Its an unwritten law of urban life – we have to wait in lines no matter what the deed is. Starting from traffic jam to buying movie tickets to health care admission, standing in long lines is a burden we must carry. Some face it with utmost positive attitude and acceptance. While for some….lets just say its not an endeavor they look forward to.

While people’s attitude towards standing in line might vary, the fact its a great marketing opportunity is a sure thing. Marketing and standing in lines? Yes i know how it sounds, but here is how it works. And why.

1. Lines are a great leveler. Be a king or pauper, while standing in lines there is only one thing you can do – wait. Thats why its a great opportunity to pitch your marketing message. As people have very little to do, not to mention very little distractions, they will listen to your message, make more informative calculations per second and if you are lucky, make purchase decisions.

2. How can you do it? The process is simple and varied. You can send your direct sales force and request the people in line to invest some of their time in return for a good benefit. Or you can place your static marketing messages in the form of signage, brochures, fliers and make it visible when people stand in lines. Or you can go radical and transform your message into something that people can enjoy while standing lines. Make a story out of your marketing message and hand it over to people to read and kill time. Make cheap one time use music CDs with advertisements built into it and hand them over with headphones so that people can listen to it while in ‘waiting’ mode. The choices are endless.

Where to attack? Well you can dig your trenches anywhere. In movie theaters, waiting rooms of dentists, hair salon waiting rooms, line in front of embassy and visa processing office – you name it. Anywhere you look there is a line longer than the one you draw that separates your traditional thinking from incredible innovative thinking. You just have to go and stand there. And of course, pitch.