Being a male coming of age in the late 1980s and early '90s, I was, naturally, a big fan of the rock band Guns N’ Roses, and in the past I dabbled in the world of radio, learning a thing or two about the promotion and marketing of music along the way. Rule No. 1, of course, is that in showbiz, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and despite not releasing any new material for almost 17 years, and garnering plenty of negative press during their prolonged absence from the scene, Guns N’ Roses look set to score another huge hit with the album “Chinese Democracy,” which finally lands in stores (well, one chain of stores – Best Buy) this Sunday, Nov. 23.
In the food industry, however, there is definitely such a thing as bad publicity, as we’ve seen with the listeriosis crisis plaguing Maple Leaf Foods. But instead of just sitting back and letting good or bad publicity come your way, why not take the reins and try to build some anticipation about a new product or service you intend to introduce in 2009? Why not stage a special event to draw attention to your new development? If I were a betting man, I’d wager it will work for Guns N’ Roses – I just listened to the new album, which is streaming at www.myspace.com/gunsnroses, and while I can’t say it’s going to win them a new generation of fans, or even replace the ones they lost over the past decade, that really doesn’t matter because of the anticipation they’ve built up. If anything, people want to know what the new music will sound like after so much time has passed, and that curiosity will translate into sales.
Without spilling the beans, let us know if you’re planning anything because “leveraging special events” is a theme of our March 2009 issue and we want to make sure your creative efforts are recognized and shared with the rest of the industry.
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