The Flipside by Alternative Strategies

How To Do A Publicity Stunt

Hopefully, if you do PR for any length of time, you’ll be fortunate enough to organize a publicity stunt.

To me, publicity stunts are the purest form of PR. Basically, they are events designed strictly to get publicity in the most obvious way. Other forms of PR are more subtle, such as pitching a magazine to do a profile on a subject or writing a press release about a serious problem (that your client has the solution for).

But publicity stunts are bald-faced attempts at getting media attention in the most outrageous ways. To me, there is something honorable about that.

Also, the best publicity stunts have a sense of humor about them so putting them on is usually fun.

Should you do a publicity stunt?

It depends.

We at Alternative Strategies just pulled off a goodie and perhaps when you see what we did and why, you can decide for yourself whether one is appropriate for you.

Recently, our fearless leader had a discussion with a sales rep about, believe it or not, sandwich boards, a retro form of advertising where a person walks around with two boards strapped on their back and front with the name of a business or a slogan, such as “Eat At Joe’s.”

The boss saw me snooping and said, “Hey, “I’ll bet David could find a way to pitch sandwich boards.”

Without even thinking, I blurted: “Sandwich boards are the original social media. Even before Facebook, people would use sandwich boards to interact with potential customers.”

The idea sounded ridiculous enough to work, so our fearless leader decided we would do a campaign to promote our company via sandwich boards.

The trick: We would have scantily clad people wearing boards reading “Get exposed!” with our company name on it.

So we went ahead and had them named and picked a day we were going to present the “sandwich board as social media” concept to a curious world.

Oh, first we had to find two people willing to wear the sandwich boards.

Oh, and we had to write a press release.

Many press releases are dry and filled with the facts and we realized that in order for ours to stick out, it had to be cheeky so we used a tone that suggested our tongues were firmly in our cheeks.

Take a gander:

Long before Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and long before the press started writing trend stories about the rise of multimedia communication tools, there was the original social media: the sandwich board.

Although some naysayers might declare sandwich boards are as unfashionable as corn cob pipes, buggy whips and phones attached to a landline, one San Diego-based PR company is proving that even low-tech sandwich boards still are an important social media tool in 21st century America.

It worked, because we had a few media outlets interested in covering our “event” even though we scheduled it at the same time that Michael Jackson’s death was announced.

Here’s a link to one of the stories: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/around_town/fashion/Near-Nudes-in-Sandwich-BoardsBack-to-the-Future.html

The writer does call it “a shameless stab at self-promotion” (and I can’t argue with him), but as a result of this (and a TV story on the gimmick publicity stunt), we’re getting attention from media outlets all over the world.

Not a bad return on investment.

So would publicity stunt work for you? It depends on how far you’re willing to go. The best have a sense of humor and the organizers make no bones about what they’re doing. In addition, it’s crucial to have good visuals (such as scantily-clad people).

If you are looking to do a publicity stunt, give us a call. We had so much fun on this one, we'd love to do it for you.

Never Trust Your Screen

One of the most common problems designers have at the office is a client views a project for approval and disagrees on the color scheme.  Graphic artists hear that complaint all the time.

The worst is once it has the client’s approval, it’s sent to print. When the client receives the hard copy and sees the wrong green, red, or brown, they become upset.

The reason: the color caliber on the screen versus the color copy from the desktop printer is very different.

As a graphic designer, I tend to fix the color resolution on our computers. As well as fixing our printer, we strive for our color to be as close as possible to printed material(s). Other methods we use are swatch books, color indexes, and tint manuscripts.

Another important factor when working with a client is to have them look at all the color and swatch books for the exact color. With this method, one is more precise with seeing the color as is when printed and no material, money, and time is wasted.

For all who love to approve projects without seeing a print copy, or those who LOVE shopping on line, give it another thought. It’s very important to realize what your true color is.

Show Me Your True Colors

There is no escaping color. It is everywhere! Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. Even in the United States, the meanings of various colors have changed over the years. Yet what does it all mean? Today, researchers have generally found the true meaning behind the hues from the color spectrum.

In print ads, color ads elicit more responses than the black and white kind. Period.

That’s because color ads pop out on a page and don't fade into the editorial and black and white prints.

Look at a magazine that has both color and b/w ads and you will notice yourself reading or looking at the color ads more than the black/white. When Sears went from black and white to color in their catalog, sales jumped 72 percent! Now that’s a number you don’t want to pass up.

Consider the meaning of the following colors in promotions:

Black

Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. Black contrasts well with bright colors. When combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives off a very aggressive color scheme.

White

In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it's the color of snow. The color can used to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. White is an appropriate color for charitable organizations. Uses for white can suggest safety when promoting medical products. White is often associated with low weight, low-fat food, and dairy products.

