If you live in a small town and want to market your town to become a tourist destination, you might want to take a page from Punxsutawney, PA. Today is Groundhog Day and all eyes are on this small town for the annual appearing of Punxsutawney Phil, the proclaimed "Weather Prophet Extraordinaire” to see if he casts a shadow as he emerges from his hibernation den. People by the thousands will come to this small town today (population just under 6,000 at the last census) to join the revelry. The economic impact on this community is huge.

Just how did Punxsutawney get to be the Groundhog Day capital of the world? It all dates back to Germany, where people used hedgehogs to predict the length of winter. As German immigrants began to settle in Pennsylvania, they switched weather forecasting to groundhogs (or woodchucks) simply because groundhogs were plentiful in the new country. In the latter part of the 19^th century, western Pennsylvania farmers would hunt groundhogs as they began to emerge from hibernation in late winter and early spring. In Punxsutawney, a group of locals formed a Groundhog Hunting Club. Since there was little for a farmer to do throughout the winter, the club grew in numbers and the local newspaper began to cover these hunting events. In 1886, the editor of the newspaper named Clymer Freas claimed that a groundhog he had named Phil came out of his den and did not see his shadow in Punxsutawney, the "weather capital of the world.” Freas sent his editorial to other newspapers around the area and word began to spread. The next year, people began to show up from out of town to catch a glimpse of Phil as he emerged from his den. The members of the Hunting Club realized, as did Clymer Freas, they had an idea that could put their town on the map and be the catalyst for the kind of economic thrust that every small town dreams of.

From that point forward, Punxsutawney began to promote February 2 as Groundhog Day. Other cities have tried to duplicate what Punxsutawney did in creating an experience around a rather odd holiday. There are other groundhogs named Birmingham Bill in Alabama and Staten Island Chuck in New York. They don’t have the same appeal as Punxsutawney Phil.

So what is the marketing lesson from Punxsutawney Phil and the good people who have successfully made their town the center of attention for one day? If you can be the first to try a new idea, you will have momentum on your side. It is easy to be a one-off. If you are the originator of a good idea, you have a head start on everyone else as long as you market it. This is key. If the local editor had not sent his humorous articles to other newspapers, Phil would have been a local legend, but no more. When you have a good idea, you have a small amount of time to spread the word. Don’t wait! Next, when people show interest, build on their curiosity. Punxsutawney has built a town brand around Groundhog Day. They hold all kinds of events around February 2, including a parade. The townspeople dress up in tophats and long dresses for the day. They invite national networks to broadcast their weather reports from the center of town. They have made it an event that you don’t want to miss. They realized long ago that they had to build upon their event to keep people coming back. That’s branding!

The same is true for anything you are trying to sell in marketing. People are intrigued by new ideas and products. Get the word out – that is the job of marketing. Build upon the natural curiosity of people. As your marketing starts to work, give people a reason to come back to you again and again. That’s branding! It works in Punxsutawney, it will work for you too.