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e Xposure 1.0 - January 2003 |
By Larry R. Lubenow
BIG THREE DAYS – Retail jewelers naturally focus their attention on the calendar this time of year. But they should not focus on the calendar page for January – but three important dates that follow. These dates can do much to tell how they’ll do between now and next Christmas.
We’re not referring to February 2 (Groundhog Day); February 12 (Lincoln’s Birthday); February 17 (Presidents’ Day); March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day); April 6 (Daylight Savings Time Begins); or April 22 (Earth Day).
Special days that should be fixed in the mind, and in the marketing plan, as promotional opportunities not to be missed are February 14 – Valentine’s Day; April 20 – Easter; and May 11 – Mother’s Day. Marketing and promotional events should have a story that tugs at the public’s heartstrings and converts these days into excitement—and ultimately into new sales.
The answer to these opportunities, of course, is well-executed SPECIAL EVENTS! And, if these special events opportunities are treated as just another trunk show – they are doomed to failure!
This isn’t just marketing and/or public relations theory – it’s personal experience .
I’ve lived it and so has Ilya Abelsky and Eggstravaganza. We know that if you give the news media a legitimate story – they’ll run with it. Increased local excitement , stronger visibility and rapidly raising sales can be created with events such as the American Star that drew 4,000 customers to Ali Digius’ Diamond Boutique in San Diego; the 758-carat Empress Caroline Exhibition; and other successful events like the Gems of the World Exhibition put together recently by Eric Phillips of Carats, Inc., in Minnetonka, MN and a similar show put together by gem expert Mike Fleck of Occasions in Midland, TX.
Ilya has even developed special new eggs and new photography that have been combined in the form of Valentine’s Day exhibition post cards that can be sent by host jewelers to their best customers. If you’d like to see these email me at larry@lubenow.com.
If you’d like to project yourself into your local news media by scheduling and promoting these special events please give us a call at 512-335-9233 or send us an email.
-LL&A-
IT PAYS TO PROMOTE – National Jeweler reports what most who studied business already knew: In difficult times, the businesses who succeed are those who promote themselves aggressively. NJ used the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) as its example of this fundamental tenant of marketing. DTC had a “powerfull” 4th quarter communications program that culminated in a series of television, print and billboard ads that urged consumers “to make a declaration” of love with diamond jewelery.
-LL&A-
PR TIP OF THE MONTH – One of the things I was taught by my colleagues at the world’s best public relations agency, Carl Byoir & Associates, was that you couldn’t white wash a manure pile – so don’t try, it’s bound to rain. I was reminded of this when people try to masquerade a retail sale as a special event and then are surprised when they can’t fool the news media into covering it as if it was news.
The lesson to be learned here is that a special event has to have a story to tell and the only thing that a sale has to sing about is price. A sale isn’t news unless you give away the merchandise – and then only if the competition doesn’t join you.
-LL&A-
STORY TELLER – My nomination for the “Best Story Teller Award” is without a doubt my good friend Jim Comer. Jim, who is Austin’s best speak coach, is also one of the most entertaining speakers it has been my pleasure to hear. At a recent address to Austin’s Technology Advisory Group (TAG), Jim told the story of how a young Jim Comer cut school to see America’s young president, John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie, come through his home town of San Antonio on their way to Dallas. Jim stopped on the way and bought a red rose to give to the First Lady. As the Presidential motorcade wound its way through San Antonio’s streets, Jim said he prepared to present the rose to Jackie.
“Jackie, Jackie,” he shouted. She turned and looked at the astonished youthful Texan.
He ran to the Presidential convertible and thrust the lovely flower to her.
“See Jack,” she said to the President. “They do like us in Texas!”
The next day the President was shot to death in Dallas.
-LL&A-
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you have a subject you’d like covered in an upcoming issue of eX posure 1.0, send us an email to larry@lubenow.com.
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Larry Lubenow & Associates
9214 Mystic Oaks Trail | Austin, Texas 78750
Phone 512-335-9233
Fax: 512-219-1165
Contact
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