I agree with Seth Godin that this is a pretty fun way of advertising, but I have seen it before, and not all of these folks look that excited about standing on a street corner holding a sign that says buy from me. But why do it if it doesn’t tie into the message you already tell about your product? Because it’s fun or because it’s immediate?

Remember the Little Caeasars folks? Pizza! Pizza! ring a bell? Well, long ago (well only a few years back) Little Caesars completely changed the way pizzas were purchased when they started selling them by the two’s. Matched with a Caesar looking cartoon character that only said the words Pizza! Pizza!, the idea caught on very well, especially since two pizzas were often cheaper than one from other pizza joints. For a few years there, Little Caesars seemed to fade until it came up with a new idea – the $5 Hot ‘n Ready pizza. Again, they changed the way people bought pizza and not how it was made. Basically, you can walk into a Little Caesars at any time of the day and get a cheese or pepperoni pizza for $5 – a large pizza. Pizza Hut tried the “fast food” approach to Pizza. It didn’t work? Why? People didn’t want fast food. They wanted Pizza. They still want pizza.

Little Caesars does it right. It’s hot now, and it’s ready now. But, it isn’t fast food. It’s pizza ready now. It’s immediate. And their army of guys and girls standing on the corner holding signs and dancing remind you that its hot, right now.