PROMOTION
build (someone or something) up
to advertise, praise, or promote someone or something.Theatrical agents work very hard to build up their clients.An advertising agency can build up a product so much that everyone will want it.
make a pitch (for someone or something)
to say something in support of someone or something; to attempt to promote or advance someone or something. (Informal.)Bill is making a pitch for his friend's new product again.The theatrical agent came in and made a pitch for her client.Every time I turn on the television set, someone is making a pitch.
play someone or something up
to make someone or something seem to be more important.The director tried to play Ann up, but she was not really a star.Try to play up the good qualities of our product.
show something to good advantage
to display the best features of something; to display something so that its best features are apparent.Put the vase in the center of the table and show it to good advantage.Having and using a large vocabulary shows your intelligence to good advantage.
See also ADVERTISING.
ballyhoo
1.
n. publicity.
I have never heard so much ballyhoo for such a lousy movie.After the ballyhoo died down, we realized that nothing at all had really changed.
2.
tr. to promote or publicize someone or something.
They ballyhooed this movie on television for a month before it came out.We promise to ballyhoo John at election time.
beat the drum for someone or something
tr. to promote or support someone or something.I spent a lot of time beating the drum for our plans for the future.The senator is only beating the drum for his special interests.
boost
tr. to praise someone or something; to support someone or something.She is always boosting some cause.If she would boost me as well, I wouldn't object to the time she spends hyping other people.
booster
n. a supporter (of someone or some cause).We don't have enough boosters to have any effect.I'm a booster of lots of good causes.
flak and flack
1.
n. publicity; hype.
Who is going to believe this flack about being first-rate?It's all flak and no substance.
2.
n. a public relations agent or officer.
The flak made an announcement and then disappeared.There were flacks all over the place telling lies and making false promises.
flog
tr. to promote something; to try to sell something aggressively.Fred was flogging this car so hard, I figured he was trying to get rid of it.Don't flog it so hard. It makes people suspicious.
get behind someone or something
in. to support someone or something.Let's all get behind the party in the next election.Everybody got behind Todd and cheered him on.
hype artist
n. someone who produces aggressive promotional material for a living.She is a hype artist for a public relations firm.How much does a hype artist get paid for all that junk?
hyper
n. a person who praises or promotes someone or something.She's a hyper, and she doesn't always tell things the way they are.As a hyper, she is a whiz.
hype something up
tr. to overpraise something; to propagandize something.They hyped it up too much.Why do they hype up an election?
ink
n. publicity; print media coverage of someone or something.The movie star 's divorce got a lot of ink for a few days.The new president managed to get some ink every day, but it wasn't always good.
package
tr. to position or display someone or something, as in marketing, to good advantage.The agent packaged the actress so that everyone thought she only did dramatic roles.If you package your plan correctly, the committee will accept it.
plug
1.
n. a free advertisement or a commercial boost from someone for a product.
I managed to get a plug on the Mike Michael Show.How about a free plug during your introduction?
2.
tr. to give an advertisement or commercial boost for something without having to pay for it.
I want to get on that TV program and plug my new book.I can't plug your product until I have a sample I can test.
push
tr. to hype something or someone; to pressure something or someone.She's always pushing her own interests.The clerk was pushing one brand so hard that I finally bought it.
put something on the street
tr. to make something known publicly; to tell everyone one's troubles.Man, can't you keep a secret? Don't put everything on the street.She gets a little problem, and she puts it on the street right away!
razzle-dazzle
n. flamboyant publicity; hype.After all the razzle-dazzle dies down, we'll see what things are really like.Hollywood is filled with razzle-dazzle and excitement.
shill
in. to advertise for something; to give a sales pitch for something.Four stars of an old television show were there shilling for a major computer firm.They pay them a mint to shill like that.
trumped up
mod. heavily promoted; overly praised.I don't care for trumped up stuff like that movie.That movie was so trumped up. I expected to see something much better than it turned out to be.
trump something up
tr. to promote or boost something.They think they have to trump something up to get people to see it.They trumped up the movie so much that many people were disappointed when it finally came out.