Want new customers? Go out and get them… literally.

We’ve all been told that if we want something, we have to go out and get it. This can be interpreted in many ways, but in the marketing field I always took it as “if you want customers and results you have to get your name in front of your target audience.”

Last weekend I visited Miami and watched numerous businesses compete for tourists’ money. Traditionally these businesses relied on advertising at hotels or on the beach to get attention. However, the problem of advertising saturation (too many ads in too many places) left tourists confused and listless.

Enter the proactive, in-your-face marketer. As I walked through South Beach looking for a place to eat I spotted (couldn’t miss) an oversized and colorful golf cart, playing music and catching everyone’s attention as it moved. Business establishments were ushering tourists onto golf carts and taking them to the restaurant, making their decision on where to eat very simple.

Apparently if a restaurant wants customers in South Beach, they literally go out and get them.

But it was not just the restaurants; I also noticed a tattoo parlor employ the same strategy.

While I didn’t get a tattoo, I did take the restaurant golf cart to get dinner. I beat the crowds, and the entire time I was there, the restaurant remained crowded with customers being dropped off by the cart.

Sometimes the simplest interpretation of a marketing solution is the best one.