I’m a Dallas Mavericks fan. I’m not just a fair weather fan either. I was a fan when they were losers. I was a fan when Jason Kidd was a rookie. I was a fan before Jamal Mashburn was wearing suits and sitting at an ESPN desk. I was a fan when only a geek or two knew Mark Cuban‘s name. Yep. I’m a Mavericks fan.
Last night the Mavericks played the youngest team in the NBA, the OKC Thunder. Kevin Durant plays for the Thunder. He’s the new superstar on the cover of ESPN magazine right now.
Now that we have the background info out of the way…
I was trying to watch the game, but I kept looking at those crazy orange shoes the OKC Thunder were wearing. 
Nike just introduced the KD2 sneakers. Then I find out the Thunder players are signing and donating their orange shoes to the Thunder Community Foundation. You’re able to bid on the shoes in a silent auction at the final three OKC Thunder December home games.
More about those funky shoes
The crowd were given orange towels. If you went to the game, you were going to know about those shoes whether you wanted to or not. Plus this was the first OKC Thunder game broadcast on ESPN in front of a national audience this year. Kevin was featured on the cover of ESPN magazine. The planets were aligned. The promotion machine was in place.
So how does this relate to small business owners and dominating the web?
If you’re going to promote something, don’t be timid. Do something outrageous.
- Work with a charity
- Get people physically involved in your promotion. At the OKC Thunder game, people were given orange towels to wave. Give people something they can play with. Give them a noisemaker. Give them something they can “fidget” with.
- Do something visual. Many NFL players wore pink shoes during breast cancer awareness month this year. It really stood out. Announcers had to talk about it. Is there a charitable event next year that you know will get local press coverage? Be prepared. Have your own t-shirts made that stand out from the crowd.
- Take photos and tag people on your Facebook page. Create a Flickr account and post photos. Upload a video clip of the event to YouTube.
Since we’re getting close to the end of the year, you’re probably planning next year’s promotions. Why not put something on your calendar for breast cancer awareness month in October? Work with Susan G Komen for the Cure. Or contact other local charities. Find out when their next big event is. Then work with them as a sponsor. Do something over the top.
Sincerely,
Doug Stewart
“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”
PS – KRMG, a news and talk radio station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, had a good blog post about the shoes here.
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