Posted by Jack Valentine on Mon, May 10, 2010 @ 09:59 PM
When you've been in the promotional printing business, you think you've seen it all.
Apparently, we haven't.
At first glance, using fashion models in leather dresses and catsuits to sell one of life's most unglamorous products -- the coffin -- seems like an odd marketing approach. But the Italian premium casket manufacturer, Cofani Funebri, has been promoting its product line with eye catching calendars since 2003.
Their slogan: "Death has never been so sexy."
These unusual fashion calendars are obviously meant for decorative purposes more than business planning. But the world of novelty wall calendars is filled with marketing lessons for any industry.
The goal of any promotional calendar is to put your brand in front of your clients' eyeballs and keep it there ALL the time. You want your brand to seamlessly become part of their office, a subconscious reminder of who to call when they need your product or service.
In order to do that, you obviously can't force product placement upon your customers! They have to WANT to keep your calendar around. The good news is that this does not require you to hire any scantily clad models or ask your employees to squeeze into costumes they may feel uncomfortable with. In all likelihood, you may not want to project that kind of image anyhow.
So, how do you make a promotional desk pad calendar as desirable as possible?
Take a look at a few examples of how various title insurance and real estate companies distribute engaging free desk pad calendars to their loyal customers and prospects. Whether it be the dates for courtroom filing deadlines, closing cost rates or important phone numbers, these calendars provide one-stop shopping for the target audience's informational needs.
A great desk pad calendaris inviting and roomy, with plenty of space for scrawling down appointments, phone numbers and even doodles. For all the BlackBerries, iPads and PDAs out there, many people still prefer to have their "To Do" list spread out in front of them all the time. No battery issues. And if you drop the calendar, it still works!
Right now is the ideal time to order customized desk pad calendars for the fall. Early order discounts are often available and the sooner you have the calendars in hand the sooner they can start promoting your brand .
Drop us a line to brainstorm how you can take full advantage of being in your client's workspace without being the least bit intrusive. Of course, there's not room on most desks for two huge desk pad calendars, so make sure you're there first.
Posted by Chris Higgins on Mon, Feb 02, 2009 @ 09:43 AM
Businesses use promotional products all the time to keep their name in front of clients and prospects, there are thousands of products to choose from and hundreds of opportunities to give them out; the question is which products have the highest perceived value and more importantly provide the best return on investment?
Often the return can be hard to measure but when you come up with something that works the return can be worth its weight in gold. Appointment book calendars and desk pad calendars are two items that with high perceived value that offer a real return. When customers ask for a promotional item it's a good indication they value the product and want to use it. Even in todays high tech world of PDA's and electronic calendars people can always use a quick and easy way to find the date or jot down a note, an appointment book calendar or desk pad calendar gives exactly that and lasts all year long.
Look at what this client said about his investment in appointment book calendars.
I first ordered the Dataguide calendar
last year and what a success it has been. I ordered in time for a
conference in September and my shipment arrived just in the nick of
time. From the first prospect that received my calendar, the comments
and responses were wonderful. I received comments like 'finally,
something I can really use' and 'are you sure I can take one?' Bottom
line, my business and revenue is up significantly as a result of a
nominal investment in my present and future clients. I started
receiving calls in early August for next year's calendar. I already
placed my order for 07. It's an absolute must for my professional
clients. Thanks Dataguide.
R.M. Fiduciary Real Estate Services
One sentence that says it all: Bottom
line, my business and revenue is up significantly as a result of a
nominal investment in my present and future clients.
If you're looking for a way to promote your business that provides a real return on investment appointment book calendars and desk pad calendars are clearly worth considering.