Entertaining (and Profitable) Marketing Gimmicks

I spent Christmas day 2014 at Universal Studios Florida (strange, I know) and was intrigued by several marketing gimmicks. If someone purchased one of the special wizarding wands with an electronic sensor inside it at Diagon Alley, there were several spots within the park where he/she could flick the wand to make something happen. Fans didn't want just any wand, they wanted the special wand that could make their experience more fulfilling. How can this translate into publishing? Hm. It's worth thinking about. 

Other products/events at the park had that something extra to make them stand out, like the souvenir pumpkin juice bottle with a pumpkin-shaped lid or breakfasting with superstar characters. It's more than satisfying food or drink needs. Unusual but iconic sights, like the blue heads of Blue Man Group, not only create interest--they're identifiable and unforgettable. Think "branding". Would a featured color best attract readers to your next book series? Sounds of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music brought one's attention to considering their show. Consider putting the senses into your marketing.

 Here's a new-to-me idea. Kickstarter.com lets you share your creative projects with fundraising pledges toward publishing great books, like The Pancake Menu. The well-done video on this site is another great marketing tool.

What marketing gimmicks have attracted you?
Speaking of marketing, spotlighting an author's new book is great advertising for them. Here's one you might like:

Newly available this week: 
Infertility stinks. No one knows that better than Megan. After six years of insanity-inducing hormone drugs and desperate prayers, all she has to show for her efforts are enough negative pregnancy tests to fill a bassinet. All around her women are accidentally getting pregnant—like her star piano student—while Megan remains hopelessly barren. Megan’s never felt so alone. But she’s not the only one struggling. 

Christina has just entered the world of infertility, made worse by the fact her husband isn’t ready to be a father. Their marriage, already hanging in the balance, is being torn apart. 

Then there’s Kyra, the mother of a precocious three-year-old. She’s shocked to be struggling with secondary infertility. A baby is priceless, but sometimes Kyra feels like she’s being forced to choose which commandment to keep: stay out of debt, or multiply and replenish the earth. 

When Megan and Christina are assigned as Kyra’s visiting teachers, they all realize that what you see isn’t necessarily what’s beneath the surface. Some secrets aren’t worth the cost of keeping them.