Posted by Jack Valentine on Mon, Nov 16, 2009 @ 09:31 PM
The advertising giant BBDO West recently teamed up with Goodwill and Levi's to promote the message of recycling used clothing.
The suggestion to donate your jeans to Goodwill when you no longer want them (or maybe gain too much weight?!) appears just below the washing, drying and ironing instructions on the laundry tag.
Goodwill builds brand awareness while simultaneously aiming to reduce the estimated 23.8 billion pounds of clothing that annually gets tossed in the trash by Americans alone. By offering its tags for promotional advertising, Levis brands itself as a company that cares about the environment.
What's particularly brilliant about this advertising strategy is that it encounters the consumer at the point of his or her decision making. The message to recycle may even urge the jean owners to keep other materials out of the waste stream as well.
Promotional advertising is most effective when you have a captive audience, when your message is emblazoned across an item that your target audience uses in their everyday life.
Customized Business Envelopes aren't as sexy as Levi's jeans, but they are a golden opportunity to broadcast your brand when a consumer buys tickets to a concert or entertainment event. Mini pocket folders for gift certificates may include bonus coupons for a restaurant or any business.
And for real estate agents, attorneys and travel agents, snazzy-looking presentation folders that keep documents neat and orderly may just have a longer lifespan -- and advertising potential -- than the jeans you are wearing right now.
Posted by Jack Valentine on Wed, Nov 04, 2009 @ 12:05 PM
On Flickr, the popular photo-sharing Website, a Pittsburgh artist known as "Mleak" has done some remarkably innovative work with corporate logos. She's taken the unprecedented step of turning live insects into
promotional merchandise!
Mleak calls her work "parasitic advertising," and her intention is to release these branded insects back into the wild -- presumably to influence humans and other insects.
Astoundingly, the paint jobs are real and not some Photoshop trick. Here's the artist revealing her secret:
"Depending on the insect, I put it in the fridge for 5-15 minutes. They're cold-blooded, so that slows them down, though it only gives me a minute or two to work before they start reviving, so I usually have to put them in a few different times before I'm done."
Appropriately, the above work is called the "VW Beetle."
Obviously, Mleak does not make her promotional insects to advertise Fortune 500 companies. We're speculating that she's making some kind of artistic statement about the pervasiveness of corporations in our everyday lives. We also wonder if PETA or any other animal rights group has confronted her about her hobby.
Nonetheless, while parasitic advertising is cool and unusual, it's not an effective way for a company to promote their brand.
Can you imagine the response of customers who are approached with
logo-decorated insects? Depending on the breed, we think their first
instinct would be to pull out the can of bug spray.
Ideally, when you invest the money to put your logo in front of as many eyeballs as possible, you'll be better off if the medium is practical -- an everyday item people naturally use.
A pocket folder is a perfect vehicle for packaging corporate information, it's designed to your specifications, it presents the message you want to present, and it provides a professional, organized package for your collateral material.
Pocket folders are an effective way to present your message to a captive audience. They're perfect for mortgages, refinancing and other real estate/legal paperwork!
Wonder if Mleak's painting skills will eventually progress to the point where she can put your company logo on a mosquito?
In that light, here's one thing we promise you. Our pocket folders will never ever bite!
Posted by Chris Higgins on Mon, Jul 13, 2009 @ 09:58 PM
The cost of acquiring new customers, according to many surveys, runs 8 to 10 times more than the cost of keeping existing ones. That being the case taking small steps to remind clients of all the services your company provides is an effective use of marketing dollars.
Document folders given to a client after a transaction, are an effective and inexpensive way to promote and cross sell other products and services. Document folders can be used in many different ways, from presenting a neat and professional package to including a specific call to action. Look at a few simple ways companies use document folders to cross sell other products and services.
A credit union created unique, portfolio style document folders for mortgage clients. the folders remind and encourage mortgage clients to check out money market and Internet banking services.
An insurance company created accordion document folders to package life insurance policies, that highlighted an available discount for clients who combine both their auto and homeowners policies.
A hotel chain created document folders for the room keys that included a discount coupon for dinner in the hotel restaurant.
A bank created welcome kit document folders for new account holders that promoted their mortgages and investment services.
An appliance repair company created document folders that included a satisfaction survey and a discount coupon to be used on the next call.
A tour company created document folders for tour customers that promoted cruise packages available through their cruise division.
