A Vacation from “Staycation”

That’s the term advertisers and the media use to describe a vacation where you don’t actually travel. You stay home, or stay close to home.

But you already knew that, because it’s everywhere. Every swimming pool dealer’s commercial invites you to “take a Staycation.” The big-box stores remind you that “it’s Staycation season.” Every news story about high gas prices remind you that “the new trend nowadays is the ‘Staycation.'”

If you’re a business who’s tempted to join the “Staycation” clamor to advertise your services, may I invite you to… umm… how can I say this delicately… use another word? Be the stand-alone voice among seasonal advertisers. Be different. Be memorable. Don’t conform. If everyone else’s ads say, “Staycation,” let yours say something unique. So, what’s another word for “Staycation?” Let’s see if we can invent a few. How ’bout:

Home-roam. Nest-rest. Trip-skip. Holi-stay. Non-voyage (rhymes with “bon voyage”).

I’m sure with a little more thought, we could think of other (and probably better) examples, but the idea is to come up with something no one else is using, so that your ads, your message, and your business don’t blend in with the din of advertising that so often passes unnoticed through the senses of the people you’re trying to reach.

In these days of economic belt-tightening and economizing, you gotta make sure you’re getting your money’s worth from every ad you run. Make sure you’re saying something unique. Make sure your ads are remembered.