Changes in the promotional industry
BY MERLE GEYER
My first promo event was on a Thursday. I was 14 years old, still in high school, and decided to bunk school to go to work. It didn’t take long for me to realise that this would become a trend in my young life – I enjoyed working more than anything else. Today, I am going to talk about the promoter industry and how it’s changed in the decade (plus a little) that I have spent working in it.
Changes in the promotional industry
BY MERLE GEYER
My first promo event was on a Thursday. I was 14 years old, still in high school, and decided to bunk school to go to work. It didn’t take long for me to realise that this would become a trend in my young life – I enjoyed working more than anything else. Today, I am going to talk about the promoter industry and how it’s changed in the decade (plus a little) that I have spent working in it.
What’s in a name?
Promoter. Activator. Brand Ambassador, whichever name you prefer; for me, it has been and always will be Promoter. Back then, I understood why I was there. I was there to promote your brand by being an ambassador for the brand in the way I looked and presented myself. I made sure I knew the product well in order to activate the brand, and finally, my persistence and enthusiasm was there to sell the brand and the product. Today, brand activations are bigger and better than ever, and the industry has grown into its own incredible beast in the last two decades.
What’s in a name?
Promoter. Activator. Brand Ambassador, whichever name you prefer; for me, it has been and always will be Promoter. Back then, I understood why I was there. I was there to promote your brand by being an ambassador for the brand in the way I looked and presented myself. I made sure I knew the product well in order to activate the brand, and finally, my persistence and enthusiasm was there to sell the brand and the product. Today, brand activations are bigger and better than ever, and the industry has grown into its own incredible beast in the last two decades.
Regulations
The promoting industry has many flaws, but they are steadily being addressed as the industry grows. One glaringly obvious flaw is that the industry is not regulated. A decade (plus a little) ago, when I began working in the industry, if you failed to arrive or didn’t bring your A-game to a promotion you’d been hired for, other agencies would be none the wiser. You’d easily be able to find the next gig as you had access to hundreds of promoter companies willing to book you because they had no way of knowing about your previous non-performance and unreliability. Back then, companies would have to endure the financial knock linked to bad promoting with no recourse whatsoever.
Regulations
The promoting industry has many flaws, but they are steadily being addressed as the industry grows. One glaringly obvious flaw is that the industry is not regulated. A decade (plus a little) ago, when I began working in the industry, if you failed to arrive or didn’t bring your A-game to a promotion you’d been hired for, other agencies would be none the wiser. You’d easily be able to find the next gig as you had access to hundreds of promoter companies willing to book you because they had no way of knowing about your previous non-performance and unreliability. Back then, companies would have to endure the financial knock linked to bad promoting with no recourse whatsoever.
Safety
The promoting industry has many flaws, however, but they are steadily being addressed as the industry grows. One glaringly obvious flaw is that the industry is not regulated. A decade (plus a little) ago when I began working in the industry, if you failed to arrive or didn’t bring your A-game to a promotion you’d been hired for, other agencies would be none the wiser. You’d easily be able find the next gig as you had access to hundreds of promoter companies willing to book you because they had no way of knowing about your previous non-performance and unreliability. Back then, companies would have to endure the financial knock linked to bad promoting with no recourse whatsoever.
Safety
The promoting industry has many flaws, however, but they are steadily being addressed as the industry grows. One glaringly obvious flaw is that the industry is not regulated. A decade (plus a little) ago when I began working in the industry, if you failed to arrive or didn’t bring your A-game to a promotion you’d been hired for, other agencies would be none the wiser. You’d easily be able find the next gig as you had access to hundreds of promoter companies willing to book you because they had no way of knowing about your previous non-performance and unreliability. Back then, companies would have to endure the financial knock linked to bad promoting with no recourse whatsoever.
The Cost of Good Promoting
The industry is very fragile in terms of pricing, too. The price per hour, per promoter, is determined purely by the staff and fluctuates violently depending on what the promoter believes his or her time is worth. There is a tenuous consensus on pricing, but it does make it very difficult for companies to quote accurately. For example, if one or two promotional companies charge more, the promoters may get wind of the increased tariffs and it then becomes the standard rate. As I said before, good, reliable promoters are hard to find and they do hold all the cards in these instances. The glass ceiling is being raised and my concern here is that brand houses will no longer have the capacity to pay these rising rates and could resort to other singular methods of promoting their products and services, for example, online advertising.
The Cost of Good Promoting
The industry is very fragile in terms of pricing, too. The price per hour, per promoter, is determined purely by the staff and fluctuates violently depending on what the promoter believes his or her time is worth. There is a tenuous consensus on pricing, but it does make it very difficult for companies to quote accurately. For example, if one or two promotional companies charge more, the promoters may get wind of the increased tariffs and it then becomes the standard rate. As I said before, good, reliable promoters are hard to find and they do hold all the cards in these instances. The glass ceiling is being raised and my concern here is that brand houses will no longer have the capacity to pay these rising rates and could resort to other singular methods of promoting their products and services, for example, online advertising.
For now though,
the promotions industry is showing no signs of slowing down. Regardless of the meteoric rise of social media, people still enjoy tangible interactions and the industry as a whole has a far healthier approach to doing business than it ever has in the past.
For now though,
the promotions industry is showing no signs of slowing down. Regardless of the meteoric rise of social media, people still enjoy tangible interactions and the industry as a whole has a far healthier approach to doing business than it ever has in the past.