I haven’t seen this marketing tip in any of the manuals:
Watch for bad news, then explain how your technology saved the day!
Like the claim by FLIR Corp. that their thermal imager helped spot Dzhokar Tsarnaev (Boston Marathon bomber) hiding in a boat.
Or more precisely:
FLIR’s thermal imaging gear was able to discern a live, moving individual hiding in a recreational boat being stored in the backyard of a Watertown home, even though the human being could not been seen beneath a covering tarpaulin by video surveillance cameras or the naked eye.
It is not clear from announcements by law enforcement authorities, and news accounts, whether it was the FLIR system that first discovered the wounded alleged terrorist, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and led police on the ground to surround the boat and eventually take Tsarnaev into custody. Or whether it was the tipoff from a man living in the Watertown house to blood on the tarpaulin that first led police to the injured alleged terrorist. (From Thermal imager from FLIR Corp. helps spot Boston Marathon terrorist beneath boat tarp)
It’s not that “unclear:”
The manhunt for Dzhokar Tsarnaev lasted all day Friday and left Boston streets deserted as police asked everyone to stay indoors. Then after the request was lifted, authorities got a tip: A Watertown man told police someone was hiding in his boat in the backyard, bleeding. It was their suspect, Watertown police Chief Edward Deveau said.
Officers spotted Tsarnaev poking through the tarp covering the boat, and a shootout erupted, Deveau said. Police used “flash-bangs,” devices meant to stun people with a loud noise, and negotiated with Tsarnaev for about half an hour.
“We used a robot to pull the tarp off the boat,” David Procopio of the Massachusetts State Police said. “We were also watching him with a thermal imaging camera in our helicopter. He was weakened by blood loss — injured last night, most likely.”(From: As Boston reeled, younger bombing suspect partied
After the boat was pointed out, the thermal imager could see the suspect through a cover.
Not as impressive is it?
If you are going to market based on bad news, pick something that isn’t contradicted in published news accounts.
If you are reading marketing, read carefully, very carefully.