Mr. Marketing: I’m the guy wearing Yoda ears

Last week I suspended my retirement from the theater to appear as Yoda in Temple Adat Shalom’s performance of “Purim Wars.”

This (fortunately) one-night only exhibition had me transform into a 4-foot tall, 900 year-old, green, wrinkled Muppet with furry feet.

Attendees found themselves hearing phrases like “When 900 years old you are, this good YOU should look!” I’m told my imitation of the Jedi master was pretty fair.

However, as I’m typically 5’10”, pale and a tenor, the transition caught the audience of 400+ by surprise. Amazingly, they somehow survived the experience.

What prompts me to share this particular story was the large number of people who approached me afterwards to announce that the only thing that tipped them off to my real identity was my ears.

My daughter, who’s very craft-oriented, had adapted my old hat, some cardboard, chopsticks, and green paint into Yoda ears.

And because the hat was obvious, even casual viewers picked me out of this ragtag band of thespians. Even for those who didn’t see past the voice, color, size, or “acting,” the hat was a dead giveaway.

In was a key reminder of the importance of branding. Because regardless of what you sell, the crowd is thickening and you’d better have some way for customers to separate you from the competition.

The average American’s exposed to 5,000 marketing messages every 24 hours. Facebook, TV, magazines, radio, mall signage, coffee cups, logos on the car in front of you…the sources are endless and growing.

Which means for your business to survive and thrive, you’d better construct messaging that appeals to your audience, then repeat it regularly.

The wrinkle comes when you get caught up in daily activities and forget to adapt your communications efforts to reflect changes taking place in your business.

It’s important to find new products and services that might grow your profitability.

And it’s not unusual to continue using the same ad, logo and tagline because that’s what’s always worked before.

Just remember to regularly review your offerings and your messaging to make sure the world sees you the way you look today, and connects it to the face you wore yesterday.

And may the force be with you.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.