by Jennifer Ervin, Research Manager 

I recently flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico and purchased a car.  I know that sounds crazy, but I promise you it was a good buy.  After visiting with friends, I set off on my 18+ hour journey across Interstate 40 through Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Memphis, and finally home to Nashville.

Leaving New Mexico and crossing through Texas was my favorite part of the drive.  While I love the hills of Tennessee, it was refreshing to literally see for miles and miles ahead, beside and behind me.  And I must admit, it was quite exciting to speed down the very straight, very open lanes of the highway in my “new” used car.

The distance between cities is much greater out West than here in the South and there’s not much in between one city and the next.  While I feel bombarded by billboards here in Nashville, I found myself eagerly awaiting that next billboard on my drive home.  Being in unfamiliar territory, with no connection to the Internet, I became reliant on billboards to help guide me through my journey. 

While I expected the vast distance between cities, I did not expect this distance between billboards.  Being that this was my only source for food, gas, and a place to rest my head for the night, I was baffled as to why this information was shared so sparingly.  It’s not like there was a shortage of gas stations, restaurants, and hotels in these cities.  So why was no one communicating this to me?

Reflecting on my travels, I realized just how many missed opportunities there were for a company to entice me to try their product or service.  If I would have known about Crazy Larry’s BBQ joint in Amarillo or The Peabody in Little Rock, I probably would have visited both.  Or at least I would have been more inclined to do so than not knowing about them at all! 

What missed opportunities exist in your business?  Is there an audience you’re not trying to reach?  Is there a market you’re overlooking?  Is there a demand for a new product that you’re not listening to?  As marketers and as researchers, we all owe it to ourselves - and to our organizations - to take a step back from time to time and look at the big picture with a fresh eye.  You never know what missed opportunities may come to light.