Comment #4
Post: How to Ride the Buzz Wave of Big Events
As a student of PR, I find the concept of piggyback PR quite
intriguing. I think it’s a great way to get the most bang for your buck. The
example you mentioned about Oreo Cookie taking advantage of the successful Mars
landing to put out a humorous picture, put a smile of my face. And a good
feeling about the Oreo brand. I really enjoy the creative thinking behind this
kind of concept.
On the other hand, there are some terrible examples out
there of piggyback PR gone too far. You mention the example of Kenneth Cole’s
tasteless twitter comment promoting his clothing line after a revolution in
North Africa. Along the same line, there was the comment about Aurora trending
because of a Kim Kardashian dress, just after the Aurora, Colorado Theater
shooting. What is it with these fashion designers/sellers? This week American Apparel promoted a
Hurricane Sandy sale for those bored by the hurricane; another case of
piggyback PR gone wrong and a great lesson for a PR student to learn. Your post
has inspired me to take advantage of piggyback PR in a tasteful manner such as
Oreo Cookie did, but at all costs, to use common sense!
Comment #3
I agree with your point. I am sure that Sears is still
making a profit on those generators. It just might be less of a profit than
they had originally planned for - perhaps they are just breaking even. Of
course they will probably sell more than they would otherwise, so that could be
good for their bottom dollar, depending on their profit margin. I'm criticizing
those businesses that take advantage of a tough situation and try to generate
income by piggybacking off a tragedy. I know someone who made a nice chunk of
money after 9/11, preying on people's fears by selling gas masks on eBay for a
terrific profit...then laughing at the gullibility of these buyers. To me, that
kind of behaviour is a money grab. I felt American Apparel’s advertising was in
very bad taste. Who needs more cheap
fashion during this particular crisis?! But I agree with you that anyone
legitimately working and helping out during a crisis, should absolutely be paid
their fair wages. It sure is great though, that there are volunteers and
businesses that go that extra mile and donate their time and goods to others during
a crisis. When I hear of a business doing that, I want to be their customer.
Comment #2
People want to support businesses that put people before profit. Sometimes the two can go hand in hand, but sometimes it’s good for a business to take a bit of a profit loss, and share in the suffering along with the people. That’s good PR. I like that Sears took a look at what people need during this crisis and are agreeing to supply generators for a sale price. Hopefully it really is a decent deal and not just a money grab. There is also nothing wrong with a restaurant announcing to its clientele that they are open during this time of upheaval. I’m sure a lot of the restaurants affected by the loss of electricity aren’t able to stay open. However, if there was a lot of‘promotional hype’ with this announcement, as it seems to be with chef Bobby Flay, I would question his sincerity. But I really object to American Apparel’s Hurricane Sandy sale. I’m joining the masses in forever boycotting them. Huge PR gaffe!
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