“What do you do for a living, Jana?” The short answer is: “I put giant crabs on stuff.”
It’s simple really. The client wants to attract attention with something unconventional. We create that situation.
There are many tools in the PR arsenal: the press release, the fact sheet, the 700-pound giant inflatable crab. What, you don’t have a giant crustacean? Our client, McCormick & Schmick’s, does. The crab’s name is Jake and we use him every chance we get!
When we opened the downtown Sacramento restaurant in 2007, we had coordinated Jake’s presence on the lawn of our State Capitol building (just a couple of blocks away from the restaurant). His presence there attracted a LOT of positive attention and we still hear people talk about it on a regular basis. It’s like it lives in Sacramento lore or something.
With the opening of a new McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant in Roseville last week, we arranged for Jake to make a return visit to the area. He posted up on the McCormick & Schmick’s building for a few days , enjoying the view and posing for photos for passersby. The public reaction to Jake was - again - one of enthusiasm. His welcome by the people of Roseville was warm, and the media got on board to create some fun stories.
In every promotion or element of a PR program, we have to stand back and ask ourselves one question: Is this strategic? The strategy behind Jake is always to elicit the reaction of excitement and delight from the public. Of course, the media attention helps, too!
Jake the Crab on McCormick & Schmick’s, photo by our fav photographer, Tim Engle www.englephoto.com
February 22nd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Your title just got even longer: “Public Relations Account Executive + Events & Promotions Specialist + I put giant crabs on stuff”
February 25th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I’m sorry I missed out on deflating and packing the crab this time. Kind of.