Chapter 12 - Journal Entry #2

Showman P.T. Barnum epitomize 19th-century press agentry with exaggerated claims such as those about Tom Thumb and Jenny Lind. Do such promotional methods exist today? Are there examples?

Barnum was only the beginning...promotional methods are still used today, and even more than in the past. Every business, celebrity, and politician seems to have a company or individual working on promoting them to the world. We see promotional events when new cds and books are released, or when a new movie opens.

I found a website that quotes Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come." If public relations companies build up a product, book, or person, often the audience will come! http://www.sales-lead-experts.com/tips/articles/event-promotion.cfm

Some common methods are marketing techniques, movie trailers, book signings, websites promoting new and upcoming artists and films, new toys, clothes, products and more.

One example is the new movie, "Twilight," based on the books by Stephanie Meyer. One way the movie was promoted was through an event where the actors and author were on a panel. Also at the event "exclusive" posters were available. Some of these posters are now up for bids on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TWILIGHT-P1-PROMO-PROMOTIONAL-TRADING-CARD_W0QQitemZ220326628372QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081209?IMSfp=TL081209203007r6110

Another example of promotional events is when a new product comes out. What promotional methods are used to sell the iphone? Promotions are what we call marketing and public relations today. A company or a person has to let the world know they are here! (Book - Using Public Relations to Sell Products, Ideas, or You.)

Look at some of the ways that Apple promoted the iphone (and I think these were just examples of promotions in Mexico!): (Shown at the top of the page, because I couldn't figure out how to get them to move.)

The pictures came from this website: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/global-iphone-3g-promotions-begin/

What about book promotions? One example of how Harry Potter was promoted is found in a New York times article. The book was promoted by using secrecy.

"And this time, a substantial degree of effort is going into ensuring that as little as possible is known about the book's contents in advance.

There will be, for instance, none of the advance copies that usually land on reviewers' desks a few months before publication. No one is promoting prepublication interviews with the author, J. K. Rowling. Indeed, according to the American and British publishers, Ms. Rowling will be giving no interviews at all until publication day.

The plot is a secret. So is the cover design. Even the title is supposed to remain closely guarded. All that the British publisher, Bloomsbury, is prepared to acknowledge is that this fourth and latest in a planned seven-book series will be a whopping 600 pages -- twice the length of previous Harry Potters. (The United States publisher, the Arthur A. Levine Books imprint of Scholastic Books, says its version will be closer to 700 pages because of a different layout and illustrations.)"

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E0DA113AF931A15756C0A9669C8B63

Yes, promotional methods are used today, and they are more and more creative, innovative, and oft times - effective.