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Try A
Stunt....
Cost Nothing
- Pays Huge!
I
hear people talking all the time about advertising. Ads,
ads, ads. And sure enough, advertising is a viable and
good medium for getting the word out about your product or
service. But, and this is a big but, advertising is
expensive. Almost any form, in any medium, in any
distribution costs a lot of money, and seldom if every pays for
itself in one or two exposures.
Public Relation on the other hand often costs little or nothing
and frequently pays off handsomely. And PR stunts can come off
nearly legendary. First let’s talk a little about some of
the really big PR stunts that have been pulled off successfully
over the years, then we’ll take a look at your business.
Diamonds
The DeBeers Company discovered a huge quantity of diamonds in
South Africa, which forced them to face a dilemma. They
had discovered far more diamonds than they could sell to a few
aristocrats. It was necessary to create a campaign to
attract the masses and make owning a diamond something that
every woman wanted.
A brilliant strategy including a
well-orchestrated public relations campaign began to link the
public's mind of diamonds with romance. To implement this
plan, DeBeers decided to give movie idols diamonds to use as
their symbols of indestructible love. But the secret was
not in the giving of the diamonds to movie stars, but rather in
the well placed stories in key magazines and newspapers
stressing the size of diamonds that celebrities presented to
their loved ones. Photographs reinforcing the link between
diamonds and romance accompanied every article.
The results? Within 3 years, the sale of diamonds had
increased by 55 percent. More importantly, public
relations established that the engagement diamond ring is truly
forever.
Cookies and Cakes
In
1949 the Pillsbury company realized that coming up with new and
innovative products was dependent on coming up with new recipes.
And successful recipes took time and a staff of very good cooks
to create. Which is why, as a public relations event
designed to encourage homemakers to come up with new original
recipes using Pillsbury products, the company invented -
The Pillsbury Bake-Off . Originally it was planned as a one-time
public relations event, but the contest became so popular that
it has become an American institution. The phrase
"bake-off" has become so popular that it is now part of the
American cultural vernacular.
Millions of dollars of free publicity
are generated each year through food and lifestyle magazine
columnists. The Bake-Off also has a popular website, where
recipes (using Pillsbury products) are traded. To ensure
the next generation of Pillsbury buyers and Bake-Off
contestants, the company has recently launched its first ever
Kids’ Bake-Off Contest. In addition, men have slowly been
added to the Bake-Off tradition - in 1996 the winner of the $1
million grand prize was a man.
Atlantic City
In
1921 Atlantic City, NJ needed tourists and needed them badly.
It was for this reason, and this reason alone, that the Miss
America Pageant was created. The public relations event
was a way to extend the slow summer season after Labor Day,
growing quickly in popularity as thousands of revelers attended
the spectacular week-long series of annual parties, parades,
fireworks shows, dances, and the all-important competition.
We all know how this pageant has grown over the years, but we
often forget why it was created to begin with.
Tacos
With the eyes of the world focused on the crash landing of the
Soviet Mir space station, the Taco Bell company had an inspired
public relations idea. At the expected crash site, Taco
Bell set up a 40-by-40 foot vinyl target - emblazoned with the
company's logo and the words ''Free Taco Here!'' In the
extremely unlikely event that Mir hit the target, the company
promised free tacos to all 281 million Americans. A
minute-by-minute countdown of Mir's descent and a photo of the
floating target were anxiously seen by millions of hungry web
surfers on the Taco Bell site.
The result? Millions of dollars of free publicity on major
news programs and media outlets around the world. Their website
could hardly handle the traffic.
The Duck Quack
Think it takes a lot of money to come up with a nifty attention
getting stunt? Nope! Nearly half a million people a
day called National Discount Brokers' voice mail just to hear
the sound of a duck quacking. Callers dialed into the
toll-free number and heard an automated reception that began
with typical corporate prompts such as: "To request a new
account kit, press two." But the seventh option piqued the
interest of people around the world. "If you would like to
hear a duck quack, press seven," the automated attendant said.
At its peak, nearly 500,000 people called the line to hear the
sound of the duck, tying up the company's phone system in the
process.
NDB saw a 75% increase in new
customers during the duck quack's heyday and the feedback has
been almost entirely positive. "People just love it.
We're supposed to be a stiff, Wall Street company, but we've
gotten calls telling us that every company should have an option
seven."
Rain Insurance
A
roofing contractor we know found a bargain on a shipment of red
umbrellas. He bought over 5,000 of them for only $500.
He quickly had a stencil of his logo and company name made and
along with some spray paint one stormy day when roofing was not
possible, his crew emblazed all 5,000 umbrellas with their
logos. Then they attended a local art fair and walked
around giving people the umbrellas as a ‘personal roof.’
The result: Within six months the company saw a 50% increase in
business and opened offices in two more cities, using the
umbrella stunt to introduce their roofing company in the new
communities as well.
So, the next time you are lamenting the high cost of
advertising, think stunts instead. Costs almost nothing, but
often pays off big! |
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