Three Marketing Lessons We Can Learn from a Giant Yellow Duck

I just finished writing a book titled,  The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media (To find out more, read more below).  To celebrate the completion of the book, on Thursday, August the 21st, I went to the Port of Los Angeles, located in San Pedro to see the Giant Yellow Six Story Rubber Duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.

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(I’ve lived in California for almost 30 years, and this is the first time I have seen that bridge…)

When I went to visit the duck, I learned three valuable marketing lessons.

  • It is okay to use a six story rubber duck to market anything.


Little did I know that there was another event going on in correspondence to the arrival of the duck.  I only found this out after thorough research on the Internet, prior to visiting the duck.  (Actually, let’s be real.  I was just staring in awe at pictures of the duck and read the articles as well since there was nothing else to do at work.)  Through my research, I found out the duck was used to promote a tall ship festival.

I didn’t know what a tall ship was, so I asked my girlfriend if she knew.  She said she didn’t.  Then I asked her if she knew that the duck was being used as a tool to promote the tall ship festival.  She said she had no idea, and thought the event was just so that people could see the duck.  

ABC 7 News Interviewed some people who were hosting the event:

Capt. Paul Dines: “It’s great.  People see the duck, they’re interested, they come down and they learn they like boats too.  It’s a little bit of a different era, you feel like it is more the lifestyle that our parents enjoy.”

 

Another interviewee: “You see people already are coming out, it is a great idea.” [1]


These people knowingly used the duck to promote and bring hype to their event.

  • This giant duck will draw a huge crowd, no matter what the occasion.


When we arrived, it was at the end of the day after I had completed my work shift.  It was a Thursday, a day when many people stay home.  Yet there were still hundreds of people there and hundreds more walking in to see the duck.   

The duck had drawn such a huge crowd, that it had to be moved from it’s original location.   

Adrian Arambulo: “It had to be brought closer to the Vincent Thomas Bridge.  […] This new location ensures people have to pay admission, enter deeper into the grounds and pass the other ships and vendors.” [2]

 

  • People will be happy to see the duck.  So happy, they will be open minded to hear about what you are offering. 


In this instance, I saw that the duck had not only brought in people who had wanted to see the duck, that they had all agreed to pay to see it as well.  People lined up from everywhere to see the rubber duck this weekend and paid anywhere from $7-$350 per person for tickets.  

When I went with my girlfriend, we were okay with paying to see the duck.  We were even okay with the fact that the duck was used to promote another event.  Much like the other people who had come out to see the duck, we decided to check out the Tall Ship festival as well.

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Isn’t that some cool heavy artillery on these Navy ships?  Yeah, exactly.  We wouldn’t have known about that either if it weren’t for the duck.  Since I was already at the event and I was so happy to see the duck, I felt that learning about ships and the history behind them seemed quite worthwhile.

The duck attracts millions of people to see it from around the world.  The duck has already drawn you in as part of the crowd.  It’s just what the duck does.  

Since you are already here and were able to learn marketing lessons from the duck, I decided to use this time to plug in the release of my newest book, The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media

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I was happy to see the boats, so I’m sure that you are happy to hear more about my book as well.

Description:

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About the Author:


Leonard Kim has had extensive business experience ranging from startups to MNCs and everything in between.  He is currently an advisor at Quora, an online knowledge market.  He was officially named Top Writer 2013 by sharing his expertise online, while attaining 5 million views in just under a year.  He was also named a Thought Leader in Business Strategy, Marketing, Startup Strategy and Advice and Business.  

Leonard Kim used to like making money.  Now he likes helping people.  Leonard has mentored individuals across many areas.  His purpose in life is to help you achieve your goals.  He also provides assistance for small to mid-sized businesses, both brick-and-mortar and online, by consulting in strategy, branding, marketing and new business development.  Leonard provides life advice to people who are experiencing duress.  His foundation lies in his ability to instill and reinforce racial and social equilibrium in an ever changing and progressive world. 

He blogs at www.LeonardKim.com.

Oh and he likes cookies, cake and ice cream.  Puppies too.


Where to buy The Etiquette of Social Media

Paperback: Amazon.com: The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media (9781500918538): Leonard Kim: Books

eBook: The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media – Kindle edition by Leonard Kim. Reference Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Promotions:

I believe that no person should have to live without the advice that is within this book.  For every ten people who purchases a copy of The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media, I will donate a copy of my ebook to someone who doesn’t have the resources to acquire the book on their own.  My goal is to give out a free copy of my book to each person who is nominated.  In order to do so, we will have to help spread the word about the book.

How to Nominate your friends to receive a free copy: Nominate your friend to win a copy of Leonard Kim’s first book, The Etiquette of Social Media

How can I share the message?

Etiquette is an important part of our every day lives.  I was always under the impression that every person knew about such etiquettes.  That is, until my inbox flooded and there were comments all over my content when I started to become popular online.  After seeing how so many people didn’t understand etiquette, I saw that it was becoming an epidemic.  

Do your part in preventing this epidemic from spreading.

If you see a troll or someone who is leaving a rude comment on any article on the Internet, share the link to this book.  These people need it the most.

Here are some examples of some comments you can leave:

John, what you have said is quite rude. It seems like you may need to pick up some lessons on etiquette. This book can help! https://amzn.to/1sIE6Oj

Sardina, since your mother didn’t teach you proper manners, I’ll help you out. Read this book: https://amzn.to/1sIE6Oj

Jackie, how would you feel if you were on the receiving end of this message? There’s a person there, with feelings! Respond better by reading this: https://amzn.to/1sIE6Oj

Billie, have your parents ever told you that you shouldn’t touch a stranger’s hair? Rude comments are also a no no.  Learn some class: https://amzn.to/1sIE6Oj


Wow Joe, I can see an employer tossing your application in the trash after reading your remarks.  Maybe you should start studying this guide: https://amzn.to/1sIE6Oj


But don’t stop there.  These principles need to be taught to our youth, spread in our school systems and practiced in business environments.  Tell your friends, teachers and business associates about the book.  Share the lessons you learned with others.  Gift a copy of the book to your children, or your friends on their birthdays and other special occasions.  Write your personal review on Amazon.com. If you have an existing email base, send the message out to your subscribers.  

Or if that is too difficult, the least you can do to participate in the movement is to take a Picture of yourself reading the book.  Tag it on social media outlets with the hashtag #socialmediaetiquette.   

Thank you for joining me on this journey.  If necessary, I will readily be available for interviews and speaking engagements and I look forward to creating more books throughout the years. 

Where can I get my copy of the book again? 

 Paperback (Available in America, UK and Europe): Amazon.com: The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media (9781500918538): Leonard Kim: Books

eBook (Available everywhere): The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media – Kindle edition by Leonard Kim. Reference Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com

eBook India: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media eBook: Leonard Kim: Amazon.in: Kindle Store 

Here are some pictures from the book launch:
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Originally posted on Quora.

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