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 This promotional stunt was for a gymnasium, but you too could use it tomorrow…

The power of this promotion is in the Something for FREE factor plus it’s a highly visible public event, plus, the business name features on every pic and is included in the background of the caricature. Very clever thinking and would be surprisingly low cost.

 This is what happens…

And I think it’ a whole lot of fun and would make a great publicity event in your local community.

Doughnut makers Krispy Kreme have come up with with an ideal solution to those ’stuck-in-the-office-blues’ by offering stressed out city workers the chance to have the feeling of a summer lawn beneath your bare feet all day long. Not to mention the fact that a few pairs of these being worn around busy city streets will guarantee they get noticed.

Obviously there is… and plenty of FREE PUBLICITY opportunities

Please send me pics of your efforts.

To graphically shoe the effects of beach pollution…

Satchi and Satchi collected trash from various beaches, packaged it to look like seafood and displayed it at local farmers’ markets. These pics are from a print run of posters for those who didn’t attend the market.

This oversized cartoon-esque pistol can be filled with your favorite condiments and fired at the food items. 

Naturally, the temptation to misuse this new toy may be more than a little overwhelming, So, I would suggest you keep a couple of “Super Squirters” fully loaded with a good strong tobasco behind your counter.

Ghetto Gourmets are groups of people who get together, hire or appoint a chef for the evening, go to some crazy location, and enjoy a dinner together.

I first heard of the concept about two years ago and thought, Yeah, right, so…? Isn’t it just a neighborhood B.B.Q. with a chef.

But, this new dinning trend seems to be catching on, all around the world.

It appears, the unconventional nature of meeting new people and going to constantly changing, and often strange locations is highly desired.

The photo above shows a group meeting in a central city car park.

Actually, I must admit, having now Googled the concept, and seen the fun that some of these groups are having, I can now understand why this concept is growing and spreading.

I’m still trying to work out weather this is a serious product or a gimick…

Either way, it would make a great giveaway for a pizza company. I recently organized a promotion for one of my major restaurant customers  where we asked people to invent a product that went with their food item.

Not only did the competition draw an enormous amount of entries, the display of them created huge local interest and free publicity.

We involved all the local schools and universities in the project. It resulted in the single largest increase to sales all year and attracted many new frequent purchasers.

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Depending on where you live in the world B.B.Q’s will either be at the top of your mind or the furtherest from it.

But here’s a B.B.Q. that you could use as a really unique exterior promotion to grab some additional revenue and attention, or, as a festival and show display to promote your restaurant.

Hamburgers, sausages and seafood from this awesome beast would have to taste better, wouldn’t it?…

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Attempt to set a world record in anything and the press will turn up in droves.

Every news office knows they need a “feel good” story to end their news, if they want viewers to stay for the next scintillating re-run of  “I Love Lucy”. They know it’s not good for their ratings to feed us 30 minutes of stories containing death, mayhem and disasters then instantly cut to a comedy, it just doesn’t work.

So here’s your opportunity to grab some FREE PUBLICITY. Create a world record attempt on something, you know the sort of stuff, the biggest, smallest, fattest,  faste, it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s a great spectator event that will capture the imagination of the public. In fact the sillier the better, who knows, you may even get picked up on You Tube and go “VIRAL” (no that is not some new form of STD)

Don’t forget to dress your team in clothing that is impossible to photograph without exposing your business name and address.

This company in Japan (Who knows who they are, because, they didn’t do a very good job of getting their name into each photo. )

went for the world’s longest Cannelloni.

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Plus these ideas will help you dramatically increase your profit every other night of the year.

