Me: The 2,831st Most Influential Person in America
I got this package of chocolate-covered grasshoppers yesterday. By FedEx, no less. It was addressed to me care of Everybody Loves Free Stuff, so it seems this blog is the primary source of my influence. According to some research by Mike from our marketing department, "5000 of the most influential people in North America have been sent five chocolate grasshoppers with the hope that they will inspire, engage conversation and raise awareness for the services of Grasshopper.com."
What can I say? I'm not going to disagree with them. I was already a fan of the grasshopper tacos at the Galaxy, so I'll definitely eat them. I don't necessarily need an advanced phone number for entrepreneurs...yet, so I don't have anything to say about their service. Still, this was a creative promo featuring a product that was unusual and tied in perfectly to their brand name, and they clearly took the time to send it out to folks who could give them plenty of online exposure. Well done, gentlemen!
Posted by mark at 10:45 AM. Permalink: Me: The 2,831st Most Influential Person in America
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Best Promotion That Kinda Makes No Sense
Outdoor gear seller REI offers a membership as a way to reward frequent buyers and build brand loyalty. While they do have some brick and mortar stores, much of their business is done online or by phone. One current promotion they are running prominently on their web site is to get a free REI-branded reusable shopping bag to people who either sign up for membership, or use some of their membership dividends to receive it with their order. The bag looks great and it seems like a cost-effective, environmentally-positive way of promoting membership. On the other hand, getting a free shopping bag for goods that are being shipped to you kinda makes no sense. Or does it? At the end of the day, the whole point of a reusable shopping tote is that you can use it a lot, so the fact that you might not be receiving it in a retail situation doesn't really matter because it will be just as useful in the long term. So, though it may seem odd, it really isn't such a strange choice of promo for an online retailer.
Posted by mark at 9:59 AM. Permalink: Best Promotion That Kinda Makes No Sense
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Glassfish Plush Promo
Here's a promo tip: if your company/product name or logo/mascot is an animal, make a custom plush version of it as a promotional product. Glassfish is open source server software, and their plush promo is very cute. See also: leopard, bear, frog and television-head alien.
Posted by mark at 8:40 AM. Permalink: Glassfish Plush Promo
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A Brand Fit: Several Perfect Promos
I wanted to feature a few promos that were really perfect for the brand they represent. For starters, the French Laundry clothespin, which is clipped to your napkin when you get to the table, it says classic, countryside, and of course, laundry. While the food is really creative, it is as much about detail and technique, and very much not about flashiness or trendiness.
This Goodyear dart board is all about the tires, and one of the things they can hopefully do pretty darn well: withstand punctures. If I worked at Goodyear, I would incorporate tire material in everything I do, because it's a distinctive thing: a texture, a smell, a look. The Michelin Man is cool, but what is he? The air inside the tire? It's better to be the tire.
Make Magazine is a magazine about making stuff, or in their words, it "brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life." So, a multi-tool is probably the ideal promo for their brand. Branding it a "warranty voider" makes it perfect.
Posted by mark at 9:45 AM. Permalink: A Brand Fit: Several Perfect Promos
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Cry Me A River
Here's a clever use of the promotional tissues that are so popular in Japan. In this case, they are used to promote Charles Martin's novel, Where the River Ends.
Posted by mark at 9:14 AM. Permalink: Cry Me A River
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The Coraline Boxes
What better way to market a quirky, meticulously animated movie, than by sending 50 unique, handmade boxes to 50 bloggers?
That's what the marketers of Coraline did, and it generated quite a bit of buzz. Most of the bloggers who received the boxes wrote about and posted photos of them.
Because many of the items included in the boxes were used in the actual movie, it was a great way to generate interest for the unique (at least in these days of CGI) animation techniques that were used.
Posted by mark at 6:54 AM. Permalink: The Coraline Boxes
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Sunscreen Cap
Blue Lizard is the #1 dermatologist recommended sunscreen, and they're serious about preventing skin cancer. When we ordered a couple bottles, they sent us this free promotional baseball cap. Although the baseball cap is a commonly used promo, it's still very appropriate to this brand's unique message and purpose: like sunscreen, baseball caps also help prevent sunburn. For a different company, it could be a boring promo, but for Blue Lizard, it works.
Posted by mark at 5:12 PM. Permalink: Sunscreen Cap
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Gift Cards as Gifts
Gift cards are a popular way to give a gift when you're not sure exactly what someone will want. They're also a great way for stores to boost business - it's kind of like the ultimate referral. In order to make them more gifty, gift cards are often packaged in a special box, bag or envelope.
But what if someone took gift cards one step further, and made them actually also gifts? As it turns out, a couple major retailers have done just that this year. Target has a gift card that is also a 1.2 megapixel camera, and Best Buy has a gift card that is also a functioning speaker you can plug into your iPod. Rumor has it that Circuit City may be producing gift cards made out of the empty retail space from all the stores they are about to close.
Seriously, though, if you have a business who uses gift cards or certificates, why not make them more compelling by using an actual product? A customized wine opener, would make a perfect gift card for a wine shop or a pocket-sized aromatherapy stick as a gift card for a spa. Any pocket-sized item that relates to your business would make a better gift card than, well, a gift card. Plus, since there are so many items that are relatively inexpensive compared to the value of the gift card, even a small boost in sales will more than cover the cost. Chances are, having something way more interesting than a gift card at your point of purchase will boost gift card sales considerably. (via The Adverlab)
Posted by mark at 10:22 AM. Permalink: Gift Cards as Gifts
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Tech That: Solaris Tumbler
| Even enterprise-class operating systems need promos, and anyone working with Solaris probably needs some coffee. I'd say this is a darn good match. Movie-wise it's like good 1972 Russian Solaris, not really bad 2002 Hollywood remake of Solaris. |  |
Posted by mark at 6:38 PM. Permalink: Tech That: Solaris Tumbler
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Alli Pill Holder
Alli is an over the counter weight loss drug that apparently inhibits the body from absorbing some of the fat in the food one eats. And the thing about Alli that's most interesting to me is the travel pill case it comes with.
Knowing that weight loss products typically have a negative association (i.e., you think about the fact that you need to lose weight), Alli was carefully designed to focus on positive emotions, starting with its name, which is pronounced 'ally.' The travel pill holder that comes with it can hold three pills, one for each meal of the day, but more importantly it is actually designed to be held and to emulate the feeling of holding someone's hand. According to GlaxoSmithKline, it's something "the dieter can hold on to while letting go of past eating habits. The brand connects in your hand."
Posted by mark at 4:50 PM. Permalink: Alli Pill Holder
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Another Path for Airlines
With rising jet fuel costs, airlines in the US are desperately trying to cut costs and bring in additional revenue. Right now fuel costs are 40% of the average ticket price, up from 15% in 2000, and airlines are doing everything from washing planes more frequently to reduce drag to charging fees for checked baggage. People want cheap tickets and a pleasant experience, and increasingly it looks like we're in for neither. One small suggestion: people do love free stuff, and inexpensive giveaway items may be a way to salvage some positive feelings about airline brands without breaking the bank. Alternately, switch immediately to Hello Kitty airplanes, or both.
Posted by mark at 3:13 PM. Permalink: Another Path for Airlines
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Reseller Promos - Hitting Brand Standards
Here's an interesting dilemma: as a manufacturer with authorized resellers, how do you allow your resellers sufficient freedom to market effectively in their local markets, while also upholding your brand guidelines as a manufacturer? At the end of the day, I'm not sure there is one answer. Sometimes we find it is useful to co-brand merchandise, giving the manufacturer the opportunity to exercise more control, while still allowing customization for the retail partner.
