. “The community needs to know we’re not running around the community with a bunch of chemicals. The more we can portray that we are doing a beneficial service, the more it will help the industry.”

The author is a writer based in Cleveland.