$1 Per Customer

What if you could run a marketing campaign that was less expensive, more effective, and made you look great in the public eye?

If you haven’t seen it, Macy’s has invited kids to drop off their letters to Santa at special mailboxes in their stores. For every letter dropped, up to 1 million, they will donate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Oh, and while you are in the store, if you happen to see something you like, we’ll be happy to ring you up at the register. Brilliant.

This isn’t to say that Macy’s campaign is devious. It is wonderful. More companies should do likewise. Connect yourself to what people are already doing. Barnes and Noble put Starbucks in their stores. Brilliant again.

This is the opposite of the advice given by baseball player Willie Keeler who famously said, “Hit ’em where they ain’t.”