How to Create Publicity for a Company Anniversary

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

Your company, small business or retail store is celebrating its 6^th, 12^th or 20^th anniversary and you want the world to know. But if all you do is call the reporter at your local newspaper and announce the anniversary, don’t be surprised if the reporter says, “Who cares?”

You need a clever hook to get free publicity if you're celebrating an anniversary. Here are several ideas to get you started:

1. Sponsor a contest in honor of your anniversary. A men’s clothing store can have an Ugly Tie Contest, put the entries on display and ask customers to vote for the ugliest tie. See Special Report #18: Clever Contests That Will Tempt Reporters to Call  
    

2. Create your own day, week and month of the year. Submit it to Chase's Calendar of Events and John Kremer's excellent book Celebrate Today!
    

3. Call the local deejay on a popular drive-time program and donate a dozen prizes for their show. Tell them they can have the prizes to give away however they wish, as long as they mention your store and your anniversary. See How to Get onto Drive-Time Radio Shows.
    

4. Take a poll or survey and announce the findings on your anniversary date. A bookstore, for example, can poll readers on the one book they would most like to have with them if they were stranded on an island. See Special Report #19--How to Use Polls & Surveys That Brand You as an Expert
    

5. Sponsor a free class at your store. A gourmet food store can invite patrons to a free class on cooking with wine. You might even invite a local celebrity chef to be the teacher. Be sure to hand out free samples of the food.
    

6. Ask customers to explain in 50 words or less the most unusual or outrageous way they have used one of your products or services. The winner gets a cool prize.
    

7. Team up with a local charity or non-profit, such at the homeless shelter and donate products or services they can use. Ask them if they will work with the media to try to get free publicity for the donation.