I was flipping through Architectural Digest while waiting in the hair salon. There were about 50 magazines in the reception area to choose from, as the other ladies waited it out with smartphones. I was reading about Candace Bergen and got a glimpse of her East Hampton home where she designs BergenBags. She paints people’s beloved pets on Louis Vuitton bags and donates the proceeds to charity.
After my hair was done, I Googled her. On her website, the tag line reads, “From One Old Bag to Another.” On the homepage, there’s the story of the BergenBag. We learn how Candace’s daughter asked her to decorate her Louis Vuitton duffle. Her daughter posted it on Instagram and that generated positive comments. Now, Candace is personalizing bags with her drawings for friends and colleagues. She doesn’t claim to be a painter, but she “used to draw cartoony things” and adds that “it’s been a sharp learning curve but enjoyable.”
I then found her on Instagram and now I follow her.
Later that same day, I spotted a bag I liked in the window of a local boutique. It was a painted tote, not anything like a BergenBag, but sort of. The shopkeeper told me it was 10 percent off, and that she only had one, and the sale was running for a few days. I told her I’d think about it, as George waited outside with Bella, our Maltese, who I wish could be painted on my tote. He told me to buy it. “It’s not a BergenBag,” I replied.
As public relations professionals, we are hired to tell stories to sell products or services. We have to figure out the best places to tell these stories. We also have to make emotional connections with our publics to encourage them to use the services of our clients or to buy the products.
In marketing, the Rule of 7 proclaims that it take 7 times or “touch points” for your name or your company or product to stick in the psyche of your potential customer or client. Let’s walk back a few steps and look at my example.
I’m a fan of Candace Bergen, as Murphy Brown was one of my favorite television shows. But I never heard of the BergenBag until I read a print article (nicely placed by a public relations person). I like her; I like bags; and I like dogs and crafty things. So I Googled BergenBag. Thanks to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), I found her site. The excellent copywriting skills and typeface selected kept my attention long enough to read about the Instagram account. While window shopping, I mentioned the bag to George. I’m now writing about it, to you all, an audience of public relations people, and hey, maybe you’ll even mention the BergenBag to one of your networkers.
And if you decide to buy one or find someone who wants to buy one, please let Candace Bergen know who you heard about it from (aka referral source).
Debra Scala Giokas is the marketing director at Certilman Balin, and over the course of her career has collected some really neat bags. Follow her on Twitter @debrascalag.
A Recipe for Marketing
Now that I know what Deb wants for Christmas, her story reminds me of my own brush with celebrity marketing.
A couple of weeks before my birthday last September (yes, I’m a Virgo), I was about to retire for the night when I received an ad on my Instagram account.
Instagram knows that I’m a foodie so I was enticed to explore the possibilities of taking cooking lessons from famed chef Thomas Keller, the proprietor of the Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry, where reservations have been harder to get than an audience with the pope (though I understand a new system now makes it a bit easier, maybe akin to an audience with Bobby Flay).
Chef Keller was teaching a MasterClass, an online compendium of experts trading their secrets to those willing to spend a modest amount, $90. “Oh, really?” I thought. So, using my imminent celebration of surviving yet another year (which is especially noteworthy these days), I touched Chef Keller’s face on the screen of my mini-computer and it magically brought me to a sign-up screen. There was no hesitation. I signed up. Immediately. Sale made. Done. In less than 20 seconds. The last time I bought something that fast was last summer’s sudden urge for a Clark bar at a Meat Farms checkout.
Since I was one of the fortunate few to sign up early, I also was promised access to the online tutorials before anyone else (actually, hundreds signed up, maybe thousands) and a treasure trove of PDFs to download and other online perks.
I was excited.
I can’t say I’m not enjoying the classes, but the first few were rather basic for my taste. We’re now finally getting into the important stuff like glazed carrots and blanching asparagus.
What a gold mine MasterClass is. Scores of familiar faces greet you on the website, promising lessons in everything from photography to screenwriting to chess and even singing.
How far we have come to be swayed into an impulse-buy while lying in bed, waiting for the sandman to tuck us in. Soon, in the not-too-distant future, I can have Chef Keller in my kitchen through the wonders of artificial intelligence, scolding me about adding oil to the spaghetti water.
George Giokas is chairman of the Board of HealthDay, president/CEO of StaffWriters Plus, Inc., an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University’s journalism department, and author of the young adult novel Nickel Ice. His food blog is at nickelice.com.
