In a brand reinforcing promo, Borders is twitting away 80 signed copies of THE novel of the year. For the next 8 days, they'll be tweeting clues to that will lead Dan Brown readers to the location of 10 such books in 10 stores around the U.S. The clues will direct followers to a "golden ticket" hidden somewhere in the store.
So, all those folks out there who have been waiting for Robert Langdon's next adventure (yes, it's been 6 years since "The DaVinci Code" was released) have a chance to play sleuth much like the fictional Harvard symbologist.
I have to hand it to Borders. This is a great example of a melding of a brand reinforcing promotion with social media technology. Given the hype behind this book (and 5MM copy hardcover run in N. America alone) and the consolidation of the book selling industry, one could say that they hardly need to do a promotion like this.
But, Borders knows that it's up against Amazon as much as any other retailer, so this simple yet clever promo leverages the buzz around the novel to drive people to Borders physical retail outlets, something Amazon doesn't and can't offer Dan Brown fans. And, once in the store, the likelihood of additional purchases goes way up (I never seem to walk out of that place, or any bookstore, with only one book).
Two enthusiastic thumbs up for this effort. Well done, Borders!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to pursue my clues...