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Marketing
Okay,
here's the deal: We have to put our heads together and figure
out what it will take to get people to test for radon. Let's
face it, radon is not sexy, good tasting, thrilling, ego enhancing,
entertaining, or fun. Fixing radon is not like fixing a flat
tire. It's not an urgent or immediate problem that demands attention.
As
I write this, it is Academy Awards Night. The entertainment
industry markets movies to people who want some release from
the pressures of every day life. The product may be sexy, thrilling,
death defying, dramatic or funny but people go to movies to
be entertained. The marketing is done through ads, trailers,
movie critics, and of course, talk show appearances of the beautiful
people we know as movie stars.
The
automotive tire industry, on the other hand is very utilitarian
in it's product and marketing. When our tires wear out, we need
new ones to be safe (and legal). Most folks look for some combination
of tire quality, price and convenience in choosing a dealer.
Dealers play on those three items in ads touting location, sales
and name brands.
But
what about radon? It's not entertaining and it's not necessary
for our transportation. What's the key to marketing radon tests?
More Information? Fear? Avoidance of cancer 20 years from now?
Protection for our family and children (and friends who visit
us)? Morality (it's the right thing to do)?
I
need your help in coming up with some snappy marketing glitz
that will get people's attention and make them act. The EPA
has tons of information, but it hasn't done a very good job
of marketing. So here's the plan: Let's have a contest (no prizes,
just glory, recognition, praise, the challenge of creating something
useful, and just good clean fun) to come up with some marketing
gimmicks to sell folks on getting a radon test. Put your creative,
marketing thinking caps on and let's go!
Feel
free to add to this list: (It may help to think outside the
box!)
Publicity
Categories:
Press
releases
Newspaper
ads or PSA's (Public Service Announcements)
Email
ads
Internet
ads and web sites
Radio
ads or PSA's
TV
ads or PSA's
The
EPA has produced some PSA's that are available FREE to TV stations.
Call your local TV station and request that they air these informational
messages.
Click
here to view the PSA's.
Flyers
Others
Audience
Types:
Teen
Young
Adult
Middle
Age
Retired
Folks
Yuppies
Old
Hippies
Men
Women
Others
Examples:
Get
Bob Dylan to do a radio PSA (also Video for TV) using one of
his many popular songs, rewritten to include some not so subtle
radon information.
Have
rock concert benefits for radon cancer victims and survivors.
CANSAR (Cancer Survivors Against Radon) can lend support. (
http://www.cansar.org )
Press
release about local hot spots and efforts to clean up especially
bad houses.
Get
a famous celebrity to take on radon testing as a pet charity,
with telethons and phone banks.
Get
famous people to test for and fix radon in their Beverly Hills
mansions, with appropriate publicity.
Radon
art displays at art showings and galleries.
Post
signs: You are entering a Radon Free Zone.
Kids
say Test for Radon. Get schools to sponsor radon poster contests
for kids, similar to the "Kids say Don't Smoke" poster
campaign against smoking, or the poster contests for fire safety.
Got
the idea? Send your ideas and comments to:
jeff@RadonatTahoe.com
We
will publish all great ideas here. If anyone wants to take off
on any of these suggestions, be my guest, just report your results
to us.
Thanks
for helping spread the word about radon testing.
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