The Ultimate Shopper Promotional Kit: Post-Publication Promotion Publicity Updates How Canada's worst-selling title of 1988 got media coverage in 100-plus markets in 3 months Last updated 07/05

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I thought this would impress the hell out of book buyers: a publicity update just two weeks after the book's first mailout. Not! But it was a good starting point. The sheer tenacity with which I kept firing off publicity updates, policy changes and promotional materials may have swayed more than one market. It's a truism that only a small fraction of your advertising does any good. The hard part is determining which fragment.

THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER
15-DAY PUBLICITY UPDATE: May 15

RADIO: Coverage confirmed in 10 markets.
TV: Feature on "Toronto Today", CFTO-TV, postponed by Living Skill pending
    local distribution
PRINT: Coverage confirmed in three national magazines

RADIO PARTICULARS:

CTFK-FM, Terrace, BC: 10-minute interview for "North Country Magazine" on
May 14; host was very enthusiastic

CJOC, Lethbridge, Alta.: 1-hr. phone-in open-line show on May 15; host again
very enthusiastic

CKO Network: Feature interview taped May 22 for future broadcast; tentative
booking with Peter Varley, 2-hr. live open-line, will be based on
producer's reaction

CFPL-FM, London, Ont.: 2-hr. live open-line on "Talkback". Host pleasantly
surprised with book; expecting a lively show.

CJCA-AM, Edmonton, Alta.: 1-hr. live open-line on "Talk Back" (Ron
Collister). Top Edmonton AM market in non-Top-40 format.

CHOK-AM, Sarnia, Ont.: Shorts series accepted; will be promoted by an
appearance on Peter Henderson's open-line.*

CFAN, Newcastle, NB; CIGO, Port Hawkesbury, NS; CIGL-FM, Belleville: series
accepted; start dates in June.

CJCL, Toronto: Excerpts to be used during morning magazine.

PRINT PARTICULARS:

"Canadian Consumer": Review confirmed for August/September issue.

"The Canadian Shopper": Promotion confirmed; serial rights giveaway being
considered.

"The Canadian MoneySaver": Articles and author's blurb published for May;
confirmed for August or September.

COMING PROMOTION:

A second wave of radio kits will be mailed May 21. Second serial rights offerings being made from now until June 30. In-and-out tour of SW Ontario through June; Maritimes tour tentatively scheduled for August beginning in St. John's July 28. (Nfld. confirmed.) US pre-publication campaign to begin June 1.

*Where the series has been accepted, this means daily publicity and a sales blurb for the book for two solid months.

This was the third publicity tab sheet mailed to booksellers, distributors, chain buyers and media.

THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER
90-day Publicity Update Aug. 1/87

May 14: Terrace, BC; CFTK Radio, 10-minute interview *
May 16: Lethbridge, AL: CJOC Radio, 1-hr. phone-in *
May 22: NATIONAL: CKO Radio Network, 10-minute interview *
June 1: Toronto, ON: CJCL Radio: Excerpts used during "Morning Magazine"
        London, ON: CFPL-FM, 2-hr. open-line *
June 2: London, ON: CIQM-FM, 1/2-hr. feature interview *
June 5: Regina, SK: CKCK Radio; 1-hr. open-line
June 6: Buffalo, NY: Book featured on PBS affiliate
June 8: Saskatoon, SK: CFQC Radio, 1-hr. open-line *
Jun 10: NATIONAL: CFTO-TV, 7-min. feature interview *
Jun 11: Sudbury, ON: CBC-FM, 15-minute feature interview *
Jun 17: London, ON: CJBX-FM, 10-min. feature interview
July 1: CANADA/US: Book Dealer's World, author profile
July 8: Cougar Ridge, ON: Author feature, Cougar Ridge Star Courier
Jul 22: St. John's, NF: CBC-FM, 8-min. feature interview
        Toronto, ON: CBC Radio, feature interview *
Jul 22-25: St. John's, NF: VOCM-AM/FM, interview segments
Jul 23: St. John's, NF: CJYQ-AM, 10-min. feature interview
Jul 27-31: St. John's, NF: CHOZ-FM, Excerptsu used during morning mag. show
Jul 24: St. John's, NF: NTV: Feature interview, Evening News
Jul 28: St. John's, NF: The Telegram, Author feature (1/2-pg. broad)
Jul 29: Wingham, ON: CKNX-AM, 10-min. feature interview *
Aug. 1: St. John's, NF: The Herald Magazine, book feature
        Toronto, ON: The Saturday Sun, author feature (full-pg. "Lifestyle" front)
Sept. : Toronto, ON: The Buy-and-Sell: Excerpts begin running indefinitely

*Indicates re-booking either scheduled or expected

ULTIMATE SHOPPER RADIO SERIES

An eight-week series of radio shorts accompanied with sales tags for the
book were or are running in the following markets:

