/1Ljjk0w].
Of course, a shopping spree would be out of the question for an antique dealer; it would be a good way to go broke. But the “hugging challenge” is a unique idea that garnered a lot of press attention. The key to making this work would be to make the prize affordable to you and appealing to the contestants.
Public relations tactics, if done right, bring results.
For example, you could cross-promote with a local restaurant and/or hotel to offer a romantic local getaway for two that would include dinner and a room for the night, or dinner and a movie, or some such combination. Events can be created around traditional holidays, or odd fun-type celebrations such as Record Store Day (April 16), Sewing Machine Day (June 13), Handbag Day (October 10) or other of the few hundred such wacky celebrations listed on timeanddate.com [http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/].
3. Capitalize on press releases: A well-written press release distributed to the right media outlet can be a powerful tool for your business. Antique dealers often acquire unusual items that make for good news stories. Antique Trader uses such submissions from time to time, and regularly features businesses in their “Knowing Your Business” section. Another excellent resource from Antique Trader is their Events Calendar. Auction houses and show promoters can have their shows listed for free in the calendar, and if the promoter overlooks the calendar, dealers who are displaying at a particular show can send in the event details. Antique Trader often shares dealer news stories on social media and in their email newsletters, which reach tens of thousands of readers.
A well-written press release can’t be a “fluff” piece about your business, though; it has to contain actual news or something that will interest readers. A good story should have a “hook,” to draw the reader in, and cover the “who, what, when, where, why” of your story. Press releases are usually re-written and crafted to a reporter’s needs so they don’t have to be long; a couple of paragraphs will do. If a reporter has questions, he or she will call, so be sure to include your contact information.
4. Use advertorials. An advertorial is essentially an article that is a cross between an editorial and an advertisement; I’m sure you see these regularly. If the advertorial content is informative and its photos are compelling it will draw readers, whereas a display ad of the same size might be ignored.
It’s helpful, too, if the advertorial is written by a credible third-party expert. Good advertorial topics include “how-to” articles (restoration, repair, antique shopping, etc.) or points of connoisseurship for various collectibles.
Advertorials can be found both online and in print. Online articles have more longevity than print articles, so make advertorials “evergreen” (not time-constrained). Periodicals charge to run advertorials, and will mark them (in small print) with “Paid Advertisement” or some such disclaimer. Many local and web periodicals run advertorials. For example, the publication “Antiques and Art Around Florida” sells advertorial space regularly [http://aarf.com/body6.htm].
5. Get quoted. When the media positions you as an expert, your credibility escalates. Today’s reporters are an overworked and underpaid lot; the Internet has severely diminished traditional media jobs. Reporters have become desk-bound, and have neither the time nor the budget to run around town doing interviews. You can help them out by getting to know them and becoming a reliable source. Send them press releases, and follow up on those releases. Don’t overwhelm them (or expect them to respond to everything you send).
Over time, you will develop “top of the mind awareness” with them, and when they write an article on a topic in which you have established expertise, they will call you for input. Don’t overlook writers and reporters for trade journals, either. Industry journalists must churn out quality content on a regular basis and are always in need of good ideas and new topics.
Another avenue for being quoted is to hook up with HARO, or “Help A Reporter Out” [http://helpareporter.com]. HARO is a subscription service that connects expert sources to reporters. Journalists in need of quotes or advice place their requests with HARO, and HARO sends email alerts to sources.
Don’t let your expertise go unnoticed … maximize your media exposure by incorporating public relations techniques into your promotional budget.
Corbynism never existed, it was name the name Democratic Socialism got to make it sound more "Soviet". I wouldn't underestimate the classic anti socialist idea that we're pushed. I heard a lot pf duckspeak on Friday that all these policies were "fantasy".  I think lot of left wingers need to get over their OWN brexit blindspot, and realise we're way more screwed than what we thought. Not that we should scrap these policies, we need much more robust arguments that they are feasible.New ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Book May Restart Movies
source: Sony
Fans of the American film adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s uber popular mystery novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo have had to deal with the disappointment of little hope for Sony making the two sequels to that movie over three years after the first was released at Christmas of 2011. On the surface, it seemed like David Fincher’s film performed very well. The movie received Oscar nominations and made a new star out of actress Rooney Mara, whose performance as the troubled genius heroine Lisbeth Salander was universally praised. But Sony felt like the film didn’t make as much money as the studio would have liked, and the sequels have been put on the back burner ever since. Now the new book in the Millennium Trilogy, taken in part from Larsson’s unfinished manuscripts and finished by writer David Lagercrantz, could breath enough interest into the series that Sony might be pushed to revisit the uncompleted franchise.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony has purchased the film rights to the new book, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, in addition to the main trilogy. The studio isn’t happy with how much it cost to complete Fincher’s vision of the first book, as the $90 million price tag severely cut into the studio’s profits. Former Sony head Amy Pascal was instrumental in negotiating the studio obtaining the film rights and now she’s on as a producer of any project related to the books. Some at Sony have floated the idea of turning the second and third novels into one movie and following that up with the movie version of Spider’s Web, but THR says Pascal is against this as it would mean trashing a script for the second book, The Girl Who Played With Fire, that the studio already paid “mid-seven figures” for.
The potential for those sequels getting made has been looked at with varying levels of optimism. David Fincher and Rooney Mara have both said they’d be willing to do it, so the issue stopping it seems to mostly be Sony’s disappointment that the movie only made $232 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. That wasn’t quite as much as Sony was hoping for a movie that already had a fan base, big name director and actors, and was released at Christmas. Apparently the fact that it was nominated for several Oscars (and won one of them), including Rooney Mara for best actress, which turned her into an overnight celebrity and one of the most desired new faces in Hollywood didn’t mean much to the studio.
Mara has repeatedly said she’d be willing to return to the character that made her name. Her commitment to the role, which saw her getting some very sensitive areas pierced and learning to drive a motorcycle, earned her that Oscar nod. Due to her busy film schedule they’d need to work out the time to do the sequels soon. She has also said that the films would need to happen soon due to the physicality of the role and the fact she isn’t “getting any younger.”
Fincher has also said he remains hopeful Sony will eventually make the sequels happen. He said in an interview last year that he thinks the studio has poured so much money into the franchise that it would be in its best financial interest to make the films. The rights to the books and the scripts that it’s already paid for would go to waste without making the movies.
One of the main problems with making the sequels was that the fan fervor over the books, the first of which was released in English in 2008, had mostly died down. Though the books sold millions of copies due to the classic mystery formula being enhanced by a northern European setting and the troubled but brilliant cyberpunk heroine, Larsson died before the books were ever even published, so the three were supposed to be all we were ever going to get. Once excitement over the trilogy was over, Sony had sort of lost its opportunity to capitalize on it.
The release of The Girl in the Spider’s Web gives the studio new opportunity. If fans are pleased with Lagercrantz’s interpretation of Larsson’s world, then many in publishing stand to keep making money on Larsson’s characters. If the book proves to be a hit, then Sony might decide it, too, could profit on the renewed interest in the story of feminist crime fighter Lisbeth Salander. Whether the studio decides to bring back F