11/101 Relentless Marketing Ideas: The Product Poll Publicity Ploy
Here's a fun, creative, engaging and effective publicity ploy guaranteed to get your restaurant, bakery or retail store some free publicity. While it's a killer promotion during a Presidential election year, it can be used whenever you've got a good-natured difference of opinion between customers, and a way to let them express their opinion through their product purchase.
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Here's a fun, creative, engaging and effective publicity ploy guaranteed to get your restaurant, bakery or retail store some free publicity. While it's a killer promotion during a Presidential election year, it can be used whenever you've got a good-natured difference of opinion between customers, and a way to let them express their opinion through their product purchase.The Product Poll Publicity Ploy has been used by bakeries that use different color icing on sugar cookies and a chalkboard behind the counter to publicly display the current vote count, as expressed by consumer purchases.
For the third election in a row, 7-Eleven is creating some creative election-time publicity buzz with its caffeinated in-store campaign poll. They created separate drink cups for Presidential candidates, and give their customers a choice when they purchase.
I've posted an excerpt from one of the press releases 7-Eleven circulated with the publicity photo at left. You can see the full press release posted at my Franchisor Marketing or Franchisee Marketing websites.
Presidential Perks: Americans Raise Their Cups to Candidates in Third 7-Election Coffee Cup Poll
DALLAS--As election day nears, things are really heating up, especially at neighborhood 7-Eleven? stores. Today, the convenience store giant kicks off its third quadrennial 7-Election presidential coffee cup poll.
Unabashedly unscientific, the just-for-fun poll has proven remarkably accurate in elections past, with results closely mirroring the official surveys by the country’s top political pollsters. In the first 7-Election in 2000, only 1 percentage point separated the cup-counts of now-President George Bush and Democratic nominee, Sen. Al Gore. Likewise in 2004, President Bush out-cupped Sen. John Kerry, 51 percent to 49 percent.
During this promotion that runs through Tuesday, Nov. 4 (election day), 7-Eleven invites Americans to pour their favorite hot beverage into either a red 20-ounce cup for Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, or a blue 20-ounce cup for Democratic candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, and cast their cups for their preferred candidate.
The colored cups also have the candidates’ names printed on them. Undecided customers need not choose sides unmarked 7-Eleven hot beverage cups will still be available as well as a bipartisan red, white and blue Big Gulp? fountain drink cups featuring both the donkey and elephant party symbols. 7-Eleven customers may vote as often as they wish, although they may want to switch to decaf after a few cups. When 7-Eleven held its first 7-Election eight years ago, we had no idea what the final results would be or how popular the cup poll would become, said 7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto. "While we don’t bill this as a statistically valid study by any means, it does reach Americans in their hometowns, on their way to work, after school or just going about their everyday lives. 7-Election provides an interesting daily snapshot of the election." Depending on which of the 20-plus national polls one reads, Sen. McCain is leading by as much as 7 points or Sen. Obama is leading by as much as 7 points, plus or minus 5 points, of course. 7-Election cups are instantly tabulated at the register when the sale is made. National and state results will be posted daily on www.7-election.com, a website created for the coffee cup poll.
Read more at the Franchisor Marketing or Franchisee Marketing websites.The colored cups also have the candidates’ names printed on them. Undecided customers need not choose sides unmarked 7-Eleven hot beverage cups will still be available as well as a bipartisan red, white and blue Big Gulp? fountain drink cups featuring both the donkey and elephant party symbols. 7-Eleven customers may vote as often as they wish, although they may want to switch to decaf after a few cups. When 7-Eleven held its first 7-Election eight years ago, we had no idea what the final results would be or how popular the cup poll would become, said 7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto. "While we don’t bill this as a statistically valid study by any means, it does reach Americans in their hometowns, on their way to work, after school or just going about their everyday lives. 7-Election provides an interesting daily snapshot of the election." Depending on which of the 20-plus national polls one reads, Sen. McCain is leading by as much as 7 points or Sen. Obama is leading by as much as 7 points, plus or minus 5 points, of course. 7-Election cups are instantly tabulated at the register when the sale is made. National and state results will be posted daily on www.7-election.com, a website created for the coffee cup poll.
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Relentless marketer Sean Kelly is a 20 year veteran of the franchise industry, and founder of the award-winning marketing firm IdeaFarm. In 2006, he founded the FranBest franchise network, best franchise opportunities, the top new franchises, franchise marketing, franchise public relations and small business marketing. Contact him at seankelly[at]ideafarm.net.
