Make fun of your Weaknesses

When visiting Tbilisi in Georgia a few years ago, I walked passed a restaurant with the interesting name, ‘Queue’ (above left). When I asked a friend about this she told me that the restaurant was originally called by another name and that it was so popular that long queues stretched down the pavement every night. The owner decided, on a whim, to change the name of the restaurant to 'Queue' to reflect this.

It is a dangerous game to play with what most people would perceive as a pretty big weakness, but if you are brave enough to tread this path, then your satisfied customers may just see it as a humorous statement of the truth. It should also enhance your reputation, since queues generally mean it is a successful place!

The billboard (above right) was seen in London – obviously, the proprietors had become sick and tired of being asked if they had Wi-Fi. So, they came up with a very novel way of telling their potential customers of this weakness and then turning it into something a little more positive and tongue-in-cheek.

Starring what many marketing people would normally try to hide can be a risky business but, handled carefully, telling the truth as it is and not trying to hide anything is brave and clever - and can stall problems with disgruntled customers in the future. Hiding anything can only harm business in the long run and far outweighs short-term success.