Kudos
Company Finds Smart Way To Tout E3 Tradeshow
Plugging a trade show can be a beastly undertaking given that this kind of marketing animal is built around hype.
But we're giving a small round of kudos to IDG World Expo which found a wise way of promoting E3 (the king venue of overkill) in a recent promotional packet: In wrapping up the impact of the 1997 shows it reported that 75 percent of retailer attendees rate E3 as "very valuable" in making purchase decisions - code for: "If you're a vendor or the press, that's reason enough to go." (IDG, 781/440-2758)
In Honor of the Avocado: The Net Provides Ingredient for PR
The California Avocado Commission recently wrapped up a campaign based on a banner-ad campaign (with the keyword buy of "recipe") on the Yahoo! search engine Web directory that led visitors to hundreds of recipes at http://www.avocado.org.
The campaign was meant to reinforce that avocados can be used for much more than making guacamole.
The recipe database was accessed more than 1,800 times during the month-long campaign, a measurement that was 240 percent more recipe downloads than recorded during the previous month. And it relied on a pull - versus push - mechanism so execs were able to determine the number of people who purposely went to the site, instead of stumbled across it.
But we think this campaign was smart for another reason: it shows how you can find cost-effective ways of promoting a brand, an organization, a company (even a movement) if you shoot for more cutting-edge ways of reaching your audience. Last year, the commission overnight delivered avocados to trade and consumer press and spent at least triple what they did on the Yahoo! campaign, which cost less than $2,000, according to John Cihomsky, an account supervisor with The Gable Group. (The Gable Group, 619/234-1300, ext. 234)
PR Competition
Paper Chase: IABC Seeks PR Papers For Competition
The International Association of Business Communicators is seeking PR and communication management papers for its research paper competition.
The competition is open to both members and non-members of IABC and the winning paper will be awarded a $1,000 prize. The deadline for submitting a paper, which should be based on research that professionals can apply to their jobs, is March 4, 1998. (IABC, 800/776-4222)
Business/Personnel Moves Nationwide
Bozell Sawyer Miller Group's KRC Research unit has established an office in Washington, D.C.
The group will be led by Mario Brossard, who was assistant director of polling for The Washington Post. (BSMG, 202/739-0299)
The MWW Group has brought Mark Himelfarb on as its chief financial officer, a new position.
Previously, it had a controller but that slot was vacated by Alan Posner when he left MWW about three months ago. He's been replaced by Sally Larson, who was the assistant controller. (MWW Group, 201/507-9500)
Business Wire, http://www.businesswire.com, has partnered with International Media Services for the distribution of BW news releases throughout Latin America.
The new circuit nearly doubles Business Wire's coverage in 32 countries. (Business Wire, 212/752-9600)