Below are some promos for iCity, a Middle Eastern Apple computer reseller, which clearly have a strong connection to Apple's corporate branding. I'd love to know how much guidance, if any, came down from Cupertino.
Posted by mark at 8:59 PM. Permalink: Reseller Promos - Hitting Brand Standards
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Rocking the Refrigerator Magnet
A recent Marketing Sherpa blog post talks about why you might want to promote with magnets, particularly if you're a niche ecommerce site. According to the PPAI, marketers spent $419 million on magnets last year, so they must have some benefits. Here are the basics:
- It's inexpensive, only a few cents each
- You can drop one in every package you send
- For niche sites customers often don't sign up for email or newsletters because they are only interested in the product every once in a while
- Even if your customers only buy occasionally, the magnet may prompt them to promote your product to others
Pizza parlors have known the value of promotional magnets for years, perhaps it's time for ecommerce companies to get on board as well.
Posted by mark at 9:46 AM. Permalink: Rocking the Refrigerator Magnet
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Promos Help Crumpler Build Fan Base
Australian-based bag maker Crumpler has, in what seems to be a pretty short amount of time, developed a really strong following worldwide. People seem to love their bags, but I think it really goes beyond that. They sponsor cool events, they definitely know how to get positive exposure, and they do some cool promotional products. Even inexpensive items like custom stickers and promotional matches are cute and distinctive. It obviously takes more than promos to build a great brand (a story, a personality and a unique value proposition help), but more and more I see promos being an integral part of great branding and community building.
Posted by mark at 2:26 PM. Permalink: Promos Help Crumpler Build Fan Base
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I Love the Smell of Promotion in the Morning: Cat Poo Pillow
You know what? We can't all sell flowers and gumdrops and fine art prints. There are plenty of companies out there selling things that are less glamorous, less aesthetically pleasing and less not poo-related, but enrich our lives nonetheless. For example, there are companies that make special crystals that make cat poo not smell so bad. These companies need promotion, too. In promotion, I think it's best to embrace what you do, and Catsan did just that. With a good sense of humor to boot. According to Commerical Archive, Catsan Crystals weren't one of the featured products at an Australian pet care trade conference, so they used these custom pillowcases to get some attention for their odor-stopping product. And that's just classic promotion: finding a clever way to get your target audience to think about the key benefits of your product.
Posted by mark at 8:22 AM. Permalink: I Love the Smell of Promotion in the Morning: Cat Poo Pillow
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Tumblers for Peetniks
Here's a great way to increase the effectiveness of your email marketing, while building greater loyalty amongst your core buyers. First, make up a name for the people who really love your products: Peetniks works. Second, give them a chance to identify themselves as Peetniks while they enjoy your product: offering them an insulated travel tumbler is perhaps the perfect choice. Pete's clearly knows how to build a brand, and a community by reaching out to their customers in ways that matter to them. Check out a previous cause marketing email featuring a custom cycling jersey. Full disclosure: I love Pete's coffee!
Posted by mark at 9:37 AM. Permalink: Tumblers for Peetniks
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Onion Swagology: Matroshka Army
The Onion bestows kudos:
Item: A shirt box containing a smaller box wrapped in a map, containing a smaller box full of little green Army men, containing a third box, within which was a book wrapped in an American flag. In other words, a series of teasing puzzle boxes, Russian-nesting-doll style.
Promoting: George Pendle's satirical "biography" The Remarkable Millard Fillmore: The Unbelievable Life Of A Forgotten President.
Relevance to product promoted: Spelled out in symbolism and the included explanatory sticky-notes. The box wrapped in a map of America represents Fillmore's status as an American. The box full of little plastic green Army men represents his life as a soldier. And the box wrapped in the flag symbolizes his life as a patriot.
Item quality: 2 for physical quality預ll the elements are cheap and disposable傭ut 4 for homegrown ingenuity. It's no free George Foreman grill, but it certainly got our attention as we burrowed through the boxes, which makes it one of the better homegrown self-promotion attempts The A.V. Club has fielded over the years. Up-and-coming authors, take note.
Posted by mark at 3:46 PM. Permalink: Onion Swagology: Matroshka Army
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A Shot at Continuity
Here's a nice example of a company that uses continuity from year-to-year to increase the value of a promotion. Software maker Dantz hosts a party every year at the Macworld Expo and every year they give out a custom shot glass at the event, complete with a clever tagline that ties their brand to Apple's. By doing their event and promotion, they've become not just another exhibitor, but an important part of the biggest Apple-related event of the year.
Posted by mark at 9:06 AM. Permalink: A Shot at Continuity
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Onion Swagology: Class of 3000 Lunchbox
From my favorite humorous news source:
Item: Lunchbox
Promoting: Class Of 3000
Relevance to product promoted: High. Nothing says "Andre Benjamin-engineered Cartoon Network show about a free-spirited elementary school" quite like a lunchbox bearing a goateed visage of Andre 3000 looking rakish and debonair.
Item quality: 5. This bright, colorful lunchbox comes with a canteen, a fake sandwich containing a DVD of the first episode of the second season, and even a note from mom reading "Your dad and I are both very proud of your 2nd season! Try to stay awake in class and don't trade your sandwich! Love, Mom." Awww!!!! It's almost oppressively adorable.
Posted by mark at 7:06 AM. Permalink: Onion Swagology: Class of 3000 Lunchbox
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Bagvertising Unlimited: A Real Nail Biter
| Here's a terrific bag promoting Stop n' Grow, a product that discourages nail biting by making your nails bitter. Perhaps there is a perfect promotion for every product in the world, but Stop n' Grow definitely found theirs. |  |
Posted by mark at 11:44 AM. Permalink: Bagvertising Unlimited: A Real Nail Biter
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Lexus Uses Gifts as a Part of Excellent Customer Service
I just received a marketing letter with a couple great examples of how Lexus created brand loyalty by offering superior customer service, and actually delivering on their stated goal of "treating each customer as we would a guest in our home." In one example, a promotional gift added to the overall experience:
"Shortly after launching the inaugural LS 400 sedan nearly 20 years ago, Lexus discovered that about 3,000 cars had minor technical problems. The company responded by sending small teams of executives to visit each customer at home. They apologized in person and offered a gift while a Lexus technician resolved the mechanical glitches right there in the customer's driveway."
Posted by mark at 10:16 AM. Permalink: Lexus Uses Gifts as a Part of Excellent Customer Service
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Google Promotional Outreach
Below are some promos that were sent to Barry Schwartz, a search engine marketer/search marketing expert. I think the tagline on the shirt, "I help make Google products even better" says a lot about the attitude Google is taking towards the search community, at least when it comes to promos. Even though the goal of search marketing is to benefit from (and some would say manipulate) search engine rankings, there is definitely also a partnership in which web developers, webmasters and search marketers are a key community that does provide valuable feedback to the search engines. (via Cartoon Barry Blog)
Posted by mark at 10:46 AM. Permalink: Google Promotional Outreach
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Fishvertising!
It looks like fishvertising's time has come. It isn't quite what we had imagined, but below are a couple promotions featuring live fish. On top, a promotion for a new waterproof cell phone with a display that encourages shoppers to "call the fish." On the bottom, a fish food point of purchase display that conveys its message the old-fashioned way...with fish.
