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The 'Inquirer's' killer bee
Dan Rottenberg
Killer bees at the Inquirer
(and other sure-fire promotional ideas)
DAN ROTTENBERG
News of the recent past:
September 17, 2007: In the face of community opposition, Brian Tierney, chief executive of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, shelved plans to place a giant inflatable bee on the newspapers’ landmark building to advertise a Jerry Seinfeld movie.
In a statement, Tierney defended the proposal as a “lighthearted and fun effort” to “support our city’s growing movie industry, to gain some national visibility for our city, and to put a smile on people’s faces as they passed by this giant inflatable bee and banner.”
News of the future:
July 1, 2008: In the face of academic opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a plan to land a giant spaceship and inflatable Martians on Independence Hall to promote a re-release of Steven Spielberg’s film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Tierney, who recently became chairman of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, described the proposed Fourth of July stunt as “a lighthearted and fun way to teach visitors about the vital role of free enterprise in our Constitutional system.” The fees from the one-day gimmick, he added, would “double the city’s tourism budget.”
October 12, 2009: In the face of musical opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a plan to drop Verizon Hall’s 6,938-pipe Fred J. Cooper Organ into the Conductor’s Circle during a Philadelphia Orchestra concert to promote a traveling production of The Phantom of the Opera playing at the Merriam Theatre a block away.
“The Orchestra needs to attract younger subscribers,” said Tierney, who was recently hired as the Orchestra’s marketing consultant. “Good music alone won’t do that job.” Dropping the Cooper Organ at each concert, he explained, “would have added an unprecedented element of drama to Orchestra concerts, since the audience would never know in which movement of which symphony the organ would come crashing down on them. The TV rights package could have been huge. And the funds spent on repairs would have provided a major boost to the local economy.”
February 15, 2009: In the face of ecclesiastical opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a plan to mount a giant papier-mâché replica of King Kong on the dome of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter & Paul on Logan Square.
Tierney, a marketing adviser to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, described the gambit as “a lighthearted effort to put a smile on people’s faces as they arrive to confess their sins and receive communion.” He added that the promotional fees would “eliminate the Archdiocesan deficit for generations to come.”
September 9, 2010: In the face of aesthetic opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a proposal to mount a giant statue of Sylvester Stallone on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to promote the actor’s latest Rocky movie. Tierney said the statue would—
On second, thought, scratch this item.
(and other sure-fire promotional ideas)
DAN ROTTENBERG
News of the recent past:
September 17, 2007: In the face of community opposition, Brian Tierney, chief executive of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, shelved plans to place a giant inflatable bee on the newspapers’ landmark building to advertise a Jerry Seinfeld movie.
In a statement, Tierney defended the proposal as a “lighthearted and fun effort” to “support our city’s growing movie industry, to gain some national visibility for our city, and to put a smile on people’s faces as they passed by this giant inflatable bee and banner.”
News of the future:
July 1, 2008: In the face of academic opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a plan to land a giant spaceship and inflatable Martians on Independence Hall to promote a re-release of Steven Spielberg’s film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Tierney, who recently became chairman of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, described the proposed Fourth of July stunt as “a lighthearted and fun way to teach visitors about the vital role of free enterprise in our Constitutional system.” The fees from the one-day gimmick, he added, would “double the city’s tourism budget.”
October 12, 2009: In the face of musical opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a plan to drop Verizon Hall’s 6,938-pipe Fred J. Cooper Organ into the Conductor’s Circle during a Philadelphia Orchestra concert to promote a traveling production of The Phantom of the Opera playing at the Merriam Theatre a block away.
“The Orchestra needs to attract younger subscribers,” said Tierney, who was recently hired as the Orchestra’s marketing consultant. “Good music alone won’t do that job.” Dropping the Cooper Organ at each concert, he explained, “would have added an unprecedented element of drama to Orchestra concerts, since the audience would never know in which movement of which symphony the organ would come crashing down on them. The TV rights package could have been huge. And the funds spent on repairs would have provided a major boost to the local economy.”
February 15, 2009: In the face of ecclesiastical opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a plan to mount a giant papier-mâché replica of King Kong on the dome of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter & Paul on Logan Square.
Tierney, a marketing adviser to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, described the gambit as “a lighthearted effort to put a smile on people’s faces as they arrive to confess their sins and receive communion.” He added that the promotional fees would “eliminate the Archdiocesan deficit for generations to come.”
September 9, 2010: In the face of aesthetic opposition, Brian Tierney withdrew a proposal to mount a giant statue of Sylvester Stallone on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to promote the actor’s latest Rocky movie. Tierney said the statue would—
On second, thought, scratch this item.
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