Friends need help advertising their cheap porn store.

May 28, 2007 9:33 PM

I've got some friends who have recently started a porn store, but they need a way to advertise.

Only the local independent paper would let them place an ad, and it's ... well ... nobody really reads it. They need something clever, innovative, and widespread. They've been thinking about just putting fliers on people's cars, but I don't think that would be a good idea. Their prices are super cheap for porn, and they're my friends, so I want to help them out. Any suggestions?

posted by The Great Big Mulp to shopping (30 comments total)

Just to let y'all know, I'll be e-mailing them a link to this thread.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 9:35 PM on May 28, 2007

Outdoor advertising, like billboards off the expressway. Check with local ordinances, but depending on the town you may get away with it. Usually this is the only ads I ever see for porn shops outsideof alternative weeklies, the onion, and the internet.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:53 PM on May 28, 2007

How do you define porn?

For the sake of The Society, you can fall back on the ages-old euphemism wagon. Try to be witty - make it a play on words regarding the specialty of the store.

Are you renting tapes/DVDs (good luck...)?
Novelty personal massage equipment?
Deadtree zines?
Swinger tradepost?

Without knowing the exact prurience limit in your town (unless you get tourists... but that's another matter), the merchandise in the store, and the target audience, it's hard to advise.
posted by porpoise at 10:12 PM on May 28, 2007

I'll second the billboard idea. Works in my city.

Also you may want to try having them sponsor some type of event, possibly a radio contest or something. Obviously you would need to select the right radio station. Use your best judgment in selecting which to approach. Maybe handing out fliers at a local concert?

What also may be a good idea is postings on Craigslist, in various different sections that pertain to adult services and entertainment.

A creative bumper sticker that gets the point across but won't have people calling indecency would be required.

Don't underestimate the value of word of mouth either.

It's hard mounting a large scale marketing campaign because this type of business can offend people. It's difficult not to try and stereotype your target audience and market to just them, but you don't want other people outside that scope to not know about your store. I know for the radio event, in my city you are far better off going with a hard rock station then say a country or soft rock station. I would assume that's probably true in most areas, but you never know.

I wish you luck.
posted by Industrial PhD at 10:19 PM on May 28, 2007

Yellow pages?
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg at 10:30 PM on May 28, 2007

Google's AdWords?
posted by HotPatatta at 10:39 PM on May 28, 2007

Do they have any customers? Discount coupons for them to pass to their friends that give them some amount of store credit for each person they refer (you'll need some way of tracking this).

Another thought. Creating an uproar (flyers on cars outside of a church with a loud mouth pastor?) would probably get them a lot of free publicity.
posted by Good Brain at 10:45 PM on May 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

Sponsored night at a local strip club? Especially if there's a ladies' night (with male dancers).
posted by Cricket at 10:53 PM on May 28, 2007

Creating an uproar (flyers on cars outside of a church with a loud mouth pastor?) would probably get them a lot of free publicity.

Yeah, I thought about that aspect of car flyering, too. Though I neglected to mention it to them. Hmmmm ...
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 10:54 PM on May 28, 2007

Creating an uproar (flyers on cars outside of a church with a loud mouth pastor?) would probably get them a lot of free publicity.

Also can be a great way to get your business license revoked, in some venues.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:55 PM on May 28, 2007

Have they considered the radio? Some of the "edgier" stations around here have no problems advertising for headshops or porn stores. They'd likely be able to find similar stations there.
posted by lekvar at 11:01 PM on May 28, 2007

Only the local independent paper would let them place an ad

Was it because the paper has some morality clause, or because their ad copy was less-than-mainstream?

I say this because I find it hard to believe a newspaper would turn down a paid advertisement for the non-porn items the store probably carries (lingerie, "bachelorette party" gifts, etc). Advertise that stuff in the mainstream press. Advertise "TeenAssRammers #65" and battery-operated thingys elsewhere.
posted by frogan at 11:18 PM on May 28, 2007

.... battery-operated thingys elsewhere.

In this town, in fact, they'd be doing a lot better if they had a supplier for toys. At present, they don't. And, yes, it is because the paper has some morality clause.

I don't know if it helps, but they're in Providence, RI.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 11:26 PM on May 28, 2007

I mean, their advertising limitations are because the paper has some morality clause, and not their aquisition of toys.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 11:27 PM on May 28, 2007

Flyers. Go to local bars (not necessarily only strip clubs) and ask if you can leave a stack of them there. Maybe have a special offer or coupon on the flyer (buy one get one free, or 50% off purchase). If I were promoting such an enterprise in my area, I'd hit the bars nearest the automotive plants (and we have many here). Not to stereotype the customer base for the porn industry, but those blue-collar assembly line workers do enjoy their nudie magazines during their breaks. Emphasize the low prices on the flyers - most porn shops have a browsing fee just to get in, and then the merchandise is pricey on top of that. There must be some type of "alternative" newspaper in Providence - that would be another good place to run an ad. What about your local daily? Our mainstream Detroit newspapers are full of ads for "adult" bookstores, etc, in the sports section.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:46 PM on May 28, 2007

Have they checked the college papers, too, if there are any in the area? My undergrad AND grad school papers would have (and did) run them, and on the cheap, too.
posted by universal_qlc at 12:03 AM on May 29, 2007

During Sydney's Mardi Gras a couple years ago, I assisted on a play that had been sponsored by an adult shop. Not only did they put up the money for the show (thus getting their info in the program), but they set up a booth during Fair Day and held a giveaway for a giant gift basket of stuff. (I couldn't believe the number of people willing to write down their contact info for a chance to win a basket of dildos.) Of course, it helped that the play was "adult-themed" in nature. I guess what I'm saying is, does Providence have any events that they could get involved in? It goes a long way towards making you look like a respectable business. (Now I'm imagining a local Little League team with "Sponsored by Dave's Porn Palace" on the back of their jerseys...)
posted by web-goddess at 12:33 AM on May 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Late night cable television local ad inserts are very cost effective, and can be targeted down to the zip code level. With the better digital head end systems, you can even insert different screen crawls by viewing area, to promote different products by time slot, geographical area, or program.