And, once again, here's our updated -vertising list:
- casketvertising
- wipervertising
- handvertising
- wristvertising
- sumovertising
- spiderwebvertising
- headvertising
- sheepvertising
- eggvertising
- bugvertising
- thumbvertising
- nutvertising
- childvertising
- conveyorvertising
- jumbojetvertising
Posted by mark at 1:42 PM. Permalink: Fishvertising!
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How the Pros Promo (Part Three)
We've seen what products the pros use and how they use them when promoting at trade shows and events. But in an accountability-driven marketing environment, how do they measure success?
The top three ways in which tradeshow professionals measure the success of the use of promotional products are: *56 percent of tradeshow professionals used increased traffic at their booths to measure the success of using promotional products at their tradeshows and events.
*40 percent of respondents measured the success of using promotional products by tracking sales growth.
*25 percent of respondents measured the success of using promotional products by tracking customer retention.
Posted by mark at 4:40 PM. Permalink: How the Pros Promo (Part Three)
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How the Pros Promo (Part Two)
In Part One we learned how they use promos, but what products do professional trade show planners and exhibitors prefer? Here's some date from the PPAI's recent survey:
The three most commonly used promotional products at tradeshows and events are:
*Writing instruments: pens were most often mentioned
*Wearables: t-shirts, golf shirts and logoed shirts were most commonly mentioned
*Bags: tote bags were most frequently mentioned
Posted by mark at 4:36 PM. Permalink: How the Pros Promo (Part Two)
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Perfect Placement for Your Brand
| Product placement is an important way to develop brand awareness, and so is promotional product placement. In this example, photo-sharing web site flickr chose the perfect promo product for their audience - a lens cleaner in a case - and was rewarded with the perfect product placement for their promo. Flickr has done plenty of nifty promos in the past. |  |
Posted by mark at 8:03 AM. Permalink: Perfect Placement for Your Brand
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Quality Indicator: Fan Appreciation
How do you know you've got a hot promo on your hands? If you're lucky, your fans will tell you. A great examples is this promotional case that was sent to people who pre-ordered the Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass video game. Send a quality promo and people tend to notice. And sometimes, they gush: "It's aluminium, feels indestructible, the logo on the top WILL NOT scratch off and it actually works as a carry-case...Isn't it just gorgeous?" Now that's the kind of response you want from your promotion! It's also worth mentioning, that if you want examples of great promotions, video game promos are worth checking out.
Posted by mark at 10:36 AM. Permalink: Quality Indicator: Fan Appreciation
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How to Treat Your Brand Ambassadors...Yahoo-style
Check out, if you will, this rather excellent promotional kit. Created by Yahoo! for their Yahoo! Ambassadors program, it includes a name brand messenger bag (Manhattan Portage) and a bunch of great promos from techie (promotional mousepad) to not (promo towel and water bottle with freezer stick). The Ambassadors program is designed to help search engine marketers more effectively utilize and sell Yahoo services to their clients, making them a key demographic well worth the extra love.
Posted by mark at 8:38 AM. Permalink: How to Treat Your Brand Ambassadors...Yahoo-style
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Saving the Earth and Attracting Shoppers
We've already featured the branded reusable bags that IKEA uses in their stores and how they are a great example of changing business practices to become more environmentally friendly. Sturdy, reusable non-woven tote bags are an ideal low-cost substitute for disposable plastic bags, and a great branding opportunity. If you don't believe it, take a look at this video I shot at New York's Port Authority bus station. One of the free buses that IKEA provides to their store in New Jersey had just arrived and the branding was inescapable:
Posted by mark at 7:38 AM. Permalink: Saving the Earth and Attracting Shoppers
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Laundry Detergent Direct Mail Message Is Clear
If getting your audience to at least notice your advertising is the first step in creating a great promotional product, then getting your audience to interact with it is the second. This direct mail piece includes a dark cloth and a sample of detergent. When washed, the dark cloth turns white and reveals a special offer. Which brings us to the third step in a successful promotion: getting your audience to take the desired action. Overall, this piece is a textbook case of how to create a terrific promotion.
Posted by mark at 5:14 PM. Permalink: Laundry Detergent Direct Mail Message Is Clear
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Attention-getting Door Drop
Any great promotion has to draw attention to itself and make an immediate impact on the audience. This credit card shaped door drop does just that, pretty much guaranteeing that you'll at least take a look at it. A cross between the ol' lost wallet promo and Papa John's clever pizza guy at your door promo.
Posted by mark at 4:50 PM. Permalink: Attention-getting Door Drop
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IKEA Leads the Way with Reusable Bags
| While food co-ops and other environmentally-conscious business have been encouraging the use of reusable bags for years, Swedish retailer IKEA is really one of the first big chains to commit to the cause. Currently they sell reusable bags like the one pictured, as well as charging for disposable plastic bags. Reusable non-woven tote bags are a cost-effective alternative to the regular old paper and plastic. |  |
Posted by mark at 1:47 PM. Permalink: IKEA Leads the Way with Reusable Bags
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A Catchy Tagline Never Goes Out of Style
| We found this promotional tape measure at a flea market in Vermont. It's cute because it's old and reminds us of a simpler time. It doesn't hurt that Bill's Standard sounds like a down-to-earth kind of place where you really could get "An extra measure of savings." Even on a small item like this they were able to pack quite a bit of information, including a message about their values. |  |
Posted by mark at 6:19 AM. Permalink: A Catchy Tagline Never Goes Out of Style
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More Clever Economist Promos
The last time we featured a promotional product from The Economist, it was a funny promotional mousepad extolling the mind expanding virtues of the magazine through use of a clever tagline. Lightning, or at least continuity, strikes again with this promotional balloon that uses a different product to convey the same message. (via Direct Daily)
Posted by mark at 2:22 PM. Permalink: More Clever Economist Promos
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Global Promotion
| Giant inflatable thumbtacks marking local businesses make for a clever promotion for Microsoft's Live map search. The giant push pins designate favorite bars, restaurants and stores around Seattle. |  |
Of course, if the world were really just a giant inflatable ball, as shown by this Toys R Us installation, using giant thumbtacks would make for a very dangerous promotion. The end result might be something like this.
Posted by mark at 11:36 AM. Permalink: Global Promotion
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Go for the Obvious
| To some degree it's human nature to praise unusual, creative promos that involve product one would have never thought of. On the other hand, if you're flickr, giving out promotional lens cleaning cloths is a pretty darned good idea, no matter how obvious. Promo buttons, stickers and name tags all make sense for flickr fans and meet-ups, but I think one would be hard pressed to come up with something more appropriate than the lense cleaner. |  |
Posted by mark at 4:34 PM. Permalink: Go for the Obvious
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Flickr Beach Ball Photo Contest
In a follow up on the flickr's use of pink and blue promotional beach balls as part of their ever expanding range of promos. They did something really cool by encouraging people to actually use the products and post photos on flickr as part of Yahoo's "Be a Better..." campaign. Because if there's something better than just giving someone free stuff, it's getting them to have fun with it!
Posted by mark at 6:45 AM. Permalink: Flickr Beach Ball Photo Contest
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Tiny Twist Makes Red Sand Hourglass Great
Something as simple as changing the color of the sand in this hourglass makes all the difference for this Red Cross promo. The sand plays double duty representing both time and blood supply and serves as a great visual metaphor. Could your business or not-for-profit organization do something similar? Probably, but as obvious as this hourglass seems after the fact, it probably took some real creative thought to come up with it. Start by considering what your message is, think out of the box when it comes to product and customization, and I bet there's a striking creative solution to your promotional challenges no matter who you are.
Posted by mark at 4:24 PM. Permalink: Tiny Twist Makes Red Sand Hourglass Great
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Logo Apparel: Just in Case You're on the News
A friend of mine runs his family's soap-making business, and when I was visiting this spring, he was involved in a bizarre court case involving his soaps (a cult-favorite and the only soap I use personally, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap). To make a long story short, a punk rock drummer was arrested for drug possession when his bottle of soap tested positive for the drug GHB. The field test for this drug was actually to blame, and all natural soaps test positive for GHB using this test. At any rate, we spent one day of my visit at court, with the media, and testing the faulty field test (below), and this footage ended up being used for a short video on the Dr. Bronner's website. That day, my friend had the foresight to wear his Dr. Bronner's embroidered polo shirt, which was a great way to instantly make a couple key points: a) he represented the company and b) the company was a legitimate enterprise with it's own corporate apparel. Now I need to get Dave to send me one of those polo shirts.
Posted by mark at 3:42 PM. Permalink: Logo Apparel: Just in Case You're on the News
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NYC Condom Bus Stop Ads
| In previous posts, we've covered the NYC Condom promotional campaign, and some of the ways they maximized the impact of the promotion. In addition to generating awareness before the launch, by having a contest to design the condom wrappers, the city has also done a good job maintaining awareness post-launch, with reminders like this advertisement on the side of a bus stop. Just another great example of the effectiveness of combining PR, advertising and promotional products to make the biggest possible impact. |  |
Posted by mark at 7:20 AM. Permalink: NYC Condom Bus Stop Ads
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Happy Birthday Helvetica!
| The font of the century, Helvetica, just turned 50. It's one of the most common typefaces in corporate logos, from 3M to Fendi to Panasonic. Even Microsoft, who created the blatant Helvetica ripoff Arial, uses Helvetica in it's logo. Another fun fact, the MoMA in New York recently added Helvetica to their permanent collection after acquiring a set of original lead plates for the font. As one of the cleanest and most easily readable fonts, it's perfect for promotional products, too. When you plan your next promo, what font will you be using? |  |
Posted by mark at 10:48 AM. Permalink: Happy Birthday Helvetica!
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How Do Promos Influence Word-of-mouth?
Today's eMarketer newsletter featured an article stressing the importance of word-of-mouth in business-to-business purchasing decisions. Although promotional products and other branded items weren't mentioned as a purchasing influencer, it is interesting to note that previous studies have show that promo items outperform TV and print advertising in areas that would promote better word-of-mouth recommendations, including positive attitudes towards products and brands, credibility of the message and interest in the product or brand. It's not hard to imagine that a lasting item that drives such a positive experience would also be a driver for increased word-of-mouth recommendations.
Posted by mark at 9:45 AM. Permalink: How Do Promos Influence Word-of-mouth?
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Peet's Creates Custom Jersey to Promote
Sometimes promotional products work in mysterious ways. Today I found this email in my inbox. The promotional cycling jersey caught my attention and I found out that Pete's Coffee is selling these to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Trainingｮ. I'll be honest, I didn't buy one of these, but I did buy some coffee because I'm running out. Would I have bought coffee if they sent a different email? Perhaps, but the visual impact of the jersey did get my attention, and the message of the email did make me feel good about buying from such a caring company.
Incidentally, if you're interested in trying this for your company or cause, we have some excellent values on promotional microfiber performance apparel. I've actually field tested several of our new polos and t-shirts and the quality is excellent, but more on that later.
Posted by mark at 2:21 PM. Permalink: Peet's Creates Custom Jersey to Promote
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Advertisers Muscle in on Barbershops
| In this clever twist on the barbershop apron, haircut recipients get to envision a leaner, meaner version of themselves while they get a trim. It's a great reminder of the value of using the inherent properties of the item to make an impression or drive people towards a call to action. In this case, the advertiser was Gold's Gym, but there are plenty of other examples, from Ford truck matchboxes to Papa John's delivery guy in your peephole. (via Direct Daily) |  |
Posted by mark at 10:31 AM. Permalink: Advertisers Muscle in on Barbershops
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Kodak Clock...Is Time Running Out?
I found this image on Flickr, where the person who originally posted it noted that they no longer use film. Is this promotional clock useless in a world where film seems to be dying out? Not necessarily. Kodak actually has a pretty successful online business, and they definitely have a roadmap for navigating the challenges they face in the future. A promo like this clock, even in a filmless world, serves as a reminder that Kodak started supplying photographers over 100 years before Flickr even existed.
Posted by mark at 12:18 PM. Permalink: Kodak Clock...Is Time Running Out?
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What's Your Oil Can?
Promotional products have been very popular with online companies because they provide a valuable offline branding opportunity, and a tangible reminder for companies with an intangible product. Of course, they're also very effective for more traditional companies as well, and one way to make them even more powerful is to use an item that is uniquely tied to your company's product, like these promotional oil cans. Whether you custom manufacture an item, or simply pick an existing product that ties into your brand, it's a great way to make your promo more powerful. In this case, the old style of oil can serves as a reminder of the longevity of the Castrol brand without having to state that explicitly.
Posted by mark at 4:32 PM. Permalink: What's Your Oil Can?
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Surf Trunks and Surf Guitar
I got some new swim trunks for Christmas made by Reef, a brand that does lots of surfing apparel and accessories. Instead of a regular cardboard tag, they came with this cool plastic tag with a guitar pick built into it. While not every surfer is a guitarist, this is still a great way to turn something that would be thrown out into a cool promo that basically cost them nothing. The moral of the story: if you have the opportunity to take a piece of throwaway packaging and turn it into a promo that is relevant to your audience, take it. Although my sample size is one, I play guitar a lot more than I swim, so the guitar pick is probably going to remind me of their brand even more than the actual swim trunks.
Posted by mark at 11:26 AM. Permalink: Surf Trunks and Surf Guitar
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Unusual Promos Make Smiles
Here's an unusual promotional product, along the same lines as the Children's Tylenol doctor's office promos I featured a few days ago. While promotional toothbrushes are a great product for dentists because they remind patients of their dentist's name between visits, these promotional masks actually make a visit to the dentist a little more fun. For Colgate, who made these promos, it's a great way to get their brand across to their actual customers for a few reasons: 1) it's fun and memorable 2) they benefit from the tacit recommendation being made by the dentist and 3) the branding targets children and youth who influence their parents' spending choices and are also choosing some brands (like toothpaste) that they may favor for the rest of their lives. (via Marketing Alternatif)
Posted by mark at 9:50 AM. Permalink: Unusual Promos Make Smiles
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Promo Tips from the Non-profit Sector: PETA
Love them or hate them, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has had great success getting their message to people across a wide variety of media, from television and print to online and guerrilla campaigns. In a recent interview with MarketingProfs, PETA's Marketing Manager discussed some of their techniques and how they are applicable to organizations of all types. Here are a few ideas from Jack Shepard that could help you get more out of your promos:
Getting people to interact with your brand online:
I think that the success of MySpace has taught us all a number of lessons, such as that people like to create things. And they like to show off what they care about, especially when it's made easy for them. If you let people participate in your brand, they will become brand warriors.
If people aren't already creating ads for you, ask them to, and give them an incentive. Nobody says no to free stuff. You'd be amazed at how much we've gotten done just by giving away stickers!
Leveraging your biggest brand evangelists:
We also actively recruit well-connected users. By reading the most popular blogs on MySpace and scanning through the most popular people, we've been able to build relationships with a number of well-connected people on the site. These are people who can drive traffic and sales (if that's your bottom line).
We've also mailed free T-shirts to some of our more popular MySpace friends so that they can post pictures of themselves wearing them. We've used those photos in our bulletins to help drive sales. It's a level of naturalism that can't be faked.
To see examples of how PETA leverages its online presence offline and vice versa, visit the PETA web site or their blog.
Posted by mark at 12:42 PM. Permalink: Promo Tips from the Non-profit Sector: PETA
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Hale and Hearty Sales: Making Money with Promos
| I can pretty much guarantee that Hale and Hearty Soups is a profitable company, so I can also be pretty sure that imprinting their utensils, bags and crackers also makes money for them. If it didn't, they wouldn't do it. One example is the napkin/spoon packet custom imprinted with the word spoon. If you work in Midtown Manhattan, you have surely skipped a lunch spot you were planning to go to because there was a long line. Having the silverware both pre-packaged and clearly labeled shaves a couple seconds of time in the checkout line, which makes the line a couple people shorter, which means more sales during peak times. Another example is the branded oyster crackers. I bet there are at least ten people in my office right now who have a package of these in, on or near their desk. I bet these people are more likely to get soup than people without crackers or with non-branded crackers. It's not rocket science, but these things clearly work, and the proof is that successful businesses - ones that have the resources to evaluate their marketing and operational decisions - continue to use them. |  |
Posted by mark at 10:57 AM. Permalink: Hale and Hearty Sales: Making Money with Promos
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Do Promo Products Have to Be Useful to Be Effective?
| The answer is easy, and it's no. One case in point is the easy button from Staples, which doesn't really do anything. This approach won't necessarily work for every organization - it's often best to choose a product that people will find useful and valuable - but in this case the easy button does a few things well while doing nothing at all: It brings the Staples brand onto the desktop of buyers, it reminds them of a value proposition that they've probably seen recent Staples TV ads, and it brings a little humor and personality to a company in an industry that is less than glamorous. Plus, they've already got their logo on half the office supplies they sell, so they had to choose something that goes in the office, where their buyers make purchasing decisions, but isn't an actual office product. |  |
Posted by mark at 4:22 PM. Permalink: Do Promo Products Have to Be Useful to Be Effective?
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Google Shuffle: How to Mess with Your Brand
Google sent out another interesting client gift to advertisers this year, a laser engraved iPod shuffle. It was a noticeable break from their tendency to give colorful promotional gifts, and it also featured what seemed like a typo: "ooGleg thanks you!" In fact, as one astute commenter posted on SimpleSEM where the photo was posted, it's not a typo, but Google with the letters shuffled. A clever way of using the imprint to make the gift more memorable - even though it goes against the conventional wisdom of never messing with your logo or branding - it fits Google's personality (and for that matter, Apple's). On the other hand, there are lots of companies for whom a marketing trick like this wouldn't be appropriate, but they may not think of it, or go through with it. The bottom line is that you can have some fun with your branding, but only if a) it's appropriate for your brand image and b) it makes your promotion more effective than it would be otherwise. (via search engine land)
Posted by mark at 11:22 AM. Permalink: Google Shuffle: How to Mess with Your Brand
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Accounting for Giveaways
While it isn't something we usually focus on, promotional products can often be better than non-promotional gifts when it comes to accounting. There's a handy resource at the QuickBooks Community where you can ask questions about how to handle your giveaway accounting and get answers from certified advisers. Here's one great answer about how to account for promotional t-shirts being used as gifts to clients:
When you pay for the shirts, select Advertising/Promotional Expense for the account to charge. Then just give them away to whoever you want to promote your business. Be aware that Business Gifts are limited to $25 per person per year so be careful with this. (I'm concerned with the 14 shirts to one person issue here). If you're client is giving them away to promote your business, then no problem. If they are for your employees, you could expense them as Uniforms also.
Posted by mark at 12:11 PM. Permalink: Accounting for Giveaways
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Logos and Artwork: Raster vs. Vector
Not Just Pretty, a small-business branding blog just posted a nice explanation of raster vs. vector art as it applies to logos and other artwork used for imprinting promotional items. I would like to offer one small correction: even relatively low resolution pixel art is often okay for embroidery because a) embroidery is low resolution by definition, and b) embroiderers actually create a digital file specifically for embroidery that creates a stitch pattern, and the embroidery digitization can be done from most file types. Check out our imprinted product selection tips for more advice on logos and imprinting.
Posted by mark at 9:58 AM. Permalink: Logos and Artwork: Raster vs. Vector
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Apple Apparel: Branding the Retail Experience
The Apple brand is really riding high. This year they made the Harris Poll top ten US brands for the first time, and was ranked as the top brand in the US by brandchannel. Apple is even popular enough to have a news site dedicated to it's retail stores, which recently reported on the taglines appearing on apple store employee shirts this holiday season:
Give movies, give music, give TV shows.
Give now. Borrow later.
They asked for something colorful. They didn't mean a sweater.
Tech the halls
For a PC user it's not a gift. It's an intervention.
Looking for something they'll actually wear?
This could be the end of regifting. And rebooting.
Oh come all Ye Creatives
As usual, Apple's doing a good job conveying their value proposition with their signature style and irreverence, and of course, mac fans around the world were hoping to be able to buy these promotional shirts, but they seem to be for employees only. Back in the day, though, they apparently did sell shirts. For the whole family:
Posted by mark at 11:27 AM. Permalink: Apple Apparel: Branding the Retail Experience
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Fringe Benefits: Promotional Products as Web Advertising
I've touched on this before, but over the past couple days I noticed a couple great examples (below) of happy promotional products recipients taking photos of the schwag they received and posting them on flickr. Both examples are Creative Commons promos, a sticker and an ornament. The primary goal of most promotional products is to increase brand awareness by exposing the recipient (and others) to an organization's logo and message. Typically this happens when someone uses, wears or looks at the promotional product. Another marketing benefit, potentially overlooked, is when that physical product turns into advertising in other media, such as blogs or a photo community like flickr (and no promos get photographed and added to flickr as much as flickr promos). So make sure your promos are blogworthy and photo-ready, and you may get some extra marketing from them. Best of all, it's free, and even marketers love free stuff.