Every time it’s suggested to a restaurant owner they run an event to help fill their restaurant on one of those “quiet” nights, there is a long silence followed by the inevitable question: “What sort of event should I run?” so, I thought it might be helpful if I suggested a few quick ideas I have seen work, just to get you started…
YOUR BIRTHDAY
It’s the perfect excuse to contact loyal customers and make them feel special and part of your group. (Who knows, you may even get some snazzy presents)
THE CHEFS BIRTHDAY
A great night to introduce your regular customers to the Chef, and vice-versa. (that is, if he stays sober long enough)
THE RESTAURANTS BIRTHDAY
Every restaurant deserves its own birthday, and it’s a great way to invite loyal customers back along with their friends and families.
STAFF BIRTHDAYS
Regular restaurant customers always have their favourite staff member so this is a great opportunity to create two or three more Celebrations each year, plus publicly reward and recognise their role in your success.
END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR (ACCOUNTANTS CHRISTMAS)
Most professional offices go crazy preparing all the “fibs” we present to the tax office and a celebration after all the work is over is always welcome and will bring in many more potential new customers.
END OF WINTER START OF SPRING
A change of season always brings a desire to take moment to reflect and celebrate
MOTHERS DAY
We all love our Mums (well most of us do, though I do have a bit of a problem with my Mother in law) but these days are big family spend days, and you should make sure you get your share of this market by promoting your restaurant early.
FATHER’S DAY
Ditto
THE BIRTHDAY OF YOUR OVERDRAFT
It’s a good cause and you can have fun with the wording of your invitations by explaining you are relying on their participation so you can get the bank manager off your back.
BANK MANAGERS BIRTHDAY
You can always follow up the overdraft birthday with this one, explaining that you need to get your bank manager on side before the school fees have to be paid and suggesting they (your customers) bring their bank manager with them so you can all do some serious relationship building and repair together.
EASTER
You know the score with this one, Bunnies and Eggs…
THE CATS BIRTHDAY
O.K. This one is silly, I admit it, but why not?. It’s just silly enough to grab the attention of your customers and get them talking.
ELECTION
Everyone loves to watch an accident, and election nights can be turned into fun Events by dividing the restaurant into balanced opposing camps and bringing in live video feeds and stimulating some good natured wagering on the outcome (all conducted legally of course)
SPORTS FINALS
Again, set up the big screen and dress the team and guests the colors of their favourite team
SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY GRADUATIONS
Help families celebrate these successes and you will build loyal customers for life.
NEW MENU
Regular changes to your menu are a good opportunity to invite regular customers back to sample your new creative dishes. However always offer to prepare the older favourites, for those who have built their personal expectations around them.
VALENTINE’S DAY
A time to show “real heart” and create a special romantic evening…
If you can play the violin, then tonight, is your night. If you can’t, then grab a bow and arrow, and strip down to a very sheer, very skimpy loincloth, because tonight you’re playing cupid.
REGIONAL FESTIVAL DAYS
Every region has its festivals, they are great marketing opportunities to sponsor the local beauty queen, create a float, and run an after party for a whole new group of potential customers.
THANKS GIVING
Not everybody enjoys slaving over the hot stove preparing the traditional feast. There are many families that are more than happy to celebrate this family event in your restaurant.
HALLOWEEN
Another opportunity for the whole team to dress up and have some fun.
All sorts of disgusting stuff can be served, it’s a great night to get rid of all that stuff that’s been threatening to “get up and walk out” of the freezer.
SAINT PATRICKS DAY
Just think green, everything green, Drunk and green.
It’s a great celebration that has a fiercely loyal following amongst the Irish and the broader community. If you are small of stature, you’re really in luck; you won’t have to hire a Leprechaun. However, you do risk severe bruising, as the drunken Irish attempt to capture you. If caught, you are obliged to grant their wish, so be just a little careful how you play this one!!!.
RACE DAY
Get out the big screen again, dress the staff in bright colored silks and award prizes for ladies hats. If you can get-away with it, run lots of sweepstakes and hire or create some fairground style games of chance. It’s probably a good idea to either keep it a bit secret from the local boys in blue, or invite and thoroughly involve the senior officer and local political heavyweight.
SINGLES NIGHT
It’s the old nightclub trick, fill a venue with attractive young ladies, and you will be sure to attract at least twice the number of males.
MUSIC NIGHT
Every one dresses as their favourite artist, or you set the theme, either way, it’s yet another opportunity to dress in drag, if that’s your thing, or alternatively, indulge in a slightly more socially acceptable fantasy.
CHRISTMAS EVE
You know the stuff, Ho, Ho, Ho, and stockings, and plump old men in jolly red suits with white beards.
NEW YEARS EVE
This is, of course, the traditional night where almost anything goes, and it’s sometimes hard to keep the lid on both guests and staff. A good idea I have seen is: Get all the guests to write down their New Year resolutions, then a month later invite all the guests back (sneaky huh!) to celebrate or admit their progress.
CHARITY NIGHT
A great way to imbed your restaurant deeply into the local community. Pick a good cause and work with their fundraising team to produce a fundraising evening. This will bring a whole new group of potential life time customers into your restaurant.
SPONSORSHIP NIGHT
Same as the charity night, but this time, fund raise for a local sports team.
SUPPLIERS NIGHT
Ring around all your suppliers and put the “bight on them”, arrange an evening where they can showcase their products to your customer base. Get them to provide prizes that can be used as Advertising incentives. At the very least you should be able to fill an off night with them, their team and their families.
CASINO NIGHT
There are companies that hire all the equipment so dress the place up as a casino a give your guests (and of course their friends) the opportunity to unleash their hidden greed.
FINALLY, don’t forget to invite me, I love any opportunity to celebrate anything. Some of my less than kind friends, have even suggested I would drive long distances, simply to attend the opening of an envelope.

