Over the course of my almost two decades of running the local candy store I was lucky enough to learn early on the value and the power of the media. Everyone thinks media is FREE. That is a misnomer. Being featured on the news is not FREE, there are costs associated with it. In my opinion the benefits greatly outweigh the costs.
I owned a confectionery business with a focus on branded chocolate corporate gifts. My business was featured both locally and nationally. My business and I made appearances on the radio, in print and on the local and national news. I had more than my 15 minutes of fame. Sure many times I was dressed as Willy Wonky but I was a legend in my own and the minds of my kids.
With the media exposure, I increased brand awareness both locally and nationally. When the pieces aired, these efforts led to spike in sales depending on the media source and ultimately several new customer who became raving fans.
Being featured on the news is not FREE, there are costs associated with it. In my opinion the benefits greatly outweigh the costs. The costs to make media marketing work required a great deal of work, imagination, and money. The costs included keeping the business painted to a TV level of cleanliness as opposed to health code, branded attire for myself and the staff, swag for the reporters, custom chocolate molds, (specific for my industry), the use of a PR firm, and most importantly my time. I felt that the money spent was a good investment especially when compared to the return I received when I spent money on TV and radio ads.
