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Bad Girl Swirl: Media Darling 101
Copyright © 2002 - 2010 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.
This Friday I spoke at NAWBO (National Association of Women Business
Owners) on a Panel with Cameron Tuttle, author of "The Bad Girl's
Guide to the Open Road," and owner of the website
www.BadGirlSwirl.com.
Tuttle became a media darling with her "Bad Girl" brand partly
on purpose and partly by chance. Here's how.
1. Tap into a nerve.
The San Francisco Business Times 2003 article reads, "'The Bad Girl's
Guide to the Open Road,' found its way into bookstores and the female
psyche in 1999, selling 223,000 copies. The book included an array of
advice for women taking road trips, from the type of music to listen to,
to how to check the motor oil, to how to beat a speeding rap." In
a CNN.com interview Tuttle says, "Little did I know I was tapping
into this real zeitgeist. This whole good girl-bad girl conflict is not
just my own neurosis, but it's actually a very universal thing for women."
Great ideas resonate on a grand scale.
2. Be the first.
There are endless "Girl Guides" now for the twenty something
crowd, but Tuttle was the first. She came up with the concept. With Chronicle
Books (the publisher of her books and licensor for her products), a company
known for innovative packaging, she created a pink vinyl book cover. How
cool is that? Tuttle was not only first with the concept but first with
the packaging.
3. Give the intangible with tangibles.
On Tuttle's site you can get an alias that captures your bad girl vibe.
Mine was BossaNova Mango. Tuttle's product line, which she describes as
"Hello Kitty with a bad attitude meets Martha Stewart on a bender,"
has everything from bad-girl postcards, journals, stationary, calendars,
sticky notes, power planners and photo albums. When you get the stuff,
it's a license to unleash the "Bad Girl" inside which is nothing
more (or less) than who you truly are. Brilliant. Ironically, most people
need "permission" to do what they want, say what they think,
and be who they are. If it just takes a postcard to put you into "truth"
gear, I'm all for it.
4. Get the numbers right.
Tuttle was interviewed in a local business publication which stated that
her 2002 "revenue" was 12 million dollars. Wrong. That number
was for gross sales. The mistake was the major reason for Tuttle being
sued by a greedy lawyer who had trademarked a number of terms like "Bad
Girls" and was suing anyone who used them. His business had nothing
to do with these phrases--he scooped them up to make money. And it looked
like Tuttle had money. A lot of it.
So when you're talking to a business publication, or any publication
for that matter, make sure you clarify correctly how much money your company
makes, gross sales vs. net sales, etc. You can always ask a reporter to
verify the numbers. Most willingly comply as they want their article to
be accurate. Do it not just to protect your livelihood but for your sanity.
Getting sued takes energy away from doing what you love. Accuracy will
get you more of the right kind of publicity.
5. Create happy accidents.
Rather than letting the media lead you by the nose, follow your nose
and see what works in the moment. During a photo op there was a motorcycle
outside Tuttle's office so, tapping into her Bad Girl side, she hopped
on and gave a jaunty pose in a pink feather boa. She said that she didn't
ride a motorcycle, nor owned one, but it was there and it worked. Tuttle
took a happy chance and it worked out. Why? Because it was in keeping
with what a bad girl would do. She'd hop on an opportunity or a motorcycle
if it seemed right. That photo became a trademark of Cameron's hutzpah,
which she has a lot of. Sometimes a brand is planned. Other times it evolves
from one or a series of happy accidents.
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Susan Harrow, CEO of
http://prsecrets.com, is
a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of
Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul® (HarperCollins),
The
Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah, and
Get a 6-
Figure Book Advance. Clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, bestselling authors and entrepreneurs who have appeared on
Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade,
People, O, NY Times, WSJ, and Inc. |
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