More Fishvertising
Though the fish probably aren't complaining, it has been awhile since we last saw fishvertising in action. This ad puts an end to the hiatus and demonstrates the irresistible attraction of "living" billboards. Using live fish to show that this fish company's product is "as fresh as can be" is definitely a unique approach. Judging by the video it did an excellent job of getting people to pay attention!
Posted by josh at 8:04 AM. Permalink: More Fishvertising
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Not Welcome Mat
Here's a welcome mat that's well...not very welcoming. This fake doormat was placed around Israel to raise awareness about the nearly 300,000 teens who don't have a place to call home. The flip side of the custom doormat has some information about donating to the organization and helping kids find a way off the streets.
Posted by josh at 8:42 AM. Permalink: Not Welcome Mat
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Puma World Cup Foosball
Here's a really well-done campaign that makes use of lots of different things to "fire on all cylinders:" a guerrilla street event, promo invitations, and even an interactive tournament to get people involved. The event took place in Canada and aimed to raise awareness of Italy's World Cup Qualifier. Judging by the video it looks like they did a great job getting people involved and informed.
Posted by josh at 8:17 AM. Permalink: Puma World Cup Foosball
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Bubble Wrap = Instant Ad Success
I have always thought advertisers hadn't done enough to take advantage of the primal urge to pop bubble wrap. It's in our blood - we see it, we HAVE to pop it. This advertisement for a car-free mountain resort uses bubble wrap to somehow symbolize "mountain air." This barely makes sense to me, but judging by the pictures, it seems it was a success anyway.
Here's an older ad that makes use of bubble wrap in a more relevant (but disgusting) manner. These anti-acne cosmetic surgeons advise people: "Don't Pop It. Stop It." The thought of the general public coming together to pop fake acne grosses me out, but it's clear that once again bubble wrap equals instant ad success anyway. |  |
Posted by josh at 3:17 PM. Permalink: Bubble Wrap = Instant Ad Success
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Get Bitten
As if the Twilight saga hasn't gotten enough publicity, these promotional stickers were distributed as part of a viral campaign to convert normal advertising into Twilight advertising. Just slap a few of these on any supermodel or sports star billboard you see, and voila, instant Twilightvertising! No word yet on a promotional wooden stake or imprinted garlic gloves to put a stop to it.
Posted by josh at 8:00 AM. Permalink: Get Bitten
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Coupon Carvertising
Here's a fun approach to coupon car-vertising put together on behalf of XXL Carwash. Normally when people plaster advertisements on my car I'm not too happy about it. But in the case of this ad, I think I can make an exception. This "50% Off" coupon looks just like the instructional washing labels sewn into most clothing. I never have tried to iron, bleach, or tumble dry a vehicle, but thanks to XXL for the friendly reminder.
Posted by josh at 8:00 AM. Permalink: Coupon Carvertising
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A Great Deal of Tea
Local falafel shop Crisp came up with an interesting promotion: free iced tea through the end of the year when you buy one of their insulated travel tumblers. It looks like a pretty good deal for everyone: you get a great deal on tea if you drink frequently, they get brand exposure near their shop and they get you to stop by and hopefully buy stuff, and there are less disposable cups headed to the landfill. Since tea is one of those things that probably costs them way less than the two bucks or more that they charge for it, it's an easy thing to give away for free. (via Midtown Lunch)
Posted by mark at 11:42 AM. Permalink: A Great Deal of Tea
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Turtle Invasion
I love this promotion. Basically they made a bunch of cardboard sea turtles, which look really cool and remind me of this fancy paper 3-D modeling (scroll down to the faces). Plus, it's a promotion with a really great cause: on the underside of the turtles is a message reminding people not to buy souvenirs made from endangered sea turtles. It's interesting to note that these promotions were done in the UK and the Netherlands, targeting vacationers, rather than in places where turtles actually nest.
Posted by mark at 4:32 PM. Permalink: Turtle Invasion
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Concrete-vertising
If It's Hip, It's Here has hipped me to the next great frontier in imprinting: concrete. New techniques that allow fine control over textures and colors of concrete surfaces have aesthetic and advertising potential.
And plenty more -vertising:
backvertising - pandemicvertising - zambonivertising - snowvertising - foamvertising - nanovertising - reforestvertising - fishvertising - casketvertising - wipervertising - handvertising - wristvertising - sumovertising - spiderwebvertising - headvertising - sheepvertising - eggvertising - bugvertising - thumbvertising - nutvertising - childvertising - conveyorvertising - jumbojetvertising - mohawkvertising - moonvertising
Posted by mark at 1:56 PM. Permalink: Concrete-vertising
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An Important Part of Your Workplace Safety Program
Workplace safety programs can save lives, and limbs. Safety education in the workplace can reduce workplace injuries and illnesses, improve productivity and reduce insurance costs. One great way to make sure information is retained and safe practices are followed is to incorporate promotional products with safety messages that will reinforce these ideas on the job throughout the year. Another way is to install this vending machine.
Posted by mark at 6:12 PM. Permalink: An Important Part of Your Workplace Safety Program
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Follow-up: Anti-insect Promos
In a follow-up from a previous post about anti-insect promos, here are some lovely buttons designed to raise awareness about the Asian Longhorned Beetle, an invasive pest. It would be nice if the buttons linked to a more specific page, since http://www.mass.gov/agr/ seems to go to the home page of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and there are no immediate links to ALB resources there. Also check out bug of the day, a collection of over 1500 insect and other arthropod photos.
Posted by mark at 11:33 AM. Permalink: Follow-up: Anti-insect Promos
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Although It Is Hard to Eat Brains with a Shirt Over Your Head
| Aside from a couple far-out t-shirts I picked up in Japan, I haven't ever seen people print inside a t-shirt (except those tagless ones, but they don't really count). Finally, folks have figured out exactly why printing inside a t-shirt is a great idea. These shirts were made to promote a video game (Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles) at a comic convention (Comic-Con in San Diego). Wear it normally and it's just a shirt. Pull the belly up over your head and you have some kind of freakish zombie face. As a bonus, in zombie-mode, the shirt seems to actually help keep your arms outstretched in zombie fashion. |  |
Posted by mark at 12:05 PM. Permalink: Although It Is Hard to Eat Brains with a Shirt Over Your Head
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Grocery Totes Skip the Grocery
Tiny Farm Blog is a blog about a tiny farm, and they use reusable grocery totes to hold their CSA (community supported agriculture) shares. I'm used to seeing this done with boxes or tubs, but I think the bags are a good idea. Perhaps they also work better for a tiny farm. They even put each person's name on the handle of their bag (see inset).
Posted by mark at 10:11 AM. Permalink: Grocery Totes Skip the Grocery
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Tragedy Strikes Weinermobile
| Tragedy struck the Weinermobile, or you could say that tragedy, in the form of the Weinermobile, struck a house in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. While using the home's driveway to turn the vehicle around the operator of the Weinermobile accidentally went forward when they meant to reverse, sending the vehicle into the house. Thankfully, no one was hurt. |  |
Posted by mark at 9:51 AM. Permalink: Tragedy Strikes Weinermobile
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Anti-insect Promos
| What's wrong with insects? In the case of the Asian Longhorn Beetle, they are an invasive species that kills trees. Unlike these recycled notebooks, which only kill waste paper. Below is a Terminix magazine insert designed to educate you about the size of cracks that roaches can navigate through. I think it's probably meant to freak you out, too. | 
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Posted by mark at 10:02 AM. Permalink: Anti-insect Promos
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Promotional Secrets Revealed!
Why is this pig wearing a cape? Partially because it is supposed to be one of those proverbial flying pigs that only exist when a lot of stuff you bet isn't going to happen happens. But the mystery goes deeper than that. Did you ever notice that promotional stuffed animals are usually wearing t-shirts even though normal animals don't? In both cases, these garments serve as a flat, less fuzzy surface to print logos upon. So now you know. (photo from Galen Charlton)
Posted by mark at 9:58 AM. Permalink: Promotional Secrets Revealed!
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Awesome Medical School Library Schwag, Part 1
| I actually don't necessarily anticipate there being a Part 2 (or 3, etc.) to this post, but I would love it if someone would prove me wrong. Anyhow, here's a promotional mug announcing the library's extended hours with a Spinal Tap reference: "It goes to eleven, five nights a week." Bravo! |  |
Posted by mark at 7:02 AM. Permalink: Awesome Medical School Library Schwag, Part 1
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Heavy Duty Promo Frisbees
Summer is the perfect time for promotional Frisbees (or Frisbee-type flyers or flying discs), for both man, and dog. In this case, dog food maker Iams created these barbell plate-style Frisbees for dogs as a way of showing just how strong they are with the right diet. Very cute, and a very good way to position their brand right in the middle of the fun part of the dog-owner relationship!
Posted by mark at 11:59 AM. Permalink: Heavy Duty Promo Frisbees
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Everybody Loves Fake IDs
Sure, they are fake IDs, but this is a relatively cute promotion: clip fake motorcycle IDs to people's bicycles to encourage them to take motorcycle lessons. VRRRRM.
Posted by mark at 2:53 PM. Permalink: Everybody Loves Fake IDs
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A Promotion About Nothing
Here's a cute promotion for Windex that involved people pretending to carry glass around. Mime is money. And Windex is ammonia.
Posted by mark at 11:34 AM. Permalink: A Promotion About Nothing
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How Many Photos?
Sandisk memory cards can hold lots of photos. Lots. So they made these giant envelopes to drive home the point. When people picked up their photos, these giant envelopes were used, with copy on the flap that said "Space for 5000 photos." Not if you're shooting RAW, though.
Posted by mark at 3:12 PM. Permalink: How Many Photos?
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New Credit Card and Cracker Jack
At the Citibank branches near our office, they have set up little baseball-themed tables that include a variety of promotional products as a free gift when you apply for a credit card, including a logo fleece blanket, sports jersey koozies, logo baseballs and a reusable shopping tote. Although it isn't mentioned in the display, this promotion is clearly a tie-in with the opening of Citi Field, the Citibank-branded baseball stadium for the New York Mets that just opened. Also notable is the fact that banks have cut $350 billion in credit card debt offered to Americans in the last year. So, less credit for many, but new cards for Mets fans.
Posted by mark at 10:16 AM. Permalink: New Credit Card and Cracker Jack
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Reaching the Masses
How do you reach a lot of people at a big event? SXSW is a huge annual music (and now, interactive media) event in Austin, TX. With loads of people to reach, and perhaps smaller budgets than in years past, the answer seems to be custom stickers and buttons. For an idea of scope, check out how many tote bags the conference gave away a couple years ago. After the jump, a couple more images of buttons and stickers from the conference.
Posted by mark at 8:45 AM. Permalink: Reaching the Masses
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Milky Way Seatbelt
Everybody loves finding more ways to advertise in taxis. From the signs on the roof to the really annoying new televisions inside, taxis rank with bus stops and bathrooms as top advertising locations. It's easy to see how this seat belt promotion reminds passengers of the gooey caramel inside a Milky Way, but can we also get Dan Marino to re-record his important message about buckling up to include a candy bar tie-in?
Posted by mark at 9:26 AM. Permalink: Milky Way Seatbelt
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School Makes You Think
This campaign for the School of Visual Arts encourages people to think, and turns everyday objects into a place where they can write down their thoughts. I think it is an interesting campaign. I'm probably more used to art schools using art in their campaigns, but I think this reminds people that there is thought behind art. I think using the notebook paper motif also conveys a sense that it is "real" school, not just a place to goof off and do weird art projects. (Although, hopefully you can still do that at art school as well.)
Posted by mark at 9:29 AM. Permalink: School Makes You Think
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Watchmen Premiere Schwag
Comics fans celebrated the premiere of Watchmen with a variety of promo items, all in yellow and black.