Blue

Blue can be used to promote products and services related to cleanliness, air and sky, water and sea. As opposed to emotionally warm colors like red, orange, and yellow, blue is linked to consciousness and intellect. Use blue to suggest precision when promoting high-tech products.

According to studies, blue is a masculine color and is highly accepted among males. Dark blue is associated with depth, expertise, and stability and that explains why it is a preferred color for corporate America.
When used together with warm colors like yellow or red, blue can create high-impact, vibrant designs.

Red

Red brings text and images to the foreground. As an accent color, it can stimulate people to make quick decisions. It’s the perfect color for “Buy Now” or “Click Here” buttons on Internet banners and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings.

This color is also commonly associated with energy, so it’s used when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, and items related to sports and high physical activity.

Green

Green is used to indicate safety when advertising drugs and medical products. Green is directly related to nature, and can be easily used to promote “green” products. Dull, darker green is commonly associated with money, the financial world, banking, and Wall Street.

Yellow

Yellow evokes pleasant, cheerful feelings. Yellow is very effective for attracting attention and highlighting the most important elements of designs. Men usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, “childish” color.

Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color. Light yellow tends to disappear into white, usually needing a dark color to highlight it. Shades of yellow are visually unappealing because they loose cheerfulness and become dingy.

Purple

According to surveys, almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colors. Purple is a very rare color in nature; some people consider it to be artificial.

If you want power and royalty and prestige, purple is the color to use. A lot of people associate this color with royalty. If importance is the perception you seek, a strong purple color will make it happen.

Orange

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. Orange is the color of fall and harvest and is symbolic of strength and endurance.

Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design. Orange is very effective for promoting food products and toys.

Color has proven to increase a person’s recognition of a brand by over 75 percent, so it’s no surprise a lot of companies use it in advertising.

The reaction to colors, although sometimes more subtle than others, depends solely on the person. These have to be taken note of since merchandisers can make serious mistakes with color(s) in advertisements if they fail to pay attention to color meanings.

Impressions Make or Break A Deal

Whether you’re walking down the street, making a business deal or attending a social gathering, people give you a full appraisal with three seconds of that first encounter.

They evaluate everything from the way you look to the way you behave. Your demeanor, mannerisms, body language, grooming and even accessories and clothing style are all up to intense split-second scrutiny.

Their final evaluation can have a huge effect, either positively or negatively.

If you make a negative impression during those all-important three seconds, it will take at least two hours of face-to-face time to undo the damage.

Yep, when you make a bad impression on someone it is nearly impossible to gain their full attention or have them take anything you say or do seriously.

However, if you make a good impression, you will be viewed as respectable and genuine attention will be paid to what you have to say.

This is especially important when establishing business relationships.

Impressions are not only crucial to establishing a credible reputation and good personal relationships, they are also important in marketing as well.

Studies show that a person takes five impressions before they are convinced to try a new product or service.

For example, if a new brand of chips hit store shelves, a potential customer would have to have five positive impressions before actually reaching into their wallet and spend their money on a bag.

Those impressions can take various forms: Seeing a print advertisement of the product; seeing someone eating the product; hearing about the product on the radio; seeing the product on television; and seeing the product on the shelf of a grocery store are just five examples of multiple impressions that can be made about the product.

Of course, the best impression comes from other customers who rave about the product. Imagine the things that might say if they have a bad experience.

Impressions are a crucial part of everyday life. You can’t make a first impression twice. 

What's In Your PR Tool Box?

A critical function of PR involves protecting the organization's image and managing its identity. Public Relations utilizes publicity and other non-paid forms of promotion and information that can generate a positive attitude for the organization. The primary focus is on communication, and to be successful, a company must fully understand the Public Relations Essentials.

With the recent economic downturn and the slow revival, PR has been put under considerable scrutiny. The expensive, over-the-top hype method is no longer effective and too much of the “in-your-face” marketing can bring any business crashing down. Organizations now want the PR machine to function and sustain within a lower budget. The challenge is to maintain the quality and competing with a more intelligent audience.

The necessary tools for Public Relations need to answer these questions:

• What is your intended objective?
• Who are your target audience?
• What are their current attitudes, opinions, and interests?
• What messages would impact their attitudes, opinions, and interests that your objective is achieved?
 
Using these tools, you will be able to know your target audience right from the start of the project. After determining the scope of your message on the target audience, settling on how to effectively influence the most from your target audience is a must. The more info you find about the target audience, the more impact you will have and, in turn, have positive results for your business.

Is Free Really For Me?

You’re probably thinking, “Is this person crazy? Who doesn’t want something that’s free?”