Posted by mark at 2:17 PM. Permalink: Fringe Benefits: Promotional Products as Web Advertising
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Growing a Client Base with Direct Mail
Here's a great promo from a group of landscape architects. It's basically a chia-card, or direct mail promo meets promotional plant. The unassuming card showing an architectural plan actually sprouts little "trees" if it is watered. One of the things I like most about this piece is that it turns something that is two-dimensional (and direct mail generally is) and turns it into something 3D, no glasses required. This ties in nicely with the fact that they are an architectural firm, too. If the company is known for environmentally-friendly landscape architecture, that makes the promo even better. I'm not sure, though since it seems to be in German and they are actually doing Landschaftsarchitektur. (via adverbox)
Posted by mark at 10:41 AM. Permalink: Growing a Client Base with Direct Mail
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Piggyback Power: How Big Brands Can Help Your Brand
| One of the best ways to increase the perceived value of a client gift is to choose a brand name business gift. When you imprint or embroider that gift with your company logo, you're not only getting your brand noticed, but you're also associating it with the goodwill generated by the brand name of the product you're giving. The power of big brands can even go further than that: I was just reading a web marketer's blog post about some OGIO bags he was planning to order. In his post, he remarked that his friend had seen them in the Firefox company store and "I am much happier buying them now knowing that Firefox decided to go with them." In this case, they made a better promotional business gift not only because of the OGIO brand, but because Firefox had also used them as a promo. |  |
Posted by mark at 4:59 PM. Permalink: Piggyback Power: How Big Brands Can Help Your Brand
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Promos Help Keep Arkansas Beautiful
| The Keep Arkansas Beautiful campaign is usign a variety of promotional products to help rais interest in their annual litter pickup event. Once a community signs up for an event, the organization helps organize and publicize it, including providing promos. Promotional items that will be made available include gloves, drink insulators, car shades, pop-up leaf bags and temporary tattoos. |  |
Posted by mark at 5:33 PM. Permalink: Promos Help Keep Arkansas Beautiful
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Newsworthy Promos for Mimeo
Mimeo.com was recently featured in BtoB Magazine for an integrated promotional campaign that included promotional t-shirts and buttons. As part of a rebranding campaign, these items featured an image of a clown wearing a smock. The moral of the story here is that clowns + promos = a successful and newsworthy branding campaign.
Posted by mark at 1:32 PM. Permalink: Newsworthy Promos for Mimeo
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Lost Wallet Promos
Here's a clever promo: "lose" a bunch of wallets in public places where your target audience will find them...along with your advertising. I predict soon advertisers will be leaving free cell phones and telemarketing to the people who found them. (via the MIT Advertising Lab)
Posted by mark at 8:33 PM. Permalink: Lost Wallet Promos
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Pan Paper: It Ain't the Product, It's the Promotion
When I tell people what I do, the often ask me what cool products we have. This is a legitimate question, but in some ways, it misses the point of what we do. Sure, we have some unique products, but most promotional products are things you've probably already seen before. That's one reason why they're effective - people use them. The key to a great promotion is taking a product and turning it into an interesting piece of advertising that is relevant to your business and your customers. For example, the butcher paper below is literally just a piece of paper, but with a pan printed on it, it's also a clever piece of advertising that people will remember:
Posted by mark at 10:27 AM. Permalink: Pan Paper: It Ain't the Product, It's the Promotion
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Connect the Dots, Connect with Customers
If you make your promos interactive, like this connect the dots placemat, you'll increase the impact of the promotion. People like to have fun, and it's surprisingly easy to get them involved if you just provide an opportunity. This tactic works with drink coasters, too.
Posted by mark at 10:56 AM. Permalink: Connect the Dots, Connect with Customers
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Use promotional products...cleverly.
Entrepreneur magazine recently published a feature on five ways to get your logo noticed, including:
"Most people have plenty of pens and pads of paper imprinted with company logos. Almost anything you can think of can be personalized to promote your company, so be creative and put your logo on items that make sense for your product or service. Pest control? Think fly swatters. Sporting goods? Think Frisbees."
It's also worth noting that several of the other five ideas also involved imprinted promotional items sold in the promotional product industry, including sponsoring a sports team and getting your logo on theirteam uniforms and "Incorporate your logo into your packaging."
Posted by mark at 7:52 AM. Permalink: Use promotional products...cleverly.
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Beyond Branding: Promoting Behavior
Promotional products can be great branding tools, but they can be even more effective when used to promote a specific behavior in the recipient. That behavior could be buying something, filling out a survey or giving contact information, but there are plenty of uses beyond commerce. For example, you may want to encourage water conservation, which is what these stickers aim to do, improve workplace safety, or even get someone to plant a tree.
Posted by mark at 3:44 PM. Permalink: Beyond Branding: Promoting Behavior
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Keep Your Trinkets
The Arizona Republic recently published an article called "Cities hope little trinkets can make big impression" about city governments using promotional products and "increasingly embracing corporate America's marketing approach: Give freebies away, and people will become familiar with your brand, even if that brand is a local government."
They also said: "In recent years, Valley cities have significantly increased their spending on promotional items, known as trinkets in the industry." This confuses me. The city government industry or the promotional products industry? Sure, I know all the terms some folks use: schwag, tchotchkes, trinkets and trash, freebies and such, and I know that cheap stuff can be, well, cheap. Still, I'm in the industry, and I don't really refer to them as trinkets. Promotional product isn't a great name, but I don't think trinket does the job either. I'll tell you why after the jump...
First, I do want to say one thing. I liked the article. They didn't interview us, but that's okay. I think it's worth noting that governments, schools and other organizations are frequent clients for promotional products providers, and I think everyone loves reading articles about how business (and especially advertising) practices make their way to non-business organizations. It confirms our belief in the free market.
Anyhow, the way I see it, a well-done promotional product is either: a) more advertising than trinket, b) too nice to be called a trinket or, c) clothing. Didn't anyone read that promotional product spending grew by 5.1% last year, outpacing ad spending in general and hitting sales of almost $18 billion? Or, perhaps those who did don't see how this could be true.
Promotional products are a form of advertising. A plastic bag costs cents, but done right, is engaging. If it's trash, it's the piece of trash you save. It ain't the material, it's the message.
We also sell corporate gifts that have been imprinted, engraved, embossed, etc. Nice stuff. On Sunday, I went to the park with a wooden cheese board that had four cheese knives hidden, James Bond-style, inside the cutting board, a cool-looking stainless-steel thermos with two built-in cups that, maybe, holds almost exactly a bottle of wine, and a cooler that has a built in radio that boom boxifies my iPod. That's not a bunch of trinkets, THAT'S A PICNIC WAITING TO HAPPEN! My friend Ed told me he was sad when I left my last job because I had an unlimited supply of great candles, but even the occasional promo stuff I commandeer from the showroom totally makes up for it. Don't even get me started on sweatshirt blankets.
A third of what we do in the trinket industry is apparel. Sure, some of the name brand stuff is too fancy for my taste, but even the other stuff is often made in the same factories as the big brands. Even if it's just a comfy (sweatshop free American Apparel) t-shirt, it's not really a trinket.
Fascinating, I know. Seriously, though, find me someone who calls promotional products trinkets, trash or schwag who doesn't have something in their house, car or closet with a logo on it that they like and find useful. Find me someone who can't remember a single promotional product they saw and the brand that was printed on it. Do an inventory of the pens on your desk or count how many embroidered messenger bags you see on the way to work tomorrow. We aren't a marginal niche industry, we're the borg.
Posted by mark at 8:41 PM. Permalink: Keep Your Trinkets
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Why Promos Work: Behavioral Economics 101
| Classical and neoclassical economic theories tend to assume an efficient marketplace and individuals who make rational choices based on their economic best interests, which is all well and good, but doesn't explain why real people make the decisions they do. Behavioral economics explains why we do all the things that classical economics indicates we shouldn't. To find out what on earth this has to do with promos and why there's an image of a bank here, read on... |
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Promotional products are a perfect example of behavioral economics in action. While classical economics would dictate that the act of giving away an inexpensive item would elicit a response from the recipient of equal (and relatively negligible) value. Anyone who's had success with promotional products knows that a well-done promo can elicit a much more valuable response, and in turn, a large ROI. Why? Partially because everybody loves free stuff, and this positive reaction towards your brand causes people to react in a disproportionate way, like buying your product or service.
