Shopping For Lettuce & Love

Here’s a clever publicity idea many of you can steal.

But brace yourselves because the crowds, not to mention the print reporters and TV cameras, will be knocking down your doors.

The Metro Market in Milwaukee sponsored its first singles night over the weekend–a chance for 500 unattached guys and gals ages 19 to 90 to peruse the produce, and shop for a little love and lettuce at the same time.

The story in the daily Milwaukee Journal Sentinel caught my eye when I saw the accompanying photo of a cute guy who was participating in the bowling competition in the freezer section of the store. But instead of a bowling ball, he threw a frozen cornish hen down a makeshift alley, hoping to knock down 10 rolls of paper towels that were set up like bowling pins.

Participants sent text messages on a computer screen to the object of their desire. They stacked Oreo cookies as high as they could for a chance to win a gift card. They played Twister. And at an auction, they bid on a lunch date with a Milwaukee firefighter. The $600 raised from the auction went to the fire department’s burn camp.

Just think of all the great ways you could promote an event like that. Invite those good-looking, unattached TV people in town. Pitch the local drive-time deejays. And, of course, post the event to Craigslist, which has a category for singles.

How about a singles night for your customers? Or just for the over-50 crowd? Or for skiers who buy their gear at your sporting goods store? Or for all the local volleyball teams? Or singles night at the local library? Or for card clubs, Scrabble players, or computer geeks in your community?

If you want to pull a huge crowd, special events like this require a detailed planning calendar months before the big day. You have lots of bases to cover the day of the event, and plenty of follow-up tasks to keep people on your radar screen after it’s over.

– Joan