I have written before about the importance of tying your publicity efforts into the current headlines, and today I witnessed a perfect example of how three companies (and I am sure many, many more) are taking the Election Day headline and using it to their advantage.The question of the (election) day: what do donuts, coffee and ice cream have to do with the election? And, no, the answer is not “the new president will need caffeine and comfort foods to deal with the stresses of his new job.” But that was an excellent guess.
The answer is … if you are voting in this election, swing by Krispy Kreme for a free star-shaped donut with sprinkles, hit your local Starbucks for a gratis cup of coffee, and stop at your local Ben and Jerry’s for an on-the-house scoop of ice cream.
None of these companies has a direct connection with the election, public policy, voting, candidates, or drawing party lines – but each received a high-profile mention on The Today Show. Connecting their product with THE headline of the day will drive traffic into their stores, will likely increase sales, definitely saved them thousands of dollars in advertising, and is building goodwill with lots of Americans who’ll need a little boost after standing in line for hours to do their civic duty.
In the south we advise our children never to ask someone how old they are, how much they weigh, or for whom they will cast their vote. All I know is that I’m old enough to vote, so I did. And I will likely weigh more after a scoop of ice cream and a donut. And I’ll probably be up late watching returns, so I’ll wait until this evening for my free cup of coffee.
Happy Voting!
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