![]() | abitofmybrain: @LouPimentel There were some minor gods that were either added or not included in the Roman theft. Other differences found in the stoires. about 3 minutes ago |
![]() | rossnelson: RT @pafford: Im not sure if I'm more surprised by the branding fail or that fat strippers can afford these smoothies link about 12 minutes ago |
![]() | pafford: Im not sure if I'm more surprised by the branding fail or that fat strippers can afford these smoothies. link about 14 minutes ago |
![]() | jeanettemarsh: RT @IdentityG Identity theft - look for unauthorized accounts or inquiry records that could be the first warning signs. link about 17 minutes ago |
![]() | natashamarie: dear mr. landlord, are you ever going to cash my rent check or are you giving me free rent for christmas? about 28 minutes ago |
| By Michael Stodola Special to OnMilwaukee.com E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Michael Stodola |
| Published April 19, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. |
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I'm a landlord. And, currently, a friend and I are also fixing up a home to "flip." Most people -- including myself -- would consider this home to be in a pretty sketchy neighborhood. I can't say where exactly, but my wife won't let me work there alone.
Several months ago, we started getting vandalized. A few rocks through some windows and some graffiti -- nothing too big. More irritating though, we got our WE Energies meter pulled off the house, and the copper wire providing power was stolen.
This means calling WE Energies technicians, calling a professional electrician, paying out about $150 and waiting about three days until it's fixed. The first time we were hit, we decided to put some lights on -- timers to make it seem like someone was home. This security measure held up for a couple weeks, until we were hit again. Another $150 down the tubes. We then had lights on and off, and added the porch light and started visiting the house more often. Soon after, we were hit again. Ditto on the $150. (Now, remember, the crackhead stealing the copper to pay for a fix only gets about $10 for his trouble.)
I then thought, "Hmmm, who is my audience and how best can I communicate to them?"
After thinking about leaving a $10 bill in the box for them or mounting a surveillance camera to catch them in the act, I decided to appeal to a basic fear. Fear is the universal motivator applied by millions of advertisers over hundreds of years. I employed my graphic skills, a few well-chosen words, the right placement and I got the message directly to my audience. Specifically, I made a sticker that straddled the meter box itself.
It read: WARNING: BOX ARMED WITH NEW "HOT SHOCK" THEFT TECHNOLOGY. DISCONNECT AT POLE BEFORE ENTERING METER!
A nice big WE Energies logo, some orange and black stripes, and voila! It's been months now and other homes have been "hit," but we've remained secure.
My "focus group" taught me that getting fried isn't worth $10. It's something I'll apply to my future work and a lesson for us all: Speak in language relevant to YOUR audience. After a few rounds with the local addicts, I found success with an economical usage of my ad dollars. Now, if I can only find a way to get them to buy a couple State Fair tickets -- BINGO!
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6 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Posted by design037 on April 22, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. (report)
razor blade several hash marks through your registration sticker, any thief will think twice before attempting to snip a sticker that would be impossible to piece back together
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Posted by diesel1976 on April 21, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. (report)
why are you assuming it was a crackhead doing this?? Whenever you flip a house in a so called sketchy neighborhood with no vested interest other than just making a quick buck you get what you deserve.
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Posted by brunocarlson on April 20, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (report)
Great story! I have been know to deter criminals with the power of my graphic design degree. I find it quite humorous that you went to that extreme. I would pay to watch your "crack bandit" climb the pole to disconnect your meter's theft deterant system.
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Posted by Milly on April 19, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. (report)
Have you had the registration sticker snipped from the corner of your license plate yet? That's an annual event around my neighborhood.
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Posted by Daus on April 19, 2008 at 2:25 p.m. (report)
You are going to get to know your local crack heads lawyer once he goes and climbs the pole. :)
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