Publicity Stunts Wake Up SnoreStop Brand Sales

Green Pharmaceuticals is putting money behind a one-time marketing campaign it hopes will have people running for its anti-snoring products. After all, running is at the center of that campaign. In the upcoming New York Marathon, Greg Krause will sport pajamas emblazoned with the logo of SnoreStop, the all-natural brand of pills and sprays distributed by the Camarillo-based company. This is not the first time that Green’s head of sales Christian De Rivel has taken a non-traditional route to get the SnoreStop name out before the public. Three years ago the company received international media coverage by paying $37,000 in an online auction at eBay to put the SnoreStop logo on the forehead of a college student. De Rivel paid the less expensive price of $9,000 to sponsor Krause to run the 26 miles through the streets of New York in the specially designed jammies on Nov. 2. Unlike student Andrew Fischer who pocketed his money from Green the payment to Krause benefits a school founded by his parents in the town of Macha in the African nation of Zambia. “We don’t want this perceived as a gimmick or a crazy guy but as an athlete who runs for a cause,” de Rivel said. These publicity stunts are necessary because Green Pharmaceuticals is a small company with a limited means. De Rivel puts the annual marketing and advertising budget at between $800,00 and $1 million that includes paying for television spots airing on local channels during shows like “Divorce Court,” “Judge Judy,” and “Maury.” The local TV spots came in handy during a recent visit from a South Korean businessman interested in distributing Green’s products in that country. De Rivel was able to switch on the television in the Camarillo offices for the businessman to watch the commercial. Promotion for SnoreStop reflects a sense of humor. Serious commercials are not de Rivel’s way. He’d rather stop snoring with a laugh. Take for instance a new commercial airing on CNN in the run up to the Nov. 4 presidential election. The spot spoofs the primary campaign ad from Hilary Clinton that asked who voters would want answering the phone at 3 a.m. in the event of a national emergency. In de Rivel’s version, snoring drowns out the ringing phone and when the male voiceover asks, “Who do you want answering the phone?” a woman’s voice responds, “How about someone who can hear it?” Paying a Fischer or Krause supplements the commercials, giving more exposure to the SnoreStop name. As de Rivel flips through a scrapbook containing press clippings of the logo-on-the-forehead stunt it is clear media coverage did more to put SnoreStop before the public eye than Fischer did. There are articles written in Russian, Hebrew and Japanese. “Even the guy from Korea knew about it,” de Rivel said. School contribution Media coverage of Krause and his pajamas has been less extensive than that of Fischer and his forehead logo. Like with that previous stunt, de Rivel found Krause and his sponsoring auction on eBay and liked that Krause was putting the money toward the African school. De Rivel himself had taught in Africa as a young man as an alternative to serving in the French military. After the auction ended and SnoreStop came out with the highest bid, Krause figured he would end up wearing a t-shirt with the company logo. De Rivel had another idea. The pajamas are made from the same material used in running shirts and does not interfere with the motions of the body while running. It was important the pajamas not hinder Krause’s ability to finish the race. “In the New York marathon there are a lot of people with bizarre attire but most of them don’t finish,” de Rivel said. “The crazy costumes are not designed for running three to four hours.” Krause has worn the pajamas in a half marathon and a 10k race in Chicago. No decision has been made if he will wear them in other races after the marathon. “You definitely stand out,” Krause said. “I had a few people ask questions. People have asked about where to get SnoreStop.” Standing out is one thing but does it translate into increased sales? De Rivel said yes. After the Fischer stunt sales at the company website increase 10 times and retail sales went up 25 percent. New customers who came to the brand from the publicity over the forehead ad stayed as customers, de Rivel said. Whether Krause running in the pajamas gives a boost to SnoreStop sales is unknown at this point but the longer he lasts in the race the more exposure the brand receives. “Because of the outfit I hope he will be noticed at some point,” de Rivel said.