More on How to Handle Free Comic Book Day

• Posted by Johanna on April 25, 2012 at 9:59 am
• Category: LinkBlogging

The unnamed folks at Stumptown Trade Review have a response to my post about a local store ditching Free Comic Book Day to give away cookies instead.

This is a comic shop that is trying something different. More importantly, this is a comic shop that is doing something different that will bring the general public in to the store. Most people are not going to accept something for free that they do not regularly consume in the first place. For example, I do not belong to a gym, so offering me a free turn on the dumbbells on a particular day of the week is not going to make me rush to my nearest gym to try them out. It is not even going to get me to try them out if I am walking down the street and pass by a gym.

But who can resist a cookie?

This is an excellent point. However, I think our difference of opinion in this case comes from me actually having visited the stores involved. Based on my experience with the chain offering this promotion, their attitude is less 'how can we reach out to more customers?' and more 'how can we ride the coattails of an event but pay less to get attention?'

Plus, I have not yet seen that this store is offering the cookies to people who don't already shop there. The advertising I know about is through a postcard mailing to existing customers and their website. It's true that one of the locations is in a strip mall with a Chuck E. Cheese and other venues that might attract walk-in traffic, but reaching out to families might mean they'd need to take the kid-unfriendly 'you cannot come in without a parent' sign off the door. (I don't blame them, if they're in an area where thoughtless parents treat them as a babysitting stop.)

The general principle STR proposes is a good one, and that's why many comic stores have artists appear on FCBD to give away sketches (especially to kids). People may not want a comic, but an original piece of art? That's cool! Many stores also offer snacks and refreshments and create a party atmosphere ' they just don't make it the center of their advertising campaign and talk down their competitors while doing it.

(Oh, and thanks for the compliments, guys!)

Similar Posts: Who Is Free Comic Book Day For? § Free Comic Book Day to Happen Twice a Year in 2012 § Dark Horse Tries to Get Retailers Onboard With Digital Exclusives § Local Store Attacks Free Comic Book Day, Offers Cookies Instead § How Should Free Comic Book Day Deal With Online Readers? The Books Are Free, Right?

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