An excellent example of how cheap and effective advertising can actually be is Jessica Mah’s $500 startup InternshipIN. TechCrunch reports that she created an online service for students or graduates looking for internships in just a couple of nights with a budget of $500. To create an online service, that people will use is extremely effective in creating a dialogue with your consumers. It’s modern advertising at its best, do something for your costumers of value, that creates loyalty, that in turn leads to action. Nike Playmaker is a recent good example of a cheap service that shows football players that the brand thoroughly understands their needs and is running with them rather than just providing the shoes to do so.
Now it definitely costs more than $500 to promote the tool and to get people to use it (unless it’s a fucking genius idea) but it costs way less than a piece of one way communication such as piece of TV advertising. It creates a lasting relationship and relevance rather than just spam and an expensive way to advertise your latest product release.