Piggybacking onto celebrity news and hot movies almost guarantees publicity, especially if you see the celebs misbehaving on or off screen and you take them to task. On Monday, Consumer Reports criticized Miley Cyrus, the alter ego of Hannah Montana, and her celebrity dad, Billie Ray Cyrus, who are shown in their new movie with their seatbelts… Read More
News & Events
Reality TV shows: How to sell your idea to Hollywood
Everybody, it seems, wants their own reality TV show like American Idol, The Apprentice or Project Runway. But how do you break into the lucrative world of reality TV, whether you’ve got an idea for a multi-million-dollar series or a low-budget niche show on cable? Be in West Hollywood from 7 to 10 p.m. on Monday, March 3. That’s when Media Bistro… Read More
Newseum, the news industry museum, to open April 11
The Newseum, an interactive, state-of-the-art museum about the news industry, will announce today that it plans to open April 11, about six months later than originally planned. An article in the Washington Post says admission will be free for everyone on April 11. The article also explains how schools can take advantage of lower admission prices. I’m not traveling… Read More
‘Pink products’ media event helps you meet journalists
Do you have a “pink product” that supports breast cancer research and that you’d like journalists to see in time for their October 2008 coverage of Breast Cancer Awareness Month? The first “Think Pink Media Event” will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at the New York Marriott Marquis Times… Read More
Dirty hotel glasses story on D.C. radio show today
Thanks to Publicity Hound Natasha Henry, a writer for the Tower Federal Credit Union in Laurel, Maryland, for letting me know that the story on dirty hotel glasses, which I wrote about several weeks ago, was featured this morning on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” on 96.3 WHUR-FM in Washington, D.C. “It’s interesting to see how fast this story is getting… Read More
New Year’s resolutions: Don’t make them on Jan. 1
Several years ago, I saw the same psychiatrist interviewed for a story about New Year’s resolutions almost everywhere I looked. He was quoted as saying that Jan. 1 is the worst day of the year to make them. That’s because most of us are stressed out from the holidays. We’ve overspent and overeaten. We’re tired. We’re cranky. And we’re… Read More
‘Dirty hotel glasses’ contest winner
Next time the Sheraton Suites, Embassy Suites or Holiday Inn hotel chains are looking for a PR spokesperson, they should choose the winning candidate from among Publicity Hounds who read my newsletter, “Craigslist: A Valuable Publicity Tool.” Last week, I told you about the video produced by an Atlanta TV station that took its hidden cameras… Read More
Pizza Hut jumps on Witherspoon’s comment
Kudos to Pizza Hut for jumping on celebrity Reese Witherspoon’s innocent, but not-so-nice, comment about pizza delivery drivers and turning it into some fun publicity. The actress told a journalist that her 4-year-old son, Deacon Phillippe, wants to be a pizza delivery driver when he grows up. “Not that there is anything wrong with that,… Read More
Halloween promotion ideas to generate publicity
Here are some ideas on how to promote a product, service, cause or issue by tying it to Halloween, the second largest retail holiday of the year. They’re courtesy of TV producer Shawne Duperon, one of my guests during next week’s media plan teleseminar series: —Sponsor a pumpkin-carving contest at your company. Challenge participants to carve… Read More
Festival of Owls in Houston wants promotion ideas
Karla Kinstler of Houston, MN writes: I coordinate the International Festival of Owls, held annually the first weekend in March in the tiny little town of Houston, MN (population 1,020). It began simply as a hatch-day party for Alice the Great Horned Owl, the Houston Nature Center’s only live animal, and grew into an event that… Read More