Marketing PASSED:Layout 1 17/02/2009 09:33 Page 61
MARKETING
marketing. But occasionally you see a gem. A
division of Nat West once sent a former MD of
mine a mailer on a cotton handkerchief that had
one corner knotted. It said, in essence, “Don’t
forget to use all your capital allowances before the
end of the tax year” Although a highly virtuous
make sure you
message, that is the sort of deeply dull subject
do your
marketing
material that would be straight in the bin in most
homework.
cases. The knotted hanky is a low-cost mailer this
industry could use and there are dozens of “don’t
forget” opportunities in the calendar generally, but
also in every client business’s calendar (if you’ve
asked the right questions, of course).
Major brands’ TV advertising is something else
which you can ride in on the back of. “Do you love
someone enough to give them your last Rolo”. You
can bet your life that if you remember it, your
clients do, too. ‘We’d love to do business with you’
is only the start point. You must be able to work
this lots of ways. You and your staff get to eat a lot
of Rolos preparing the mail piece, as well, and that
can’t be so bad. serious they were. As long as you apply that can drive sales in it. This gives you support with
You could copy this idea from a design agency. different, relevant and interesting package, I think catalogues from appropriate suppliers, copies of
They created a list of female brand managers and this works. I’m certainly going to use it – I’ll let press releases generally saying how well printwear
sent each a paste engagement ring on St you know how I fare. works and any from the client’s specific sector.
Valentine’s Day with the simple message “We The next idea is borrowed and, personally, I Then you deliver it in a damn big box to each of
have a proposal for you”. Not cheap, but not wouldn’t do it, but the business owner who used it the decision-makers. Give them 3 days and then
hugely expensive and, I’m told, highly effective. swore blind that it was very effective. It’s about burn the phone lines.
Big is always impressive, or at least impactful. I focusing on a small number of valuable clients. The core benefits of this approach are that it’s
was once sent a mailer, which was folded to A5. Research each one with care. Know everything flattering and very professional. Despite
The point is, it folded to A5 from A0 so as it folded they do, in particular be tuned into what printwear appearances it’s not that much work because you
out it became ever more impressive. The copy and they buy or might use. Find out the names of all re-use much of it each time. Once again, it is
images just kept getting bigger. Since it’s similar to the people who could have an impact on the entirely memorable; you will be the only supplier in
a traditional road map, you could use this, starting business decision – do it over time. Then you pitch your sector who invests so much into getting their
with “Where can I find great printwear ideas…” a set of ideas in a good thick document, featuring business. That is why I wouldn’t do it: you could
Ideal for stressing how big your range/stockholding all the research you’ve done, demonstrating your spend a lot of time achieving zero. However, the
is, too. knowledge of their market and how your product guy who used it said he was only interested in
What constitutes over-kill in sending out working with substantial businesses, that there
marketing messages? Indeed, can you aren’t very many so they justify the time invested,
communicate too often with someone? The answer their business potential merits this treatment and
to the latter is definitely yes, but the cut-off point they are used to it from other suppliers. If you take
is far higher than most people imagine. I recently the same view, try his approach.
accessed a web-based marketing business and Finally, consider two ideas without particular
they sent me e-mail every day for 30 days. Each relevance to the industry - and normally I stress
was different. Each was interesting. Each was the importance of relevance. But I’ve seen the
relevant. At no point did I want to shout, “stop!” (I effectiveness of these two. First, the furry pig. It’s
could have unsubscribed anyway). When they did cute(ish), about 8 inches by 4 inches and,
stop, I almost felt aggrieved. If they had responded predictably, pink. But when you squeeze it, it
to my initial query (instead of just kick-starting the grunts and it’s very, very funny (there’s no
system), I might well have bought. mechanism, it’s just air being expelled). It’s not
How many P&P readers have bombarded a cheap but, boy, will it stay with the recipient
potential client that way? My guess is very few. forever. Perhaps “we’re greedy for your business”
Had I not been on the receiving end, I would have would work. The second one is the sponge brick.
rejected the idea myself. Typically, businesses Shaped and coloured exactly like a house-brick, it’s
actually send 2/3/4 communications and then give made of sponge. No big deal? True, until you
up. This is like those football stats that prove the throw it at a window – a great stress-buster.
team with most shots on target wins the league Again, everyone wants one and they keep it, long-
(instead of shouting shoot! at the telly, do it for term. “Clothing that makes an impact” perhaps, or
your business). I recall a former client who never maybe “we take the stress out of choosing
saw a potential new supplier until they’d chased printwear”. For suppliers of these and similar ideas
him for six months – he wanted to know how contact the BPMA.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk March 2009 | 61 |
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