An auto glass company created document folders that hang from the car mirror and hold all the repair documents along with a discount coupon for an oil change at a partner company.
Document folders are a perfect way to promote your brand and cross sell other products and services. Most companies provide some kind of documents after providing a product or service, packaging those documents in an attractive professional folder is a great way to show clients how much you value their business and remind them of other services you provide.
There are hundreds of ways to use document folders to promote and cross sell other services, if you've seen creative cross selling with document folders or any other other collateral material please share those ideas.
Posted by Chris Higgins on Sun, May 31, 2009 @ 01:23 PM
Product packaging is big business and an important way to keep your brand visible, mobile and in front of your target market. I sent flowers to my wife for mothers day and she was almost as impressed with the package as she was with the flowers.
I ordered from proflowers.com they were having a special and I heard about it on the radio. The flowers showed up in a very elaborate full color box with the proflowers logo emblazoned on the side. Inside there were compartments for the flowers, the vase, and the plant food, I remember thinking "man that box / package must have cost as much as the flowers". I heard my wife talking to a friend and she spent more time talking about the really nice box than she did about the flowers themselves, which when you think about it is exactly what proflowers wanted.
Proflowers uses their product packaging to create repeat customers and generate referrals, they want you to remember the flowers, but they really want you to remember where they came from. I noticed the same thing last night when we ordered pizza from The Upper Crust (great pizza by the way) the box had their logo, locations and contact information printed across the top. Just like proflowers they know the box is going into the trash, but they also know the value of creating multiple impressions of their brand and they're willing to spend more to make sure the client remembers where the product came from.
Today is the information age, how can you create a package that will be remembered if your product is information. Pocket folders are the solution; well designed colorfully printed custom pocket folders present your information in a professional manner that will be remembered. Insurance companies, consulting firms, financial services firms, lawyers, title companies, travel services firms, and real estate companies are just a few whose primary product is information, and pocket folders are a perfect way to package their product so their brand is remembered.
Pocket folders are not just presentation folders, they include portfolio folders, accordion folders, document holders, and even totes or boxes. Any of these products can be customized and printed to create a professional and memorable package for all kinds of information. Features such as business card holders, tab dividers, Velcro or bando closures, and special die cut pockets can be added to create a professional package that is functional, useful, and will promote the brand.
Pocket folders to package information have a real advantage over packaging for consumer products, they are less expensive and they don't get thrown away. As nice as the proflowers box is we threw it away right after we opened it. When your product is information such as an insurance policy, marketing information for partner companies, financial documentation, or real estate documents, the pocket folder becomes part of the information and is put away for future reference, not thrown away in the trash.
Product packaging is a great way to promote a brand and create referrals, custom pocket folders are a great way to package information. If your product is information take a lesson from successful consumer products companies and package your product in a pocket folder that will be remembered.
Posted by Chris Higgins on Wed, Feb 04, 2009 @ 07:15 PM
Custom folders are used by many businesses to package information about their company, and in many cases to package their actual product. Whether its a standard presentation folder, a custom document folder, a three panel legal presentation folder, or even a small specialized custom folder, they all send a message about the company giving it out. Custom folders present a professional image and remind clients and prospects of all the services available. the reason they are used so much is that they are an effective marketing and advertising tool.
Custom folders take many forms and are used in all kinds of applications; they are far more than the standard 2 pocket 9 x 12 presentation folder most people think of. A custom folder is often used to package a product and keep the brand in front of the customer while reminding the the client of services provided and other important information.
Think about the last time you checked into a hotel, chances are they handed you the room key in a custom folder. this mini custom folder is specially designed to hold the room key while providing you important information about your stay. It prominently displays the hotel logo and is printed with important information about the hotel services etc. Why have they spent the extra money on this custom folder when you've already bought the room? The same reason Starbucks prints their name and logo on every napkin that ultimately will end up in the trash; to the keep their name in front of the customer at every opportunity.
The front desk at the hotel could just hand you a key card without the custom folder to package it, but then they'd miss the chance to reinforce their professional image and advertise other hotel services. Some hotels get real creative and sell advertising space to local businesses so they can attract out of town guests. they use the front of the key card folder to promote the hotel and the back to provide a discount coupon to a local attraction, its a winning formula for everyone.
Custom folders do more than help you stay organized, and present a professional image, they allow you to keep your brand in your clients hand and reinforce your professional image. Don't forget about the custom part ,as the hotel key card folder illustrates a custom folder can be used in many creative ways.