Holiday Cheer
September, 1992

I’m not that happy with some of these early columns – I didn’t quite have my voice, or hit the "right" points in a lot of cases. This one, in particular, I think is shit. It was done at editorial request: "Write something about holiday promotions".

This was the last time (or close to it) that I ever TOOK editorial suggestions!

If you’re not a comic book retailer, go read another column. Hell, even if you are, go read another one. This is only here for completeness sake!

Two side notes: this was the month Comics Retailer started printing my name as "Brain Hibbs"; and this was quite possibly the most edited column I’ve ever written. When I compare my original text to what ran in CR...well, then editor Don Butler...um, added about 10% to my word count. Weird.

Holidays are potentially great sources for sales. The key to realizing the possibilities is, as always, creativity. Anyone can create simple promotions that will bring in immediate sales, but creative solutions can create long-term customers.

One of the simplest promotions is the sale price. Large chains like Macy's have Mother and Father day sales every year, where selected merchandise is discounted. It is simple to recreate this type of event in your store, but by putting a spin on it, you can make a routine sale something special.

For example, you could give a discount to anyone bringing their mother or fathers in, or to anyone with pictures of their children. By using "audience participation", you create a dynamic image in customers’ minds. Maybe you could have a contest for the parent and child who look the most alike, with the winning pair given a $50 shopping spree in your store. Remember: when you do a contest or any unusual promotion, take pictures and send a press release to your local media.

More complex promotions could revolve around other holidays. For example, for Easter, you could make up egg-shaped gift certificates, and disperse them randomly in your back issues boxes. During your "Easter Egg Hunt", customers have to look through your stock, hopefully finding something they'd like to buy. April Fool's Day could bring a Wheel of Fortune your customers could spin, bringing them either a random discount, a free gift, or a squirt with a water gun! Perhaps President's day could spawn a raffle you can enter if you pay with One or Five-dollar bills (pictures of Washington and Lincoln, don't you know) [Of course, check with your local and state laws to make sure they do not forbid raffles...]

Reward your customers for shopping with you! Giving out $1 gift certificates to your regular customers on Christmas shows them that you care, or perhaps you could set up a birthday club. On Halloween, give out your overstocked comics instead of candy, to trick-or-treater's.

Get involved in your community. Perhaps on Arbor Day you could sponsor a tree-planting campaign. You can help register people to vote, or give a discount to all voting customers on Election Day.

Remember, the more involved people are in your promotion, the more likely the memory will stick with them. Halloween costume contests, New Year's Eve parties, or "how I spent my summer vacation" cartoon contests with schools on Back to School day are all likely ideas.

The only limit to this type of promotion is your own creativity. One thing that is often helpful is to take out a calendar at the beginning of the year, and find at least one event a month that you could center an event around. Look for themes in the holiday of which you can take advantage. Valentine's Day, for example, is hearts, love, red, and romance. Among the many things you could do is provide a Valentine's Day card free with purchase; 20% off all romance comics; a poll of the greatest comic book romances (Clark & Lois, Peter & Mary-Jane, etc.) with a prize given to a random entry; a discount for anyone wearing red; or heart-shaped gift certificates hidden like the Easter Egg hunt. There are dozens (if not hundreds) of other ways you can use the holiday theme to your advantage. The trick is to be creative, and always try something new. You can learn as much (if not more!) from your failures as you can from your successes.

You need not always give a discount or a gift to take advantage of a holiday. For example, a couple of Thanksgiving's ago we did a window display of the Doom Patrol fighting a plucked and headless giant turkey (this photo was printed in the July `92 issue of Comics Retailer) – we created a thematic display, that got people talking (and laughing), and coming into the store to find out what it was all about. We sold a greater than normal number of copies of Doom Patrol that and subsequent months, just because we say an opportunity.

What does Doom Patrol have to do with Thanksgiving? Nothing at all, but that didn't stop us from finding a creative way to tie the two together.

This is not to say that you always need to stretch credibility, or do a window display, to create a mood in your store. Even simple decorations or music can achieve that end. Christmas might bring a Christmas tree, boughs of Holly, or even a little mistletoe, in the store itself. Halloween lends itself to spider webs, a skeleton, and creepy music. Valentine's Day might be hearts and lace. The sky is the limit.

Some of these suggestions might sound corny to you, or inappropriate to your store. I'm not suggesting that you follow these to the letter, or even that you use them at all. Actually, I've not tried many of them, myself. The point is that you look carefully at your options, and find the ones that work for you, and more importantly, for your customers, no matter what your inclinations are.

I've used the word "creative" many times in this, and other articles. The secret to creating sales is being creative, whether you are creating a holiday promotion, arranging an in-store appearance, or designing an advertisement. Don't stop at your first concept. Work, and think creatively. I cannot overemphasize the importance of "skull time" in running your business. The more you consider, plan, and organize, the less energy you'll waste in implementation.

Our industry is still in its infancy (relatively). The more creative you are, the more you push the envelope, the better we'll all be for the future.

And there's so much future in front of us.