Dodo Loves Marketing

Before televisions combine with computers, you would think TV sets would combine with videocassette recorders. You can buy combination TV/VCRs, of course, but most people don’t. Recently we visited a consumer electronics store that had a wall full of such products.

“How are sales of your combination television/VCRs?” we asked the clerk. “Infinitesimal,” he replied.

Nor are many combination washer/dryers sold. Or microwave/stoves. Or telephone/telephone answering machines. Or copier/printer/fax machines. ..more

• Read More »

According to one famous futurist, “Someday in the near future I’ll be watching Ally McBeal. I like the outfit she’s wearing. So I put my hand on the TV screen and she‘ll interrupt the program and say, ‘Faith, do you like what I’m wearing?”Yeah,’ I’ll say. ‘I like your suit.’ And she‘ll say, ‘Here are the colors it comes in.’ I’ll tell Ally that I’ll take just navy or black, maybe both. And she‘ll say, ‘No you won’t, Faith. You’ve already got too many navy and black outfits in your closet right now. I think you should try red this time.’ And I’ll say okay, and the next day the red suit is delivered, in my size, to my home.” ..more

• Read More »

‘Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.’

Have you ever tried to eat at a restaurant the day after it’s been well reviewed in the local newspaper? The lines can reach around the block; such is the power of free publicity.

In addition to increasing visibility in your community, press coverage can be copied and used as part of your mailing package to prospective clients. When your company appears in a magazine that is printed in four colours, have the front cover reprinted as well as the piece inside that is about you. The promotional effect of using a colour copy of the article is enormous compared to a dull black and white reprint. In this way the article about you becomes a permanent part of your promotional material and can be seen by people who missed it when it appeared in the media.

You can generate good publicity by taking the following steps:

1 Read through your local newspaper. Look at the length (number of words) of its articles and what subjects are seen to be of interest to its readers. If you live in a major metropolitan area, don’t limit yourself to the largest newspaper or the major radio or television stations. Study local suburban papers and smaller radio stations to determine if they are the right mediums for your news release. ..more

• Read More »