Chameleon PR

With a cupboard-load of Felix cat food, when all we had was a hamster; a  Somerfield store’s stock of toilet paper, even though we weren’t expecting anyone;  when force-feeding  Nutri-Grain bars to innocent visitors for approximately two months was normal; and when Magnum ice-lollys was ‘all there was’ for dessert, I knew something was up…

The answer lies with competitions- the power of the ‘free’ should not be forgotten in PR.  Tech goods always go down well, the feeling that you’re ahead of the pack with new technology, similar to the ego that exploded out of the first ‘iphone’ beholders, makes the efforts to win all the more significant. The popularity of competitions is undoubted; in the recent May issues, competitions at PC Pro and Computer Shopper received 33,000 and 5,000 entries respectively – no prizes for guessing we put a client forward  in similar publications for this win-win situation.

To give an example of costs, the deal with Dennis publishing for a placement in both PC Pro magazine (circ 75,538) and online, and Computer Shopper magazine (circ 53, 115) and online is: provide a prize value of £500-£1000 for the ’star prize’ slot, and receive

 - Half a page in advertising space

 - Product image

 - 80-100 words in copy

 - URL

Alternatively, smaller prizes with a value of £50-£250 nets:

 - Quarter of a page in advertising space

 - Product Image

 - 80 words in copy

 - URL

For the credibility boost – particularly valuable for product launches – and not to mention the associations created with the brand, it is good business. So, in true PR fashion, give it a ’spin’.

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