Swiping Marketing Ideas from Other Industries

Those of you who read this blog regularly know I am in love with Joan Stewart, steward of The Publicity Hound newsletter. One of the things I like about it that she does lots of things specifically for authors; the other thing I like about it is she sees how authors can learn from the marketing cues from other industries! An example: I missed this United Airlines snafu, but I sure didn't miss the leggings marketing ploy from Spirit airlines.  This piggyback/switch technique works on serious subjects, too--and lots of the news is serious these days.  But a little humor is especially refreshing, don't you think? I can't tell you how many articles I have written about book marketing based on the book marketing booboos other authors have made.  (I usually don't name the authors but sometimes--if I think my article will help them--I do.)

Here, with permission from Joan is her article.  Bet you'll want to subscribe to her letter after you've read it! Subbscribe here so you can get your own tips every Tuesday and Saturday. 

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Let Them Wear Leggings

When United Airlines landed in hot water for banning two girls from boarding a plane on Sunday because they wore leggings, competitor Spirit Airlines wasted no time using the controversy for its own promotion.

An email arrived this morning with the subject line "Bring Your Leggings." When I opened it, I saw the illustration above and this message:

"Because of recent headlines, we thought we'd double-check our etiquette atlas. Turns out wearing leggings are not a big deal. We thought everyone knew that, but guess not. Well at least at Spirit, we're united (cough) about letting young girls dress how they want. If you fly with us, get your leggings on ladies. Or even gentlemen. No judgments here. Unless you're wearing those new clear-knee mom jeans, then some judgments. But you can still fly with us. Just use this deal so that next time you can buy a complete pair of pants."

It linked to a page where travelers could get 75 percent off selected flights.

Now that's clever.

To do: Look for opportunities to piggyback off breaking news stories like this one for publicity, a special sale or a promotion. That's what I'm doing. Today only, you can grab my giant package of 52 special reports, regularly $247, for 75 percent off. Knock $185.25 off the price when you use the coupon code LEGGINGS at checkout. Grab this deal here.

MY FRUGAL COMMENT: Oh, by the way. Frugal me buys her leggings at Rite Aid for $14.95. That's their most expensive pair they carry and sometimes they have two-for-one sales!  

MY FRUGAL WARNING: Notice that this play fits with Spirits' . . . well, "Spirited" branding. It goes without saying that our promotions should all do that--in content and in tone.  In fact, this blogpost is a piggyback and I hope it achieves the tone of "helpful."

 MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

  Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com )