Posted by mark at 1:27 PM. Permalink: Watchmen Premiere Schwag
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Signs of the Econopocalypse
As Circuit City goes under, they're even selling their employee polo shirts. Something to remember them by, I suppose. Perhaps one day as the Kozmo delivery bag. These would be a great buy for Improv Everywhere, if, you know, there was still a Circuit City in which to do performance art.
Posted by mark at 9:41 AM. Permalink: Signs of the Econopocalypse
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USB Truck
Promotional USB drives come in many cool shapes, like robots, cartoon characters and crocodiles. Or you can do them custom overseas in any shape you like. USB drives have also been getting cheaper and cheaper over the years, while having bigger memory capacities. Now, these two trends have come together in the form of USB Truck.
Posted by mark at 10:56 AM. Permalink: USB Truck
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Coat Hanger Promotion for Aguilera Perfume
Coat hangers have popped up in promotions from time to time. In this case, thousands of coat hangers carrying samples of Christina Aguilera's new perfume carry the message 'Sometimes, it's all you need to wear." A perfect tagline for an Aguilera-branded product, since most of the time, it really is about all she wears.
Posted by mark at 5:39 PM. Permalink: Coat Hanger Promotion for Aguilera Perfume
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Headvertising Returns
The New York Times was kind enough to do a feature on the return of headvertising. I guess folks down in New Zealand didn't realize that headvertising was old news here (and even here).
This time around, however, folks are also using temporary tattoos on eyelids, which is at least a new combination of stuff we've seen before in marketing and Indiana Jones.
Posted by mark at 8:40 AM. Permalink: Headvertising Returns
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Snowvertising!
We knew it would happen someday. Mankind already invented a machine to press logos into the sand on a beach, after all. Plus, people love carving logos out of ice. And what is snow? Tiny pieces of ham? No! It's tiny pieces of ice! Anyhow, in London, this logo was imprinted into the snow all over the place to promote Extreme, which is some kind of extreme sports channel in the UK.
Posted by mark at 11:33 AM. Permalink: Snowvertising!
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Magical Bagvertising
In this, our bajillionth post about bagvertising, we feature a clever, but probably really uncomfortable bag. The dummy handles hand to the sides while the user holds the bag with nigh invisible fishing line. Thus to onlookers, the bag looks like it is levitating when in fact it is slicing into the tender fingers of the person holding it.
Posted by mark at 4:44 PM. Permalink: Magical Bagvertising
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TD Bank Conserves Pen Goodwill
| Commerce Bank was well known for their promotional giveaways, particularly their pens. So, once they were renamed TD Bank, it was a smart move to put up posters like this one to remind people who they are. It'll be interesting to see if they continue to give out pens at the same pace. |  |
Posted by mark at 1:45 PM. Permalink: TD Bank Conserves Pen Goodwill
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Firefox T-shirts: Collect Them All
| Open source projects depend on a community of users and developers, and because supporters feel a sense of ownership over the project and its products, there tends to be a lot of dedication and pride. This of course, translates into people wanting to identify themselves as contributors, which in turn means lots of promotional t-shirts. Like these! |  |
Posted by mark at 1:49 PM. Permalink: Firefox T-shirts: Collect Them All
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Fiat Sun Shade Map
Cool car sun shades are something we've seen before. Here, Fiat promotes its navigation system with a custom car sun shade made to look like a map being held by a lost driver.
Posted by mark at 1:40 PM. Permalink: Fiat Sun Shade Map
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Hill Country Barbecue Promos
If you're at Hill Country Barbecue and can't eat another bite, you can pick up some cool Hill Country gear, like t-shirts and hats. Hopefully you'll get one that's been hanging out in the air to absorb some delicious barbecue aroma. Also notable, they actually print their logo in different sizes on their men's and women's shirts so whatever size you get the logo is actually an appropriate and aesthetically-pleasing size. Definitely the way to go if you're selling enough shirts, which I guess they are.
Posted by mark at 1:28 PM. Permalink: Hill Country Barbecue Promos
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Tillamook Cheese Promos
If there's anything that can compete with meat promos, it's cheese promos. In this case, these come from Tillamook Cheese in Oregon, which makes a great stop if you're driving from Portland to the coast.
Posted by mark at 12:48 PM. Permalink: Tillamook Cheese Promos
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Steve Madden Promotes Peace, Love, and (of Course) Shoes
What has turned out to be perhaps the hottest product of 2008, the reusable shopping tote, may well be the big promotional product of 2009 as well. They're handy, inexpensive and eco-friendly, and they make a great walking billboard for your brand. Footware brand Steve Madden is amongst the many going all out to make distinctive reusable shopping bags. If you've missed out on the bag buzz this year, get caught up:
- Disposable bag bans/taxes are considered or in New York and Los Angeles.
- The Wall Street Journal weighs in on reusable bags.
- The Japanese make them cute.
- And retail brands stumble over each other in a race to create the most desirable shopping bag.
Posted by mark at 11:04 AM. Permalink: Steve Madden Promotes Peace, Love, and (of Course) Shoes
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Seth Godin Action Figure
Seth Godin: marketing genius or guy who makes a living pointing out little mistakes that companies make? It's hard to say, but he does have his own action figure. Of course, that alone does not make you a genius.
Posted by mark at 1:58 PM. Permalink: Seth Godin Action Figure
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Tiny Joker
Posted by mark at 2:13 PM. Permalink: Tiny Joker
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Also at the Open
| Also spotted at the US Open this year was this tennis-ball themed fan. This tennis fan from Lexus made the perfect giveaway for thousands of tennis fans at the Open. It's a great example of how a tangible product can be used to get the most out of a high-profile, expensive partnership. This inexpensive fan is cost-effective enough to give away to everyone, but also serves as a memento from the event, making it more likely to be saved - and seen - after the Open itself is over. |  |
Posted by mark at 1:15 PM. Permalink: Also at the Open
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American Express Sponsors Fifth Consecutive US Open
American Express went out of its way to show that cardmembership does indeed have its privileges. This year, they gave our portable radios on lanyards to anyone who was carrying an Amex card at the Open. The promotion had a double impact: making cardmembers feel appreciated and getting non-cardmembers curious.
Posted by mark at 9:21 PM. Permalink: American Express Sponsors Fifth Consecutive US Open
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Good Morning
See, this makes more sense to me. Incidentally, as Starbucks has stumbled with their brand and McDonald's has made more aggressive inroads into the coffee business, can you imagine the environmental impact if everyone switched to reusable mugs rather than disposable cups? It'll happen eventually, but probably shortly after we chop down our last tree.
Posted by mark at 1:53 PM. Permalink: Good Morning
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Old-timer Cruise Gift Bags
| This August, Derek Jeter hosted a special cruise to commemorate the final New York Yankees Old-timers Game to be held in Yankee Stadium. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, full of some of the greatest players ever on the Yankees' roster, so you'd better believe the goody bag was a home run. Plenty of baseball themed promos were included, like souvenir mini baseball bats and a commemorative Yankee Stadium baseball cap. |  |
Posted by mark at 3:17 PM. Permalink: Old-timer Cruise Gift Bags
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Tech That: Grab Bag
Why do tech companies love to use promos? If they're web-based, it may be just about the closest thing they have to a tangible product. Also, though it does seem a bit ironic, conferences and other events are very important places for tech professionals to connect. Given the importance of early adopters, and the fact that particular areas may have relatively small communities where people are involved and innovating, individuals matter, and promotional products can be a great way of reaching them. To start things off, here are some promos from Search Influence, including both traditional items like promo t-shirts, but also some more unique items, like a printed guide they wrote.
Here, via Schwag Addict, we have some of those chattering teeth from Big Mouth Media, a classic example of tying in your promo to your company name, which works nicely if your name is Big Mouth.
Canvas Systems gave out these mint tins. Canvas positions themselves as a green hardware supplier, dealing in used and refurbished equipment. I suppose the mint tin itself is a piece of reusable hardware.
I can has cheezburger magnets. Because we'll never get tired of LOLcats, and because, being on a website, they officially qualify as "tech-related." But where is the set of alphabet refrigerator magnets with no S, only Z?
Dapper gave out this handy credit card USB drive to various schwag fanatics:
DivX apparently gives out notebooks, which is nice, although seemingly unrelated to video codecs:
Compete, an online competitive analysis tool, has created this convenient offline competitive drinking tool:
Episodic helps producers monetize videos on the web. I wonder if they gave away these items all at once, or in installments:
Internet marketing firm Get Updated gave out these magically expanding wipes, and took full advantage of the full-color, full-bleed package imprinting to create a special offer right on the product:
Text link broker Linkworth gave out some Sonic Rocks. Although they can get really annoying after prolonged exposure, they are a great way get attention at a trade show or event because they combine motion and sound:
This embroidered shirt from blogging platform Movable Type shows the hip (pun intended?) new place to embroider a logo subtly, the back of the left hip:
Onward Search Marketing went with the magnifying glass, which I have to say is less and less clever as a search marketing givewaway:
One of the biggest challenges when choosing a giveaway is to find something useful that people don't already have, that's nice enough to keep and use but affordable to you. This headphone winder thingy from soloSEO (via schwagaddict.com) pretty much fits the bill. I'm sure not everyone would want it, but many people have headphones and may find it useful:
Slifter uses a tape measure to convey their value proposition of measurable mobile marketing, which is a nice tie-in that hasn't been overdone:
And let's just finish up with a purple cow, or purple steer, I guess, from Steak Media.
Actually, wait, one more thing, some friends from Utterz for the Steak Media bull:
Posted by mark at 8:58 AM. Permalink: Tech That: Grab Bag
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Tech That: Google Goodies
When it comes to schwag, search giant Google has a tendency to live up to their big reputation. They have fun with their name, they have fun with their logo, and they're not afraid to use lots of color. They also find the right products for unusual events. In this case, tons of promotional camping tents for an event they do as a part of Google Campfire One, a series where they invite developers to the Google campus.
Also from Google Campfire One, a folding camp chair:
And, what office would be complete without a bunch of rainbow-colored bean bag chairs?
The Google traffic cone (and hat?) is a bit more confusing:
While the Google logo Leatherman is perfect for Hardware Operations:
This Google lab coat and safety goggles were sent out as part of an invitation to an event at Google:
And here's a really cool light-up, rocket-shaped pen (via schwagaddict.com):
Posted by mark at 11:48 AM. Permalink: Tech That: Google Goodies
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Tech That: Wordpress Promos
| Here's a great shot of some Wordpress stickers and promotional buttons, in a range of colors that is both diverse, but also relatively subdued and harmonious. This is actually quite fitting, since blogging CMS software like Wordpress is largely responsible for making it much easier for normal folks to create relatively nice looking sites from a variety of templates. Lord only knows what the equivalent Geocities buttons would have looked like, but I'm sure they would have . |  |
Posted by mark at 1:03 PM. Permalink: Tech That: Wordpress Promos
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Tech That: Yahoo, Searchmonkey and Flickr
Well, we might as well feature Yahoo! and their subsidiaries while they're still around. There are many things we know about these folks. They like having fun. They like cookies. They like schwag. So it's fitting that we've got a bunch of goofy stuff from them. Like this Searchmonkey mask:
And this screen cap from the flickr HQ office olympics:
What happens to your monitor if left unattended:
A nice shot of one of the original flickr buttons:
Someone opening a flickr lens cleaner they received in the mail:
And an awesome flickr beer stein:
Plus, we can't leave Yahoo! itself out. Here's an ice sculpture:
The top of a green taxi cab sitting on a cubicle:
A soccer trophy:
A jet airplane:
And a rocket ship:
Posted by mark at 10:29 AM. Permalink: Tech That: Yahoo, Searchmonkey and Flickr
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Tech That: Webtrends Magnets
Webtrends is a web-analytics software service and I'm guessing these magnets correspond to the buttons or iconography of their software interface. The flash in this photo has washed out the tagline on the case, but I believe it has something to do with attracting visitors to your web site. You know, magnetically.
Posted by mark at 6:43 PM. Permalink: Tech That: Webtrends Magnets
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Whole Lotta Yahoo!
After fighting off a Microsoft takeover and partnering up with Google, Yahoo! has just done another corporate reorganization in order to remain viable. Will shaking things up in the corporate offices be enough to keep them afloat? Who knows. In the meantime, we might as well post photos of lots of Yahoo! promos.
Here are what seem to be bomb-like candles from an event:
Here we have what is apparently more-or-less the Yahoo! version of the Staples easy button, done as a direct mail promotion:
Here we show Yahoo! promotional folding chair, with it's diminutive sibling:
Not to be left out, we have a royal purple Yahoo! couch, presumably photographed at their offices:
Here are some promos for flickr, which is probably Yahoo's most beloved site, and Yahoo! Shortcuts, which I never really heard of before:
One of the most interesting items is this flower arrangement, done by Infosys, the Indian technology outsourcing firm, to celebrate the anniversary of their partnership with Yahoo:
And here we've got a whole bunch of Yahoo! promos including a little hula dancing doll:
Will these promos be the Kozmo messenger bag of the future? Only time will tell.
Posted by mark at 11:06 AM. Permalink: Whole Lotta Yahoo!
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Yahoo Searchmonkey Cookies
When in doubt, try attracting software developers with caffeine or sugar. Yahoo! decided to go with sugar to promote their Open Development Platform, Searchmonkey. In this case, they used the new Mrs. Field's logo cookies, which can actually be printed on, in full color. Delicious, and visually striking!
Posted by mark at 2:34 PM. Permalink: Yahoo Searchmonkey Cookies
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Bagvertising: Canderel Backpack Cinches Up
Okay, so we've done a lot of posts about bagvetising, but this one's pretty good, if you can get over the fact that it's so shallow. Basically, by cinching up the bag, you can make the "waistline" smaller, which is something you can apparently also do by using aspartame-based Canderel instead of sugar. Unfortunately, instead of six-pack abs in "thin" mode, you basically get stretch marks.
Posted by mark at 7:36 AM. Permalink: Bagvertising: Canderel Backpack Cinches Up
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Awesome Foamee Promos
Foamee is a web site that tracks who you owe a beer or coffee, and here are some cool promos they've done, including promotional stickers and very useful I.O.U. beer coasters. It's nice to see some promos that can help people use the site!
Posted by mark at 9:32 AM. Permalink: Awesome Foamee Promos
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Google Campfire Chair
So, Google does a thing called Campfire One where they invite developers over to Google, share ideas and make s'mores. The perfect promo for such an event? Probably the custom imprinted folding chair, which is exactly what they did.
Posted by mark at 8:21 PM. Permalink: Google Campfire Chair
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High-flying Promos
Here's a classy promotional pen from when flying was cool, from the airline that more-or-less defined the coolness of air travel:
And here are some nifty luggage tags from the airline that's trying to redefine cool air travel. Small touches, like luggage tags that are nicer than the standard paper and elastic ones, can actually go a long way:
Posted by mark at 5:58 PM. Permalink: High-flying Promos
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Rangers Rally Towel
The rally towel is an interesting promo. Apparently, it dates back to a Vancouver Canucks hockey game. After what he thought was an unfair call, Coach Roger Neilson tied a towel to a spare hockey stick and began waving it as a sarcastic surrender statement. Neilson was fined, but the towels were a hit and a local businessman printed up and several thousand with proceeds going to charity. It's been with us ever since. Here is a surprisingly mustard-free, Sabrett-sponsored New York Rangers rally towel. It makes a great keepsake after the game, you can keep it with your Nathan's stadium cup and your Hebrew National clappers.
Posted by mark at 9:04 AM. Permalink: Rangers Rally Towel
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Iconic Envelope Makes for Catchy T-shirt
Promotional t-shirts: practically every business, school and organization in the world has done them, but how many are really cool or really clever? This shirt, created for a FedEx campaign, makes it look like the wearer is carrying a FedEx envelope around. It actually reminds me of the vintage Nike t-shirt that looked like you had a pair of Air Jordans slung over your shoulder. Anyhow, I like it.
Posted by mark at 3:35 PM. Permalink: Iconic Envelope Makes for Catchy T-shirt
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They're Grrrrizzate!
Silly rabbit, Trix are for thugs! Under the Hood shows us that nothing says street smart like sugared cereal cartoon mascots in this magically delicious photo set. (via Metafilter)
Posted by mark at 4:02 PM. Permalink: They're Grrrrizzate!
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Bear Market: Classy Note Holder
| When Bear Stearns went under, my natural tendency was to poke fun at them. But on the flip side, they did do some nice promotional gifts. Here's one that's up for sale an eBay, a nice desktop note holder from Cutter & Buck. When you're targeting high net worth investors, you'd better make sure your business gifts are desktop-worthy. |  |
Posted by mark at 10:03 AM. Permalink: Bear Market: Classy Note Holder
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More from SXSW: Button Collection
Who knew going to South by Southwest could put you well on your way to being the next Ramblin' Rod? When I was a kid, I really loved that guy, and his button encrusted sweater. Anyhow, yes, promotional buttons are great for both rock bands and politicians.
Posted by mark at 9:17 AM. Permalink: More from SXSW: Button Collection
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Car Thief Sun Shade Works for Insurance Company
Here's an interesting promotion done by a Dutch insurance company. They made customized car sun shades that featured a robber stealing a car stereo. Their tagline was "Just Call Us" to promote the ease with which they handle claims. Passersby had reason to take a moment to think about their vulnerability and choice in insurance companies. (via Direct Daily)
Posted by mark at 6:46 AM. Permalink: Car Thief Sun Shade Works for Insurance Company
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Rug Makes Touareg Promotion Rustic
When Volkswagen wanted to promote their Touareg SUV, they used a southwestern motif, including these custom woven floor mats designed to look like southwestern rugs. No word if they got Clint Eastwood to wear one as a poncho.
Posted by mark at 8:38 PM. Permalink: Rug Makes Touareg Promotion Rustic
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Doormat Flip-flops
Here's a really gorgeous execution of customized punch out flip-flops, which serves as a gorgeous welcome mat, and some very functional footware. Most importantly, if you use this doormat properly, YOU WILL NEVER BE WANDERING AROUND LOOKING FOR YOUR FLIP-FLOPS! Why? Because they'll be stuck back in the doormat when you're not using them. This is genius. (via Direct Daily)
Posted by mark at 10:59 AM. Permalink: Doormat Flip-flops
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Onion Swagology: Fraggle Snack
The Onion for dessert:
Item: Fraggle Rock Earth Day "dirt dessert" kit
Promoting: Season two of Fraggle Rock on DVD
Relevance to product promoted: Elliptical at best: Fraggles live in underground burrows, Earth Day is about the Earth, burrows and the Earth both involve dirt. It kinda all sorta fits together. Oh, whatever; there's sugar involved.
Item quality: 3. The kit consists of a little metal bucket with a poorly taped-on Fraggle Rock label, a box of chocolate pudding, a bag of Gummi worms, and a couple of little plastic Fraggle Rock characters. There's also an "Earth Day tip" recipe for "Fraggle Rockin' Dirt Dessert," a brown, lumpy, earth-like confection made by mixing pudding, crushed Oreos, and frozen Gummi worms in a pail. Kinda gross, but potentially tasty. Will it help save the environment, or make people feel kindly toward singing, dancing Muppets? Probably not, but it isn't likely to hurt either one either.
Posted by mark at 11:42 AM. Permalink: Onion Swagology: Fraggle Snack
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Onion Swagology: Dazed and Cuffed
The Onion takes it direct to video:
Item: Ridiculously flimsy plastic handcuffs
Promoting: Wedding Daze, a Jason Biggs movie originally slated to hit theaters in August 2007, then bumped unpromisingly and unceremoniously to a straight-to-DVD release
Relevance to product promoted: Depends on how often Biggs' character and the woman he randomly proposes to (Isla Fisher) engage in light bondage with shoddy materials.
Item quality: 1. These things wouldn't restrain a mildly determined toddler, which by the way is probably illegal and you shouldn't attempt to prove us wrong.
Posted by mark at 3:37 PM. Permalink: Onion Swagology: Dazed and Cuffed
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Onion Swagology: Disturbia Home Confinement Kit
The Onion gets an ancient Twinkie:
Item: Disturbia Home Confinement Kit
Promoting: The theatrical release of the teen Rear Window remake Disturbia
Relevance to product promoted: Creepy. In the film, surly Shia LaBoeuf is confined to his home for several months after punching an obnoxious teacher, and he whiles away the days with all-night voyeurism and weird projects like building an elaborate Twinkie tower. The kit includes a Twinkie, a can of Red Bull (for staying awake while spying on your neighbor to see if he's a serial killer), and a pair of cheap binoculars.
Item quality: 4. The binocs aren't too impressive, but the Twinkie and Red Bull are presumably the real thing. We'll have to wait until we get home-confined to find out. (Note: We will not be eating the Twinkie. It has an expiration date of March 2000. Who even knew that Twinkies were capable of expiring?)
Posted by mark at 11:04 AM. Permalink: Onion Swagology: Disturbia Home Confinement Kit
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Great Vacation Spot, Eh?
Well, perhaps Nine Inch Nails did do it first, but Canada is still gets points for being innovative with their USB flash drive tourism campaign. The red promotional flash drives were left in public places and contained an electronic brochure promoting Canada as a great tourist locale.
Posted by mark at 7:06 AM. Permalink: Great Vacation Spot, Eh?
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Don't Squeeze the Promos: Charmin
| For the second year in a row, toilet paper brand Charmin has given New York shoppers a little relief while also showcasing their latest product offerings. Quite the showroom for a hands-on experience. |  |
Posted by mark at 4:10 PM. Permalink: Don't Squeeze the Promos: Charmin
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Don't Squeeze the Promos: Dulcolax
| In this German outdoor promotion, best selling laxative brand Dulcolax intimates that it does deliver on its value proposition. |  |
Posted by mark at 3:59 PM. Permalink: Don't Squeeze the Promos: Dulcolax
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Drunken Steps Lead to New Wine Bar
Here's a cute promotion to raise awareness of a new wine bar: the traditional path of footsteps, implemented in "drunken style." (Or Family Circus Billy style.)
Posted by mark at 1:37 PM. Permalink: Drunken Steps Lead to New Wine Bar
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So Scary You'll Be Sweating?
| How scary is the new 3D Beowulf movie? Apparently so scary you'll need to wipe the sweat from your brow, hence these Beowulf promotional sweatbands. Speaking of which, somehow, through the strange machinations of style and popular culture, these have been a really popular item this year. Will it be leg warmers in 2008? |  |
Posted by mark at 1:21 PM. Permalink: So Scary You'll Be Sweating?
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Vitamin Water In-store Promotion
| Somehow I neglected to feature this promotion from a couple months ago when the folks from Vitamin Water camped out at the deli around the corner from our office to educate and promote. In addition to free samples of their electrolyte-laden product, they also had some cool promo products to give away including a compact mirror, promotional lip balm and some custom promotional stickers. |  |
Posted by mark at 12:38 PM. Permalink: Vitamin Water In-store Promotion
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Elf Promotion Gets Shoppers into Christmas Spirit
| TJ Maxx put on an elf-themed promotion in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York to get shoppers excited about Christmas. The promotion included mobile window displays, a whole street team decked out as elves and wacky present backpacks that featured windows showing the hot gift items within. Is there sugar in syrup? |  |
Posted by mark at 12:28 PM. Permalink: Elf Promotion Gets Shoppers into Christmas Spirit
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Shopping Bags as Fashion, and Billboards
In the New York Times there's a great article about the showdown between popular high-fashion stores to have the best branded shopping bags. Working with top designers and cutting edge materials, they realize that a durable, fashionable shopping bag makes a great billboard for their brand. Increasingly, a quality bag gets reused over and over, acting as a walking billboard. According to the article: Its an unspoken goal, said Terron E. Schaefer, senior vice president for marketing at Saks, which just redesigned its bags to be sleeker and heftier. We want people to keep the bag. Check out the article to see a few of this season's "it" bags!
Posted by mark at 4:28 PM. Permalink: Shopping Bags as Fashion, and Billboards
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Lonely Airline Bag
| This lonely airline bag was literally seen on the street near my house. Although it eventually was tossed out by its owner, it seems to have lasted decades. To me that's some serious longevity for a promotion. In fact, any time a promo lasts long enough to become a vintage promo, I think the advertiser got their money's worth. |  |
Posted by mark at 11:31 AM. Permalink: Lonely Airline Bag
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Afrotizing: Okay, We Get the Idea.
Stop the presses: big, bushy bushes look like big, bushy afros! It isn't genius at this point, but it's a cute idea, so we'll let it slide.
Posted by mark at 10:30 PM. Permalink: Afrotizing: Okay, We Get the Idea.
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Death Proof Promotion: Gory, Yet Effective
This guerrilla promotion for the DVD release of the movie Death Proof is gory, attention-getting and totally appropriate for the movie it promotes. If you need 'em, we do have plenty of body part promos.
Posted by mark at 4:56 PM. Permalink: Death Proof Promotion: Gory, Yet Effective
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NASCAR Champions Week 2007 in New York
This week has been NASCAR Champions Week, so there have been loads of Nascar-related promotions around the city. We've sent our interep intern, Michael Mitrevsky, out into the streets to cover the event. Below are a couple promotional items he picked up in TImes Square while hanging out with the Office Depot car. Here's some video coverage of some Aflac promotions as well.
Posted by mark at 12:12 PM. Permalink: NASCAR Champions Week 2007 in New York
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Hot Out of the Oven: Domino's Delivery Carriers
Here's a clever promotion that needs no explanation. The message was so obvious pizza oven pizza carriers didn't even feature a tagline. Of course, they're not afraid to do fancier, or more complicated promotions from time to time, like this totally insane couch. (via Direct Daily)
Posted by mark at 6:54 AM. Permalink: Hot Out of the Oven: Domino's Delivery Carriers
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Ring My M&M's
We've featured many promotions done with M&M's in the past, and this is a clever way for M&M's to promote themselves. This particular marketing campaign has the added value of making anyone wish more things in life were made out of M&Ms. (via Invisible Red)
Posted by mark at 6:48 AM. Permalink: Ring My M&M's
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Zipcar Hoodies Raise Awareness
| Zipcar is a handy service that allows carless folks like myself to rent cars by the hour whenever we need to go to Ikea. Much like Netflix, Zipcar is the kind of company that relies heavily on referrals from early adopters to build buzz. Luckily, because they can track usage patterns, they can easily find their brand evangelists and send them promotional sweatshirts! |  |
Posted by mark at 11:35 AM. Permalink: Zipcar Hoodies Raise Awareness
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More Air Freshener Schwag
If you can identify what type of car a bunch of engine-looking type pieces are from, you can win some cool promos from Little Tree, a producer of those little tree shaped car air ffresheners. Perhaps the coolest are the greeting cards in the shape of those little tree shaped air fresheners. Their strategy of sending promos to blogs seems to be generating some welcome online attention!
Posted by mark at 1:45 PM. Permalink: More Air Freshener Schwag
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Cool Promos for Toy Car Fans
Ninco, a manufacturer of toy cars, has added some great promotional items to their repetoire, and even got featured on the blog Slot Car News, which I guess features news about this kind of thing. They seem to have made some good picks as far as merchandise: a nice promotional cap so fans can brand themselves and a cool carrying case for their product!
Posted by mark at 10:58 AM. Permalink: Cool Promos for Toy Car Fans
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New Google Promo Lip Balm
google wants to make all the world's information searchable, while not being evil. They also seem to care deeply about making sure we are well hydrated, our lips remain unchapped, and keeping key communities happy. They also don't mind having a little fun. (via Search Engine Land)
Posted by mark at 10:53 AM. Permalink: New Google Promo Lip Balm
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A Little Eco: ABC Family Promotes 25 Days of Christmas with Reusable Shopping Bags
| ABC Family is promoting their "25 Days of Christmas" programming by handing out 60,000 reusable shopping bags in highly-trafficked shopping areas. Street teams are decked out in branded red promotional fleece, hats and scarves. According to senior marketing vice president John Rood, 展e want to try to get the attention not only of viewers, but our cable and satellite and affiliates partners and Web visitors." (via Promo Magazine) |  |
Posted by mark at 12:41 PM. Permalink: A Little Eco: ABC Family Promotes 25 Days of Christmas with Reusable Shopping Bags
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More Mac Shirts to Commemorate Leopard
| Nothing like some clever t-shirts to keep Mac fans happy. In this case, I believe they are not actually Apple-produced shirts, but rather once created by a 3rd party to celebrate the recent Leopard launch. Included: a clever "Hasta La Vista" dig at the new Windows operating system. |  |
Posted by mark at 8:18 AM. Permalink: More Mac Shirts to Commemorate Leopard
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Wipervertising
Guerrilla marketing isn't just for the dogs, as these cat-themed promotions prove. While this is just one of many clever things advertisers have done to cars, it's the first I've seen that takes advantage of the wipers like this. (via ad goodness)
Posted by mark at 1:53 PM. Permalink: Wipervertising
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Panther Dog Tags
| In honor of Apple's OS X Leopard launch, I might as well just feature all the Apple promos I have in my secret stash. Here are some promotional dog tags that were done to accompany the Panther launch a few years ago. |  |
Posted by mark at 5:07 PM. Permalink: Panther Dog Tags
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Stuffed Leopard Promos for Mac Fans
Selling 2 million copies of their latest operating system in just 5 days, Apple has demolished their previous sales records with OS X Leopard. Could it be the 300 new features? The "halo effect" that's turned iPod and iPhone users into Mac users? Or perhaps promotional stuffed animals? This leopard was given away with Leopard, with a tag featuring a tiger, a reference to the previous version of the OS, Tiger.
Posted by mark at 2:10 PM. Permalink: Stuffed Leopard Promos for Mac Fans
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Transforming Cars into Promos
Here's a clever laundry detergent campaign that uses a flyer for the detergent brand that says "Reclaim your lost white." The flyers are placed on dirty white cars with t-shirt shapes drawn in the dust. And it's not the first time cars have been coopted into a promotional campaign. (via Direct Daily)
Posted by mark at 3:31 PM. Permalink: Transforming Cars into Promos
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Formula Toothbrush Toothpick Promo
Here's an attention getting promo: toothbrush brand Formula created oversize toothpick-holder versions of their toothbrush and left them on tables at restaurants and food courts. It's not a huge conceptual leap to understand that toothbrushes and toothpicks both help you keep your teeth clean, but I think it is guaranteed to make a lasting impression. Now I'd like to see a toothpick manufacturer create some promotional toothbrushes! (via Direct Daily)
Posted by mark at 12:00 PM. Permalink: Formula Toothbrush Toothpick Promo
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Asthma & Allergy Clinic Balloon: Promo That Blows
Here's a great use of promotional ballons: business cards for a doctor who specializes in asthma and allergies. Basically, promotional balloons are good for anything that involves air.
Posted by mark at 4:16 PM. Permalink: Asthma & Allergy Clinic Balloon: Promo That Blows
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Apple Waterbottle Giveaway on Unofficial Blog
| Apple fans just can't get enough, so once they already own all the actual apple gadgets, it's time to bust out the schwag. That's what TUAW did, giving away this Apple promotional water bottle. And if you're a bigger fan of Google, no fear, they make plenty of their own water bottles. |  |
Posted by mark at 2:40 PM. Permalink: Apple Waterbottle Giveaway on Unofficial Blog
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Cola Emergency
I have very little info about this guerrilla promotion for Coca Cola, but the person who posted the photo described it as "Doctor Thirstbuster with his refreshing nurses to the rescue of the thirsty shopper!"
Posted by mark at 2:49 PM. Permalink: Cola Emergency
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Wake Up and Smell the...Sewer?
| This clever promotion done for Folgers coffee uses giant decals to transform steaming manhole covers into steaming cups of coffee. This particular promotion has gotten a lot of attention on the web (and presumably on the street as well). While I love the creativity, it is a little unclear that a promotion like this would make me more likely to drink coffee (I don't need a reminder) or to drink Folgers. Then again, I may not be the target audience. It does make me think of Folgers as a cooler brand. |  |
Posted by mark at 6:43 PM. Permalink: Wake Up and Smell the...Sewer?
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Blood Bag Drives Donations for Red Cross
We've done lots of posts about how something as simple and inexpensive as a paper or plastic bag can make a big impact as a promotional product. The humble imprinted bag can raise awareness about things as diverse as autism, pain relief, nail biting and fitness. Still, it never hurts to add one more example, so here we have a custom printed plastic bag that promotes blood donation done for the Red Cross.
Posted by mark at 11:15 AM. Permalink: Blood Bag Drives Donations for Red Cross
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Life Jacket Promotion Raises Titanic Awareness
| When Denver's Museum of Natural History wanted to draw attention to their Titanic exhibit, they took to the streets with a rather unusual promotional product: life jackets. They placed life jackets on statues in Denver parks with information about the exhibit. |  |
Posted by mark at 7:19 AM. Permalink: Life Jacket Promotion Raises Titanic Awareness
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Thinking Out of the Banker's Box
Here are a few promos that were given out by Commerce Bank at the Pleasantville Music Festival this weekend. We've featured other examples of fun bank promos designed to counter the perception that banks are stodgy and uptight. At any rate, these promotional beach balls and foldable flyers are perfect for an outdoor festival and very kid-friendly.
Posted by mark at 11:29 AM. Permalink: Thinking Out of the Banker's Box
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W Hotels Promotional Etch-a-Sketch
| Forget your laptop, next time you're at a W Hotel, you may be lucky enough to use the original tablet PC. Having a promotional Etch-A-Sketch in your room, W can remind you that even though you're there on business, it's okay to have a little fun after your meetings. Now if only they started making them with Bluetooth. |  |
Posted by mark at 6:55 AM. Permalink: W Hotels Promotional Etch-a-Sketch
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The Cruel, Cruel World of Dogvertising
This time, it isn't advertising on dogs, but advertising to dogs. By tricking them with a sticker that looks like food. I'm calling the ASPCA.
Posted by mark at 10:18 AM. Permalink: The Cruel, Cruel World of Dogvertising
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Promotional Stickers Reduce Paper Waste
These promotional stickers are designed for use on the glass of a copier machine. Copies made on the machine post stickering remind the user to "please use both sides and recycle after." Created for a non-profit organization, Treat Every Environment Special (TREES), the stickers drove traffic to their awareness-raising website and recipients reported 17% reduction in paper usage in offices where the stickers were used (via I Believe in Adv)
Posted by mark at 7:45 AM. Permalink: Promotional Stickers Reduce Paper Waste
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iWipes Are Real
After featuring a couple iMaginary Apple products, here are iWipes, which seem to be an honest to goodness real product. My guess would be that they're pretty much like an eyeglass cleaner that has been dye sublimated to feature a full color image of the iPhone. I would imagine it works about as well as whatever shirt I happen to be wearing.
Posted by mark at 4:07 PM. Permalink: iWipes Are Real
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Nintendo Promotion
Here's an interesting promotion that combines several things we've covered here: the Nintendo Wii, making art with post-its, and promotions that involve people pulling something from a public billboard. (via Marketing Alternatif)
Posted by mark at 9:44 AM. Permalink: Nintendo Promotion
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I Waited in Line for a Week and All I Got Was This iPhone...and This Bag
I actually didn't get an iPhone, but someone else did. And when they did, they also got this promotional messenger bag featuring both AT&T and Apple branding on it. Even affordable messenger bags are typically not a consumer-level gift with purchase promo, but if you think about the $500-600 phone price, plus the price of the service contract, it starts making more sense. More importantly, by giving it to early adopters, you've targeted the audience most likely to evangelize for your product, and generating positive word of mouth is always worthwhile.
Posted by mark at 9:56 AM. Permalink: I Waited in Line for a Week and All I Got Was This iPhone...and This Bag
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Tiny Posters, Too!
In a follow-up to the tiny popcorn ipod promotion, we noticed that Apple also created tiny movie posters to go with their theme of movies in your pocket.
Posted by mark at 4:56 PM. Permalink: Tiny Posters, Too!
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Why Blink When You Can Wink?
Last time we were in St. Martin, we happened to be there during the Heineken Regatta. As far as I could tell, the race was more about having a good time than being a real competition, but it was nice to see the boats. With competition from various local Caribbean brands, the promotion is probably worthwhile to Heineken. Below is one of the promotional t-shirts they were giving out. The sentiment on all of the shirts was definitely more island than Teutonic.
Posted by mark at 7:38 AM. Permalink: Why Blink When You Can Wink?
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Notebook Makes Novel Promo
From Citi's "Live Richly' campaign, to this warm and fuzzy bank promo, it seems that the top branding priority for retail banks these days is to make people feel like banks aren't just about money. This campaign, by Nedbank in South Africa, uses custom imprinted notebooks to connect to their customers' creative side. "Everyone has a novel in them. Start yours." is printed on the first page, and the rest of the book is blank. There's no word yet on how many novels have been completed as a result of this promo, but it is a nice gift that has the potential to really connect on a personal level. Plus, the books are really useful for plenty of things besides novel-writing. (via Direct Daily)
Posted by mark at 10:35 AM. Permalink: Notebook Makes Novel Promo
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Tiny Popcorn Makes Big Impact for Video iPod Promotion
| Bigger isn't always better, particularly with handheld electronics. In this case, tiny promotional popcorn buckets made a big splash in South Africa as part of a video iPod promotion. The tagline on the popcorn was, appropriately, "iPod: Movies in your Pocket." It just goes to show that, from iPods to promos, good things do come in small packages. (via The Unofficial Apple Weblog and our art department manager James) |  |
Posted by mark at 10:06 AM. Permalink: Tiny Popcorn Makes Big Impact for Video iPod Promotion
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Ten Pounds of Carlsberg
Carlsberg beer created these irreverent promotional stickers. They use Queen Elizabeth's image on the ten pound note to bring attention to the quality of their beer. Hopefully Carlsberg doesn't have the same problems Fox and the Franklin Mint ran into with their Silver Surfer quarters.
Posted by mark at 9:02 AM. Permalink: Ten Pounds of Carlsberg
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Dent Magnets Scare and Promote
While I'm sure these tricky promotional magnets made a big impression on their unwitting recipients and probably made the desired impression regarding Volkswagen's dent-resistant cars, I really hope the benefits outweigh the risk of potentially frightening/angering the target audience into hating your brand. At the same time, Volkswagen has had outstanding advertising since before I was born, so I'm not going to pass judgment quite yet.
Posted by mark at 4:37 PM. Permalink: Dent Magnets Scare and Promote
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Microsoft adCenter Direct Mail...and That's All I Need
Microsoft is promoting adCenter, its pay-per-click service, with a great direct mail piece and a special offer for $100 in free clicks for 5 clients and 60 days of free support (the piece is targeted towards search marketers, it seems, more than in-house buyers). The packaging features "Search Master Steve" (totally unrelated to Grandmaster Flash), and the paddle ball game is branded as Search Master Steve's Smack-a-Goal Paddle Game: "See how many times you can hit your clients' paid search goals!" A nice effort, but can they compete with Google's clever promos? Let the (paddle ball) games begin!
Posted by mark at 6:07 PM. Permalink: Microsoft adCenter Direct Mail...and That's All I Need
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Balloon Makes Bubbly Promo for 7-up Comedy Tour
| This funny direct mail promotion was sent to journalists to generate some buzz for the 7-up Stand-up Comedy Tour. The promotional balloons were used to give writers a taste of how much fun the comedy tour would be: the balloons were filled with helium and a card was attached with instructions to inhale the helium and then read a message aloud. (via Direct Daily) |  |
Posted by mark at 2:06 PM. Permalink: Balloon Makes Bubbly Promo for 7-up Comedy Tour
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Maestro Limpio Makes Your Floor as Shiny as His Head
As they say, "location, location, location." In this case, it makes all the difference for what is essentially a sheet of clear plastic. This clever promo is designed to be slipped under the door to show you how shiny your floors would be if you used Maestro Limpio. (That's Mr. Clean to you.) For some related ideas we've featured in the past, check out this clever door-based promo, and this promo that is basically just a flat piece of plastic, but still rocks.
Posted by mark at 9:26 AM. Permalink: Maestro Limpio Makes Your Floor as Shiny as His Head
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Juxtapositioning Brand, Product and Message
A promo mousepad with just text is typically not going to be a groundbreaking promotion, but this one isn't half bad. Despite the simplicity, they've juxtaposed their branding with their message. Visually the mousepad is plain and recognizably uses The Economist's color, logo and font, while the message itself is more irreverent than one might expect. It does a good job explaining the value proposition of The Economist and draws attention to the fact the magazine actually does have more of a sense of humor than one might expect from a magazine named The Economist.
Posted by mark at 9:39 AM. Permalink: Juxtapositioning Brand, Product and Message
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Fuzzy Postcards Promote Feline Adoption
Every year millions of dogs and cats are put to sleep because there are too many of them and not enough people willing to adopt them. This unique direct mail piece is uniquely designed to tug at those heartstrings and increase pet adoption. Not only did the piece grab the attention of the recipients, it got the attention of the media as well. According to Direct Daily: "Within the first week of mailing, five articles had been written and a story was run on a local current affairs TV program (free coverage worth $85,000 from a mailing costing a total of $269)." Overall, a great showcase of how using promotional products in direct mail can increase effectiveness in a number of ways. (See also: direct mail promos for Vonage and Blackberry.)
Posted by mark at 9:31 AM. Permalink: Fuzzy Postcards Promote Feline Adoption
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Yahoo Promos Make it to the Beach
I've seen a lot of photos of promos that people have picked up at trade shows, often taken in the office or at home, so this photo of a Yahoo! promotional frisbee is a welcome break from the norm. The fact is, that a quality, well-chosen promo does get used and seen, which is what makes it effective advertising. And as you get ready for summer, it's worth noting that many of our best summer promo products are on sale right now.
Posted by mark at 10:46 AM. Permalink: Yahoo Promos Make it to the Beach
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Blurry Guinness Cans Promote Responsible Drinking
Most of the time, brands are loathe to fiddle with their logo, and for good reason. Brand consistency is a virtue because it makes your product and brand more recognizable. However, there are some times when messing with you logo can be a good thing. Just ask ooGleg, I mean Google. In this case, a blurry logo serves as a good reminder that Guinness is best enjoyed in moderation.
Posted by mark at 3:56 PM. Permalink: Blurry Guinness Cans Promote Responsible Drinking
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Socialight Stickers the Globe
At first I wasn't sure what to think of these photos, but I understand the logic behind them now. Socialight, a web startup that allows you to geo-tag sticky notes for your friends, is the brand in the stickers so they're using the promotional stickers as a metaphor for their product. I think that's a cool idea in principle, but I think you have to avoid exploiting people or desecrating religious statues.
Posted by mark at 9:21 AM. Permalink: Socialight Stickers the Globe
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US Catching Japanese Tissue Fever, Finally
| Tissues, tissues, tissues. I've posted about the ubiquitous Japanese promotional tissue many times over the years, and it looks like finally the US is catching on. Perhaps they could have done something a little more inspired with the creative, but they do deserve some credit for picking up on what is a really great promo item. (via The Advertising Lab Formerly Affiliated with MIT) |  |
Posted by mark at 9:16 AM. Permalink: US Catching Japanese Tissue Fever, Finally
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Xbox Pita Promo Is Absoultely Smashing
I don't know a lot of details about this one, but I can assume with some certainty that this promo was sent out to promote the video game Viva Pita, a "fantastic and magical place where pitas live, play, and dance." Apparently, in this game you "interact" with the pitas, watch them grow and "maintain harmony." This isn't exactly the kind of interaction I have in mind when I see a pita, but the promo is pretty cool nonetheless.
Posted by mark at 9:11 AM. Permalink: Xbox Pita Promo Is Absoultely Smashing
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Creative Bag Raises Awareness of Autism
| Images of this creative bag have surfaced around the web and it's definitely a worthy addition to some of my previous bagvertising posts. Thsi particular bag was created to raise awareness about autism and promote a program that helps children with autism, encouraging people to "reach out." |  |
Posted by mark at 5:07 PM. Permalink: Creative Bag Raises Awareness of Autism
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Blackberry Does Nice Direct Mail Promos, Too!
The Vonage direct mail promo I posted yesterday was pretty great, but so is this one to promote the Blackberry. I think one of the things that has made the Blackberry so successful, particularly in an area where a lot of other manufacturers weren't able to gain traction, is the actual feel of their product. I think part of why people find a blackberry usable is the feel in the hand and the ergonomics of using it (particularly the scroll wheel). If you manufacture a product, having a custom manufactured stress ball version of it can be a powerful sales tool. When projector manufacturer InFocus came out with a super-compact video projector, we actually created a life-size version of it out of foam to show people just how compact it was and the promo ended up being an incredibly successful sales tool.
Posted by mark at 9:16 AM. Permalink: Blackberry Does Nice Direct Mail Promos, Too!
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Cut Your Phone Bill in Half...Literally
Vonage wants to help you cut your phone bill in half...literally. This clever direct mail promotion includes a pair of promotional scissors and instructions on how to cut your phone bill, and the cost of your phone bill in half. A great example of a simple, effective promotion that uses an everyday item to really get a point across. Bonus points for making the outside of the package seem like "tool" for cutting your phone bill might be an installation CD, because it drives home the point that Vonage is easy to use and doesn't require any tech skills!
Posted by mark at 10:13 AM. Permalink: Cut Your Phone Bill in Half...Literally
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Google Chapstick...for Women
Here's another interesting Google promo, it's a promotional lip balm which seems to be geared specifically towards women. I know that Google has been involved with blogher, an organization that promotes women bloggers, so perhaps it was a tie in with their recent conference.
Posted by mark at 4:19 PM. Permalink: Google Chapstick...for Women
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Simple, Effective Small Business Promotion
Here's a simple, but effective promo we got from our neighborhood pharmacy. They had just switched to being open seven days a week, so a promotional calendar magnet was the perfect low-cost promo to remind people of the switch. It's just another example that shows you don't need a big budget or fancy products to convey a message effectively.
Posted by mark at 5:29 PM. Permalink: Simple, Effective Small Business Promotion
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So You Think You've Got a Lot of Promo Bags?
Perhaps you're planning a conference or trade show and you think you need to put together a lot of promo kits. The people putting together schwag bags for the SXSW music conference may disagree. According to the person who posted it, the photo below only shows about 1/16th of the total number of conference giveaway bags they put together. Those guys deserve a gold star!
Posted by mark at 3:45 PM. Permalink: So You Think You've Got a Lot of Promo Bags?
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Axe Stickers Take Advantage of Exit Signs
These promotional stickers. for Axe deodorant take advantage of existing exit signs to clever effect. It's actually very similar to a promotion done by Runner World magazine. Stickers are obviously one of the easiest ways to take advantage of existing features of the environment, although they're by no means the only way.
Posted by mark at 4:24 PM. Permalink: Axe Stickers Take Advantage of Exit Signs
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Google T-shirts: Helping Build a Top Ranking Brand?
When I say Google t-shirts, I'm not referring to the next beta product offering from Google. I'm talking about actual promotional t-shirts that have been used by Google over the years to build their brand with advertisers and content providers. According to Interbrand's annual survey of global brands, they seem to be working well enough to put Google in the top 25, despite the fact that some countries have strong local competitors in the search engine market. I recommend the reading Interbrand's report if you're interested in learning more about the power of brands and their methodology for assessing the value of a brand.
Posted by mark at 11:07 AM. Permalink: Google T-shirts: Helping Build a Top Ranking Brand?
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'08 Election Promos Show Up Early
| 2008 presidential election promotional products are already surfacing, including some grassroots promos like these "Bill Clinton - First Gentleman" promotional buttons, which I'm guessing weren't produced by Hillary Clinton's campaign. I do imagine that she approves the message. |  |
Posted by mark at 4:33 PM. Permalink: '08 Election Promos Show Up Early
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Microsoft Goes for Wow! with Windows Vista Promos
With the release of their first new operating system in years, Microsoft is promoting Windows Vista in a variety of media, emphasizing the "wow!" factor of their Aero user-interface. In many ways, I think it is a difficult new product launch to brand. Windows dominates both the home and office markets for operating system and productivity applications, so how do they convey both fun and practicality? In this case, they use a practical, black promotional messenger bag, with very subtle usage of their "Wow!" messaging (near the bottom of the bag, so small it isn't even readable in this photo). I can see the practicality, but I'm not sure I'm really feeling the "Wow!" This may be an example of a situation in which the message could have been conveyed more successfully with better product selection and imprinting. But, hey, don't shoot the messenger (bag).
Posted by mark at 9:32 AM. Permalink: Microsoft Goes for Wow! with Windows Vista Promos
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No AppleTV Yet, but Apple Lunch Boxes Are Here
I was a little disappointed to find out that my AppleTV is not going to ship for a few more weeks, but I did find this photo of some Apple lunch boxes on flickr. While promotional lunch boxes are a fairly popular item, the Apple brand itself may be even more powerful. As one commenter put it, "I kind of want one, but have absolutely no use for it."
Posted by mark at 1:21 PM. Permalink: No AppleTV Yet, but Apple Lunch Boxes Are Here
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Steal This Pen
The Ft. Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn has gotten exponentially less dangerous than it was fifteen years ago, but one local eatery is encouraging crime. Crimes of promotion, the most delicious of all crimes. I stole this pen last time I ate at Chez Oskar because I wanted to feature it on this blog. If you're running a restaurant, promotional pens are a real no-brainer. First, you want to have lots of pens around so your waitstaff aren't wasting time looking for one. Second, most of your business comes from local, repeat patrons, so getting your pen in their hands is a great way to encourage them to come back, or recommend your restaurant to their friends. In this case crime does pay, so steal the pen and take a bite out of dinner.
Posted by mark at 12:25 PM. Permalink: Steal This Pen
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Direct Mail That Cuts Through the Clutter
Here's a great direct mail promo sent by a real estate firm. If you think about the economics of real estate sales, it makes a lot of sense to invest in maintaining a relationship with your former clients. Based on the average value of a real estate commission and the average frequency with which your clients move, it's easy to calculate the appropriate budget to spend on maintaining a relationship with them. With lots of real estate promotional items to choose from, you may also increase the likelihood of getting referrals as well. Combining a letter and a promotional gift allows you to get your message across today and stay on their mind in the future.
Posted by mark at 10:45 AM. Permalink: Direct Mail That Cuts Through the Clutter
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Free Stuff Rocks, and You Don't Need a Big Budget to Get Creative
My better half prefers a toilet seat lid with retro decoupage, and when we ordered one, it came with this promo pack. True to the DIY ethos of the woman who creates the toilet seat lids, it's clearly hand assembled, but that's part of what makes it appropriate. The items, a spider-woman toy, a pink imprinted pen, and a cd of some of her favorite music from the era (I haven't listened, but my guess is rockabilly) all reinforce the brand she is building. Even though the packaging is just a ziplock with a hand-cut sticker on the front, it still creates a better experience for the recipient. It's suddenly not just a cd and a pen, but a whole bag of free stuff. And, as noted, "Free Stuff Rocks!" Basically, this is everything that makes a great promo, done well on a budget. Can even the smallest companies build brands that resonate with consumers? Of course. If you want to buy a custom toilet seat, head for Bucktooth Mama.
Posted by mark at 9:56 AM. Permalink: Free Stuff Rocks, and You Don't Need a Big Budget to Get Creative
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NYC Makes Valentine's Day Safer with Condom Giveaway
| If you're looking for a great case study in how a successful promotional giveaway can have powerful positive effects, you'll want to know about the safe sex promotion done by New York City. They started getting PR for their promotional condom giveaway program by sponsoring a contest for the package design. According to NYC Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden, "Brands work, and people use branded items more than they use unbranded items, whether it's a cola or even a medicine
Brands add value and increase use."
Next, they did a massive giveaway campaign on Valentine's Day, distributing 150,000 them around the city (New York distributes about 18 million condoms annually). Today, the subway-themed condoms appeared on the front page of AM New York a free daily paper distributed at many of the same places where the city was distributing condoms yesterday. It also got featured on the home page of the New York Times web site and countless other places. That's a huge amount of free promotion for their program, just for branding the same condoms they have already been giving away for years. For more information, visit their web site at nyccondom.org. |  |
Posted by mark at 9:29 AM. Permalink: NYC Makes Valentine's Day Safer with Condom Giveaway
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Japan's Top Promotional Giveaway, Part 2
As promised in an earlier post about Japanese promotional tissues here are some photos of some of the tissue packets I got while I was in Japan. While the general concept is the same, the tissue packets do differ a bit, including different sizes and printed inserts versus 4-color process printing on the plastic packaging itself. Promotional tissues are used by a wide variety of companies, from real estate to bars and restaurants. Since they're primarily distributed near high-traffic train or subway station exits, promoting businesses or real estate in the neighborhood people are entering makes a lot of sense. And, yes, in Tokyo pretty much all train stations are high-traffic.
Posted by mark at 10:13 AM. Permalink: Japan's Top Promotional Giveaway, Part 2
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Where Do You Run Your Ads?
With many traditional ad media failing to reach viewers as broadly or effectively as they used to, new forms of advertising are increasingly important to any brand with a message to deliver. Promotional products are certainly one form of advertising that cuts through in an advertising-cluttered world, and so are clever environmental ads (meaning ads in our everyday environment, not ads about environmental issues). Here's a great combo using promotional stickers and clever environmental placement to promote Runner World magazine. (via Marketing Alternatif)
Posted by mark at 9:13 AM. Permalink: Where Do You Run Your Ads?
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Anything Can Be Imprinted
Often when I am explaining what ePromos does I start by listing some of the common things we put logos on: pens, mugs, shirts and totes. Pretty much everyone is familiar with these things, but we offer thousands of different promotional items. I usually describe it as "everything that exists in the whole world, but with your logo on it," and that's pretty accurate. We imprint stuff that most people don't even think of as an item, much less as a marketing item. Case in point, a disposable pillowcase and sheet for a doctors office: a kid-friendly design and Children's Tylenol logo actually make the room a little cheerier and less threatening.
Posted by mark at 9:10 AM. Permalink: Anything Can Be Imprinted
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Promotional Balloons Make an Environmental Statement
Here's a creative way to use a promotional balloon to raise awareness about climate change. To create you must destroy, and sometimes to be creative with your promos the same principle applies. While this seems better than the fake tickets Kyle's dad was putting on SUV windshields in South Park, one could also argue that the litter from the balloons is also harmful to the environment. Let's hope they're biodegradable. (via Marketing Alternatif)
Posted by mark at 6:35 PM. Permalink: Promotional Balloons Make an Environmental Statement
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JAL New Year's Goodies
There are probably a few reasons to choose JAL when flying to Asia over a US airline, one of which is the food, which is generally better on JAL. Another reason is that they do nice stuff, like give you a little New Year's present if you happen to check in for a flight around New Year's. Sure, they only had a few chocolate coins inside them, but it's a nice touch. It's also worth noting that while the American films on the flight are generally less than stellar, they always seem to have a couple great Japanese movies available, which makes the 14 hour flight much more manageable.
Posted by mark at 2:16 PM. Permalink: JAL New Year's Goodies
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Yahoo Answers Gifts: Follow-up
I just wanted to do a quick follow-up on the Yahoo Answers holiday gifts, since images of the gifts received have started showing up on flickr. The images below feature the Level 4 gift, a promotional sports bottle, and the card and packaging that came with it. I think it's a good example of how to get the most out of an imprinted gift because they took the trouble to create packaging and a card that both featured the Yahoo! Answers branding, and I think that's important. When it comes to presents, presentation matters. At least, it does to me.
Posted by mark at 1:36 PM. Permalink: Yahoo Answers Gifts: Follow-up
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Promotional Marchandise in Bali
Beverage brands, particularly beer brands, tend to inspire a following and Bintang is no exception. Bintang, which is ubiquitous in Bali, even has a store in Kuta's main shopping area to sell promotional apparel, drinkware and other promo items to tourists. At least, I think it does. Kuta's main drag is chock full of stores selling bootleg designer fashions, and it's possible that this store is no exception. Misspelling the word merchandise on the signage doesn't exactly help, either. And even if it is legit, they still have to compete with thousands of stores and market stalls selling imitation Bintang t-shirts at cut-rate prices. On the plus side, the pervasiveness of the brand ensures that no one on the island is going to have any trouble remembering what to order when they get thirsty.
Posted by mark at 2:40 PM. Permalink: Promotional Marchandise in Bali
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Creative Clam Promo Targets Beachcombing Seafood Lovers
This clever promo washed up on the beach in Mumbai, India, where giant fake clam shells were left on a popular beach. Inside each clam is an advertisement for a seafood restaurant. The tagline reads "Looking for seafood?" While most promotional products tend to be useful items, this one shows how you can actually execute a successful promotion using a product without any intrinsic usefulness. They key here is that the promotion is visually very striking and the location, item and message all work together seamlessly. I've seen some buzz generated around this promotion online, and I can only imagine how much great word-of-mouth promotion it generated locally. (via How Advertising Spoiled Me)
Posted by mark at 8:51 AM. Permalink: Creative Clam Promo Targets Beachcombing Seafood Lovers
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Guinness Coaster: Good Things Come from Clever Optics
Here's a great use of a simple promotional product and a simple optical trick from Guiness. It's a custom drink coaster that reveals a message - "Good things come to those who wait." - reflected in the drinker's glass. When trying to reach a large audience, as B-to-C companies must, a low cost per impression is a budgetary necessity. Luckily, in a case like this, an inexpensive product can have a big impact. Even something as simple as a disposable coaster can become an interactive promo, or tie in to a larger campaign. Promos like this prove that when it comes to creating a successful promotion creativity can trump budget limitations, and clever imprinting can turn an everyday item into something more than meets the eye. (via the terrific Marketing Alternatif, which is probably even better if you know French)
Posted by mark at 10:05 AM. Permalink: Guinness Coaster: Good Things Come from Clever Optics
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Yahoo! Promotional Pants
I recently featured a great promotional gifts program from Yahoo Answers, as well as some Yahoo trade show giveaways, but pants? Who would have guessed? From the flickr caption, these are "Realtime Communications Team Pants" so I guess there from an internal employee promotion. The branding on the inside of the fly is subtle, or if it isn't, XYZPDQ.
Posted by mark at 11:43 AM. Permalink: Yahoo! Promotional Pants
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Promoting Arizona: Mobile Campaign Targets Cold Weather Cities
The Arizona Star reports that Tuscon is using a travelling street team, hot chocolate and promotional products to promote Arizona to the public in northern cities. The guerrilla marketing program includes tailgating at sporting events and promotion in a variety of places where a warmer climate probably sounds mighty nice about now. Brian Johnson, president of the Southern Arizona Lodging and Resort Association says, "Frequency in marketing is important. You don't want people to forget you. Anytime you put yourself out there, you're staying at the forefront of people's minds."
Posted by mark at 11:15 AM. Permalink: Promoting Arizona: Mobile Campaign Targets Cold Weather Cities
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Google Gifts 2007: Imprinted Digital Photo Frame
Google always seems to do a good job rewarding their top advertisers with holiday gifts and this year is no exception. in fact, it may be the best ever. Google doesn't mess around when it comes to colorful promos, or enticing giveaways, and they also do nice holiday gifts for their advertisers. In 2004, they gave away color-changing mood radios and in 2005 it was a nice usb travel kit. Common themes for Google goodies include use of their trademark multi-color palette and products that lean towards being techie, while still also fun.
For their gifts in particular, some additional touches typically include: nice packaging and multilingual messaging. If you want to be like Google, you can send out your very own digital photo frame gifts but you'd better hurry up if you want to do it for this holiday season!
Posted by mark at 7:11 AM. Permalink: Google Gifts 2007: Imprinted Digital Photo Frame
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More Video Game Promos: Matching Game Themes
| As hyper-realistic as they are, video games still aren't like the Matrix, so you getting injured in the game doesn't mean you get hurt in real life. But that doesn't make this promotional first aid kit any less cool as a promo for the Socom video game. Plus, imprinted candy eggs are a perfect tie in for Yoshi's Island. |  |
Posted by mark at 10:45 AM. Permalink: More Video Game Promos: Matching Game Themes
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Follow-up: Sony Is Doing Giveaways for the PS3 Launch
A couple days ago I wrote about the Sony PS3 launch as a great example of how to identify the folks who are most devoted to your brand and reward them. I was also hoping they wouldn't miss the opportunity to spread a little promotional love. Turns out, they did have teams in custom windbreakers handing out PS3 schwag to the devoted fans camped out to buy the consoles.
Posted by mark at 5:38 PM. Permalink: Follow-up: Sony Is Doing Giveaways for the PS3 Launch
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Video Game Wars: Promos in the Battle for Hearts and Minds
Cartman has traveled to the 25th Century in search of a Nintendo Wii, Sony is betting big on the Blu-ray equipped PS3, and Microsoft is promoting its new Xbox360. These events can only mean one thing: the next round of video game console wars. In what promises to be a heated competition, the right promos just might make a difference in the battle for hearts and minds. Below are some promos from a recent Microsoft press event to promote the Xbox360, including a promotional t-shirt, a headset and a keychain promoting one of their games. Will it be enough to beat out the competition? Only time will tell.
Posted by mark at 9:21 AM. Permalink: Video Game Wars: Promos in the Battle for Hearts and Minds
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Giveaway Meets Subway in Japanese Promo
ping mag, a Tokyo-based design magazine recently posted an article about ten subway based promotional tactics in Japan. This one, by Cannon, was quite unique. They set up a long poster in a Shibuya subway station and attached many small packets of free stuff to it. As the packets were removed, the poster behind them was revealed. Unfortunately, the packets only contained a brochure, which I would say makes this significantly less cool. A temporary tattoo would have added a lot to this promotion, and fit in with the creative on the poster.
Posted by mark at 10:02 AM. Permalink: Giveaway Meets Subway in Japanese Promo
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Promo Popcorn Gets Two Thumbs Up
| A promotional video is a great way to introduce a new product or service, but how do you get the right people to watch it? If you believe the old adage that the fastest way to a customer's wallet is through their stomach, try promotional popcorn. That's what HP did recently, and it's generating some positive attention. In their current promotion, they pair promo popcorn with the chance to get free movie tickets after watching their video, closing the loop between getting the customer's attention and getting them to complete the desired action. |  |
Posted by mark at 9:26 AM. Permalink: Promo Popcorn Gets Two Thumbs Up
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Pirate Booty
| Does your company name or brand feature an iconic object or image? This foam pirate ship was a giveaway from Pirate Capital, an investment firm. With a word like pirate in your company name, a promo like this would arrrguably be harrrrrd to resist. Plus, the recipients arrrrrr bound to remember your name. |  |
Posted by mark at 11:47 AM. Permalink: Pirate Booty
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Foxy Messenger Bag
While Microsoft is busy prompting people to download IE7 as a part of their system updates, some folks are actually downloading the new Firefox 2.0 release candidate entirely on our own volition. With a growing base of loyal users, it makes sense that they offer the opportunity to get a promotional messenger bag when you go to download the update. In an advertising-saturated world where word of mouth is more important than ever, it makes good sense to give your fans every possible chance to spread the word about your product. Forming a bond with early adopters can be the gateway to mainstream popularity.
Posted by mark at 4:38 PM. Permalink: Foxy Messenger Bag
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White Hat SEO? Matt Cutts Sees Hidden Text
| This is a great example of a promo that really hits the mark with its target audience. First, it's a play on the industry term "white hat" which refers to legitimate search engine marketing, but also uses a tone-on-tone embroidery on the cap to make another inside joke, because search engine spammers use text in the same color as the background of the page to stuff keywords onto a page that human users won't see. At any rate, it was clever enough to warrant a cameo in one of the videos Matt Cutts from Google put on line to clarify some of their quality control practices. |  |
Posted by mark at 10:45 AM. Permalink: White Hat SEO? Matt Cutts Sees Hidden Text
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From Center Court to the Streets of Midtown
| In New York, hot weather in August sends everyone on vacation, except tennis fans. If you are stuck in the city, you're bound to notice US Open promos all over the place. Practically any tennis promos you can imagine are being given away, sometimes by Maria Sharapova look-alike street teams. |  |
Posted by mark at 10:32 AM. Permalink: From Center Court to the Streets of Midtown
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Beach Branding
| Promos on the beach are hot this summer, with everything from beach umbrellas and promotional towels to beach bags and flip flops. One guerilla advertising firm even suggested "advertising messages delivered in bottles left on the beach by street teams posing as mermaids is another possibility." I would venture to argue that finding a message in a bottle, then realizing it was advertising, would be a bit of a disappointment, but I'm pro-mermaid. |  |
Posted by mark at 1:05 PM. Permalink: Beach Branding
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Raiders of the Lost Wallet
The lost wallet promo is something we've seen before, but it's not just for businesses anymore. The rather intricate fake lost wallet below actually contains religious tracts. I think greed may be one of those deadly sins, but I guess it could also save you.
Posted by mark at 11:34 AM. Permalink: Raiders of the Lost Wallet
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Gimme a 'P'!
Ilise from our merchandising department gave me this promotional pom-pom that Lifetime used to promote their Cheerleader Nation show. I think it may be the same colors as the ones in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video.
Posted by mark at 4:45 PM. Permalink: Gimme a 'P'!
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\b[each] \b[al*]
| Safe enough for the server room, but beach balls are really most fun at the beach. |
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Posted by mark at 11:10 AM. Permalink: \b[each] \b[al*]
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Nosey Cupvertising
If you can make creative shopping bags, why not do something cool with disposable cups? (via HOW ADVERTISING SPOILED ME)
Posted by mark at 1:19 PM. Permalink: Nosey Cupvertising
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Tiny Matches Update
| At the film festival I remember someone figuring out that Crumpler was a sponsor because they recognized the tiny matches. Lo and behold, Crumpler has their own tiny promotional matches. |
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Posted by mark at 1:12 PM. Permalink: Tiny Matches Update
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Brooklyn Underground Film Festival: Tiny Matches
| I got these tiny promotional matches at the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival. They're quite small, perhaps a bit dangerous due to their size, but also dangerously cute. |
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Posted by mark at 4:10 PM. Permalink: Brooklyn Underground Film Festival: Tiny Matches
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Foam Finger Actually as Low as $1.45
| Contrary to what one may believe based on this ad in the New York subway, foam fingers are actually available for significantly less than $5. In fact, they're as low as $1.45. And having a room full of people wearing oversize foam accessories? Priceless. |
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Posted by mark at 7:17 AM. Permalink: Foam Finger Actually as Low as $1.45
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Experiential Marketing in Times Square
On Friday we went out to a huge promotion GE put on in Times Square, that included, amongst other things: a full-motion simulator that took you on a Innerspace-type journey through the circulatory system to showcase GE medical products, getting your photo taken and getting to see it on a billboard in Times Square, and getting some promotional water. The water was actually done really well. They gave out 8-ounce bottles, and the labels said to drink that much water eight times a day.
Posted by mark at 6:31 PM. Permalink: Experiential Marketing in Times Square
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Worst. Premium. Ever.
| I got this booklight when I subscribed to Atlantic Monthly, and I think it's worth taking a few sentences to describe why it was a lame premium. First, the packaging was plain and somewhat dirty after going through the mail. More importantly, the clip was broken and it didn't come with batteries. Most importantly, it wasn't imprinted. Next time, guys, go for an imprinted booklight with batteries included. There are plenty to choose from, and some even have cool robot motion. |
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Posted by mark at 4:06 PM. Permalink: Worst. Premium. Ever.
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High-tech Meets Low-tech Promo Combo
I didn't actually see this one, but due to the abnormally warm winter in New York, Killington Resort made an extra marketing push by distributing 300,000 2-sided, 2 spot-color bar coasters in 100 upscale Manhattan bars/clubs. (I guess the places I go aren't upscale enough.) Anyhow, I thought it was pretty cool that they used one of the lowest-tech items imaginable (basically a piece of cardboard) to get people to text message a number to get special offers (which is like a super-fancy, wireless-enabled, mobile, interactive coupon of the future).
Posted by mark at 11:19 AM. Permalink: High-tech Meets Low-tech Promo Combo
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Internet Bubble 2.0
I think flickr was giving these out at the SXSW music conference anyhow, the clever tagline really makes the most out of an inexpensive promo. We actually sell custom mints and gum in practically every imaginable packaging, but the execution is what really makes a difference. In this case, that means using a clever tagline and the the color of the gumballs to ties in the product and the brand. Yum! (previous flickr promo posts)
Posted by mark at 1:25 PM. Permalink: Internet Bubble 2.0
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Explosive Promotional Impact
| I saw this photo of some US Army hand grenade stress balls on flickr, and I must admit that giving out a bunch of fake grenades during a climate of heightened terrorism awareness may be a bit problematic. However, I must give them high marks for relevance: when I think of stress and grenades, I do think of the army. |
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Posted by mark at 9:24 AM. Permalink: Explosive Promotional Impact
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Tradeshow Giveaways: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Below is a collection of promos from a network security conference posted on an attendee's blog. It's just another reminder that tradeshow giveaways have an impact not just in your booth, but after the show and sometimes even on the web. I am a little worried about the squirt gun, though. Please make sure the server room is designated as a neutral zone.
Posted by mark at 7:26 AM. Permalink: Tradeshow Giveaways: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
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Soup with a Side of Promotion
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This is a photo of my lunch after I ate it. There's a new SoupMan franchise near my office, and I have to say, the chowder was pretty good. While I was eating, I found myself reading the reviews and information on how to open my own SoupMan franchise, which was imprinted on the napkin. The custom chocolate also made the price of the soup seem a tad more reasonable.
The bottom line? For the SoupMan, imprinting these items accomplishes several goals. First, it increases brand awareness and differentiates SoupMan from his less famous competition. Second, it shows a higher level of professionalism, which people tend to expect when they're paying a premium for anything. Third, it's an opportunity to promote their franchising business to the people who are most likely to be interested (i.e., people who like the soup). Best of all, it's almost free because they would have had to buy napkins and bowls anyway. |  |
Posted by mark at 7:01 AM. Permalink: Soup with a Side of Promotion
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What's Next, the Carabiner iPod?
| Apple can reasonably claim to have the best product design of any company on earth, so it's pretty important that their promos look nice. Here you can see an Apple-branded carabiner stopwatch that was used as a promotional giveaway. I'm sure if Apple put an R&D team on the carabiner stopwatch project, they would have come up with something even sleeker that held 8GB of music, but like any other company, they focus on doing what they do best and trust their promos to promotional product experts. |
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Posted by mark at 6:49 AM. Permalink: What's Next, the Carabiner iPod?
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How Promotional Is My House?
We were cleaning our apartment this week and I found these fabulous promotional rubber gloves that my girlfriend got at a cable TV event. They were given out to promote the Lifetime show "How Clean Is Your House?" They're not your everyday promotional item, but they are a good example of what you can do if you have the time and the creativity to custom manufacture your promos. Also, that is a cutting board with a logo burned into it in the background.
Posted by mark at 8:42 AM. Permalink: How Promotional Is My House?
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Web 2.0: Technorati Promos
As someone who was around back when the Web was in beta, I don't necessarily understand this Web 2.0 stuff, but I did think it was interesting that when Technorati sent out their holiday gifts, they chose some pretty traditional items: a wall calendar, and some custom stickers. I think it would have been cool if they gave out flag pens so bloggers could add tags to all the stuff in their apartments.
Posted by mark at 1:12 PM. Permalink: Web 2.0: Technorati Promos
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Double Brand Point
I was riding on the elevator with this gentleman and couldn't help but notice he was wearing a matching Babolat t-shirt/sweatshirt combo. The backstory is that they're promotional items he got when buying tennis raquets, and the double play was unintentional. He put the t-shirt on before realizing that all his other sweatshirts were at the laundromat. I gotta say, the combo is certainly more eye-catching than either garment would be alone.
Posted by mark at 8:13 AM. Permalink: Double Brand Point
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4 Out of 4 iPod Kids Agree...
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If your target audience is children dressed up as iPods, get out a pen and paper, because you'll want to take some notes. A recent survey conducted by the Cult of Mac Blog identified the favorite promotional product amongst this demographic.
The contenders: The results: Olin: "Candy." Milo: "The wristbands, and candy." Nadine (the oldest): "The Yoyo, a mini Sharpie, a fish screensaver, a helicopter spinner and a squeezy stress ball. And candy." There you have it: promotional candy. |  |
Posted by mark at 7:18 AM. Permalink: 4 Out of 4 iPod Kids Agree...
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Special Promos for Special Librarians
Below are some promos from the recent SLA conference, which I think stands for the Special Libraries Association. Who are they? From the association web site, it seems that these folks are highly-trained information experts. Like special forces. I think that's cool, because it's really the future for libraries, and libraries are cool, and the future is cool. I want the light up yo-yo. (via Filipino Librarian)
Posted by mark at 9:29 AM. Permalink: Special Promos for Special Librarians
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Nerds Promotional Giveaway
Jaclyn Garfinkel recently posted about finding promotional nerds in a lower east side bar (see pictures below). I feel like I'm quoting too much, but her description of the end user experience is great:
"I get to the venue and the first thing I notice is that there's two boxes of Nerds (the old-school, really good candy) on one of the tables. Now this isn't exactly a normal occurrence. When was the last time you were at a show or at a bar and you saw boxes of Nerds lying around? I pointed it out to my friends and we decided that whoever was sitting at that table must be fun, so we sat down at the table adjacent to it. That's when I realized that these weren't just any boxes of Nerds. The back of the boxes were ads for Beauty and the Geek! What better cross promotion than tying in the geeks with the nerds?"
She goes on to tie this in with the fact that new technologies like DVR are forcing advertisers to be more creative, and that promotional products (if they're done well) "get their message across, they're cute, and they get people's heads to turn." A lot of these same points are things that I've written about, too. Anyhow, I recommend reading her whole post, where she also discusses the Dirty Jobs promotion I also saw at Grand Central. And perhaps you'd also be interested in some promotional candy. Speaking of which, American Express actually sent me this promotional jelly belly assortment about six months ago, which was about the yummiest direct mail I've received in years.
Posted by mark at 1:20 PM. Permalink: Nerds Promotional Giveaway
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Magic Coffee Cup Sleeve and Other "Hot" Thermal Products
I've been getting sleepy in the afternoons the last couple days because of jet lag, but today it paid off. I just went to get a cup of coffee and it came with a magical, thermally-activated sleeve that revealed secret information about the time and channel where I can watch the television drama 24. In order to get the "before" picture (below, right with no red text), I took the band off my coffee to let the red text areas return to black. This begs the question, what happens when would be viewers finish their coffee and the message disappears?
This particular paper cup sleeve isn't on our site, but we do have some other thermally delightful items, like this Mood Pencil and this Auto Alert Card, which looks a bit like an air freshener, but instead of freshening the air in your car, it measures the temperature of the air in your car and tells you when it's too darn hot to be in there.
Posted by mark at 3:12 PM. Permalink: Magic Coffee Cup Sleeve and Other "Hot" Thermal Products
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Fire, Only None
| It looked like this brand of coffee was going to come with a little thing to go on your cellphone or something like that, but it didn't. Maybe the text I couldn't read explains that you have to collect points or something. I guess you can trust Japanese vending machines to deliver delicious beverages that combine milk and soda in new ways, but that's about it. |
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Posted by mark at 9:10 AM. Permalink: Fire, Only None
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Premium Program in Thailand
I took these photos at a grocery store in Thailand that was doing some promotions for name brand liquors. I didn't have enough points to get a logo polo shirt or windbreaker, though.
Posted by mark at 9:05 AM. Permalink: Premium Program in Thailand
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Kabuki Giveaway
| When we went to see Kabuki theater, Hitachi had bought most of the seats as part of some promotion. They were also giving away these bags. They included some promotional materials and a gift. I discovered during the play that the gift inside was lunch. |
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Posted by mark at 9:04 AM. Permalink: Kabuki Giveaway
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Mobile Pillow Technology
I thought this was a big unusual, but a great idea to promote computer chips for notebook PCs, an embroidered travel pillow. It probably comes in handy for business travelers on long plane rides...after their notebook's battery runs out, of course.
Posted by mark at 2:02 PM. Permalink: Mobile Pillow Technology
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Google USB Gift Kit
This year Google has been thanking it's advertisers with a USB travel kit, not unlike our USB Executive Super Kit. Everything inside it has been given a Google imprint, and it includes a headset, which will come in handy as Google positions its IP telephony service, Google Talk as a major Skype competitor.
Posted by mark at 1:44 PM. Permalink: Google USB Gift Kit
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Mood Radio Update
| A quick update on the cool promotional mood radio. Here's a photo of the one that Google gave out last year. |
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Posted by mark at 4:05 PM. Permalink: Mood Radio Update
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Supercute Promo: Penguin Bib
| This is just too cute, it's a bib from Penguin Books that says "Future Reader." We definitely don't have enough baby stuff on our site, although this baby photo friend is pretty cute. (via 50 books) |
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Posted by mark at 3:53 PM. Permalink: Supercute Promo: Penguin Bib
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Jets Collector Pins
| The New York Jets did a promotion this November with a series of ten collectible pins and a collectible lanyard. The lanyard was given away at a Jets game, and the die-stamped pins that go on the lanyard were available at newsstands in the city. A great promotional combo to promote the Jets at the game and after, made possible by finding the right promotion products. |
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Posted by mark at 10:22 PM. Permalink: Jets Collector Pins
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BIKEA Seat Cover
I saw this and immediately liked it. Then I thought, but who rides a bike to IKEA, and how do they attach the Klaus bookshelf to it for the ride home? Then I figured that young people ride bikes AND get furniture at IKEA, and if I was in college and got this on my bike seat I would remember IKEA sells linens next time I borrowed my parents' car to pick up some stuff for my dorm room, which I guess is the point. Anyhow, I give it a thumbs up. If you want to do something cool like this, we love to make custom merchandise. (via Advertising/Design Goodness)
Posted by mark at 1:25 PM. Permalink: BIKEA Seat Cover
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Best Use of a Promotional Bandana
The Oscar will definitely go to Brokeback Mountain for this promotional bandana.
Posted by mark at 8:49 PM. Permalink: Best Use of a Promotional Bandana
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Promos Create Offline Awareness for Online Brand: flickr
How do you increase brand awareness outside the medium where your brand exists? Many years ago I worked on a consulting project for a cable television network seeking to do just that, and flickr is doing the same thing by giving away promotional buttons and stickers.
When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. flickr is a brand that grew up online and has a devoted base of users. It's more than just a photo hosting service, they have a community of users who promote flickr on web sites and blogs. By creating promotional products for their brand, flickr allows these evangelists to raise brand awareness offline. This valuable because the vast majority of blog readers and already know, and probably use, flickr.
Their users were more than ready to evangelize offline, flickr ran out of promos within a few weeks. If I were them, I would reorder.
Image from flickrBlog
Posted by mark at 4:28 PM. Permalink: Promos Create Offline Awareness for Online Brand: flickr
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Google Promos from Web 2.0
The Cool Glow Ice Cubes Google gave out at the Web 2.0 Conference were a big hit. Or at least they were interesting enough to show up in multiple blogs last week. They also gave out a Light Up Pocket Fan. The common denominator was that in both cases Google took advantage of the properties of the items themselves to reinforce branding. They didn't have anything to do with search per se (unless you were searching for your drink), but they did get attention and play off the familiar Google color scheme. If you don't believe me, check it out, even without seeing the imprint, they say Google:
Images from debris.com
Posted by mark at 4:04 PM. Permalink: Google Promos from Web 2.0
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Seen on the Street: US Open Edition
| Here are a couple items we picked up at the US Open last night. One is a custom die-cut lapel pin from Continental Airlines featuring the metal Globe from the 1964 World's Fair that is towers over the fountains at the National Tennis Center. The other is a folding pocket map from American Express that features a map of the tennis center grounds on one side and a New York City subway map on the other. |
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Posted by mark at 8:34 PM. Permalink: Seen on the Street: US Open Edition
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Seen on the Street: Mindfreak
| Today they were giving out these lenticular luggage tags to promote a new show called Mindfreak. I'm not sure what Mindfreak has to do with luggage, but as an inexpensive, 4-color promo it's not a bad idea. They're a whole lot sturdier than the flimsy paper ones at the airline counter. |
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Posted by mark at 1:51 PM. Permalink: Seen on the Street: Mindfreak
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Taking Over Google...
| ...one cube at a time. Looks like we need a Promo Cubicle of the Month contest. |
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Posted by mark at 5:21 PM. Permalink: Taking Over Google...
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