Sick of all the hoopla over Black Friday, the day-after-Thanksgiving media frenzy that’s the “official” start of the Christmas shopping season?

A blogger named Chris apparently is and wrote an interesting post about how shameful the media act when they give “free advertising” to the retailers that keep opening their stores earlier and earlier so shoppers can get a jump on all the big sales and buy what they need “while supplies last.”

I disagree. This is a legitimate news story and will continue to be simply because it affects so many people. Any time lots of people gather someplace, and spend lots of money, it’s usually newsworthy.

Some of the Black Friday stories I’ve seen have included valuable consumer tips, from how to avoid crime in places like shopping malls, to tips on how to avoid identity theft. 

This year, at least, the strategy of opening earlier and earlier has resulted in a ton of great publicity. My hat’s off to the retailers who were able to capitalize on it. But at some point, this tactic will get old, and they’ll have to think of another trick to lure the TV cameras into their stores.

If you’re a bricks-and-mortar store or an online retailer, you still have plenty of opportunity between now and Christmas to join the media frenzy. Be willing to comment on how your sales are doing, the hottest items that are most in demand,  trends you’re seeing, etc. 

And don’t forget to pitch the bloggers! Read my article “Let Bloggers Create Publicity for You.”

 

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, Publicity on the Internet
posted On: 11/26/2006: 9:48 am: By Joan
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