I'll never forget the time we rallied together to promote our event at the retail store with bars on the windows. Despite initial objections, we earned visitors with our musical guests and offering customer appreciation awards. This is tricky -- turning skeptics into loyal supporters. 

The initial reaction to most people who have never gone to a store with bars on the windows is automatic rejection of the idea. So we had to show what is inside the store: safe, clean, spacious, and more. This was done both with video and images, as we had to convey how safe it is inside the store and that the bars are just for added security. 

Local influencers also were considered being used, but timing and budget didn't permit much in this direction. Had more time and/or budget been available then they could have "influenced" their local followers to attend the event plus convey their enthusiasm for the store's operators, safety, or any other benefit which was unknown to the prospective audiences.

In all this was a tough trip, but a worthwhile one. It expanded the skills we can offer to others in the future due to the unexpected marketing challenges - such as overcoming objections to bars on a storefront window. Hopefully this opens up the possibility for marketing services to similar businesses such as pawn shops, check cashing, and more.