qualities of the event. Traditional media, such as television, radio,
and print, can contribute to the event marketing to a great extent,
especially when you find any correlation with the niche media.
Marketing these special events requires not only traditional meth-
ods, but also nontraditional marketing techniques, such as street
promotion and guerrilla marketing. These unconventional meth-
ods are apt to attract attention from the public and often result in
media exposure. The perception of the public and the coverage by
the media, however, are not always positive. Thus, a marketer
should understand that unusual approaches are always accompa-
nied by risks as well as opportunities. Using appropriate celebri-
ties and VIPs in your event gives your event certain credibility and
prestige, in addition to the media exposure and enhanced sponsor
relationships. On the other hand, it is essential for the marketer to
educate the celebrities and VIPs and communicate their tasks to
them. Ultimately, how special your event can be is dependent on
branding. Festivals, fairs, and other special events, as well as other
tangible products, need a strong branding. A powerful branding
can clearly distinguish your event from millions of other, similar
events. Overall, marketing is an endless effort. Today’s success
does not guarantee tomorrow’s. Therefore, it is important for a
marketer to set a goal, review and evaluate its success, and change
the marketing strategy accordingly.168 Chapter 7 Marketing Festivals, Fairs, and Other Special Events
TALES FROM THE FRONT
In 2000, NBC’s Today Showco-host Katie
Couric decided to get together with Lilly Tar-
tikoff, widow of former NBC head Brandon
Tartikoff, to create a brand-new special event
to raise awareness and funds for colon can-
cer research. Ms. Couric’s husband, Jay
Monahan, died in 1998 from the affliction
and she was looking to do something to
make a difference in battling the disease.
Ms. Couric and Ms. Tartikoff looked around
at all of the big charity events in the United
States and saw that there were already
many charity runs and walks across the
country. They realized that they wanted to
create a big event, but it had to be differ-
ent. They both had relationships with celebri-
ties and musicians that might add some-
thing extra to a fundraising walk or run.
They developed the idea of having a 5K
walk featuring some celebrity friends of
theirs as well as ending the event with a
postwalk concert. They then tied in with the
Entertainment Industry Foundation and cre-
ated one of the nation’s most successful first-
time events.
After research, it was discovered that
colon cancer typically attacks men and
women aged 40 years and older. The tar-