Wow...Peter Sun...there's a name from the past.

I reckon I got a fax from him every couple of weeks for about 15 years along with other attempts to entice me to his business.

Hadn't heard a peep from him for the last 6 or more years.

Thought his wife had cleaned him out...

Oh...the heady days when the Gold Coast was firing.

I think I'd enjoy that a bit more if they actually showed the ad that was used. It looked like a full page from what they showed, and maybe he offered a free featured wall, but the copy is what seems to matter there, not just the fact that it was in a newspaper.

Ewen,

Great promo for Peter Sun, right down to his eye catching headline.

Works well in the search engines, too...doesn't it?

Unfortunately, outside of promoting Pete, there aren't many details
about how and why the ad worked.

Reminds me of an old Wendy's commercial.

What's funny is I was at Walmart earlier today & this lady had a table setup outside the front door on the sidewalk with two big stacks of local newspapers. She kept asking anyone that walked by If they wanted a free newspaper. I stood back & watched for a few minutes, nobody wanted a free newspaper. Old people, middle aged people, young people, no newspaper takers.

I hope the newspaper lady gets paid by the hour.

Where are these elusive newspaper buyers?

What a motivation, It is sow great hearing such like stories that just let you know that you are almost there. All I can learn from this story is being determined to do what is right and also embracing quality in everything that we do. All over the world, people are looking for partners and employees who are good at doing what they do. I can also be able to say that sometimes, it is always worth risking a few dollars for something greater to come. As a marketer and business man, I always believe in risk taking, it keeps you on toes and get you out of the comfort zone.

I am surprised at how computer illiterate and un-savvy some of my 20something employees are.
It really did catch me off guard at first because they grew up with computers.

In the hotel business, the American Automobile Association print version of the directory is very valuable to be in.

Here's a way of getting "free" newspaper coverage:

Graham McGregor is a marketing columnist for the NZ Herald

Local newspapers in particular are always on the lookout for content. Get your own regular column and you'll be seen as "the local expert".

How much could I charge for some small ad? Is it protectable to avoid them using the ad if they stop paying me?

This just goes to show that a recession isn't a roadblock as many perceive it to be. It's a matter of getting out there and getting what you know is yours. Would have been awesome to see the full ad though.