Have them contact their local cable channel's ad reps for rates, and production suggestions. Many cable systems offer inexpensive video production services, or can refer to independent videographers who produce cable TV ads. For a basic pan background shot of their store, with a talking head or spokesperson, the video costs can be as low as $500, and they can hire talent to read the spot at rates of a few hundred dollars, generally. Per impression costs will be favorable to newspapers, with better action and retention, particularly if they can tie the ads to a 24 hour phone order number, or Web site.
posted by paulsc at 1:38 AM on May 29, 2007

I would absolutely go for the manufacturing controversy angle. Hand out free samples outside the church or something. Work up a real scandal with your shop's name all over it. Great fun, and quite likely to work too.
posted by reklaw at 3:19 AM on May 29, 2007

If you plaster flyers all over a church in Providence, you will attract exactly the wrong kind of attention. I will probably also hear about it from my grandmother and I'd rather not.
posted by mkb at 3:48 AM on May 29, 2007

A very sexy man or woman (depending on who you think the desired customers will like) wearing very sexy clothing handing out cards to people who look like potential customers -- probably just to everyone who is checking him or her out and seems quite happy to take anything he or she is giving away. Promise a discount to anyone who comes in with one of the cards, and a better discount (or lube sample?) for every couple (mf, mm, ff, whatever) that comes in with a card and asks for the couples discount.
posted by pracowity at 3:50 AM on May 29, 2007

If you build it, they will come.

Unless there are about a zillion pron stores in your city these things tend to get discovered all by themselves. However if you have some unusual hook, say something like old timey quarter booths, you should publicize that part of the business. IN providence there are a plethora of Strip clubs. I don't think the flyer thing would be a problem in their parking lots. Also a public appearance by a few of the strippers (signing autographs) will attract large numbers.
posted by Gungho at 4:11 AM on May 29, 2007

Find the local rugby team. Offer to buy them a set of jerseys in exchange for logo space.
posted by electroboy at 7:09 AM on May 29, 2007

Providence is a college town. Take out ads in the college papers. Also, people do read those alternative papers -- including people looking for just this kind of store. And get an ad in the phone book.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 7:34 AM on May 29, 2007

Although there are a lot of good ideas here already, I'd like to nth "flyering cars is bad even though it's cheap." First, it does nothing to find the target audience. Second, it annoys people. Third, it promotes litter. Fourth and most important, in my (limited) experience it doesn't work! We were forced by a supervisor to try this twice and we got a total of one person who came in as a result of "this thing on my windshield."

Some things I might try if it were my porno store (particularly if they do any mail order) are: Craigslist; ad in Voyeurweb/Redclouds/other online amateur nudiesite; find out where the local swingers club is (don't tell me there isn't one, it's just well hidden) and approach them about a mutually benefitial business arrangement.
posted by ilsa at 7:52 AM on May 29, 2007

Flyering doesn't work immediately, but it can at least increase awareness that hey, there's a new porn store in town.

My suggestion is to find the nearby woods and leave some flyers there.
posted by kindall at 8:30 AM on May 29, 2007 [2 favorites]

I say they should have a website tie-in...create a website that offers pics/videos and such in general, promoting the store...perhaps if the store has a registered membership or such, those members could get free access to the web content...

Since I don't think it will happen, I'll share my porn-store dream: If I owned a porn store, I would promote a new holiday called Wanksgiving, and as part of the promotion I would give away a porn-a-plenty, one of those horn-a-plenty baskets filled with porn and toys and stuff...you could even sell a version of it as a gift idea (advertise to frats and such). Also, I would try to target demographic groups--the housewife, the fitness buff, etc--the way other advertisers do. Creative theme packaging and promotions...that's what it's about.
posted by troybob at 9:33 AM on May 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Aren't they doing custom bondage gear? Is there a way to advertise that at Club Hell? Wait, is Hell even relevant anymore? Also, I know a lot of URI kids in Providence still read the Phoenix, so they should do that anyway.
posted by Ruki at 9:42 AM on May 29, 2007

And don't forget the amateur market. A lot of people are getting tired of fake pornstar bodies and prefer amateur stuff. You could do contests for homemade photos and videos (with web cross-promotion), even to the point of distributing under the store's own label. (Or easier, try to team with a distributor/producer.)

Also, an in-store 'Wankers' Hall of Fame" would be cool, with photos/autographs of such luminaries as Jocelyn Elders and Pee Wee Herman.
posted by troybob at 9:46 AM on May 29, 2007

In college towns like Providence, the residents are programmed to ignore and trash flyers on the street without even looking. I'd also avoid ruffling any feathers with conservative or sports institutions as any offended members with economic or political influence could quickly make life difficult for your friends.

IDEAS

At local universities with Greek system, offer to sponsor the beer & alcohol at frat parties in exchange for being able to hang a banner and distribute stacks of flyers and condoms imprinted with the store's name and address. Supply a few free dildos, videos, and "educational" materials to the sororities. On these targeted flyers, offer a 10% discount on purchases with the flyer or student card.

Wikipedia says there is a strong LGBT community so targeting LGBT organizations with fliers for L/G videos would be cost-effective as well. Again consider offering a discount if they mention the organization they're with.
posted by junesix at 11:28 AM on May 29, 2007