Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Mattel Toy Recall is Marketing Opportuniity

Mattel Toys mistake is opportunity for you

Good news and bad news both present opportunities to be leveraged to get good news for you. The example of Mattel’s Toy Recall is highlighted in this message from Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound.
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Mattel's Toy Recall

Mattel's second toy recall in less than two weeks presents publicity opportunities galore for smart Hounds:

--Pediatricians and other medical experts can offer advice on what parents can do if they think their children have been exposed to hazardous toys.

--How do you take toys that have been recalled away from childrenwithout resulting in temper tantrums from them and long explanations from you?

--Can your company, agency or school offer other alternatives to entertain kids? What about simple home-made toys you can make yourself?

--How can parents best protect their kids against dangerous toys and jewelry? Consumer experts can comment.

--Should we be more suspicious than ever of anything with a "Made in China" label? Let journalists know if you have manufacturing experts who can comment on this topic.

--If your company makes things that are used by children, what kinds of safety regulations do you follow?

--Mattel did a lousy job of damage control when this crisis hit. If you're a crisis counselor or PR expert, what do you think the toy maker should have done?

--Mattel has warned that it could announce more recalls. That has led some experts to question the fate of the Mattel brand in the wake of the bad news. Branding experts should offer comment on how this crisis might affect Mattel.

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," anezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating freepublicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a NewsRelease."
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Joan Stewart is a former journalist so she knows her stuff. Lots of good ideas there for savvy marketers to get your share of free media exposure.


George Torok
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