Most businesses have their "heroes". They're the trend-setters
who lay the foundation for the rest to follow.
In the publicity business, the real trend-setters are the Press
Agents. They're the people who literally "create" news stories.
They're people like George Evans. His company was hired to take a
relatively unknown Vegas lounge singer called Frank Sinatra and
try to make him into a star. Evans hired a dozen girls, at $5
each, to jump and scream "Oh Frankie, Oh Frankie" and toss
flowers at the stage. They met and practiced in the basement
at the Paramount Casino where Sinatra was performing.
Jack Keller, Evan's West Coast partner explains what happened:
"We hired girls to scream when he sexily rolled a note. The dozen
girls we hired to scream an swoon did exactly as we told them.
But hundreds more we didn't hire screamed even louder. Others
squealed, howled, kissed his pictures with their lipsticked lips,
and kept him a prisoner in his dressing room between shows at the
Paramount. It was wild, crazy, completely out of control."
And it continued to be for many years. Sinatra was now an
established star thanks to a "media campaign" that only cost the
promoters a total of $60 paid to a handful of women to act crazy.
Press Agent Alan Abel staked his claim to fame came in 1962 when
he formed The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (SINA). They
produced a handful of "experts" who claimed that it was degrading
to animals to be forced to expose themselves in public. SINA
sported their own newsletter, board of directors and theme song.
Members received membership cards and free patterns for animal
garments.
It may sound like a joke, but it sold. In their heyday, SIMA
claimed to have 40,000 members and claimed an income of $400,000.
Their president, G. Clifford Prout, Jr. did a national media
tour. The prestigious San Francisco Chronicle ran a series of
humorous but "legitimate" front page stories on the group.
Later on a few of the Chronicle executives admitted they realized
the entire thing was a hoax, knowing that anything that had
Abel's name on it was probably a scam, but they said the story
was so entertaining and good that they ran it anyway. They never
admitted being duped, although they eventually ran a story
exposing president G. Clifford Prout as being Buck Henry, a
comedy writer for "The Gary Moore Show", but not before "Prout"
appeared on "The Tonight Show (with Johnny Carson)", "The Today
Show" and "The Tomorrow Show".
Abel explains, "I realized that Buck or I could walk into any
television studio with a drawing of a horse wearing Bermuda
shorts under our arm, and go right on the air, whether television
or radio and practically stop the show. The network news programs
were all interested in these "moral maniacs" who wanted to clothe
animals."
But the greatest promotional scam ever pulled over on the press
may well have been orchestrated by Joey Skaggs.
It all began with a simple, inconspicuous ad in the Village
Voice. He explained later that the entire hoax was perpetrated to
prove how the press rarely actually checks the facts on stories
they run. The ad read:
"CATHOUSE FOR DOGS featuring a savory selection of hot bitches.
From pedigree (Fifi the French Poodle) to mutts (Lady the Tramp).
Handler and Vet on duty. Stud and photo service available. No
weirdoes, please. Dogs only. By appointment. Call 254-7878."
He then staged a mini-documentary on what it was like "at the
cathouse". Thirty actor friends brought dogs. The cameras got
close ups of male dogs trying to break lose from their chains.
The ASPCA was incensed. Protests were staged and eventually an
indictment was filed against Skaggs for cruelty to animals. The
media ate up the entire story.
He appeared on several national shows, and ABC even put together
a documentary that was nominated for an Emmy award on the
cathouse.
Everybody was embarrassed when Skaggs walked into court with his
thirty friends all explaining there never had been a cathouse at
all.
But that didn't really matter, did it?
It's all about creating an image in the minds of an audience.
Hopefully these stories might spark a few ideas that might make
it easier to promote what you do. Part of the trick is to stay
away from the ordinary. It has to be sensational and colorful. An
auto dealer might consider having a local magician make a car
disappear.
A flower shop might start delivering flowers using a remote
control robot (like the ones now available at many of the higher
end electronics shops in most malls).
Sid Grauman took an idea as old as concrete itself and made it
into a worldwide icon that's lasted for over half a century when
he had Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks put their footprints
in cement to help celebrate the opening of his theater in
Hollywood on May 1, 1927. It's a simple idea that made us feel
close to the stars.
Want a book full of ideas just like these? The most fascinating
book I've ever read on the subject is Publicity Stunts by Candice
Fuhrman. It's loaded, cover-to-cover, with funny, fascinating,
highly successful publicity stunts that have been orchestrated
over the years. They can be great templates for your publicity
campaigns.
If you can't find it in your local bookstore check Amazon.com,
Half.com or BN.com. The last time I looked there were several
copies available, all on sale.
With a little imagination, most any business can find ways to
become a news story.
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