Well, it’s not for me, it’s for businesses.

In this struggling economy, business execs are trying to find ways to save as much money as possible and using free sources for press releases is one way for them to save some extra green.

Many companies use press releases wires to widely distribute their company’s press release. While some companies have the funds to use paid sources such as PR Newswire or Businesswire, other companies use free source sites. There are more free sources available online then paid ones. Some sites that are commonly used are: www.PR.com, www.24-7pressrelease.com, www.PR-inside.com, www.PRleap.com, and www.free-press-release.com. 

For comparison, the first thing that pops into mind is the amount of money saved when using a free source versus paid. Say a company puts out a national press release two times a month with a 500 word (U.S. average) description. For a paid source, the total would be roughly around $1700 a month! Put that up against a free source, well you just saved yourself over $20,000 a year. Also, there is a sense of ease to post a release on a free source site. All that you need to do is register, log in, attach the release, and that’s it.

Paid sources have their advantages, for instance, professionalism and reputation. On paid source sites, they look cleaner, less clutter, and not as much spam or pop-ups. You won’t have to worry about a journalist scanning through the press releases and missing yours because they received a pop-up to find out their credit score.

As for professionalism, paid press release sources definitely have a higher status. However, free sources are slowly but surely moving up the status bar.

Both paid and free press release sources come with advantages and disadvantages. To determine which is best for your company, decide who your target audience for your announcement is and whether it’s an announcement you want nationally or internationally distributed.

Next, determine how much of a budget you have to support this outreach. This will help you decide which is best for your company. If you’re still not sure, contact us at Alternative Strategies, we’re happy to help!

In Business, Be A Partner, Not A Servant

Is your working relationship rewarding? Enter, the partnership.

As a contractor, it is difficult to lay the foundation for a partnership from the beginning of a contract. It goes that when you are hired to do a job for another business, you are expected to perform certain duties.

However, one thing I like to substantiate from the beginning of a new contract is the working relationship and expectations I have when hired.

Too often, companies hire you to do a job and forget that you are a contractor, not an employee of their company. They are clearly going to benefit in some way when hiring you to perform a job for them, but do you benefit from them?

For two businesses to benefit from a working relationship, the duties under that contract need to be performed with the understanding that what is being done needs to be beneficial to both parties; not just the one hiring.

When you start viewing your business as something worth being rewarded, you will start being viewed by others as a company worth partnering with.

I am not saying that if you are hired to do a job you should perform under the standards of a contract.

When both parties lay out expectations from the beginning, this can help ensure a rewarding and long-lasting working relationship for all.

3 Ways To Generate New Business

When preparing a marketing approach for your company, there are a number of aspects to consider, the first of which is advertising.

Well, in these tough economic times, the trend is moving away from expensive advertising and towards other ways of driving revenue and obtaining new business.

If I were starting a business today, these are the three aspects of marketing that I would place the most emphasis.

1) Sales Team and Building Leaders

The primary way to get others to buy in to your product or service is to ensure that the people representing it actually buy into it. I am a firm believer that any company can succeed through networking and concentrated sales efforts. If the owners and managers truly have an investment in the company then they will refuse to let it fail and put forth a great deal of concentrated sales efforts and awareness in the correct direction. It is better to have a sales team made up of 5 people that are living or dying by the success of the company, than a team of 20 undedicated individuals that were unwilling to network and do what it takes.  Empowering employees and creating leaders is the most beneficial thing any company can do to ensure success.  Make sure to properly invest in your people, take time to train them to think on their own, and you’ll empower them.

2) Public Relations

PR is the non-traditional approach to advertising.  PR is everywhere in our lives and we do not even realize it.  Anytime someone gives a third party endorsement of a company, product, or service; that is public relations.  PR is most effective when the information comes from a source you trust.  This could be as simple as word-of-mouth PR (when someone tells you about a product) or media PR which might be when Oprah chooses to highlight a specific business or product on her show.  Either way you are being indirectly advertised to, but PR holds a much heavier weight than traditional advertising, based on the third party source.  Utilizing an effective and aggressive pr campaign for your company is the way to generate “buzz” and ensure long term success.

3) Internet Marketing

It is amazing today how few people still do not understand the power of internet marketing, search engine optimization, and social media.  All of these tools can be used daily – and for free! -- to drive traffic to your website and create awareness about your company, your products, and what it is you do.  Even if your business is completely unrelated to the internet, you must remember that all of your clients and customers use the internet daily.  Online impressions do not always directly translate to sales, but using internet marketing properly will create pre-made buying decisions in the minds of your customers.  The internet serves as a free-flowing public relations enterprise, so be sure you are tapping into it and spreading the good word.