Sheriffs, Slurpees and Your Store!

I just can't help myself. I read something--anything--and I think how it can relate to marketing. Any kind of marketing. But especially retailing.

So, in our little local Glendale News-Press (front page, color photo!) is an article on how the sheriff department has partnered with 7-Eleven to give out free coupons for Slurpees to kids who...er...transgress by letting their dogs poo in the gutter without picking it up or ride their skateboards in forbidden places. That's in place of a ticket mind you.  Ever making friends.

What a change from the days when that same sheriff's department seemed to relish making enemies of the La Canada High and private school kids in the area.  Oh, trust me. I have stories!

But back to retailing/marketing.  I got to thinking how a little honey is better than vinegar for changing behavior and how this works for employees--and yes, for customers, too. And, a really original scheme works for getting free publicity in the local press, too.  This article is proof of that!

Don't forget to associate your new scheme (you ARE going to do it, aren't you?) with another business in your area or on the Web or a charity. That's part of the fun. As an example a free Slurpee captures the imagination better than a nondescript coupon. And it's something I talk about in my A Retailer's Guide To Frugal In-Store Promotions: How-To Increase Profits And Spit In The Eyes Of Economic Downturns Using Thrifty Events And Sales Techniques...in connection with events, of course!

And isn't 7-Eleven smart! Think of all the additional traffic they'll get when these young offenders start traipsing into their store for their freebies. Bet they'll want a hotdog, too!

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it: