NEVER underestimate the power of an audacious marketing campaign. In today's San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, I noticed an article about a local hotel that has come up with just such an approach -- and it is getting the hotel noticed in a very big way.

The Porto Vista Hotel in the Little Italy community of San Diego recently posted a unique eBay auction. The winner of the auction will get to "own" the hotel for the 24 hours encompassing New Year's Eve -- more specifically, from noon December 31, 2010 through noon January 1, 2011. According to the auction description: This hot auction includes: the hotel’s180 redesigned guest rooms and VIP suites; the Glass Door Restaurant with personal Chef Brent Calley to customize a menu for up to 50 of your VIP guests; a party atop the Ripassi rooftop deck for 300 guests boasting views of the city skyline and San Diego Bay including an Open Bar & a personalized menu of Chef's featured hors d'oeuvres, equipped with a DJ and private luxury cabanas; and the entire hotel staff catering to your every need. The event continues into the next day with a  Champagne Sunday Brunch for the 300 party-goers to celebrate the first day of the New Year.  The "NEW" owner of the hotel will also have his or her name emblazoned along on the side of the hotel, customized business cards, employee uniforms featuring the owner’s name, and a personalized website landing page for convenient guest reservations.

Sounds good to me.

While no one may be willing to pay the "buy-it-now" price of $160,000 for this auction, the owners of the Porto Vista will entertain lower offers.

Regardless of the price they eventually get for this unique product offering, the PR wave being generated by this auction is quickly building. It has already hit the big newspaper and all the television news programs in San Diego, and I have no doubt it will soon sweep Southern California and the rest of the country. Frankly, I had never heard of the Porto Vista Hotel -- much less considered staying there -- before I read the article about this auction. However, the hotel is now on MY radar screen, as I sure it now is with thousands of other San Diegans.

NEVER underestimate the power of an audacious marketing campaign. It can often be the best and easiest way to get your products or services noticed in a very crowded marketplace.