The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Here’s an example of a clever PR campaign that relied not on traditional media coverage but on word-of-mouth buzz and a huge online community that just keeps growing.

The campaign—sponsored by Fiskars, the company best known for it’s orange-handle scissors, in conjunction with the Brains on Fire corporate identity—taps into the $3 billion scrapbooking industry.

Volunteer crafters known as Fiskateers visit local independent scrapbooking stores and then blog about their experiences. They have special scissors that aren’t sold in stores, which created a conversation piece. And they host demonstrations, charity events, even parties. Fiskars launched the campaign when it knew it was losing sales to cheaper knockoff versions of its products.

An article in the November 19 issue of PRWeek says the campaign exceeded all of its goals and has attracted more than 2,500 Fiskateers (11 times the original goal) around the world.  The company also saw a 446 percent increase in online conversations that mention Fiskars by name. 

PR Week says a key element in the success of the campaign was that the Fiskateers weren’t salespeople and they were allowed to blog about their experiences.

Few companies, I’m sure, would have been willing to take a risk such as this one and bypass traditional media.

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, PR Consultants/Publicists, Publicity for Niche Markets, Publicity on the Internet, Social networking
posted On: 11/23/2007: 7:53 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Harry Hoover of Charlotte, North Carolina writes:

“I’d like to tap into the collective brains of Publicity Hounds. Since 2002, I have promoted a project each holiday season called Holiday For Charity. It encourages people to ask for charitable donations in their name in lieu of gifts. I’ve gotten solid local coverage of this program, but I’d like to take it up a notch. I’m hoping your readers can provide ideas to augment my plan. Here are my ideas:
 
–Local media relations with key media like Charlotte Observer, Business Journal, etc.
–PRWeb news release
–Story in my ezine
–Continuing coverage on my blog
–Post an article on social media sites
 
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Posted In: Holidays, Nonprofits, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity on the Internet, Social networking
posted On: 11/20/2007: 11:01 am: By Joan
Comments: 5 Comments

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is aptly named as the day when retailers shift into profitability or move “into the black.”

But it can be like gold for Publicity Hounds. Here’s why:

• First, the media are often working with skeleton staffs. 
• Second, PR people and even some publicists take the day off. That means less competition for your pitches.

Here are some story ideas to consider:

—With credit card debt at an all-time high, experts can share tips on how to be a smart shopper this holiday season and stay within our means.

—Thieves will be preying on consumers who do much of their Christmas shopping online.  If you’re an expert in Internet marketing, offer tips on how people who buy and sell online can avoid becoming victims.

—It’s bad enough shopping by yourself.  But if you have to haul your kids, it’s even worse.  How do parents say “no” to children who want everything they see?

—Don’t forget bloggers.  Many of them don’t take time off during the holidays, and they’re hungry for content. (See “How to Pitch the Best Bloggers & Create a Publicity Explosion.“)

—It’s worth a call to your local newspaper to see which holiday gift guides they’re planning during the next four weeks.  Ask for the name of the person who is editing each section, then let them know about your products and services that would make terrific gifts.

—If you’ve already pitched TV and radio shows where you want to appear as a guest, contact them again and offer to fill in if another guest cancels.

—If you sell anything for children and it’s made in the U.S., tie your story to the many recalls of toys made in China.

This time of year, the media particularly love tips lists like “6 ways to stay safe in mall parking lots.”  You can submit these simultaneously to multiple media outlets.  (See “Briefs, Fillers & Quizzes: How to Submit Them & Why Editors LOVE Them.”)

Posted In: Business Promotion, Holidays, Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media, Radio Publicity, TV Publicity
posted On: : 5:25 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Way too many attorneys act as though we still have those laws prohibiting them from advertising. 

How else to explain why so many of them are just plain lousy when it comes to marketing their services and, specifically, generating free publicity?

In this 32-minute interview, attorney Cole Silver asks me about my best publicity tips for sole practitioners. It’s one of his “Raindancing” segments, and you’ll come away with at least three great ideas you can start using in your practice today.

Posted In: Business Promotion, Celebrity tie-ins, Newspaper Publicity, TV Publicity
posted On: 11/19/2007: 8:14 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

“What CEOs Can Learn from Oprah’s Sex Abuse Scandal” is my first contribution as a blogger for the Huffington Post. They posted it it under both Business and Entertainment.

I elaborated on an item I wrote here, giving Oprah high marks for managing the sex abuse scandal at her $40 million academy for girls in South Africa so thoroughly that she left no room for criticism.

It’s been more than two since she broke the news, and I can’t remember the last time I heard or read about it. That’s what happens when you face a crisis head-on, take full resonsibility, clean up the mess, and apologize. 

Agree? Disagree? If you had been in her shoes, what else would you have done? Hop on over to the Huffington Post and let me know what you think. Before you can comment, you have to log in here or sign up for an account.

Posted In: Crisis Communications, Newspaper Publicity, PR Consultants/Publicists
posted On: : 5:30 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments