I’ve been in a blog slumber. A blumber. Not that there’s nothing to say. Just that ongoing maintenance isn’t my strength. Thank goodness I have a business partner with complementary strengths.
So, with a gentle push from my partner, we are back on track, cranking out fresh, inspirational promotional posts on a regular and ongoing basis.
Nothing like a splash of cold water and hot coffee to wake up from a blumber.
Filed under Uncategorized
Last weekend, I headed south to Carlsbad to visit The Flower Fields(R). If you’ve ever made that drive south on the I-5 from Orange County to San Diego, you’d recognize those colorful hills on the non-ocean side on the freeway.
The Flower Fields are simply a hillside field for growing and selling ranunculus bulbs. These crazy beautiful fields don’t even sell the flowers (only 1-2% are sold as cut flowers).
The sheer beauty of the fields and proximal view from the freeway made it a popular stop for passers-by headed to (and maybe from) San Diego.
Eventually the owners recognized the opportunity to charge admission. They created a floral amusement park to supplement their bulb business.
As I wandered the fields, I made note of the $10 admission fee, $5 wagon rides, special events calendar, snack stands and strategic exit through a nursery/gift shop.
That got me wondering. First, how cool would it be to have a business that actually became a tourist destination. Second, what other sort of other untapped, possibly unrelated revenue streams are waiting to be uncovered in the business world?
In today’s market, “reinvention” is the business concept du jour. This is the perfect time to look at your business through fresh eyes, and embrace opportunities to find your own floral amusement park concept.
Filed under Business Concepts, Revenue Drivers
Over the last couple months, we have focused on finding and reconnecting with the cool people of our past. The process has proven to be not only productive, but also fun, invigorating, and exceeded expectations.
You meet a lot of people in 20 years. When you’re fortunate enough to work on great brands like we have, you meet quality people who, over 20 years, choose career paths that are as diverse as they are intriguing.
We expected to connect with old contacts in situations where we could work together in new ways for mutual benefit. What we didn’t expect was flood of great memories, the warmth and appreciation for our outreach efforts, and the variety of opportunities to reconnect on levels we hadn’t even considered.
Two months in, and we’ve developed a pitch for a start-up, gotten referrals for a number of business partnerships, uncovered fresh ways to connect brands and promotions, developed a new service, and brainstormed a brand new business opportunity.
We are not done. We can’t wait to see what comes out of the next two months.
Filed under Uncategorized
Entering a new decade with a bright and shiny “0″ somehow feels like a fresher start than your average year ending in say, “2″, “3″, or “7″.
Having spent 20 years co-owning a promotion agency, I recently chatted with my business partner about what we’d like to do in our third decade.
We were inspired by a brainstorm meeting about a year ago with a pair of brilliant ex-clients who are each working in very different capacities today. Together, we spent four hours on a prospective project and ultimately built an awesome, thought-provoking presentation. Brand extension concepts and new vertical niche opportunities arose as well.
That meeting stuck with us. We decided we want to spend more time doing great work with and for people and brands we love (in that business way) and respect. And with new social media tools like Twitter and Linked In, we have been able to reconnect with fun people from our past, and discover new ones along the way. Some of our former clients are agency people now. Some are consultants. Others have moved up and expanded their roles beyond marketing. Regardless of their current role, we know what these great people are capable of, and we are motivated to find ways to connect the dots and build business for everyone.
So, here’s to the ten’s. Look for us to connect and reconnect with our new and old colleagues. It’s time for us to get together and do more great work!
Filed under Uncategorized
We recently stepped back from business and realized that we have the great fortune of being able to offer our clients and prospects access to three of the biggest and best grassroots events in the country. How does reaching women through the Rockettes (feet), Hispanics through soccer (futbol), and football fans through the Super Bowl sound (football)?
If you can get a consumer to see your brand connect to their passion, you’ll go a long way in developing brand loyalty. Every marketer I know is familiar with the (albeit flawed) research showing that NASCAR fans are most loyal to the brands that support their sport.
But being successful in making that connection via sponsorship goes way beyond the just having naming rights or featuring a logo on a cup. You’ve got to engage. Grassroots, boots in the field, on-site, one-to-one—whatever you call it, it has to be done to capture the hearts of your prospects. Engaging consumers in this way is time-consuming, detail-oriented, and logistically-challenging. But if you take the time to engage with the right programs, you can be rewarded with loyal consumers.
Additionally, sponsorships can be leveraged as incentives all across an organization. Yes, the end consumer may be the first priority, but don’t forget about employee incentives (in this era of cutbacks, morale has taken a hit), sales spiffs, and best customer opportunities.
Our approach is turn-key: we negotiate the rights and benefits, and then develop programs that leverage all contracted assets, thus maximizing the dollars invested.
FEET: The World Famous Rockettes
Did you know that, in a short two month Holiday span, The Rockettes perform 500 times? Reaching 2,000,000 audience members?
