Mr. Tied Up

There is no magic button. Thankfully, we can make our own magic. This addition of ASK JOY weighs the benefits of celebrity placement to an overall marketing campaign:

Hi Ms. Joy,

I'm an investment banker by day, silk-tie designer by night. Since I work in Chicago, I deal with a lot of high-net worth men to sell my ties to, but, someone suggested that I get more celebrity connections. I actually did a gift bag in Los Angeles last year and nothing happened. No press. Nothing! Is celebrity placement really worth it for me and my ties? Why bother?

- Tied Up in Chicago, IL

Mr. Tied Up,

Yep, it's probably worth it. Of course, any celebrity placement you do needs to be smart, strategic, and aligned with your overall brand image.

I'm not sure if that gift bag in LA placed your ties with your target demographics (since you didn't tell me what celebs got them) but, before you agree to do any placement, you need to know some stuff. WHO will receive the ties? WHAT media (if any) will be covering the placement? WHERE will photos be available? WHEN will photos be available?

Once you have these answers you can start to make decisions and figure out how much hustle you need to do. And you do need to hustle on your end. You can't just get a photo and sit on it and expect magic and fairy dust to happen.

Try to place your ties with names that you respect and think adhere to your brand. Target events that will provide the resources to promote your placements. Then, take control and pursue press on your own- take the photos and use them to entice merchandisers and customers. If you do a placement and nothing happens, then take it upon yourself to make something happen.

Just like print articles, ads, TV press, and radio interviews, celebrity placement is just another aspect of publicity. Don't expect one celebrity gift bag alone to be a magic wand. Make everything work in concert.

Keep rising!

Joy