Posts Tagged ‘promotional products contests’

Leveraging the “TEXT” for Promotional Marketing & Engagement

September 24th, 2012

According to the Gallup Management Journal, brands that deliver functionally and emotionally for customers result in indexed loyalty scores three times higher.

A bold statement for bold marketers. Promotional marketing is all about engagement. It is the technique of triggering an emotional connection between the customer and brand through relevant function.

Texting has evolved into a mainstream behavior. Ease of use combined with instant gratification has made it more popular than ever. Mobile-based promotion has evolved as well. Enter mobile decoder marketing.

Mobile decoder marketing is basically short code on steroids. It delivers on both the functional and emotional levels by combining popular technology, advertising, and the thrill of a “chance to win”.

The other side of engagement for marketers is data capture. Most promotional products have the ability to engage but do not have the capacity to collect feedback from customers, much less measure the level of engagement. Use of modern communications technology can deliver for marketers too. Optional feedback mechanisms along with measurable statistics make mobile decoder marketing a texting win-win for everyone.

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Posted in Beer Promotions, beverage promotion, Collegiate Promotions, Craftbrew Promotions, Event Promotion, Fundraising, IMC Idea Generator - Product Idea Library, Interactive Promotions, Marketing, Product Updates, products, Promotional Product Statistics, Promotional Trends, Sports Promotion, Uncategorized

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Interactive Direct Mail: Tapping our inner human through Decoder Technology

August 20th, 2012

Human beings are social by nature. We crave interaction, looking for ways to stimulate our natural sense of curiosity. We also love being entertained. Advertising has seen a progression from the simple hand-printed sign to interactive advertising using the full power of today’s technology.  

The goal of advertising has always been to alter behavior and to create a forum for interaction with a brand or product. Direct mail has been a stalwart and proven tactic for marketers for decades. With all the emphasis on sexier social outreach, direct mail has been relegated by some as an outmoded technique for promoting products and securing customer engagement.

 Enter Decoder Marketing. It is the use of a proprietary print technology to deliver a hidden message that can be decoded using on-site verifiers. How effective is this at changing consumer behavior? As it turns out…very effective .

IMC recently sent out a campaign to important clients we wanted to connect with at an event. The direct mail piece was imprinted with a hidden message that could be revealed at our booth location. Clients simply had to bring the card with them to the show. The results speak for themselves. Traditional direct mail has an industry standard response rate of around 1%. The addition of Decoder Marketing technology resulted in a response rate of 38%. Yes, you read that correctly – 38%. Results vary but decoder technology response rates hover around 30%.

The moral of this story: Dust off your direct mail program, have faith in human nature, and give yourself a lift.

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Posted in IMC Idea Generator - Product Idea Library, Interactive Promotions, Marketing, products, Promotional Product Statistics, Promotional Trends, Stories from the "Real World"

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Three last minute fundraising ideas for breast cancer awareness campaigns

September 28th, 2011

October is breast cancer awareness month. Lots of last minute activity surrounding fundraising efforts for this important cause.

Is your company hosting a fundraising activity or awareness event? Add a bit of panache — and a lot of pink — with specially designed promotional products.

 We’ve compiled three simple and memorable ideas to help you raise awareness and increase engagement with potential donars in a short timeframe. Any of these ideas can be adapted to align with your regular advertising specialty needs as well.

 Mardi Gras Beads. Branded (pink!) inline decal beads or hanging medallion beads are always attention-grabbers and are fun to wear. Plus, they are often retained long after an event or worn to subsequent events. This creates more awareness for the featured charity with residual impressions.

 QR Codes. Consider adding a Quick Response code to any promotional product. These codes can direct people to donation landing pages, creating an instant connection between awareness and action.

Peel & Win. The “Peel & Win” decal can add an extra dimension by creating an impromptu raffle. Your audience can purchase a strand or card with a Peel & Win decal sticker and pull to reveal a prize. Proceeds from strand purchase can support fundraising efforts.

 These items have two things in common: first, they can be turned around very quickly and used for last minute events or as substitutes (in some cases, turn can be as fast as 48 hours). The second thing? They are a great way to create much needed awareness and support during the month of October and long beyond.

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Posted in Fundraising, Marketing, Promotional Trends

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The Art of Competition: Are we hard-wired for engagement?

March 30th, 2011

There’s a plate of cookies on your kitchen table. Your son and daughter notice the cookies, and they both ask for one.

Your response . . . only one of them can have a cookie, and there will be a contest to determine who gets it.

Wait — you would never do that, right? Because you know what will happen. By turning the cookie into a potentially unattainable prize instead of a simple giveaway, you’ve created a dramatically increased demand for the cookie. Suddenly, that cookie is the hottest thing since molded silicone bandz.

In the world of sibling rivalry, this scenario is a nightmare. In the world of branding, advertising specialties, or promotional products, it’s a gold mine.

The desire to win and be rewarded with a prize: it’s part of human nature. We’re hard-wired for competition.

Contests don’t just create buzz; they facilitate engagement. Branded promotional products can make your logo and your brand part of that engagement.

According to a 2010 study by the Advertising Specialties Institute
- People in the U.S. own nearly 10 promotional products on average
- Promotional products are kept for an average of 5.6 months.
- 41% of those who have received a promotional product indicate their opinion of the advertiser was more favorable after receiving a promotional product.

Just think what happens to that favorable impression when there’s all the lasting buzz of a contest involved. The fun and spirit of competition combined with focused, engaged attention on your brand: now that’s even sweeter than a plate of cookies.

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Posted in Marketing, Promotional Product Statistics

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