Advertisement Ideas: Lessons Learned From SNL And NBA!

 New York truly proved that it was the city that never sleeps as it hosted not only Saturday Night Live 40 and The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday 2/15/15. As I watched both I thought what dies this teach us about the importance of marketing, media relations, and advertising? The answer was plenty as the social media universe was blazing hot as both events dominated twitter feeds and Facebook feeds. Most everywhere one went where there was a TV it was tuned to one of these events. If you were fortunate to be in a place with 2 or more tvs you were likely to be able to watch both. The common factor is that both events showed us what happens when you have a strong recognizable brand that remains relevant, entertaining, and resonating in the market place. Now some of you are saying but I don’t have the budget that an NBC or an NBA has. This maybe true however the lesson learned is that in order to have sustainability in the market place you must set aside a certain amount of money to market so as to build your followers that you can then convert into customers.  Imagine what you could have done to drive business and create more awareness and possibly more cash flow in the weeks leading up to SNL 40 and The NBA All-Star Game? If you are a life coach you could have shown how laughter is sometimes necessary to clear blockages that might be holding a client back. You could have promoted a webinar and charged everyone $40 and tied it into SNL 40.If you were a retailer you could have all items end in $.40 in honor of SNL 40.  You could have dome some basketball related promotions in your print and electronic advertising.  There are so many possibilities that you could have implemented to create a buzz about your business.

Another big event happens tonight (2/16/15) The Celebrity Apprentice Finale. Did you as a business owner think of ways to tie this into your promotions to create a buzz? Maybe doing a Geraldo VS Liza contest where the people who give you the right prediction receive a product or service from you or you can put all the predictions in a basket and pick one winner. You can then promote this across all your social media platforms, in any advertising campaigns, and in your location if you have a brick and mortar business.

The lessons I have learned from all these events is that it is important to plan out your marketing, media relations, public relations and advertising. If you can create star power and become the celebrity in your industry and in your community you can increase not only your brand awareness but also your cash flow. I have also learned that you must allocate funds to market your product and services so that you have a daily presence in the markets where your target audience is.  I also learned that you must be in tune with what your customer wants and deliver the best service so they continue to come back. I have also learned that special events when planned and promoted properly work. I have heard many excuses as I have made suggestions to business owners. Those making excuses tend to close their business while those being proactive and in tune with what is going on in their community and around the world  and tie promotions to those occurrences tend to be successful. What would it have cost you to purchase a few SNL 40 shirts if they were available put you company name, phone number, and website on the back and give them out to customers. What would it have taken to do an NBA Trivia Contest and to give out some gift cards to the top 3 winners.  What I learned from SNL 40 and The NBA All Star Game is that if you are creative, promote your product, and spend some money on marketing you will have sustainability in the marketplace.

As The entertainment for The All-Star Game came on I amazed myself by knowing that the performer I was watching was Ne-Yo and I am not really into his music. As I watched I knew the players like Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowitzki and others before they even showed the names on the screen.Imagine if you were that recognizable in your community how successful your business would be. As I watched SNL 40 as soon as the cast members that I watched growing up came on I was able to identify them. Again imagine if you were as identifiable as a Jane Curtain, a Joe Piscopo, or a Bill Murray. The lesson is to make sure you are known in your community.

Take action to implement the lessons learned so that you can continue to have success in your business. Stay Positive!!!