www.1001TopWords.com |
When The Stars Align - Choosing the Right Entertainment
Savvy event producers follow the Golden Rule: know thy audience. When they set out to create a special event, the first thing they do is slip into the shoes of a typical guest. Understanding their audience helps them choose the right location for the event, determine ticket prices, and select the proper advertising and promotional vehicles. The same measured approach should go into selecting the entertainment. The right band, comedian or speaker will drive ticket sales, help secure sponsors and generate the right amount of excitement, glitz and glamour for the occasion. Indeed, the most carefully considered entertainer can reach far beyond the event, generate a great deal of publicity, and build equity for your client or cause. Such was the case when we booked Jessica Simpson at a corporate event for Chicken of the Sea. Most of America had seen, or heard about the episode of MTV's "Newlyweds" in which Simpson, while eating out of a can of Chicken of the Sea, wonders aloud whether it is tuna or chicken. This, along with many other gaffs, helped cement Simpson as America's favorite ditz. By agreeing to appear for Chicken of the Sea, Simpson showed she could laugh with us. And Chicken of the Sea laughed all the way to the bank. We secured her services for less than her usual rate and, though no press attended the event, a post-event release with photo generated press coverage worth an estimated $1 million dollars (ad space equivalent). In our ten years of booking celebrities for events, this project had by far the best return on investment (R.O.I.) for any client. "How can I possibly replicate that?" you ask. Admittedly, Chicken of the Sea was very lucky. The planets and stars did align on that occasion. But the principle of relevance still applies. Producers must commit to researching talent for common touch-points. Whether you capitalize on current events as they did, or you focus on which talent best matches your objectives, the more relevant your talent, the better it will serve your needs. And, sometimes much more Jonathan Holiff is president and CEO of The Hollywood-Madison Group - the leading recruiter of celebrities for endorsements, events and public relations campaigns. Visit the website at http://www.hollywood-madison.com
|
RELATED ARTICLES
URL Everywhere? Offline Marketing For Online Success Your URL (www) should be everywhere and more. Viral Marketing with a Powerful Twist What would you do with 500, 1000 or more additional visitors each day? Imagine how your web business will grow with an extra 2000, 5000 or MORE leads each month . . . Getting More From Your Customer We are all customers of one product or another. How is it we always seem to buy or shop from the same place? What is it that these businesses do to keep us coming back and buying from them? A large portion of the selection process that a customer goes through is done through advertising ? attracting and reminding customers through promotions. Marketing Strategy - Spell Out Your Unique Value I attended a "Sales Focus" seminar a few years back in which the speaker asked this key question. "Why, based on all the competitive alternatives available to me, would I want to buy from you?" What a great question. Earning the Right To Sell With Stats ? 10 Steps to Greatness We could learn a thing or two from pro sports. Marketing Operations Elevates Public Relations and Communications Professionals Is your marketing department taking advantage of MOM and MRM? Do you have BAM and DAM systems in place? Do you know how to measure NPV? Do you even know what I'm talking about? Top 10 Ways to Create and Manage Opportunity Most of us are used to the concepts of risk management or time management. Many of the same principles can be applied to creating and responding to opportunities. Instead of thinking of opportunities as just "coming along", you can actually increase the number of opportunities available to you, and there are specific principles you can use to assess whether a "possibility" has real "probability" and "profitability" for you. In times of rapid change, increasing the number of options you have available, and a system for prioritizing and responding to possibilities are critical business functions. Marketing Success Defined How do you personally define success? High income? Substantial net worth? A fine home? Peer recognition? Color Part 1: Accuracy Color is one of the most difficult parts of a design to show accurately to a client. Mobile Auto Detailers and Newspaper Companies as Clientele If you are a mobile auto detailer or mobile car wash company you might wish to think of attaining the local newspaper as a strategic client for your services. Usually newspapers have large staffs, especially daily newspapers. They do everything in house to save costs. They obviously have lots of cars to clean and this means plenty of customers. In fact as a mobile auto detailer or car washer this could be a half a days stop on your route or even a full day depending on the size or the paper. Think of the employees of a newspaper? Doing it with Class! Doctors do it, hair dressers do it, and salespeople can do it too. Communication Breakdown - Dont Let It Happen To You Do you have Communication breakdown? Do Not Consider Running the Same Yellow Page Ad until You Read This Grant Businesses have a love-hate relationship with the Yellow Page directory On the one hand, business owners know they need to be there - even though everyone they compete against is there, too. They rightly fear their ad won't get noticed. That's why questions like, "How big should it be?" become important (along with up-grades that jack up an ad's cost). Are they worth it? Who knows! The whole topic is complicated and a tad intimidating. A lot is riding on the ad's ability to pull in more business. Advertisers don't feel they understand Yellow Page issues well enough to make the "right choice." So they often avoid thinking about it altogether. Even when they realize their ad isn't drawing much business, an advertiser is