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Create True Value
By: Jeffrey Hansler, CSP
Issue: 2005nov
In the promotional products industry, creating true value for end users centers around developing a campaign around the desired objective. This involves three steps:
1. Define the objective of the promotion.
2. Understand the display environment for the promotional product.
3. Deliver a product that maximizes the promotion once in the environment.
Let’s use a specific example to illustrate these three steps. An equestrian racetrack operator wants to increase attendance at the facility. Using promotional products is a valid means to accomplish this goal.
Step One
Defining the objective requires focusing on the desired result. At this point, the racetrack operator has a non-measurable goal. What increase does he want? From where does he want the increase to come?
He needs a specific and measurable primary objective, which can be generated through a brainstorming session using questions (because they help the mind stay creative). These questions might include, but aren’t limited to:
What kind of patrons do we want?
Do we want current customers to attend more often?
What are ways we could contact them?
What is the best reason for attending?
Do we want new or repeat attendees?
Who is frequently in contact with them?
If we wanted a 50-percent positive recall for the promotion, what could we do?
After the brainstorming session, we determined to refine the objective by stating that the equestrian racetrack operator wants to increase regular attendance by attracting first-time or infrequent attendees. The specific objective is a 50-percent positive recall rate as a direct result of the promotional product. This would be measured for a six-month period by a ticket booth survey of all new attendees as they enter the facility. Therefore, the promotion will target new attendees, with 50 percent of all new customers expected to attend as a result of our promotional products campaign.
Note: Organizations frequently allow all the “How do we do that?” or “That’s an impossible number to reach, isn’t it?” questions to stop the process of measuring. However, the objective is to set a reference point to challenge current thinking and set high expectations.
Step Two
Understanding the display environment for the selected promotional product requires linking the delivery method to the desired result. In this case, current customers will be the delivery source because the target audience includes their friends, neighbors and acquaintances. These people have similar demographics, but they don’t go to the track. Since the display environment is going to be tied to current attendees (product to be distributed to them when leaving the track), the promotional product given must be highly visible to the people with whom these attendees interact.
What is known about current customers that will help identify a product they will visibly display? Again, a question-focused brainstorming session can uncover what is known or suspected.
Do they drive cars? Do they own houses?
Are they proud of their cars and houses?
What else do they do for fun?
What kind of clothes do they wear? Do they entertain?
Why do they come to the racetrack?
What are their fears? What do they desire?
How old are they? Where do they live?
How do they dress? How do they decorate?
When going through this exercise, play with the extremes in your thought process. It’s okay at this stage to be a little disconnected from reality. Joke and be ultra-serious. Think in opposites. Make outrageous assumptions and very conservative examples—such as they live in mansions or are homeless. Discuss the irreverent and relevant, stereotype and let loose. Be politically incorrect and fastidiously proper. The more fun you have with the process, the more you will uncover unique areas where you can utilize promotional products.
Note: As with any brainstorming session, ideas should be free flowing. However, opinions on whether these ideas have merit should be kept to oneself. Evaluating ideas—or discussing manufacturing limitations or budget constraints—at this stage is an absolute creativity killer.
The example profile shows typical current attendees own cars and homes, have disposable income, are social in nature and are status conscious to some degree. Their tastes in clothing, style and decorating are highly varied. They come to the track for the fun and excitement as well as connection with horses—otherwise they’d be regulars at NASCAR.
When these discoveries arise from brainstorming sessions, product ideas will likely emerge, such auto trash bags, crystal figurines, leather jackets or even miniature surfboards—there’s no limit to creativity here! Write down these ideas for completion of Step Three.
Step Three
The success of this promotional campaign is based on getting the target audience—the acquaintances, friends, colleagues and neighbors of current track visitors—excited about going to the track. Thus, we need attendees to talk about the track. The real trick is to get the subject of “going to the track” brought up in discussion. Specifically, in this case, we want the product to illicit a conversation about going to the track between potential attendees and current customers. This discussion should take place where enjoyable stories can be told by people feeling good about where they are and where they have been.
Step Three is completed by selecting the product that will maximize the promotion once in the end-user environment. Discussion in this step should include a great deal of skepticism and cynicism. Don’t be enamored by the product or your organization’s image, perceived value or name recognition. Determine how recipients will justify ways to get rid of the product, hide it or be criticized about it—and then plan accordingly. Think worst-case scenarios to get to best-case results.
In this case, the product determined to do the trick is a doormat: a large brown horsehair, high-quality, rubber-backed doormat with a centered black silhouette of a racehorse combined with the track name and/or logo and possibly a reference to the racing season months.
Why a doormat? Here’s the linear logic of the concept that eliminated other products. Doormats wear out and need to be replaced. So a promotional doormat will be functional and is likely to be put into use quickly. A doormat is placed in a highly visible area and leads right to questions from guests at attendees’ houses, such as, “Hey, where did you get that?” or “Do you have a horse?” or “Do you go to the track?” Why? Because people notice changes in a home (must keep up with the Joneses) and people are always looking for things to talk about with their friends.
The simple design of a doormat means it won’t clash with decorating styles, and it’s a standard item that is used by 99.9 percent of attendees at their homes. So there’s a low chance someone will criticize them for using the product, and it’s unlikely to get thrown away. Even if it doesn’t end up at the front door, it’ll likely be placed at another high traffic area. Leaving out color increases the chance it will be used by a majority of recipients.
There’s also benefit in a life-use expectancy of at least six to nine months if you consider the average life of a doormat. Finally, it can be carried out by attendees without too much difficulty if given at the end of the night as a thank-you gift for attending, and the cost is justifiable by the expected return on investment.
This brings us back to the objective. To discover results of the campaign, new track attendees must be surveyed. While this can be done in a variety of ways, it must be done quickly.
There are only two critical questions. “Do you come to the track often?” If they say no, then ask “How did you hear about us?” If the response is by seeing a doormat, you have a match. If the response is through a friend, then follow up by asking if the friend had a racetrack doormat? If you hear yes, then you have a match.
To determine results, measure the percentage of total new attendees to the those who saw doormats. Will we really get 50 percent? Maybe. What’s important is whatever percentage obtained pays for all costs of the campaign and returns a profit to the bottom line. It’s a process that focuses on results and not costs—and that’s true value.
Jeffrey Hansler, author of Sell Little Red Hen! Sell!, is a frequent speaker for the PPAI. He will present “Turning High Level Sales Talk Into Everyday Language,” “New And Novice Distributor Training #201” and “Developing Communication Excellence” at The PPAI Expo 2006. He can be reached at jhansler@oxfordco.com.
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