Flash Drive Makes Plug for Performance Group

Posted on October 17, 2008 by East Coast Graphics

It’s kind of hard to categorize Blue Man Group. The offbeat show revolves around three mute, bald, painted-blue performers who combine comedy and technology with percussion-heavy music played on instruments made from PVC piping and other unusual materials.

Given the group’s imaginative image, it’s no surprise that their promoters would want to be different, too. That’s where one agency was able to help.

“The marketing department at Blue Man Group was looking for a cool new way to promote their corporate-events division,” says Michael Frank, VP of creative and strategic marketing at this agency. “They usually utilized DVDs for their sales videos but wanted a break from the norm.”

Frank’s team suggested putting the information on a USB flash drive, which would be more compact and more useful to recipients. The agency sourced a sleekly styled flash drive imprinted with the group’s logo. The product was then loaded with eight files, including videos, MP3s and PDFs.

“The USB drives were distributed from the press department to various members of the media,” Frank says. “They are also being used for large press events and also whenever file and information sharing is necessary.”

The presentation has not only impressed recipients but caught the eye of other staff members at Blue Man Group Productions. “Everyone really likes the drives,” Frank says, “and there is a buzz amongst other departments.”

Plush Mailing Stirs Up Pandamonium for Restaurant

Posted on October 9, 2008 by NewSunSEO

pandaexpress Plush Mailing Stirs Up Pandamonium for Restaurant In their natural habitat in China, panda bears eat almost nothing but bamboo. Does that mean they’re an odd choice as ambassadors for a new beef-centered menu item at a restaurant? Not when the restaurant is Panda Express, a leading Chinese quick-service chain with more than 1,000 outlets.

Several weeks before the company made the announcement about their menu addition; they sent a teaser mailing to restaurant and marketing trade media. A plain white box contained two plush pandas labeled Tom-Tom and Eddie. An accompanying card read, “Experience Pandamonium at Panda Express,” and urged recipients to check their email for “big, beefy news.”

“What’s more lovable than plush panda bears?” asks Kimberly Porrazzo, VP of client services at a marketing agency, the PR firm promoting the launch. “It was a natural link to the new Beijing Beef menu item and the comprehensive advertising campaign, which included a 12-state television campaign, six-market radio campaign, and an outdoor advertising campaign.”

A follow-up email explained that the chain was “stirring up ‘pandamonium’ with its new dish, Beijing Beef” and gave details about the dish as well as the ad campaign.

“Editors and reporters said they loved the panda bears, as well as the food drop that was enjoyed by select editors,” Porrazzo says. “It certainly broke through the clutter, and we are still monitoring results.”

Got Slogans?

Posted on October 3, 2008 by East Coast Graphics

Dos and Don’ts Got Slogans?

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

The right slogan can propel any item from so-so to sensational.

Do:
• Include the client’s company name in the slogan.
• Use literary devices such as alliteration, assonance and poetic rhythm.
• Consider the scope of the client’s operation so that the slogan doesn’t pigeonhole the company in their customer’s eyes.
• Employ humor with care.

Don’t:
• Use words that are hard to pronounce or spell or come across as slick or snobbish unless that’s part of the joke.
• Make unfounded assertions.
• Use sexual innuendo, unless the client clearly asks for it.
• Spin off previously used slogans.

Quiz: Do You Remember?

Which of these companies goes with each slogan?

1. “Leave the driving to us.”
a. Hertz
b. Greyhound
c. Amtrak

2. “The choice of a new generation.”
a. Coke
b. Dr. Pepper
c. Pepsi

3. “Above and beyond.”
a. FedEx
b. Prudential Financial
c. FTD

4. “What the big boys eat.”
a. Wheaties
b. Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli
c. Wonder Bread

5. “Something special in the air.”
a. Chanel No. 5
b. American Airlines
c. Airwick

6. “The right choice.”
a. Sprint
b. Bell
c. AT&T

7. “We’ll leave the light on for you.”
a. Super 8
b. Sheraton
c. Motel 6

8. “Makin’ it great.”
a. Pizza Hut
b. Domino’s
c. Little Caesar’s

Hot Tips!

“Have as much info on the client’s marketing position and collateral as possible. From there, you’ll be able to see what they have done in the past.” – Jay Hoey

“I constantly make a note when an idea pops in my head. Sometimes in the darndest places, on a plane, in the car doing 75 mph down the interstate, while watching TV and a zillion other places.”
– Gene Dowdle

“Free write for 20 minutes every slogan you can think of. If at all possible, write 100 slogans. They don’t have to be great, but the key is to keep the pen moving; then the good stuff starts to emerge. This is important to do by hand. You lose something when you type on the computer.”
– Michele Pariza Wacek

“Make sure it’s a positive atmosphere in that no one can say anything bad about an idea.”
– Chris Lambrecht

Keep your hands busy. Pass out to your team Silly Putty, crayons and paper, blocks and other playthings, and artistic media from kindergarten. Channeling your inner child taps creativity.

“Be time-limited. If you give people less time to come up with as many ideas as they can instead of unlimited time, the number of ideas and the creativity tends to be better.” – Chris Lambrecht

“Think metaphorically and analogically about how two seemingly unrelated concepts are similar.” – Lisa Barnard

Try something different, such as going out to lunch at a new restaurant, taking a walk, driving an alternate route home or changing your usual workday schedule. Deviating from your normal routine stimulates ideas.

