It Pays to Advertise!

In an exercise much like Where's Waldo? I thumbed through this week's edition of our Islands Weekly looking for the latest ad I had placed announcing my next concert. My last event was front page. This was the "apology ad" after the prior events ad error that listed the venue as " The Lopez Grand Hall.'' I had my lowest turnout ever at that event and one wonders if it had something to do with this mistake. As one friend said: "It was believable enough to think there might be a Grand Hall even though I have lived here for a long time and never heard of it." (It's Grange by the way, not Grand.)

I refused to pay for that ad and they were completely understanding and apologetic about their mistake. They should be. In that very same edition they made another huge blunder. The Center had one of their larger than life full color ads in the paper front and center with a much touted Grammy award winning musician and the starting time was listed at 9 P.M. rather than 4 P.M. Yup. Big mistake.

The front page ad brought in my biggest crowd ever. Though true, I'm not sure what exactly conjured that up as I pondered in my prior post below. Every event I'm doing a combination girrrrrrlllia marketing attempt with posters, funky signboards, email list, word of mouth, posts on a few websites, announcement's in two papers community calendars, and ONE paid ad. Every little bit helps.

So I'm thumbing through this weeks paper (really a glorified 8 page ad paper with some news articles but it is definitely useful and well read by the majority of islanders including myself) and I'm looking looking and my ad is not on the front page, inner page, back page but finally I find it and it's in the Classified! right under the subject heading: Motor Homes and above the composting toilets ad. No I sh*t you not! One wonders if it's there because the groups name is Bayou Cadillac. Yes, certainly I see the logic in that! Though later my friend in the band tells me that a "Bayou Cadillac" is actually a boat in the south so it is even in the wrong section of the classified!

Truly upsetting! No one is ever going to see it. However I have enough of a sense of humor that I can get a little chuckle........

"RadioFreeLopez .....Look for our next events at the Lopez Grand Hall in the Classified section under Motor Homes right above the composting toilets."