It was 6am on a wet and windy Melbourne morning. The two tourists wandered out of their hotel on Exhibition Street, each armed with a giant red golf umbrella plastered with the hotel’s equally giant logo.

At first glance, you might think how thoughtful it is that the hotel anticipates the traveller’s needs. How much more genuine and generous would this gesture be if the guest wasn’t forced to become a conspicuous walking billboard for the business?

We don’t have to turn everything we do into a full blown, neon-lit marketing opportunity. In fact allowing our actions to speak for themselves is the best marketing of all.

Image by Dove Lee.