The bank that's pictured was part of a program in the Philippines called SEED (Save, Earn, Enjoy Deposits) that was used to help people save money. According to one of the projects creators, part of the success came from the fact that the bank was cute and "In the Philippines, they like 'cute' stuff." While classical economists would say that people would save money on their own based on the inherent benefits of doing so, a custom piggy bank made a huge difference in savings based on factors that were totally irrelevant to the actual value of having savings.
In summary, promotional products work because we aren't cold, calculating robots transacting only for our personal financial benefit. We're actually suckers for free stuff, especially if it's cute.
Posted by mark at 7:03 AM. Permalink: Why Promos Work: Behavioral Economics 101
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Videos from the Meat Department
If you're a commercial and film production company, like Food Chain Films how do you make your promo reel more enticing? How about printing DVD cases with different cuts of meat and shrink wrapping it in styrofoam trays? A little bit of creativity makes for a tasty promo. (via Communiation Arts)
Posted by mark at 7:57 AM. Permalink: Videos from the Meat Department
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Promo Gifts: Targeting Your Recipients
| Everybody loves free stuff, but how do you choose who gets it? My girlfriend and I just joined the same gym and she got this drawstring backpack, and I didn't. I actually don't know why I was neglected, but perhaps she fit the profile of someone who was more likely to be a source of referrals. It also took her longer to join (she started by using all my guest passes), so maybe they felt it was more important to reinforce the feeling that she had made the right decision. Ultimately, their goal is not to make sure everyone has a drawstring backpack, but to promote their gym or make people feel better about joining, and if giving me a promo won't achieve those goals, then there's really no need to do it. Luckily, I have access to a pretty much unlimited supply of drawstring backpacks anyways. |
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Posted by mark at 7:15 AM. Permalink: Promo Gifts: Targeting Your Recipients
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Selling Your Brand to Potential Employees
What does it take to recruit top law school students? According to one NYU law student, more than just an everyday pen. Her favorites were a mini office supply kit or, as she says, "little plastic kits, filled with a miniature stapler, staple remover, and a tiny tape dispenser" and USB drives, which were handy enough to stay on her keychain for months. With the baby boomers edging towards retirement, now is a great time for recruiters to take advantage of opportunities to get their brand out to potential employees.
Also, wouldn't our pocket office be the ultimate survival tool if Jack on Lost was a lawyer or accountant and had to prepare briefs or ledgers in the wilderness with no real office? These situations do happen, on TV.
Posted by mark at 6:50 AM. Permalink: Selling Your Brand to Potential Employees
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Free Marketing Advice: Listen to Your Fans
There's a saying that if one person asks a question, many others are thinking it. I think the modern equivalent is, if one of your customers is blogging about it, many others are thinking it. For example, here's what some bloggers are saying about video game promos:
- I do appreciate some of the nicer, more subdued pieces of gaming schwag.
- One such developer is Bungie, a company that is currently in the process of auctioning off tons of their gear for the American Red Cross to help support recent hurricane victims.
- Bungie has been at the forefront when it comes to developers selling their wares directly to customers...creating a virtual storefront and selling t-shirts, posters, and various other gear direct to fans.
- I would love to see a greater number of video game art pieces...or attractive developer specific t-shirts, especially for those that are committed to maintaining quality and integrity in the industry.
- You could always send out little charms related to the game in question. Mushroom pencil toppers for the newest Mario game would be classic. So would a back scratcher shaped like Sly Cooper痴 hook. If Microsoft and Bungie worked with Lego to make an official Master Chief minifigure, I think the entire geek population of North America would happily explode.
Companies pay good money to find out how to reach their target audience effectively. Taking the time to scan blogs for free feedback from your biggest fans and evangelists seems like a no-brainer to me.
Posted by mark at 11:57 AM. Permalink: Free Marketing Advice: Listen to Your Fans
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Generate Buzz for a New Product Launch
This Leatherman promotional chapstick generated some blogosphere buzz for an upcoming tool that will feature "full on shears." This item was given out at a trade show and I wonder what other new products at the show didn't get mentioned because the blogger didn't have a promo handy to jog his memory. Also, the tiny promotional screwdriver is pretty cool.
Posted by mark at 7:11 AM. Permalink: Generate Buzz for a New Product Launch
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Target Audience: Bloggers
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If you're reading this, you probably already know that a) a lot of people read blogs and b) a lot of bloggers blog about the promos they receive. Ergo, sending promos to bloggers is a good idea. But don't just take my word for it, take Guy Kawasaki's:
Give schwag. In case you hadn't noticed, most bloggers don't make a lot of money from their blogging efforts. Thus, samples of your product, t-shirts, tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals, etc can go a long way. I'm not saying you can buy bloggers, but you can make them happy pretty easily. Dollar for dollar, schwag for bloggers is one of the best marketing investments. |  |
Posted by mark at 7:50 AM. Permalink: Target Audience: Bloggers
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Promotional Magnets Case Study: My Fridge
Here's a little case study about how two very different companies used promotional magnets to get on my fridge:
Antonio's Pizzeria: When I called for delivery, they asked me if I had a magnet yet, I said no, so they sent one. They could throw one in with every pizza, but waste not, want not. The graphic design isn't groundbreaking, but when there's nothing to eat in my fridge, I have their number right there.
American Express: What's the point of those fake credit cards they send in direct mail to get you to get a real credit card? Their only possible use is to pretend you have a credit card. Someone at Amex (or their ad agency) had the same question and came up with a better idea, a magnet that looks like an Amex card. It does everything a useless piece of plastic does, and you can use it to stick stuff on your fridge. The only thing that would be better is if they printed my actual credit card info on it so I wouldn't have to go find my wallet while I'm on the phone with Antonio's.
Posted by mark at 3:58 PM. Permalink: Promotional Magnets Case Study: My Fridge
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How to Use Promotional Products in Direct Mail Without Sending the Product
I got this direct mail piece from OnRequest Images, which uses a promotional product to get qualified buyers to fill out and return a survey about their needs. It's a great idea because the value of the item gets users to open the marketing piece, but they only have to send the usb mini-hubs to the folks who respond, reducing their cost (or expanding their reach, depending on how you see it). Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 vellum envelope so they can see the picture of the gift before they open the envelope
2 well-designed print creative pieces, divided
1 call to action
1 promotional product that the target audience will want (reserve entire portion until after the first mailing)
Directions
Mix envelope, one creative piece and call to action, then mail. Upon receiving responses, add second creative piece and promotional product, then mail, calling periodically until sales are closed.
Posted by mark at 7:19 AM. Permalink: How to Use Promotional Products in Direct Mail Without Sending the Product
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That IS My Bag, Baby!
The folks at the MIT Advertising Lab strike again, this time they bring to our attention a couple great examples of creative use of imprinted plastic bags. If I were the kind of guy who made up my own marketing buzzwords, I'd start with "blanding." Tasteful, simple logo placement on a gift item makes sense, but if you're using a promotional product for advertising and not taking full advantage of the creative possibilities, you're blanding (etymology: bland + branding). Have you ever seen a television commercial that's just a static image of a company's logo and phone number with no sound? Of course not. Television advertising comes with sound and video and people use it. When you buy a custom bag with die cut handles it comes with die cut handles, so why not use them?
Posted by mark at 9:39 AM. Permalink: That IS My Bag, Baby!
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New Promotional Product Guides
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Just a quick note for anyone looking for promotional products ideas and advice: we've added some new promotional product guides to our site, with more to follow. |
Posted by mark at 2:26 PM. Permalink: New Promotional Product Guides
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Scarves and Search Engine Marketing
| What do scarves have to do with search engine optimization? The quick answer is: nothing, really. I was reading a post about a recent search engine conference in Chicago that mentions: "Luckily, one of the companies on the expo floor handed out scarves." The post uses the frigid weather and the unpreparedness of many of the visiting attendees as a metaphor about SEO, but I was more interested in the fact that the freezing folks who could use a scarf must have really appreciated it. And what does that have to do with anything? Find out after the jump. |
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The promotional moral of this story is that if you're going to a pizza-making convention, you don't have to choose the pizza stress ball. The product you choose should be relevant and useful, but if you're creative, that doesn't have to limit you to a specific theme or type of product.
Scarves, headwarmers and mittens are perfect for the Midwest winter, especially at a trade show where attendees may be coming from warmer climates. They don't relate to search engine marketing, but a tagline about forecasting, being prepared, or looking out for you turns it into a marketing piece that conveys the company's value proposition.
Start with an open mind and be creative and you'll find lots of ways to use promos to get your message across. A great promotion doesn't have to be related to your specific industry or an office item because you're a B2B company. Promotional products are part of a greater experience, whether you're at an event, or it's part of a direct mail piece. How you leverage the unique aspects of the item within the greater context is what makes the item, and the promotion really stand out.
Posted by mark at 8:30 AM. Permalink: Scarves and Search Engine Marketing
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JetBlue Has the Right Idea...Do You?
Hey, not everyone痴 business is one of the fastest growing airlines with mega bucks to brand themselves, but we can all take a lesson from this brilliant company. First of all, how cool are these guys with their TVs? Everyone loves TVs. I recently flew JetBlue to Las Vegas for the Promotional Products Association International Annual Expo show where we get to meet all of our suppliers and see new promotional items to offer to our customers. I was so excited to go on this trip, not for all that Vegas has to offer, but for the 5 hours of uninterrupted TV.
Pop on the noise cancellation headset and off we go: food network, reruns of 24, CNBC. The pure joy of free form channel surfing, which has long been banned by my wife. Before the TV starts, while still on the Tarmac (Tarmac is to concrete what Kleenex is to tissues), I was offered more JetBlue branding in the form of static video postcard ads. My favorite is "We like you too!"�as if they could read my mind! And the brilliant "If it wasn't for you we'd just be flying a bunch of TVs around the country!"
These guys know how to build a brand and surround you with it. JetBlue is an experience; from look of the terminal to the free online internet access to the way they board the plane and greet you. Incredibly, they致e made the airport a Disneyland of sorts, complete with a souvenir shop. Even the TVs and the snacks ("Blue" Terra potato chips of course). As the PGA says, "These guys are good."
How good you ask? Well, let's just say they get you to clean their plane for them and then buy a JetBlue souvenir. From golf balls to baby onesies to logo keychains and mugs, to classic toy airplane -- this stuff sells.
So enough about JetBlue and onto what really matters -- you and your business. JetBlue surrounds you with their brand and creates a whole experience. Do you do that in your selling process, before, during and after your sales? Could you create a work environment that is an experience? If you ever experienced JetBlue, I think you know the obvious answer is yes.
Now to ePromos' business. We love helping companies brand themselves. We池e teary-eyed each time we help a small business, become just a little bit more of a brand. Each time they get a little taste of seeing their own brand name in a professional light. It starts with some embroidered baseball caps, or fleece jackets for employees, then customers start asking for it and with each wearing, with each impression, the brand builds value. Big company痴 who get the value of their brand, like JetBlue does, save with online company stores. They buy in bulk, can distribute I as little as one day, provide a easy way for employees to access the goods and the brand image is consistent as every piece of merchandise is approved. Small or big, we壇 love to help you start tapping into the power of building a brand. It痴 there for the taking.
Nice work JetBlue!
Posted by mark at 9:55 AM. Permalink: JetBlue Has the Right Idea...Do You?
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Put Together Great Conference Promo Bags...Without the Work
Sue Polinsky has a mini photo essay about putting together some goodie bags for a conference, which made me think of a couple things:
1. Putting together a kit from multiple items is a great way to make a bigger impact than just giving out a single item.
2. Putting together a promotional giveaway like this is a lot of work.
Luckily, we can do it for you. We offer custom packaging and fulfillment options for tradeshows, new employee kits, holiday gifts, or any situation in which you want a big impact without doing all the work. We'll even do it to your exact specifications including inserts, shipping and packaging. Which is nice, and easy.
Posted by mark at 3:02 PM. Permalink: Put Together Great Conference Promo Bags...Without the Work
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Promotional Products Make Events Memorable
Planning on participating in a conference? I just noticed this on a conference wishlist, along with things like a coherent agenda and knowledgable participants:
"Send me home with a coffee cup, a flash drive, a canvas bag, something that I can put my monkey paws on later and remember the day."
Just a reminder that promotional products can make an event more memorable long after it's over. In all fairness, these aren't necessarily as important as, say, good speakers, but they can help participants remember good speakers.
Posted by mark at 2:39 AM. Permalink: Promotional Products Make Events Memorable
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Promotional Products Aren't Just for Businesses
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Here's a great example of a customized tote bag that doesn't feature a brand logo, but does feature the fourth amendment, which is at least as important as any logo I can think of. At ePromos we work with lots of not-for-profits, schools and other non-business organizations.
(via BookBlog.) |
Posted by mark at 7:13 AM. Permalink: Promotional Products Aren't Just for Businesses
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Promos for Beta Testers: How do You Spell Evangelize?
Can't send promotional products to all your customers? Start with the ones that are most likely to be evangelists for your products or services. For software companies, that might mean developers or other members of related online communities, like in the Macromedia example below, or beta testers. Microsoft recently sent out this promotional flyer to folks who beta tested Windows Live. In this case the recipient was both thankful, and posted a photo of the product on his blog, turning promotional product advertising into online advertising.
Posted by mark at 9:33 AM. Permalink: Promos for Beta Testers: How do You Spell Evangelize?
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Creative Browsing Tips
Having trouble figuring out what product you're going to pick for your next promotion? Try searching a totally different way! Our new site allows uses search engine technology that allows you to filter your results by a plethora of different parameters like price, production time, color and brand. Instead of starting with a type of product, try starting with other attributes, like price and color and see what product options you have. Perhaps you'll find the perfect product and realize it's something you never even knew existed. Start with this list of all our products and then use the filters on the left to narrow down your selections. Happy hunting!
Posted by mark at 8:46 PM. Permalink: Creative Browsing Tips
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Where do promos come from, Part II...
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They come from this warehouse, and this photo only shows a tiny bit of it. When we went on our visit to the promotional products factory, one of the amazing things was how much stuff they have. And when you keep stock of thousands of pieces of hundreds of different items, you basically end up with something like the warehouse at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Except you also have to be able to find everything so you can print on it. No small feat. |
Posted by mark at 4:45 PM. Permalink: Where do promos come from, Part II...
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dot-com Flashback and Spelling Lesson
Dictionary.com's word of the day for January 19th, 2000:
Posted by mark at 5:32 PM. Permalink: dot-com Flashback and Spelling Lesson
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