Piggybacking on Election Day Publicity

Piggybacking an idea or service off of an event like Election Day is a common practice in all-things PR. It’s a great way to heighten exposure to a product or service that might otherwise not get the same attention were it a regular day like yesterday, Monday, November 3. But see, today is a *special* and noteworthy day: it’s Election Day! To piggyback on today’s 24-hours will yield a higher publicity volume than, say, yesterday’s 24-hours. And to no surprise, countless of businesses across this great land are piggybacking on the coattails of this year’s Election Day.

What about the little guys?

Now surely many of you have heard by now how many of the big-budget-marketing-dollar companies and their Election Day specials like Krispy Kreme’s and Ben & Jerry’s. But how about the smaller businesses and other organizations that so often under the media radar? They, too, are trying to piggyback on Election Day publicity just like the Big Guys. Don’t they, too, deserve some spotlighting for their efforts? The marketing misfit sure does think so.

Here are a few “under the radar” Election Day publicity piggybacking examples worth sharing:

• M2M Massage Election Day Specials in Detroit, Michigan
  Show your “I Voted” sticker and get 25% discount on your massage
• Allure Hair Studios in Deluth, Georgia
  Celebrate this historic election with food drinks and great hair styles at $10 off.
  That’s right! On November 4th and 5th you can recieve ten dollars off your hair services. $20 off extension services!
• Shane’s Rib Shack in Greensboro, North Carolina
  Giving away free chicken tenders on Nov. 4.
• SushiSamba Rio in Chicago, Illinois offfers exotic Election Day specials
  Dishes such as spicy crunchy tuna rolls, Japanese chicken wings, mini yellowtail seviche and vegetable tempura are all priced between $2 and $4. And, with all of that screaming at the screen while Wolf Blitzer mans the Situation Room, you’ll want to reach for the cocktail of your choice. Will it be the Obamarama (muddled lemon, blueberries and sugar with Pearl blueberry vodka, blue curacao and club soda) or the Maverick (muddled raspberries with sugar, raspberry rum, triple sec, grenadine and unsweetened white tea)?
• All Eat’n Park locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia
  Any voter who presents a voting stub or “I Voted” sticker at any Eat’n Park Restaurant on November 4 will receive a free cup of coffee, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Free coffee is available for dine-in only.
• Airlite Systems Pasture Cleaning Services in Cheyenne, Wyoming
  Order any PCPRO or PC42 model (PC42E or PC42XL) up to and including Election Day (November 4th) and get FREE shipping to any of the lower 48 US States and parts of Canada
• Girl Scouts to offer Election Day babysitting, cookies in Annapolis, Maryland
  Scouts will provide free babysitting on Election Day, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. near the peace pole just outside the entrance to Crofton Woods Elementary School
• New Look Laser Tattoo Removal in North Dallas, Texas
  If your Election Day is all about “change,” this tattoo parlor is offering a free eradication session (up to 4 x 4 inches) with your “I Voted” sticker.

See? There now, I feel better I love rooting for the underdogs, especially in the arena of marketing. These organizations and businesses deserve a bipartisan round of applause for their effort to generate a little PR on Election Day. Won’t you misfits give them a round of applause as well?