The Disadvantage of a Corporate Sponsor

Issue #1132 June 13, 2017
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

1. The Disadvantage of a Corporate Sponsor
2. 5 Ways to Multiply Your Publicity
3. Free Tool for Pretty Quotes
4. Hound Video of the Week

This Week in the Hound House:

Problems with deer in your garden? Buy a mannequin, dress it in old clothes and position it in your garden. I found a YouTube video that explains how to make a cheap mannequin for about $15 using PVC pipe and clothes hanger. Add a head with a hat and you’re good to go. A nursery owner in my county uses a mannequin and even dresses it in clothing appropriate for the season.

1. The Disadvantage of a Corporate Sponsor

You spend months courting a big corporate sponsor until the company finally says yes.

Then you do something stupid. You post a political comment on Facebook. People share, tweet it and retweet it.

Poof! Within just a few days, or hours, your corporate sponsor pulls all funding and issues a public statement explaining how your values aren’t their values.

It happened over the weekend when Delta and Bank of America pulled their funding for the New York Theater Company’s “Julius Caesar,” which depicts the assassination of a Trump-like Roman ruler.

Comedian Kathy Griffin faced backlash from Squatty Potty, which dropped her from its commercials after her gory photo shoot with a bloody Trump mask.

Even do-good not-for-profits aren’t immune. Several years ago, when the Boy Scouts of America decided to allow gay youth to become scouts, it continued to ban gay and lesbian adults and troop leaders. Caterpillar, Intel, Merck, the United Parcel Service, and local United Way boards pulled funding. The Scouts later removed the national restriction on openly gay leaders and employees but included an exemption for troops sponsored by religious organizations.

To do: If you’re an author, speaker, subject matter or even a not-for-profit going after a corporate sponsor, and you have strong political views, keep your politics to yourself, or create bad publicity you don’t need.

#corporatesponsors #sponsorship

2. 5 Ways to Recycle Publicity

When you get a major publicity hit, turn it into multiple hits these five ways:

1. Write a press release for your alumni association newsletter or magazine.
2. Create a new email signature that says “as seen on” or “as seen in” and include a link where people can read the article or watch the video.
3. Share it on your LinkedIn profile, Facebook, Twitter and other social sites.
4. Email friends, followers and business associates, provide a link and tell them “I want to keep you in the loop.”
5. Make copies of your best print publicity hit, and include one along with proposals.

To do: Get 40 more ideas like these in “Special Report #13: How to Recycle Your Publicity (for Serious Publicity Hounds Only).” Only $7. Get half off any of my 52 special reports today only. Use coupon code RABBITS at checkout, click Apply and Recalculate. Shop till you drop here.

3. Free Tool for Pretty Quotes

Need a free program for making a pretty quote when you’re in a hurry?

Try Recite.com, where you can find more than two dozen templates, and you don’t have to create an account.

I love this fortune cookie Template. But I found the site a little buggy. When I created it the first time, I made a typo. But I was unable to access the same template until about two hours later. So proofread carefully.

To do: Find a quote you want to share and check out Recite.com.

#PrettyQuotes #QuotesToLiveBy

4. Hound Video of the Week

The dogs at this doggy daycare are so well-behaved, they wait to walk through a gate until their name is called. There’s always one class clown. Thanks to Christine Buffaloe, my assistant, for this one.

[Tweet “#PublicityTips –The Disadvantage of a Corporate Sponsor #corporatesponsors”]