Please feel free to add any of your ideas below.

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A Chinese chef managed to bake an impressive 2,008 chickens in 100 minutes in a move to welcome the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the 17th China’s Chef Festival & 2007 Nanning-ASEAN International Tourism and Food Festival.

The performance is expected to challenge the Guinness World Record.

WOW!, that’s a lot of chicken (and not one secret herb or spice in sight)

This is a rather extreme example of how “Events” can be used to advertise your restaurant.

You know the sort of stuff: The worlds Largest Pizza, Longest Hotdog, The Worlds Hottest Chilli Sauce.

It really doesn’t matter what it is, if you turn it in to a public event, it is a great way to involve your local community and get major chunks of FREE Advertising for your restaurant.

I found this HERE on SPLUCH which has a few more photo’s.

Here’s a great way to pack your bar, entertain and attract crowds, plus, dramatically increase your profits.

If you have ever been to a bar with an experienced bar magician you will know exactly how powerful this marketing method can be.

At the Tower Restaurant at Snowmass in Colorado a magician named Doc Eason has been packing the bar with dinner plus bar guests three times per night, for years. You can hear the crowd screaming and laughing with surprise and enjoyment, a full block away.

Don’t mistake this for the boring old uncle who turns up every Christmas and insists on doing his version of the 21 card trick (Yawn)

These guys (and I’m sure there’s some equally entertaining gals) are true entertainers, as you will see from the video clip here of the world famous Bar Magician Scotty York, they will keep your crowd entertained and more importantly, they will attract far more customers and keep them drinking longer.

If you are interested in finding out more send me a message on the CONTACTS PAGE and I will help you hunt down an experienced magician in your area.

The bottom line is: This type of entertainment gives you something that is different and it provides your Advertising with an additional focus.

Many of these bars and restaurants finish up with regular bookings from groups and travel companies, It’s powerful stuff…

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The very nervous owner of a small suburban donut store stepped up to the microphone. In a trembling voice, that betrayed his obvious inexperience of public speaking, he told the audience of 300 other donut store owners: how each day, he placed a card table loaded with “take home packs” outside his store, he told the gathering, this simple display had resulted in a $200.00 per day increase in sales. Continue Reading »

This top restaurant on the famous Champs-Élysées in Paris has discovered
a great way to both promote their Restaurant and generate a whole heap of additional revenue from their passing trade.
Walking traffic is first attracted by the bustle of activity, bright lights and the smells of freshly cooking food. Those in a hurry simply grab food on the run, (each was handed a coupon with an incentive to return) whilst others are encouraged into the restaurant for more substantial meals by well timed offers and incentives. This place was packed both inside and out, whilst nearby restaurants and cafes were forced to watch on with envy.

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