Media Bait
Last year, MacDaddy’s, a collection of gold fishing lures and flies, began a campaign to promote their brand of precious flies and lures that can be worn, hung on a wall or actually used. To attract media coverage, the company came up with some pretty irresistible bait: the Million-Dollar Lure, a fishing lure created from three pounds of 14k and 18k gold and platinum and encrusted with 100 carats of diamonds and rubies. The lure was manufactured by high-end jeweler Uneek. Then to make the story of the Million Dollar Lure even more tempting, the company got the governor of Baha, California to actually use the lure at the world’s largest marlin fishing tournament, the 26th Annual Bisbee’s Black and Blue Tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. CNN, ESPN, Rocky Mountain Television, National Geographic, and Mexico’s Televisa network filmed the event and ESPN also did a feature segment on the lure for Wanna Go Fishing in April. The lure received lots of mentions in holiday gift guides, including Maxim and Forbes Life. The Million Dollar Lure is now available for retailer trunk shows and events. For fundraisers, the company offers charities the chance to auction off the lure, with 5 percent, or $50,000, to be donated to the charity. So far the lure hasn’t sold. But the idea has been so successful that MacDaddy’s intends to create a second Million Dollar Lure. When the second lure is auctioned, the company will donate $75,000, and the third $100,000. The company hopes to keep donating $100,000 a year, and reaping the rewards in publicity, for years to come.
This line is great for gifts: they have really cute tie pins they call “fly pins.” The engraved lures are good Father’s day gifts.