Chiropractic marketing must be unique and dynamic. A parade of giant thorns and an event costume create excitement and attract the attention of a chiropractor in your community.

Advertising is important to any business. The giant column of the parade will attract a great deal of attention due to its size and uniqueness. When used correctly, the giant spine will be the hit of the show and will result in invaluable advertising value. People will talk about it for a long time.

“If your business isn’t worth advertising, put it up for sale.” – BJ Palmer, developer of the chiropractic profession.

To make your own giant spine costume, you will need special quality foam to each vertebra, extra wide velcro for each vertebra and a highly durable specialized sprayable contact adhesive. Foam and Velcro are petroleum products, so the price is high.

For tools, you will need several razors, scissors, a pen, a measuring stick, and a flat cutting surface of wood that is at least 6 feet by 3 feet (an old wooden door works best).

Vertebrae are best created in a well ventilated area due to the fumes from the adhesive. Do not try it indoors. You will need a large open area to place the pieces to cut and then dry after applying the glue.

It is better to make only one type of vertebrae to facilitate production. Furthermore, the public does not know or care about the details of spinal anatomy.

Provide a clear space in a well-ventilated area with approximately 10 feet by 10 feet of workspace. I put my wood cutting surface (an old door) on 2 build horses to eliminate skew as I worked.

Start by laying the foam sheet flat, then trace the templates (available below) for each piece as specified. Gently cut through the lather with a razor. The knife will dull quite easily and start to rip the foam instead of cutting it, so be careful and change blades frequently. Better to take your time and get a smooth, straight cut. But don’t worry about blemishes because viewers won’t notice, and no vertebra is perfectly symmetrical or similar either.

With the cut pieces (4 cross pieces, 2 spiny pieces, 2 closure pieces and the body), cut the velcro with a scissors for each suitable piece and trace the outline of the velcro on the foam so that you know where to apply the glue. . Even if the Velcro already has adhesive, you will still need to apply the glue to both pieces (the Velcro and the foam). You need to let the glue get tacky before attaching the velcro to the foam and then letting it dry for at least 48 hours. Apply the glue to the narrow ends of the cross and prickly pieces at the end (each cross and prickly piece is made of 2 pieces of foam glued together at the ends approximately 4 inches wide).

You will need a total of 16 pieces of Velcro for each vertebra: 6 pieces on the outside of the vertebral body, 4 on the connecting tabs on the inside of the vertebral body, 2 pieces on the inside of the spinous, 2 pieces on the inside of the cross-sections (4 total) and 2 pieces on each bra tab. Velcro is two-part, one part has hooks (male), the other part has loops (female). Make sure you put the correct part on the pieces you want to join.) Wearing shorter and narrower pieces is tempting, but in the wind the pieces won’t stick together.

The giant column can be used anywhere you want to attract attention in your office. Works great as a parade float, but can also be used (single vertebra) at a screening event, office promotion, or sporting event.

You will need one person for each vertebra, 2 people to carry the banner in front of the giant column, 1 person to drive the vehicle in the back of the giant column, and at least 2 people on each side of the giant column delivering take out candy / promotional items (best if you have 4 on each side). This totals 19-23 people assuming you have 12 vertebrae as usual. Organizing so many people for a summer vacation can be quite exhausting. After my first year using the giant parade column, I called my local high school and spoke with an administrator who directed me to one of the sports team coordinators. The team (tennis team) was happy to help me, especially when I told them that I would like to make a donation to their team in appreciation for their help. The following year, the soccer team helped me. Always organize or ask for more help than you think you will need because some may not show up. If you use your staff or even some patients, reward them. When you use office staff and patients, you add the benefits of teamwork, camaraderie, and unity of purpose.

– Ignore some people’s initial comments of “Oh, look at the little airplanes or the little white sharks” – they will notice when they see your chiropractic signage.

-The landmark designation on the signs is important because people will remember it more easily than an address (I used it in front of the South Shore YMCA).

Consider adding music and having a “dance backbone.”

-Giving sweets to children and promotional items to adults. Give each person with a vertebra a small bottle of water to carry with them. Handing out coupons to the crowd for a courtesy exam is a great idea.

-Most people do not know how many vertebrae there are in the human spine, nor do they know that each one has a different shape, so the number and the imperfections do not matter.

-Expect to have some overspray / glue application and some scuff marks, and maybe even some mistakes in cutting the foam. These flaws won’t be noticed by the parade crowds, so don’t worry about that. For dirt stains like fingerprints, use a spray cleaner and a towel.

-Store collapsed and stacked column in a flat, dry space surrounded by plastic wrap.

-Palmer College rents its giant parade column but it’s hard to come by on the holidays. The last time I checked the rent was $ 600 per day. Also, your vertebrae don’t come apart and lie flat, so you have to rent a large truck to haul Palmer’s spine, adding to the cost substantially.

-The vertebrae are quite light (less than ten pounds), but most parades are slow and are between 1 and 2 miles long, so make sure the people you recruit / invite can walk that far.

-More attention can be gained by making a vertebra for a dog and walking it on the back of the giant spine – the tailbone!

Using the giant parade spine can be one of the best chiropractic marketing events for your practice if you use it correctly. The key is for the crowd to know who you are and where to find you. This is accomplished in two main ways: 1) having your name / address and a landmark near your office clearly visible at the front of the spine (using a 3 foot by 6 foot (minimum) banner that is placed parallel to the roadway), and large banners (at least 6 feet by 6 feet) on both sides of the vehicle at the rear of the giant column. 2) Hand out items with your office name / address / phone to the crowd as you pass by (I handed out coupons, folded pens, and can opener). The crowd loves to see the head doctor in front of the screen smiling and waving. This is your chance to improve it, Doc!

Pre-made costumes from Giant Spine are also available.