Street Team/Promotions Marketing Tips: What I Learned from Lightning in a Bottle

Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege to be part of The Do Lab promotion team for Lightning in a Bottle festival. Basically, the promotions team takes to the streets to pass out flyers, hang up posters and chat it up with folks with the goal of increasing awareness with WOM (word-of-mouth marketing). Here are a few helpful tips I’ve pulled together from my experience:

• Manage your time. You may have a certain amount of hours to clock before completion. So, make sure you divide the number of hours by your calendar. We all have lives and even other jobs – this will help ensure you aren’t stuck with a ton of hours and no time left. Also, make sure you are in constant contact with your street team leader – they can be very helpful! Shout out to my awesome lead, @snedmonster!!!

• Know your audience. Look for events, concerts, shops and restaurants, that might draw people with similar interests. For example, if there’s a concert in town that is similar to the music at the festival, go chat it up with people waiting in line.

• Always be on the look out for opportunity. Carry collateral with you at all times: in your purse, in your car, in your pocket, etc. You never know when you may find yourself in a store or restaurant that has a cork board. Heck, you might even find yourself at the grocery store randomly in a conversation about the festival (or whatever you are promoting). If you’ve got a few flyers in your purse to share, then you can turn it into credit towards your hours!

• Collaborate with fellow teammates. I’ve met beautiful people during my days street teaming. If you can buddy up with someone at an event, you’ll get to more people, and give yourself a boost of confidence knowing you’re in it together. Once you’re done, go grab a bite or a drink – work hard, play hard!

• Be creative! When you’re out in the field, you only have a few seconds to catch people’s interest or take a flyer. Rehearse an elevator pitch, but then think up a few message points that you can use for various types of people. Using Lightning in a Bottle for example: If you see a person walking down the street with a yoga mat, talk about the amazing yoga workshops and then lead into the music and speakers. If you’re at a concert, shout out a few similar artists from the lineup they may also be interested in.

Have you been on a street team or have done promotions? Share your tips in the comments below!

Smart Marketing Move By Betsey Johnson

UPDATE (December 22, 2008): Looks like this was only a rumor. Read following post for more details.

Now, here’s a smart marketing move!

Betsey Johnson, my favorite uber-girly and sexy designer label, is scaling back on their February show and spending the money on a new venture. The label’s CEO Chantal Bacon, according to The Cut, says Betsey Johnson will collaborate with a retailer in launching a limited-edition line. The Cut explains that “one can easily deduce a diffusion line for H&M or Target is probably in Betsey’s future.”

This is a smart investment move because it creates more room to grow in this economy without loosing their brand identity. A “limited-edition” line keeps a designer label looking high-end because it is a limited commodity or a one-of-a-kind deal. Luxury should “seem” hard to come by and entice those who may not have the funds to access high-end brands.

Kudos to Betsey Johnson. You go girl!

Abercrombie & Fitch Refuses to Lower Prices

Many luxury brands have recently slashed prices. “This is an unusual time. You have to be creative at this moment,”says Ralph Toledano, chief executive of Chloé. Although lowering prices can help business, some believe it can affect brand image.

“While $2,000 handbags and $700 stiletto heels are still expensive for most people, if prices drop precipitously, the perception of a label’s value may also drop,” explains Rachel Dodes and Christina Passariello in the Wall Street Journal article, In Rare Move, Luxury-Goods Makers Trim Their Prices in U.S.

Abercrombie & Fitch agrees with this concept of prices affecting brand identity. “Even though their sales for the third quarter decreased 46% (and even though holiday sales account for nearly half their total sales), Abercrombie says it won’t jump on the sales bandwagon,” writes Natalie Hormilla of Fashionista.

Abercrombie & Fitch should pay attention to those luxury brands slashing prices and follow suit. In a time of financial crisis, people expect brands to lower their prices. It is fundamentally understood that as sales decrease so do prices. Their brand image will not change if they lower prices like the rest of the market. Do you think high prices are crucial to Abercrombie & Fitch’s brand identity during a global financial crisis?