Cross Publicity: Essentially a Boon?

Shopping, a term that is alluring and desirable to many at the same time depressing for a few (husbands to know it better :D In the times where recession and global slowdown that seeped in, it did not note a heavy change in the decrease in the number of people moving out for shopping. Trends have changed over the years and global environment comes to play a role in the shopping mania.

Many cities have viewed, experienced and made it habitual to carry along bags to make purchases for a condition that the plastic bags are now being charged so that there could be less consumption (as viewed in Chennai). Its need was to make people consume the older means of carrying along jute and paper bags. Walking along with a cover struck up with an marketing aspect of cross publicity while shopping at one of the stores.

People carry shopping bags of one store and make purchases at another giving an idea to other shoppers about a place from where one would have made purchases. I have termed this concept as Cross Publicity. For example I visited Big Bazaar and made purchases but had been carrying a bag of UCB which means I am indirectly alluring people to make purchases from UCB. This cross publicity holds advantage of advertising for another stores and shops which may or may not be known to people. On the other hand is it essentially a boon. In the stated situation does it really benefit Big Bazaar in any way.

In this case it has a "Non-Competitive Cross Publicity" as the two stores Big Bazaar and UCB are not directly related in terms of their products and services. Likewise two similar stores like those selling apparels, garments will face "Competitive Cross Publicity" wherein similar products and services are sold at both the stores. A thought that caught up while carrying out a leisure activity came out with a new marketing concept "Cross Publicity". Do u really think its that hard to promote?