A few weeks ago, I sat next to Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA on NBC analyst Reggie Miller when a member of an NBA cheer squad handed him a T-shirt blaster. Only this time, the hand-held device launched ready-to-eat bratwurst.
You’ve seen them — an air-powered cannon that looks like a leaf blower and a bazooka had a baby. It can launch t-shirts, jackets, brats, hot dogs or anything else that can be squished into a footlong-ish cylinder.
A cheer squad guy handed Miller the cannon which was a no-brainer marketing, publicity and hype move. Suddenly, the sleepy crowd (the home team was getting slammed) came alive. (Even boobirds cheer when free stuff is launched into the crowd, but it’s great exposure nonetheless.) You get the gist — put a sponsored thing in a national broadcaster’s hands and maybe your team and sponsor get an extra blast of good media while you’re getting handled on national TV.
Well, it worked. (I blurred the sponsor in my photo because the company pays the Milwaukee Bucks, not Miller.) As anticipated, a nearby cameraman captured Reggie’s expression as he fumbled with the cannon, then launched a couple of brats into the stands to screaming fans.
Reggie Miller shot brats to basketball fans with a branded arm cannon in Milwaukee, Wis.
The game producer used the video later in the game, which added a local flavor (no pun intended) to the broadcast.
Your PR move
I highly encourage (beg) you to do the same with reporters or *influencers if you want to publicize your business, book or ball. Someone interacting with your product or service is one of the best ways to show its value — its wow.
Like Reggie shooting brats from a hand-held cannon, you can share your new children’s book by putting a copy in the hands of a teacher or parent. Do you market a salad dressing? Show ways to use it beyond lettuce.
Do it yourself — or with the help of a publicist
Last summer, it was my gym in the spotlight when we publicized equipment made famous by Major League Baseball players. Another time, I invited reporters to experience a boxing workout I was pitching. Doing is believing, and might lead to a story.
If you can share how-to tips or demonstrate what you’re pitching, the experience might be your key to publicity. Just use your imagination. And be sure you hand the bratwurst cannon to a guy who likes to have fun while a game happens around him.
*Talk to me first if you’ve never approached influencers before.
Disclaimer ** All em dashes, en dashes and ellipses in this newsletter were and have always been written by a human.
©2026 Gail Sideman; gpublicity.com; SIDEbar
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