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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Catch 22

Often I have found myself in a Catch-22 or chicken and the egg situation when it comes to sales, marketing and PR for nomie baby. It seems that stores, especially now, are hesitant to take inventory on anything that isn't going to fly off the shelves and sell itself. There are fewer sales people in stores explaining and selling new products; therefore, the products need to be well known and recognizable to the consumer. This recognition factor involves a tremendous amount of PR and marketing.

When trying to market a product or get press placement, I have found that it is helpful if the product is familiar to the editors, and doesn't need a lot of explaining so they know where to place it in stories they are currently planning, or they think of the product when deciding upcoming articles or features. Perhaps you see where I am going with this. Chicken or the egg comes to mind. Getting traction and familiarity takes a tremendous amount of time and persistence. Every once in awhile someone will take a chance on me or nomie baby, and that will open doors ever so slightly, which makes the next go around just that much easier.

There are a couple of accounts and press I have been trying to get for the nomie baby, which I have always thought were perfect matches, and others have mentioned them as well. Now I have been able to go back to them and say, "CBS Early Show" and "Pregnancy & Newborn" magazine both featured the nomie baby car seat cover as a "MUST" baby product, and now those accounts are interested! So it seems you need PR to get accounts, and the press wants to know where their viewer or readers can buy the great new product before running a story on it. And so it goes, slowly building until it reaches the "tipping point." It feels as if it's getting getting there. I hope we're tipsy!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

CBS's "Neat Baby Product"

A couple of weeks ago Sabina at Collective-E called and suggested that I submit the nomie baby car seat cover to CBS's Morning Show for a segment they were doing on great new baby products. I was thrilled to hear that the producer has little kids, "got it" right away, and wanted to use it! Then I played hurry up and wait to find out that the segment was going to air on May 2nd, my anniversary! What a great present. I set the DVR, but didn't want to tell everyone I know to wake up for the 7:44AM Saturday piece, just in case a big news story like perhaps the Swine Flu outbreak preempted it. Well, much to my delight the segment ran on schedule! There was the nomie baby car seat cover along side a Bugaboo stroller, a changing pad, and a stylish diaper bags. It was such a thrill seeing it there for everyone else to see!

I have been spending a tremendous amount of time and energy on PR, since I know that if people know about the nomie baby car seat covers, they will understand why they are a mommy-must-have, and then people won't pass them by on the shelves. When I am in front of moms during demonstrations and trunk shows, they sell incredibly well, because they are reasonably priced, and solve many messy problems easily, and as the CBS producer said, people "get it!"

I know that it takes a long time to build a brand, but getting recognition just gives more fuel to keep plugging away, and getting encouragement from others has been a tremendous help.

Just in case you didn't happen to be up at 7:44AM this morning, I don't want you to miss the CBS segment, so here's the link! http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/050209
_baby.pdf