Orange E-Business Advocate

Before you spend money on Advertising

Fast Company has a good article out on the benefits of Public Relations over Advertising, where they describe PR as the nail and Advertising as the hammer. Good PR builds your product or your brand; only then should advertising be used to drive the message home.

Two great things about PR: (1) it's usually free; and (2) it tends to be more credible, or more meaningful to customers than the advertising that comes straight from your business.

I'm reminded of a brilliant PR stunt that Ben & Jerry's pulled off many years ago. I went on a tour of their ice cream factory in Vermont while I was in college, and never forgot the story my tour guide told about the launch of their Dilbert ice cream. Here's a quote I dug up:

> Burlington, VT (April 1, 1998) -- Ben & Jerry's April Fool's Day
> surprise literally "took off" today, in true Dilbert style. As part of
> the national launch of the newest Ben & Jerry's flavor, "Dilbert's
> Worldny teamed up with United Airlines to recognize real life workers
> and offer them a break from their "totally nuts" world. Named in honor
> of everyone's favorite cubicle dwelling comic strip hero, the new
> flavor, "Dilbert's Worldoasted hazelnuts, praline pecans, and white
> fudge coated almonds. Upon arrival at the United Airlines gate, business
> commuters on select flights were given a fun April Fool's surprise when
> Ben & Jerry's cut them a check on the spot for the average ticket price
> of their flight, and dished out free samples of the new flavor. In
> homage to Dilbert's "totally nuts" work environment, Ben & Jerry's set
> up Dilbert-like office cubicles at LaGuardia Airport in New York and Los
> Angeles International Airport to offer commuters a special April Fool's
> gift. "As we celebrate 20 years of doing business in our own way,"
> comments Mary Lou Kelley, Director of Product Marketing for Ben &
> Jerry's, "we salute Dilbert and his ability survive in a totally nuts
> workplace."

The free press B&J enjoyed after this event was well worth the money they spent. Now >that's< an effective way to use your marketing dollars.

Of course, most businesses are not as large as Ben & Jerry's. As the owner of a small but growing business, I often think about how I can get my name out and find more customers. But with a small budget, how can I spend my money effectively to get more business?

I will explore this question in much further detail in the coming months, but from my readings/research I've come across here are a few concepts that I really like:

• Let your product market itself. Spend the money to make the product look good. Design can take you far - take a look at the iPod.
• Be outrageous. Stretch your product or service to the limits. Think about making it the biggest, the smallest, the fastest, or the slowest. People take notice of extremes.
• Provide services for free. Build your reputation, respect, and loyalty by providing something for free. This lets customers get to know your business better and entices them to trust you for additional services. The ultimate example - google.com.
• Do anything for your existing customers. Make them as happy as possible. They will buy from you again, and they will spread the word. This is the best free publicity you can get!

The Fast Company article I mentioned above can be found here:
http://blog.fastcompany.com/archives/2004/06/29/what_comes_first_ads_or_pr.html