About 200 performances take place at Radio City Music Hall, with the balance in 35+ cities across the country. Not surprisingly, nearly 2/3 of the target is female, and almost ¾ are between the ages of 35-64. And over 80% are Caucasian.
We can negotiate for some pretty cool assets, ranging from cast member meet and greets to VIP show access, in-venue sampling, and walk-on (dance-on?) parts.
If you know a brand that needs an emotional connection to its female audience, especially during the holidays, then consider The Rockettes.
FUTBOL: Alianza de Futbol Hispano (Alliance of Hispanic Soccer)
If your brand is targeting Hispanics, you’ve got to go grassroots. Hispanics trust brands that are a part of their community. And as one of my favorite Mexican clients likes to say “The most important things to a Mexican are his family, his church, and his futbol… and not necessarily in that order”
Alianza is the largest amateur Hispanic soccer tournament in the country. Every year, they visit 10 major Hispanic markets to execute three weekends’ worth of soccer activities: adult and youth tournaments, clinics, etc. The crown jewel of the program is a scouting event featuring representatives from major Mexican soccer clubs (think American Idol of Mexican soccer).
Since 2010 is a World Cup year (biggest sporting event in the WORLD), Alianza will be touring with a World Cup Pavilion, featuring memorabilia from World Cups of years past, including game-used equipment and interactive displays.
Last year, Alianza reached over 200,000 participants and spectators, who have the time and interest to be engaged, especially on-site.
Through Alianza, your brand can connect with soccer on many levels: from providing major soccer players spokesmen for media tours and meet and greet events, to executing on-site activations which have proven to drive major traffic and sales back to retail.
Long story short, if you want to reach Hispanics, 2010 is the year, and Alianza is the vehicle.
FOOTBALL: North Texas Super Bowl XLV (2011)
Talk about the ultimate harmonic convergence. Nowhere is football bigger than in Texas. And no football event is bigger than the Super Bowl. And since “everything is bigger in Texas”, it stands to reason that North Texas would be creating a year long celebration of football in 2010, culminating with the Super Bowl itself in the recently opened Cowboys Stadium in early 2011.
Throughout 2010, the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee will be working to keep football top of mind. As this is the first Super Bowl to be hosted in North Texas, it’s regarded as the largest and most impactful event in the history of the region since the DFW International Airport was built.
Promotional and media efforts will include, of course, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Bill Lively and other North Texas legends and powerhouses.
From its “North Texas Football: A Century in the Making” programming to kick-off concerts, VIP golf events, and of course major media and Super Bowl hospitality, we can develop programs that help you own the North Texas market in 2010.
If football fans are your target, and you want to make a BIG impression in North Texas, you’ll want to further check out this opportunity.
Filed under Event marketing, Hispanic, Sponsorships
Bass Pro Shops drive traffic and sales with Holiday activities
My sister-in-law suggested I take my daughter to Bass Pro Shop this Holiday season. The last time I was in a Bass Pro Shop was… never. However, they are once again executing a full slate of Family Holiday Activities, from themed games to craft projects.
But the big draw is a FREE photo with Santa. And to enhance the experience, Bass Pro Shops gives consumers a Fast Pass of sorts that allows you to browse until its your turn with St Nick.
Spending an hour in line with a (nearly) two year old at the mall made me think even harder about all the things Bass Pro Shop was doing right.
The top 5:
Back in the early 90′s, we ran a Mattel promotion offering a free photo with Santa (Polaroid snapshots with custom frames) at all Hills Department stores. The chainwide results were phenomenal: highest sales ever on December 2, toy department sales were up 70% (vs YAG), while overall store sales enjoyed an increase of 35% (vs YAG).
Today’s photos can include green screen virtual backgrounds. We can email digital photos to friends and family. And we can share the event details via all sorts of social media, from Twitter to Facebook.
But at the end of the day, the same evergreen concept can still deliver results.
What promotions have you seen that are standing the test of time?
How has the promotion been modernized?
Has technology improved the promotion? Affected cost?
Oh, and if you want to check out Bass Pro Shops, visit http://www.basspro.com
Filed under promotional events
Over 20 years ago, my business partner and I utilized this philosophy to convince ourselves that the time was right to start a Promotional Marketing Agency.
Fast forward to 2009, and our philosophy has evolved to include ”how hard can it be?” and “what’s the worst that can happen?”
It’s with that fearless mindset that we launch our long-overdue blog. Overdue because we’ve had a history of bringing cutting edge programs to market over the years: in-store events before Walmart coined “retail-tainment”; on-line promotions when most people connected online via AOL; text to win promos way before American Idol voting; and more.
So while we’ve been regularly discussing trends like Social Media, Green Movement, Mass Customization, and Hispanic influence, we’ve failed to put digital pen to virtual paper. Until now.
What you can expect is an extension of the in-office conversations about how changing technology and demographics are affecting (and can be applied to) the world of marketing (with an emphasis on promotions).
Let the blogging begin.
Filed under Uncategorized
