Here’s an idea for those of you PR doubters. Why not ask site visitors how they came to hear of your site?

A recent survey of holiday buyers on a client’s ecommerce Website revealed that nearly one third of site visitors can be attributed to PR activity. Verbatim from the email:

"Just thought you’d like to see the responses to one of the questions I slipped in the survey we ran with 4th quarter buyers:

And of those who answered other it was pretty much 1/3 article 1/3 website 1/3 crazy

This tells me close to 30%  (article + TV+ Other)  found us based on PR type activities.   At least that is my interpretation…"

Careful readers will note that the site attracted 3,800 buyers, too.  Want to know more, contact MortarPR here.

Have you been reading about Richard Branson’s new airline Virgin America? I have been seeing it all over the news, so I finally checked out their website, and found this: Name Our Planes! A cool flash viral with a contest to, you guessed it, name a plane in their yet-to-be-born fleet. You can see what other names people have submitted, sort the names by fun categories like horoscope sign, gender, and favorite holiday. You can even vote on other submitted names – in a clone of "hot or not" – does the name "fly or not." 

Unfortunately, you don’t get a worldwide open-ended airline ticket, an inaugural ride on your newly-christened plane, or anything bling like that. Winners "receive a commemorative rendering of their Virgin America airplane with
the name he/she submitted printed on the plane. Worth $300." Big Whoop! This from the man who is worth over $6 billion and has his own spaceship.

Some lucky metropolitan diners will receive a complimentary bottle of "Rome" branded cabernet with their meals next week.  Although the ad community is wondering  why the savvy cable channel selected a on-Italian beverage. Still its a super idea. Comments Andrew Hampp in this week’s Ad Age:

"HBO will offer complimentary bottles of "Rome" cabernet sauvignon at
more than 100 eateries in the three cities to promote the second-season
launch of its sex-blood-and-togas series, debuting Jan. 14. But rather
than have restaurant servers introduce the product by saying "And our
house wine tonight is brought to you by HBO," consumers will be
presented with a polite card at their tables: "A taste of ‘Rome’ awaits
you. Ask server for details."

The appetizing promo was the brainchild of Lime Public
Relations & Promotions, which paired with HBO to promote season two
of "Entourage." Lime President Claudia Strauss said wine was a perfect
way to plug the show contextually while still being creative. "The show
is all about indulgence, and we just felt this was a great way to bring
to life one of the key aspects of the story line."

MortarBlog watchers will be interested to learn that HBO’s agency, Lime, was the force behind Old Navy’s Mascot search (one of MortarBlog’s top 5 promotions in 2006).

Full story here.