OBS Discussion Forum

"Marketing Online" by Marcia Yudkin

Subject: marketing trick

Timely news sells or at least draws interest. I am the publisher/editor of "Scenes of Vermont" a cyberspace magazine focusing on specific areas of the state (http://www.pbpub.com/vermont/). In the spring, I published an article about Woodstock, warning motorists of a strictly enforced 25mph speed limit and the activities of a woman named Lisa, the parking lady, who can write a ticket and have it on your windshield in the space of 30 seconds. Well, this piece of news is now all around the area. Merchants are giggling, the town fathers are embarrassed and Woodstock has become somewhat notorious, without it being particularly damaging to the town. (After all, I am only urging people to obey the law!)The merchants love the story and hate the town's parking policy. They are far more supportive now of my efforts to sell them advertising and I've proved to everyone that people are at least reading the stuff, even if they are not buying. You can still read the story bi the way, though I will be taking it down soon, just as soon as I can find some other interesting stuff from the local hairdresser!

Regards

Tim Palmer-Benson
PB Publishing
Tel:(802)895-4295
Fax:(802)895-4635

E-mail to publish@databank.com