Dien Rice
July 4, 2010, 07:23 AM
Precisely 100 years ago, back on July 4th, 1910, in Elyria, Ohio, one furniture store owner thought he could use the occasion to get some free publicity... He'd organize a wedding...
...in his store window!
He figured, if he could get publicity for his store window wedding, a lot more people would know about his store, and it would eventually lead to more sales.
Why would a couple agree to wed in a store window?
He offered to pay the lucky couple all their wedding expenses, and give them $100 worth of furniture and other household goods too!
(Remember this was in 1910, and $100 back then was worth around $2,330 today, according to the www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/ website... )
Literally thousands of people gathered to see the July 4th furniture-store window wedding, and he got a lot of publicity!
(It's unknown if it led to more sales, bit it sure got the word out about his store!)
You can read more about this 4th of July marketing publicity stunt from 1910 in the following newspaper article...
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/07/04/july-4-%E2%80%98window-wedding%E2%80%99-in-1910-caused-a-commotion/
I hope you enjoyed this true marketing story... I also hope that everyone has a good (and safe) Independence Day long weekend! :)
Best wishes,
Dien
...in his store window!
He figured, if he could get publicity for his store window wedding, a lot more people would know about his store, and it would eventually lead to more sales.
Why would a couple agree to wed in a store window?
He offered to pay the lucky couple all their wedding expenses, and give them $100 worth of furniture and other household goods too!
(Remember this was in 1910, and $100 back then was worth around $2,330 today, according to the www.measuringworth.com/ppowerus/ website... )
Literally thousands of people gathered to see the July 4th furniture-store window wedding, and he got a lot of publicity!
(It's unknown if it led to more sales, bit it sure got the word out about his store!)
You can read more about this 4th of July marketing publicity stunt from 1910 in the following newspaper article...
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/07/04/july-4-%E2%80%98window-wedding%E2%80%99-in-1910-caused-a-commotion/
I hope you enjoyed this true marketing story... I also hope that everyone has a good (and safe) Independence Day long weekend! :)
Best wishes,
Dien
