The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A MARKETING agency which recently launched in the Bahamas yesterday said it was offering companies maximum exposure with no upfront costs, an executive telling Tribune Business it could cater to "90 per cent of businesses" in this nation..

Robert Harris, pluriDEAL's sales manager for the Caribbean region, told Tribune Business the company leaves traditional marketing approaches behind.

"It provides businesses with the most effective and efficient ways to market, and there is zero upfront cost. We have a large audience that we cater to, and we help the common man be on par with a lot of larger competitors," Mr Harris said.

He explained that the company gets paid only after a business makes money. Mr Harris said persons who advertise with the company are offered deals and vouchers through its website, and pluriDEAL only gets a percentage of what is sold.

Mr Harris said: "We get a percentage of what's actually sold. If you do a deal with us and we create discount vouchers for you, when that voucher sells out you get a percentage of that voucher and we get a percentage of that voucher. We only get paid if you get paid. Our goalis to sell so much for you to where you get so many new customers and everyone wins."

"From a marketing standpoint, eventually we could grow to cater to every person that has a business. There are about 90 per cent of businesses we can cater to. What we do is an e-blast that will cost you $150 to $500 per e-blast. We do that every day for a five-day period for free, no upfront costs. When it comes to newspaper ads we are up for five days. We have a huge audience that grows more and more every day."

PluriDEAL was officially launched in 2009, and to-date it is currently operating in the US and Canada. Mr Harris said the company launched in Freeport a month ago, and in New Providence two weeks ago.

He added that the Bahamas business has been growing slowly. "It's been received OK so far. It was a little slow going in terms of sales in the beginning, but it's starting to pick up. It's like most businesses where it takes time to become a household name. Slowly but surely we are growing. We are doing different things in the community, speaking to the schools, running ads and giving away prizes."