Monday, July 19, 2004
Brandweek’s Guerilla Marketer of The Year: A Pornstar
I was living in San Francisco when the state of California decided to recall Governer Gray Davis. I was also there when 160+ candidates came out of the woodwork and started running for Governer. But, as Brandweek recently recognized, noone benefitted more (unless, of course, Arnie’s considered a benefit) than adult film actress Mary Carey and KickAss Pictures.
Armed with a paltry budget of $15,000, Mark Kulkris, a former toy publicist for Schwartz PR, used the media frenzy surrounding the recall as a way to promote his new company and starlet, Mary Carey.
In order to become a part of of the gubernatorial recall race in CA, a candidate needed to get 35 signatures, and deliver a platform. Mark announced to the media that Mary would do just that—she would become Mary Carey for Governor, and announce her economic platform on the steps of the city hall of Los Angeles, clad in a stars and stripes bikini.
Her tenets included:
- legalizing gay marriage (to generate revenue for the state as a honeymoon destination);
- taxing breast implants (Beverly Hills alone should bring in millions);
- making lap dances a business tax deduction (to grease the wheels of business and stimulate the economy);
- wiring the governor’s mansion with live Web cams (the pay site would reduce the deficit and give Californians a chance to “see their government in action - literally!").
Soon, the “campaign” kickoff was crawling with news cameras from all the major networks, as well as the Associated Press. Kulkis didn’t stop there, though. He announced that Mary would go on a date with those who donated $10,000 at a fund-raiser at a trendy bar in Los Angeles, and promised to create laws that would keep bars open past 4AM. Kulkis got Mary op-ed space in the Los Angeles Times, and of course, the crowning jewel, an unedited 30-second spot on national TV where Marey screamed, “I’d be a Kick-Ass Governer!” The spot was picked up virtually ever major political news show.
So, what did Jeff Kulkis do here?
He proved a simple concept: Guerilla marketing is about finding a watched trend, and then climing on top of it with a sensational-enough message that it can be carried through and over other messages in the marketpace. GM has a feature, though, which should be evident from the story above: it is not a replacement, or a strategy for the development of a long-term marketing vision. At best, it helps promote a brand within the context of a new or current trend. It helps create buzz. Done in the right experential sense, it can create a superb platform for brand awareness.