How Daisy Made the News

Remember Daisy, of Every Day's A Party At Daisy's? She brought the theater in her windows when she couldn't afford expensive animations. Daisy used mimes mimes, students, employees, and manufacturers' demonstrations to promote different products and services offered in her party store. Daisy knew that she had succeeded when the Entertainment Today section of the local paper ran the headline, "Showbiz At Daisy's." (See Gifts & Dec, August 2001.)

That headline did not fall from heaven into Daisy's lap. Heavenly publicity comes from doing one's homework.

Daisy planned her windows and her promotion together. She wrote a press release for each production. Each release fit on a single page of her colorful stationery. Vital statistics — her name, the store's name and address, the phone number, the fax number, the e-mail address, and the store hours — were listed at the top of the page. The press release was simple and humorous. Anyone reading it could understand at a glance exactly what Daisy was doing and how much fun it would be.

The press releases were sent to specific people at local newspapers, as well as to newspapers in adjacent towns and in the state capital. Others went to the local radio station, the state's PBS radio and television stations, and, just for the heck of it, to particular staffers at CNN.

No, our heroine did not just happen have the names and addresses of those media contacts in a convenient file. One of the high school girls who worked at the store was vibrant and eager to learn; so she sat down one afternoon with a list, a phone, and a computer to find those press people who would be most receptive to Daisy's concept.

Meanwhile, opportunities and fresh ideas occurred with each show. Those that Daisy couldn't use were saved for next year. Among the new ideas were:

• A window featuring dog gifts, puppies, and a sign promoting the SPCA.
• A window of posters and costumes for a play being put on by the local theater group. (In exchange, the theater group offered to run a free ad for Daisy's in its playbill.)
• A high school drama group practicing mime in the store's windows. The group promised publicity for the event in the high school bulletin.

Of course, a good press campaign can't succeed without good events. Let's take a look at Daisy's year of promotions.

The Gift Basket Show. Gift baskets were created right in Daisy's window. The first day's baskets were designed as fun and soothing get-well gifts. Filled with gags such as a laughing mirror, a chattering-teeth toy, an extra long back-scratcher, sweets, and a few useful items, the baskets were delivered to the local hospital and a continuing-care home.

The Book-Signing Show. The author signed copies of her new party book right in Daisy's window. Photos of the event were made for her own publicity kit, which delighted her agent and publisher. A California bookstore owner heard about the event from the agent, and re-created it in her store. When a California paper interviewed this woman, she gave Daisy credit for the idea. Customers who had heard about Every Day's A Party At Daisy's in California came into Daisy's a year later. Now that's publicity!

The Wedding Shower Show. Daisy placed a mime in her window to show off wedding shower gifts, and simultaneously ran a promotion enticing customers to register. Every couple who signed up between Monday and Friday was eligible for a drawing (to be held in the window) for a gift of their choice. The winning couple ended up choosing their gift in the window, in front of an audience that included almost every couple in town!

Easter Bunny Biz. Children who accompanied their parents while shopping at Daisy's during the Easter basket-making show were eligible to win one of the baskets. The winner could pick the most beautiful Easter basket for his or her grandparents. Daisy included a smaller basket for the child.

Embroidered Windows. The vendor who set up his embroidery machine in Daisy's window was happy to donate embroidered T-shirts to the members of the losing team in the high school basketball tournament. The parents of the team were delighted with Daisy. Daisy was delighted by their business … and the publicity.

Giftwrapping Show. This was a great success. When Daisy invited children under 11 to wrap their gifts in her window, using her supplies, sales doubled … and a picture of the happy tangle in the window landed in the paper.

Personalized Charity. This show featured an employee painting names on mugs and other items. The organizer of a charity party bought small personalized glass boxes that would be used as table favors. Daisy extended the run of that show an extra week while her employee painted names on 573 boxes. The chairperson and Daisy traded favors: Daisy offered a discount on the personalization service and publicized the charity via signs in her window, while the charity chairperson publicized Daisy's and asked members of her committee to patronize the store.

A Window Party. Everyone loved seeing a party specialist decorating party tables in Daisy's window. One mother loved it so much that she asked Daisy if she could give her daughter's birthday party in the window. The children had a wonderful time unwrapping party gifts from the store. She already has three more Window Parties booked!

A Public Surprise. At a show that featured a demonstration of computer-generated invitations, a customer ordered invitations for a friend's surprise party. The birthday girl, also a friend of Daisy's. So Daisy printed the invitations for the party right in the window. They were displayed with a blank space where the name should be. Next to the invitations was a sign: "Guess who is in for a surprise?" All week there were signs saying, "Ssshhh!" and "Don't Tell!" The surprise became the talk of the town. The local society columnist even speculated in print about the identity of the lucky lady.

The Christmas Wreath Show. Several of the wreaths made in her window decorated doors and windows at the local library.

Merry Thanks. The last show window of the year was a Christmas tree extravaganza. It ran for two weeks. The next week's window was not really a show. The velvet curtains were drawn back to reveal a simple green tree decorated with white lights. Around the tree was a thank-you scroll from Daisy to Santa Claus. Daisy thanked every employee, supplier, customer, and cause who had been part of the windows.

The last line said, "Thank You and Merry Christmas! Daisy."