It’s Valentine’s
Day, just incase you’re the one person on the face of the planet that hasn’t
been bombarded with pink, red, flowers and talk of love today. Every store and
business joins in the love fest, so it’s almost impossible to escape from. People
either love this holiday, or completely hate it. If you’re like me, you love to
hate it. It’s also one of the few days of the year that public relations professionals
can get away with promoting love and sentimental things since many people are
especially vulnerable on this particular day.
It seems like
some public relations professionals take part in leveraging a product, event or
service with Valentine’s Day, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with the
holiday. I read an article on PRNewser earlier today about the worst press
releases and public relation stunts dedicated to last year’s Valentine’s Day,
and it was some of the weirdest things that I had ever seen.
IKEA
was one of the companies who targeted the single people on Valentine’s Day. If a single customer
came into the store, they were to tell the cashier they were single and they
could get free sodas and cake. And if the awkward encounter led to scoring a
phone number, you could even get 50 percent off of a couch IKEA was promoting.
As if being
single on Valentine’s isn’t embarrassing enough. Who would actually want to go
to IKEA to celebrate the fact that they’re single on the most romantic night of
the year? I’m not sure if IKEA was attempting to promote a couch or the fact
that it catered to single people on Valentine’s, but the whole thing was very
odd.
After that
disaster of a public relations move, IKEA decided to step it up for the
following year. The company placed an ad in an Australian newspaper providing coupons for a free crib for all babies born on November 14,
exactly nine months after Valentine’s Day. All the parents needed to provide to
receive the crib was a birth certificate and coupon.
Instead of
throwing Valentine’s Day, or lack there of, in the customer’s face, IKEA promoted
something that its target audience would actually enjoy. The company received
publicity from the promotional tactic and many people became customers at IKEA
because they simply fulfilled customer needs. At the end of the day, isn’t
gaining customers and satisfying existing ones the main goal of a public
relations professional?
Whether or not
one hates Valentine’s Day, everyone can agree that it is part of the job of
public relations professionals to promote products, services or events during a
holiday, but it needs to be done in a dignified way and with some class. Not
every company will benefit by using Valentine’s Day as a promotional method. It
is up to the public relations department to decide if it works for your
business or company.
I could
definitely be on board for the Pizza Hut $10,000 proposal package, though. The insane Valentine’s Day
package promoted in 2012, provided a ruby engagement ring, limousine, flowers, fireworks,
photographer and of course pizza. Not entirely convinced I would want Pizza Hut
involved in my engagement, but I guess it’s the thought that counts.
Sources:
- Stampler, L. (2013, February 14). Ikea's Brilliant Ad Offers Crib To Babies Born 9 Months After Tonight. In Business Insider. Retrieved February 14, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/ikea-valentines-day-coupon-for-free-crib-2013-2
- Coffee, P. (2013, February 14). The 18 Best, Worst and Weirdest Valentine's Day PR Stunts. In PRNewser. Retrieved February 14, 2014, from http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/the-18-best-worst-and-weirdest-valentines-day-pr-stunts_b57583
- Pizza Hut offering $10,010 proposal packages (2012, February 9). In FoxNews.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014, from http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/02/09/pizza-hut-offering-10000-proposal-packages/
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