Wayne Dalton — Using Jesus(?) as Spokesperson

The International Builders’ Show presents a great opportunity to market and sell to the homebuilder industry. Wayne Dalton, a leading manufacturer of garage doors, openers, and other home products, wanted to make a major splash at the show. In addition to their multistory, 120’ X 120’ booth, they purchased additional signage throughout the exhibition space. One element was a 60’ long banner prominently displayed above a high-volume entryway. What should we do with the space?

Cult proposed an edgy but humorous and creative idea to get attention and stimulate word-of-mouth. The creative, shown here, features the pearly gates of heaven, the entrance portal adorned with a Wayne Dalton garage door and garage door opener.

Here’s where it got a bit crazy. An attendee, who is also a church reverend on weekends, took offense to the concept and accused Wayne Dalton of using Jesus as a spokesperson. He contacted CNN who did a story on the whole thing. I was interviewed about using Jesus as a spokesperson and my response was, “First, it’s obviously not Jesus. It’s St. Peter, who guards the pearly gates. Second, it’s meant to be funny. Third, why would Jesus/St. Peter endorse a garage door without a celebrity endorsement contract?”

They say all PR is good PR. In this case, I’d say we got a really good bang for the buck for a 60’ product banner. Everything is an opportunity. What’s yours?

Let’s talk about how Cult Marketing can help you identify edgy yet creative ways to get attention.