CHOK, Sarnia, ON
CFAN, Newcastle, NB
CIGO, Antigonish-Pt. Hawkesbury, NS
CIGL, Belleville, ON
CKBB, Barrie, ON
CKOK, Woodstock, ON
CHWK, Chilliwack, BC
CHOZ, St. John's, NF

UPCOMING PUBLICITY

An intensive national book tour will commence in Ontario in late August, heading East in September. Dates are as follows. Montreal: Sept. 3, 4, 14; Halifax, Dartmouth: Sept. 8; Moncton, Sept. 9; Saint John, Sept. 10; Frederickton, Sept. 11. Ontario: In-and-out through August, September. A 19-day tour through Western Canada and Northern Ontario for October is currently being booked through Thought Productions. Dates will be included in the next update.

Issues being promoted on this tour include consumer negotiation, supermarket strategy, Christmas shopping and back-to-school shopping.

NOTE: Feasibility of this tour was tested in St. John's, NF in July, where publicity was received in every print and broadcast outlet available.

Next update: Sept. 1/87

Unfortunately, no copies of the August 1987 publicity update survive, so I can't give a full accounting of the publicity the book received. That update contained many more entries than the one in this file. This was included with all mailings from October onward, but by that time there weren't many left. I maximized my mailing by printing the update on one side and one of the better feature clippings on the reverse.

The ADDITIONAL DATA: section at the bottom was for penning in any new pub opps that may have come my way since the update was printed. If you have a laser or jet printer I would suggest keeping the update on disk and revising it daily if necessary to keep it truly up-to-date. If I had had a FAX at the time I think I would have fired off one of these every two weeks to every distributor in Eastern Canada, just to keep my name in their minds.

Publicity Update (Addendum to update of Aug/87)

THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER
by Steve Winter
Oct. 1/87

Sept. 2: BELLEVILLE, ON: The Intelligencer
Sept. 3: OTTAWA, ON: The Citizen; CHRO-TV "Business Week"; CHEZ Radio; CFRA Radio
Sept. 4: CORNWALL, ON: The Standard-Freeholder; CFLG Radio
Sept. 7: MARITIMES REGIONAL: ATV Network "Live at Five"
Sept. 8: HALIFAX, NS: The Chronicle-Herald
Sept. 9: MONCTON, NB: CBC Radio (New Brunswick regional); CKCW Radio;
         NEWCASTLE, NB: CFAN Radio
Sept. 10: AMHERST, NS: CKDH Radio
          TRURO, NS: CKCL Radio; The Daily News
Sept. 11: FREDERICTON, NB: The Daily Gleaner; CKJH Radio; CFNB Radio
Sept. 16: BROCKVILLE, ON: CJFR Radio; The Recorder
Sept. 21: NORTH BAY, ON: CKAT Radio; CFCH Radio; The Nugget;
          CKNY-TV "Everyday People"; CHNB-TV "Mid-North Weekend"
Sept. 22: SUDBURY, ON: The Star; CKNC-TC "Peter Mallette"; CJMX Radio, CBC Radio
Sept. 23: SAULT STE. MARIE, ON: CJIC-TV "Grace Pitt"; The Sault Star; CKCY Radio
Sept, 24: **NATIONAL**: CTV Network "Lifetime"
Sept. 25: THUNDER BAY, ON: CHFD-TV "Rick Smith Show"; CKLB Radio; The Times-News
Oct. 1: KINGSTON, ON: The Whig-Standard; CFLY Radio; CFFX Radio
Oct. 2: SOUTHERN ONTARIO REGIONAL: CKCO-TV Kitchener "Morning Magazine"
        CAMBRIDGE, ON: The Star
Oct. 6: SARNIA, ON: The Observer; CKJD Radio; CHOK Radio
Oct. 7: WINDSOR, ON: The Star
Oct. 9: ST. THOMAS, ON: The Times-Journal; CHLO Radio
        WOODSTOCK, ON: The Sentinel-Review; CKDK Radio
Oct. 13: **NATIONAL**: CHCH-TV Hamilton "Cherington"
Oct. 14: LONDON, ON: CIQM Radio; CFPL Radio
Oct. 21: OSHAWA, ON: CKQT Radio
Oct. 22: ST. CATHERINES, ON: CHTZ Radio
Oct. 30: SOUTHERN ONTARIO REGIONAL: CFRB Radio Toronto

By Oct. 31 Steve Winter will have made over 100 media appearances since
the May 1 release on "The Ultimate Shopper". With the exception of the
Ottawa Citizen interview Sept. 3, media response to this title has been
unanimously positive. Due to the tremendous media interest in this title, US
release has been further delayed to Jan 1/88.

DISTRIBUTION: Coles, WH Smith/Classic, Quality Books (libraries in Ontario, BC), Winter Northwest (representation to independent bookstores)