Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. promotion, publicity, public relations etc; also attrib.

1969		N. Cohn Awopbop. (1970) 105: Publicists and pushers [...] ‘I’m an under-assistant West Coast promo man.’.
1973		G.V. Higgins Digger’s Game (1981) 26: Twenty-five K, counters and promo.
1986		R. Campbell In La-La Land We Trust (1999) 194: Just enough [work] so they can use it in their promos.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 299: [B]eing the budding promo and publicity whiz he is Sutho dreams up this particular stunt with a racehorse-and-jock theme.
1998		N. Palmer ‘Vegan Reich’ in Home Suspect Device 8: Most of the promo work had been supplied on the never never.
2000		Guardian G2 10 Feb. 17: I can do all my promo work from home now.
2004		L. Redhead Peepshow [ebook] I was wondering if you had a stand [...] Do you need promo girls.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 125: Vento looked over a promo sheet with the cast to Behind the Green Door.

2. promotion in rank.

1998		I. Welsh Filth 31: I want that fuckin promo awright, that inspectorship.
2005		K. Huff A Steady Rain I i: He suggested maybe to get on Dickerson’s good side before the next detective promos are made.

3. promotional copy, esp. of records.

1982		G. Tate ‘Beyond the Zone of the Zero Funkativity’ in Flyboy in the Buttermilk (1992) 42: I had no use for the way my main Maggot Overlord was pimping that Monochrome Drone Brainwash Syndrome beat and doing free promos for ’KTU and ’BLS on the side.
1992		D. Jarman diary 5 Oct. Smiling in Slow Motion (2000) 237: Theed Street studios is a shoe box for pop promos.
2000		Observer Screen 9 Jan. 3: An over-long pop promo.