I just returned from my fourth trip to Las Vegas for the 2008 USA Collegiate Dance and Cheerleading Nationals, and more than 75 college and all-star cheerleaders and dance teams competed. Some guys might have seen the championship as a chance to snag a few girls’ phone numbers, but PR teams had seen it as the perfect event to reach out to their target audience.
Upon our arrival at the Cashman Center, goodie bags of girly products grabbed our attention faster than other teams’ pounds of glitter and elaborate costumes. Of course the free Secret deodorant, Playtex feminine products for exercise and pink Skintimate shaving cream packed inside of a shiny pink bag appealed to us 18-24-year-olds. The companies’ PR teams sure know their stuff. The one-liners that graze the product labels demonstrate the extent of the PR teams’ market research, not to mention their incorporation of game cheerleader photos and dancer silhouettes.
On a flyer insert, Skintimate assured that its product “makes every move smoother” and that “from invigorating scents to ultra gentle formulas, you’ll discover one that’s just right for your smooth moves.” I love the creative wordplays. Other lines are more influential, such as “keep your legs in peak performance condition.” It seems that almost every piece of information in the flyer incorporates dance and cheerleading terms, including “1-2-3-4″ and “as tricky as a full down.” Skintimate’s effort to utilize dance and cheerleading staples shows that they care about our interests.
The Skintimate dollar-off coupon appeals to us budgeting college students. The company also created a link on the competition’s website and wrote “learn more about smooth legs, smooth moves and much more at varsity.com/skintimate.” Skintimate’s decision to incorporate the Varsity company in its marketing plan is a wise one. As a college dancer, I check the website almost daily for competition updates, photos and camp information. Maybe I should mention that Secret also recently hosted an online Show Us Your Moves contest, and the “hottest” dancer will feature in an upcoming J-Lo music video.
The companies’ distribution of free products at a dance and cheer event guarantees that a large amount of consumers in the companies’ target market will try their products – and perhaps get hooked. We trust that the products’ quality and are and more likely to become regular consumers, because the United Spirit Association and Varsity trust Playtex, Skintimate and Secret to sponsor the event. What an efficient way to guarantee direct and hands-on PR!
3 Comments
February 21, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Question:
I was curious if you have an extra Skintimate ad brochure that was included in the goodie bag.
Thanks
February 22, 2008 at 6:31 pm
You can have mine.
March 7, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Thank you so much. I was one of the models and I haven’t seen them yet.