Author dumps money from plane in publicity stunt

Bob Russell · 06-01-2008, 11:00 AM

Authors will do just about anything to get their work known. After all, if no one knows about your book, then no one will read or buy it. That's why so many authors and publishers are finding success by giving away free e-books. The name of the game is exposure.

Well, one unusual author, Tung Desem Waringin, has decided to take a new approach to publicity by dumping dropping over $10,000 (100 million rupiah) from an airplane while circling eight times over a soccer field in Serang, Indonesia. That's a lot of money when many Indonesians live on less than two dollars a day.

He was not allowed to do the event over the larger city of Jakarta for fear of chaos. But he is no stranger to publicity. According to CNN, "Three years ago, the 42-year-old motivational speaker rode a horse along Jakarta's main streets dressed as one of the country's most celebrated war heroes to launch his first book. The book went on to become a best-seller." Not surprisingly, his new book is called "Marketing Revolution".

Hey Steve Jordan... don't you have a new book coming out soon? If you decide to drop cash from a plane, let me know where -- so I can buy a big net!

Ervserver · 06-01-2008, 11:25 AM

Great idea! better than dumping turkeys anyway

delphidb96 · 06-01-2008, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ervserver

Great idea! better than dumping turkeys anyway

Especially *FROZEN* turkeys!

Although, I still flash back on the "WKRP in Cincinnati" episode.

Taylor514ce · 06-01-2008, 12:01 PM

One of the best episodes of one of the best TV series of all time, with one of the best single lines uttered by one of the best characters ever, Les Nessman: they're hitting the ground like bags of wet cement!

bwaldron · 06-01-2008, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

One of the best episodes of one of the best TV series of all time, with one of the best single lines uttered by one of the best characters ever, Les Nessman: they're hitting the ground like bags of wet cement!

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

delphidb96 · 06-01-2008, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwaldron

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

Please! No! Stop! I can't take the laughter any more!

Derek

Steven Lyle Jordan · 06-01-2008, 04:47 PM

One of these days, I have to think up a good stunt like that... but one I can afford! I could barely make plane fare to India!

Maybe if I could get to Philadelphia, I could carpet-bomb them with post-it notes...

Spacejock · 06-02-2008, 05:01 AM

Hmm, he should have done it with $1000 in pocket change. The publicity value of people looking up and getting an eyeful of cash would have been fantastic *

* However, the idea itself sucks.

dsuden · 06-02-2008, 08:48 AM

Sounds like a pretty dangerous stunt in an impoverished country. People could have gotten killed in a crowded place like that, rushing over each other for the money.

axel77 · 06-02-2008, 09:00 AM

Reminds me of Jerry Rubbin/Hoffman at the New York Exchange.

Quote:

The most famous prank was a guerrilla theater event in New York City. Abbie Hoffman and a group of Yippies managed to get into a tour of the New York Stock Exchange. They threw hundreds of dollar bills from the balcony of the visitors' gallery to the floor below. The stock exchange shut down as wealthy men in suits trampled each other to get dollar bills. The visitors' gallery was closed until a glass barrier could be installed, to ensure that it never happened again.

A pile of dollar notes made publically shown what the stock exchange was, a group of greedy people who will every second stop their work, to grap single dollar notes. The new york stock exchange was shutted down with a not even so big amount of money... It was just such a genius idea...

Steven Lyle Jordan · 06-02-2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by axel77

Reminds me of Jerry Rubbin/Hoffman at the New York Exchange.

A pile of dollar notes made publically shown what the stock exchange was, a group of greedy people who will every second stop their work, to grap single dollar notes.

Yeah... but everyone already knew that... it was really just a way to make Wall Streeters look stupid. (Mind you, it worked well...)

What would be the equivalent on the web? Spamming 100,000 people with exactly one word each from my latest novel? Even if I told them where in the novel the word was used, I'm not sure it would achieve the same ends...

Bob Russell · 06-02-2008, 10:07 AM

I was thinking more along the lines of flying a plane in circles and giving out free e-books by wi-fi!

Steven Lyle Jordan · 06-02-2008, 12:35 PM

...

!

why... that's... just... crazy enough... to WORK!

Yo! Who's got a plane? Yo!!

tirsales · 06-02-2008, 02:20 PM

Or buy yourself some ads in town, stuff them with a bluetooth-sender and let people download some chapters of your books. Yes, like those ads where you can download new tunes for your mobile .. (At least they are present in some of the bigger German stations - e.g. from Coke or Mars, letting you download their ad-jingle as a tune via bluetooth. I saw quite a number of people using that service).

The plane-idea is MUCH cooler though

06-01-2008, 11:00 AM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Author dumps money from plane in publicity stunt Authors will do just about anything to get their work known. After all, if no one knows about your book, then no one will read or buy it. That's why so many authors and publishers are finding success by giving away free e-books. The name of the game is exposure. Well, one unusual author, Tung Desem Waringin, has decided to take a new approach to publicity by dumping dropping over $10,000 (100 million rupiah) from an airplane while circling eight times over a soccer field in Serang, Indonesia. That's a lot of money when many Indonesians live on less than two dollars a day. He was not allowed to do the event over the larger city of Jakarta for fear of chaos. But he is no stranger to publicity. According to CNN, "Three years ago, the 42-year-old motivational speaker rode a horse along Jakarta's main streets dressed as one of the country's most celebrated war heroes to launch his first book. The book went on to become a best-seller." Not surprisingly, his new book is called "Marketing Revolution". Hey Steve Jordan... don't you have a new book coming out soon? If you decide to drop cash from a plane, let me know where -- so I can buy a big net!

06-02-2008, 12:35 PM	#13
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	... ... ! why... that's... just... crazy enough... to WORK! Yo! Who's got a plane? Yo!!

06-02-2008, 02:20 PM	#14
tirsales MIA ... but returning som Posts: 1,600 Karma: 511342 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Germany Device: PRS-505 and Really not owning a PRS-700	Or buy yourself some ads in town, stuff them with a bluetooth-sender and let people download some chapters of your books. Yes, like those ads where you can download new tunes for your mobile .. (At least they are present in some of the bigger German stations - e.g. from Coke or Mars, letting you download their ad-jingle as a tune via bluetooth. I saw quite a number of people using that service). The plane-idea is MUCH cooler though Last edited by tirsales; 06-02-2008 at 02:22 PM.

06-01-2008, 11:25 AM	#2
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	Great idea! better than dumping turkeys anyway

06-01-2008, 12:01 PM	#4
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	One of the best episodes of one of the best TV series of all time, with one of the best single lines uttered by one of the best characters ever, Les Nessman: they're hitting the ground like bags of wet cement!

06-01-2008, 04:47 PM	#7
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	One of these days, I have to think up a good stunt like that... but one I can afford! I could barely make plane fare to India! Maybe if I could get to Philadelphia, I could carpet-bomb them with post-it notes...

06-02-2008, 05:01 AM	#8
Spacejock Hal Spacejock & yWriter Posts: 125 Karma: 1100412 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Perth, Western Australia Device: Kindle	Hmm, he should have done it with $1000 in pocket change. The publicity value of people looking up and getting an eyeful of cash would have been fantastic * * However, the idea itself sucks.

06-02-2008, 08:48 AM	#9
dsuden Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 120 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Sony Reader	Sounds like a pretty dangerous stunt in an impoverished country. People could have gotten killed in a crowded place like that, rushing over each other for the money.

06-02-2008, 10:07 AM	#12
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	I was thinking more along the lines of flying a plane in circles and giving out free e-books by wi-fi!

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