A Big Blow For Sales

Regular readers know I’m a big believer in finding ways to stand out of a crowd. I’m also partial to finding win-win opportunities, and have found one that’ll blow your socks off.

Let’s start with the new baseball season. Petco pays $2.7 million for annual naming rights to a stadium that gets talked about just 81 times by sportscasters to a limited audience.

So how does a company gain increased visibility while investing less? Sponsor a hurricane.

Let’s consider several realities:

1)     Since 1980, storm frequency has increased

2)     Businesses sponsoring buildings hope they’ll be remembered by customers

3)     The purpose of publicity is to get news outlets talking about you or your organization

4)     There’s no such thing as bad publicity

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) names all storms and hurricanes, recycling a list of 21 names every six years. With 30 storms in 2020’s season, the WMO was left scrambling.

Furthermore, their $74 million budget barely covers global overhead, and they desperately need extra funding. So why not connect these dots, selling tropical storm naming rights?

Wild, right?

During the upcoming hurricane season, storms will be more intense and will typically come in and out of focus within 14 days.

Preparation for each storm will include hoarding non-perishable food, bottled water, cleaning supplies, flashlights, generators, and batteries.

A minor investment guarantees every broadcaster globally is talking non-stop for two weeks about Hurricane Duracell.

Admittedly, Hurricane Pop-Tarts doesn’t sound sexy…but the product would be top-of mind for consumers stocking up before the big storm.

Their sales are certain to increase!

Since the selling season for hurricane-related items is decidedly shorter than baseball season, naming rights would sell for around $250,000. The WMO would undoubtedly welcome the additional $7.5 million.

Hurricanes too intense? Blizzards also get named, thanks to the Weather Channel. We can focus on bottled water, canned goods, snack foods…and don’t forget the batteries.

Today, comedian Byron Allen owns this station, and he’ll undoubtedly agree it’s time to insert personality into his forecasts.

Okay, this strategy isn’t for every business. A blowout storm named Gas-X wouldn’t be well-received.

But if you’re seeking ways to draw attention to your business…something that everyone will be talking about for years…contact me and I’ll hook you up.

With that said, I wish you a Happy APRIL FOOL’s day!

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