Sidewalk strategist Riddles of Sideways Marketing stood with a clipboard and table displaying a banner that said “Save the Whales” outside a Gap store in an outdoor mall. Today’s strategy, laid out by Louis Sideways, was proving to be dangerous.
A group of people would walk towards Riddles, and he would stop only the last person. As four people walked by, Riddles deployed the strategy.
The first person passed, and Riddles said, “You don’t look like you’d save the whales.”
The second person passed, and he said, “Never mind, keep going.”
He told the third person, “You might save trees, but not whales.”
He finally attempted to stop the last person by saying, “Hi, you look like someone who would save the whales.”
The three people who had already passed him turned around.
“Why does Betty look like she’d save the whales?” the man in the group asked.
In truth, none of them looked like they’d save the whales. Most people don’t like being stopped at the mall. However, this strategy might make everyone feel bad enough to donate.
“I just have a feeling,” Riddles said. “What do you say, Betty?”
“Oh, I’m flattered,” Betty said. “What do I have to do to save the whales?”
“Just make a small donation,” Riddle said.
“But I’m the one who likes whales,” one of the other women in the group said. “I’ll donate.”
“None of us are donating,” the other woman said. “I hate trees. This man is a fraud. Jim, why don’t you punch him?”
Riddles dove behind the table. The strategy kind of worked, but it was the third time today that someone almost punched Riddles.