Simple, powerful stuff: How one company got more than $40 million in free publicity
Sunglasses maker Oakley has found itself the happy recipient of what could be more than $40 million in nearly free, positive marketing (see: Oakley Gets Projected $41 Million In Exposure From Chilean Miners). After 69 days trapped in a Chilean mine, dozens of miners were brought to the surface while millions of people the world over watched. Each of these miners emerged from their underground burial wearing a pair of $180 Oakley shades. After being approached by a Chilean journalist who knew that 
the miners would be suffering from eye problems after 69 days in darkness, the company donated a pair of their Oakley Radar sunglasses to each miner (plus, according to reports, an extra set of lenses).
All told, the company invested less than $10,000 (full retail value, not their actual cost) and, according to research done for CNBC from Front Row Analytics, a sponsorship evaluation firm, the return the company will receive is as much as $41 million in free publicity.
That's great for Oakley, but what about something on a smaller scale, something that is perhaps more achievable for us?
I had a friend who had just launched a computer retail store, and he was looking for some cheap opportunities to get some positive publicity for his business. After brainstorming a bit, I proposed this idea:
The main post office in the city where my friend's store is located was notorious for running out of IRS tax forms as the tax deadline of April 15th approached each year. The tax returns must be postmarked by April 15 in order to avoid a penalty. Since so many people procrastinate in filing their taxes, each year the main post office branch would stay open on April 15th, past midnight, even until the entire line of cars waiting to drop off their tax forms was finished, postmarking the forms "April 15" even at 2:00 AM on the 16th.
I proposed that my friend download the IRS forms, hook up a few computers and printers, and stay open late, past midnight on the 15th, and provide a free method for late filers to print any forms they might be missing. Since my friend was acquainted with a coffee cart owner, he invited her to come to his store and sell coffee to those who might show up to print out their forms.
Once the plan was in place, I wrote up a short press release announcing his free service and we faxed the release to every radio and television station in town on the morning of April 15th.
The results were impressive.
My friend was contacted by multiple radio stations and he did telephone interviews with them. Two local TV stations did LIVE reports from his store during their 11:00 PM news reports, cutting from footage of long lines of cars at the main post office and reports of them being out of forms, to my friend standing in front of a happy group of people printing out forms on live TV telling everyone watching to come to his store for free IRS forms and to enjoy some hot, delicious coffee.
It was a massive success. He received tens of thousands of dollars worth of free, positive publicity, and in tracking his new customers and sales determined that he added literally dozens of new customers and thousands of dollars in sales thanks to that particular opportunity alone.
The opportunities are out there.
Yeah, I know, you're not a sunglasses manufacturer. But going back to the miners, think about this: couldn't an online sunglasses retailer have made the SAME donation? It didn't have to be the sunglasses MAKER who sent those glasses down there, if you sell sunglasses online, it could have easily been YOU.
So what is your plan to take advantage?
the miners would be suffering from eye problems after 69 days in darkness, the company donated a pair of their Oakley Radar sunglasses to each miner (plus, according to reports, an extra set of lenses).All told, the company invested less than $10,000 (full retail value, not their actual cost) and, according to research done for CNBC from Front Row Analytics, a sponsorship evaluation firm, the return the company will receive is as much as $41 million in free publicity.
That's great for Oakley, but what about something on a smaller scale, something that is perhaps more achievable for us?
I had a friend who had just launched a computer retail store, and he was looking for some cheap opportunities to get some positive publicity for his business. After brainstorming a bit, I proposed this idea:
The main post office in the city where my friend's store is located was notorious for running out of IRS tax forms as the tax deadline of April 15th approached each year. The tax returns must be postmarked by April 15 in order to avoid a penalty. Since so many people procrastinate in filing their taxes, each year the main post office branch would stay open on April 15th, past midnight, even until the entire line of cars waiting to drop off their tax forms was finished, postmarking the forms "April 15" even at 2:00 AM on the 16th.
I proposed that my friend download the IRS forms, hook up a few computers and printers, and stay open late, past midnight on the 15th, and provide a free method for late filers to print any forms they might be missing. Since my friend was acquainted with a coffee cart owner, he invited her to come to his store and sell coffee to those who might show up to print out their forms.
Once the plan was in place, I wrote up a short press release announcing his free service and we faxed the release to every radio and television station in town on the morning of April 15th.
The results were impressive.
My friend was contacted by multiple radio stations and he did telephone interviews with them. Two local TV stations did LIVE reports from his store during their 11:00 PM news reports, cutting from footage of long lines of cars at the main post office and reports of them being out of forms, to my friend standing in front of a happy group of people printing out forms on live TV telling everyone watching to come to his store for free IRS forms and to enjoy some hot, delicious coffee.
It was a massive success. He received tens of thousands of dollars worth of free, positive publicity, and in tracking his new customers and sales determined that he added literally dozens of new customers and thousands of dollars in sales thanks to that particular opportunity alone.
The opportunities are out there.
Yeah, I know, you're not a sunglasses manufacturer. But going back to the miners, think about this: couldn't an online sunglasses retailer have made the SAME donation? It didn't have to be the sunglasses MAKER who sent those glasses down there, if you sell sunglasses online, it could have easily been YOU.
So what is your plan to take advantage?
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