Pretend you’re a new customer of your client. Visit their store, try their service, sample their product and then review the experience. What did you expect? What did you like?

Our Best Slogan Ever

Below are the top slogans submitted by Advantages readers:

For an ice cream shop frequented by celebrating sports teams: “Victory is sweeter at Fenton’s.”
– Marty Jacobs

“Harold’s Chicken: One bite and we gotcha!” – Donald Fola

To promote a golf course residential real estate development: “Play once, stay for a lifetime.”
– Jovan Van Drielle

On a package of sunscreen: “Have a tanfastic time in Aruba!”
– Laurie Amigo

For the U.S. Open: “Where champions become legends.”
– David Fiderer

Healthcare Promo Is Fine Specimen of Marketing

Posted on July 15, 2008 by NewSunSEO

When HealthPartners adopted the slogan “A New Way to Look at Healthcare,” they wanted to make sure their marketing looked different, too. “When we reviewed ads from our competitors, we found a lot of very similar, unremarkable ads,” says Larissa Rodriguez, director of care-delivery marketing. “We decided to do something that would make our online patient services stand out – something unique and fun that would create a buzz and get people talking.” Working with ad agency Kerker & Associates Inc., they developed a campaign that featured giant-sized replicas of medical supplies, including a cotton swab, a capsule and a tongue depressor. The props were displayed in high-traffic areas around the Twin Cities, accompanied by costumed mascots, like Petey P. Cup, Pokey Syringe and Pearl E. White.

For the launch, HealthPartners also used a tie-in promotional product: a urine-specimen cup filled with yellow M&M’s. The cup mailed to the media, along with a press release, and was also used internally at staff meetings as a prize in trivia games.

Gary Young, a representative of Kerker & Associates, says that the overall campaign has been well received, and feedback about the urine cup has been especially amusing. “The response has been almost uniformly lighthearted and positive,” he says. “I’ve fielded comments like ‘You’re right. This is the first specimen cup I’ve ever gotten in the mail.’ ‘Thanks for the yellow M&M’s, but I think I’ll pass.’ ‘Tell me you washed this cup before you re-filled it.’ ”

As for the mascots, they’ve proven so popular that HealthPartners has set up a web store selling Petey P. Cup T-shirts, mugs and notebooks. “There has been plenty of chatter on blogs and in local media, too,” Young adds.

Promotional Golf Products : Combining Work and Play for Your Company

Posted on June 11, 2008 by NewSunSEO

Work and play are mutually dependent. Each one works best when there is a healthy balance of the other – we use recreation and sport to ease stress and tension, and it is difficult to have a good time when there is the lingering concern of fulfilling responsibilities in the back of your head. But just because you are having fun doesn’t mean you can’t be working, as well. The ever-growing popularity of golf, especially as a social activity among business associates, can be a successful way to interact with potential clientele while also having a good time.

The use of promotional golf products is an effective way to combine work and play. By giving someone a bag of golf balls or a box of tees with your company’s logo on it, you can help spread your name in a fresh and friendly environment, giving your product a fresh and friendly perspective. Fans of golf will appreciate such a distinct gift. By giving out promotional golf products to a valued client who is known to hit the course on the weekends, you show your appreciation not only on a customer level, but on a personal level as well. An intimate bond like that can speak volumes for your company.

With golf becoming such a regular outing for different businesses to get together and talk in a laid-back environment, you can introduce your own business in the mix without ever being there. When a customer you’ve worked with in the past takes out equipment with your logo emblazoned on the side, you are one simple inquiry away from recruiting new potential clients and tapping into a whole new network of businesses. And that, we know, is always a good thing.

Another great thing about promotional golf products is their versatility. There are so many ways to package and design equipment that you can put something together without spending too much cash. From golf bags to umbrellas to tees, you can combine products to fit your budget while getting the best deal for your dollar.

If you know your customers are big fans of golf, don’t hesitate to supply them with promotional golf products. Not only will it reinforce your relationships with them, it will also give your company’s name the unique opportunity to advertise itself in an environment where both work and play can be prevalent.

Grey Goose Invites Music Fans into the Den

Posted on June 10, 2008 by NewSunSEO

Grey Goose vodka has taken the spirits category by storm with its award-winning taste and eye popping price tag. On January 13, it began reaching out to new fans with its Live from the Artist’s Den series of one-hour concert specials. The underground concert series, which will show emerging artists in extraordinary settings, airs on Ovation TV.

While the brand will offer logoed handouts and items with gift bags at the events, one thing it will not offer is CDs. The tracks will instead be available for purchase at iTunes. Grey Goose is very picky about where its logo is placed and would not reveal what items would appear at the events – you just have to be lucky enough to be in attendance.

Especially considering the line up which includes: Ben Harper on a 700-acre farm in Tennessee; Fountains of Wayne on a 100-year-old ship at New York’s South Street seaport; and The Swell Season at the Good Shepherd Center Chapel in Seattle.

“Presenting ‘The Artist’s Den’ is a unique and innovative way for Grey Goose Entertainment to establish a relationship with a new audience that it does not otherwise reach through original paid advertising,” says a spokesperson for Grey Goose Entertainment, New York. “It also supports the fact that Grey Goose is dedicated to producing original and unique content for television, music and film.”

Grey Goose also produces the series Iconoclasts for the Sundance channel where it brings together to two leading innovators from different fields to discuss their creative process.

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