reluctant to make changes. To what? So, what's the rush? The Yellow Page directory only comes out once a year. Whether an ad performs like a dynamo or a disappointment, the business is stuck with it until the next directory comes around. So there's plenty of time to consider what could make it better. But somehow, people seldom do. But at some point, the ad shifts from back burner to urgent, as the next directory's deadline approaches. Decisions about what it will look like are often made "on the fly." So it never gets the scrutiny it deserves, so it can deliver the most "bang for the buck." Time pressure (coupled with the urging of the Sales Rep) leads many business owners to just "stick with what I have." That decision means hardly having to think about it at all. For another year, anyway. But that's not the best strategy - just the quickest. A business owner should carefully consider the wisdom of each aspect of their directory listing - wording, images, size, options, which directories or headings, etc. Change involves more than the ad's appearance Never change your ad just to make it prettier. Modifications should help you connect even better with directory user's needs. That involves focusing your message and distinctive style (which is communicated in a glance) so it grabs them. Get the advice you need to fine-tune your ad from industry experts at http://www.yellowpagesage.com There's no need to feel stuck with an under-performing ad. Changing your ad can involve increasing or decreasing its size or features (or going in an unrelated direction). But such revisions are simple, compared to more complex and influential issues, like whether it communicates your distinctive personality and benefits. If you're unclear about your message, don't be surprised if readers don't get it. Sharpening your customer-grabbing message should be an ongoing concern, and not just for the Yellow Pages. Directory users are looking for information to make their buying choices easier. Looking and sounding like every other ad doesn't serve their needs - and it doesn't serve you, either. Re-assess the wisdom of your Yellow Page strategy What you spend for your Yellow Page listing is only a portion of your advertising budget. How big a slice should it be? Resist the temptation to over-spend for the value received (as most advertisers do). Costs should bear some relationship to the amount of business coming through them - which involves tracking your calls and sales. Consider directory costs relative to all the ways customers find you. Where does most new business really come from? Are marketing dollars better spent elsewhere? Figure the source of new business before getting caught by secondary questions like: how large, or which headings, or whether options like color make sense. Recognize the changes affecting directory usage. Buyers aren't relying on the print directory like they used to. Many use the Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) and search engines focused with local terms. Think about whether to direct some directory dollars there. Update your information to keep it current Business changes occur all the time. Don't forget to bring your data up to date when placing your next year's advertising. Business changes affecting your ad - Change of business name, or splitting into more than one company or brand - Added or different phone numbers; same with addresses - Add your Web site address (domain URL) or email address - Changed your policies, hours, services (like free delivery) - Additional product lines or services (like classes or supplies) - Update years in service (if in your ad) - New awards, degrees, etc. that can bolster credibility - Adding a partner (especially for professions) - Remove what's no longer true or relevant Think long and hard about what will make you stand out in the directory during the year (not just at renewal time). The success of your business could depend on how well your ad does its job. (c) 2004, Lynella Grant How to Set (and Get) the Right Prices Which product feature of yours is every buyer keen to know about? Which sales tool closes prospects instantly? Your price. Yet, despite the far-reaching consequences of a company's pricing, I'm surprised at how little time small business owners spend on it. Here are a few ways to bring pricing to the forefront of your marketing plan. Everything Youve Ever Learned About Marketing Is Wrong Everything you've ever learned about marketing and advertising is WRONG. Everything you've ever heard everything you've ever tried, everything you've ever done, it's all WRONG. Using Business Cards as Invitations Business card size works well for invitations to special events. Attracting New Business on a Shoestring Budget In a recent marketing workshop I attended, I discovered that most business owners rely on just two or three strategies to attract new business. Even well-established companies tend to rely on one or two strategies. However, there is a multitude of ways to drive new business to your door. Here are a few: How to Set Up & Organize Your Customer Mailing List For Optimum Results Your list of customers who have previously bought from you isyour most important asset. These are the customers who willprovide you with return business, which is more profitable thanthe first sale. But, are you getting the most from your customerlist? There are some secrets you should know, so you can squeezethe most benefits out of your mailing list. Peddling Your Own Wagon Through Local Exposure In my e-book "Articles That Sell", I've shared the secret of marketing your business on the Internet. If you've been active in your efforts, you've been writing and publishing free reprint articles. 2 Great, Free Techniques to Get Customers to Come to You, Not the Other Way Around Here is a powerful tip on how to substantially increase the traffic to your business weather it's online or bricks & mortar. The best news is that it's totally free! You will get more targeted traffic to your website and more customers through your front door. |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |