What may be the world's largest promotional product is in a flooring store in Battle Creek, Michigan. You can't see it from space … heck, you can't even see it from the road. It's not imprintable and there's no way you're going to take it home with you. However, it's probably one of the most brilliant promotional products I've ever seen. It's a meeting room.
Now because it's a meeting room inside a flooring store - it's a beautiful room. It's equipped with all the presentation equipment any local social or civic organization needs to hold an effective meeting. And the room is available to them, free of charge. Sure, you'll find imprinted pens, note pads and coffee mugs to outfit the room. But those things alone, aren't driving sales. It's the fact that hundreds of people a month, including REALTORS®, interior designers, builders and mortgage people are attending meetings in a very nice meeting room INSIDE the flooring store!
And while this particular brilliant promotional marketer is not a client of mine, I still admire his ability to employ an effective promotional marketing technique I call Ingraining.
Ingraining means to find a way to more deeply connect (or ingrain yourself) with your target audience on a physical and or emotional level. In the case of the flooring store, the owners are fulfilling a community need - while showcasing their product line. Promotional items such as pens, pencils and note pads are merely convenient reminders of the store's contribution. And when people see the name of the flooring store, they relate to something that's of interest and has personal meaning to them: "That's where we have our club meetings."
Now maybe you can't provide a meeting room for the local civic and social organizations. But ingraining isn't about meeting rooms … it's about connecting with your targets through effective concepts and ideas. By example, lets look at two banks or credit unions that want to highlight children's accounts at a local trade show.
Bank/Credit Union #1 will hand out imprinted coloring books and crayons to the children at the show while encouraging the adults to open up a savings account for the little tykes. Coloring books are appropriate for children, and the adults will be exposed to the bank or credit union's logo at least a couple of times when the child colors a picture and shows it to mom or dad. O.K. While it's a little warm and fuzzy, it falls far short of Ingraining or being highly effective.
Bank/Credit Union #2 will use the same coloring book and crayons … except they have a better idea of how to use the products. They want to emotionally charge the promotion. Instead of simply handing out the coloring book and crayons, #2 tells the kids and the adults, that if the child colors a page in the book and takes it into a branch office, they will receive a free piggy bank and be entered into a drawing for a $25 savings bond. Plus, the child's drawing will be on display for a whole month in the bank or credit union.
BAM! You know who the best salesperson for the bank or credit union will be? The children. Because in addition to showing their "work of art" to mom and dad, they will likely nag and hound them until they get to go to the bank or credit union and get their free piggy bank and display their picture.
#2 will get interested prospects inside the branches and thinking about their children's future. The branches will collect actionable data from everyone who enters the drawing. The opportunity for multiple, meaningful "touches" by bank/credit union #2 is much greater because the promotion didn't end at the trade show. Plus, this type of promotion is worth a couple press releases and some earned media when you announce the promotion and publicize the winners.
The power of promotional products is not inherent within the products. The power of promotional products lies within the ideas and concepts behind the products. Merely giving away product with your logo and website or phone number on it doesn't automatically produce a result - except for maybe draining your budget without providing measurable R.O.I.
Whether you're a national brand or a local business, you can ingrain yourself into peoples' lives by focusing on what they need, want, desire or care about. Develop concepts and ideas that will embrace your target - and they will embrace you back.
Michael Merrick Crooks, is founder of Crooks Advertising Alliance a creative strike-force specializing in creative problem-solving as it relates to advertising and promotional marketing. A Battle Creek, MI native, Crooks is a Cub Scout leader and Little League Baseball coach. Read Chapter One of his new eBook, "ReThinking Trade Show Giveaways: Stop Simply Giving Stuff Away" FREE at http://www.PromoReThink.com
» left by Michael Kocis(1,105) Michael Kocis (1 year 118 days ago.)
Very good Michael, I'm always a bit sceptical with regards to people relating "good marketing ideas" They are usually rehashed schemes that won't produce much.
I like your "Ingraining Technique." A fresh approach to connecting a brand to the consumer base.
» left by Anonymous (1 year 118 days ago.)
Mr. Kocis,
I appreciate your comments. I try and look at things differently and then effectively communicate what I "see".
Warm Regards, Michael Respond to this comment
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