True
Value
Developing
Campaings for Results
By
Jeffrey Hansler, CSP
In
the promotional products industry offering true value to the
end user is developing a campaign around the desired
objective. This involves three steps:
Step
One: Define the objective
Step
Two: Understand the display environment for the
promotional product
Step
Three: 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 their facility. They want to use promotional products to
accomplish this.
Step
One: Define the objective requires that we focus on the
result desired. At this point, the racetrack operator has a
non-measurable goal. What increase do they want? Where do
they want the increase to come from?
What
they need is a specific and measurable primary objective. I
recommend a brainstorming session using questions (because
they help the mind stay creative) around a more defined
result. These questions might include:
What
kind of attendees do we want?
Do
we want current attendees to come more?
What
are the ways we could contact them?
What
would be their best reason for coming?
Do
we want new attendees or ones that have been here before?
Who
is in contact with them frequently?
What
if we wanted a 50% positive recall for the promotion, what
could we do?
For
our example, after running through our brain storming
session (with many more questions and thoughts), we
determined to refine the object by stating that the
equestrian racetrack operator wants to increase regular
attendance by attracting first time or infrequent attendees.
The specific objective we wish is a 50% positive recall rate
as a direct result of the promotional product as determined
by a six-month period ticket booth survey of all new
attendees as they enter the facility. So we are targeting
new attendees and we expect 50% of all new attendees to come
as a result of our promotional product 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.
Our objective is to set a reference point to challenge
current thinking and set high expectations.
Step
Two: Understand the display environment for the
promotional product requires us to link our delivery method
to our desired result. In this case, we have determined that
we are going to use our current customers as our delivery
source. The target audience is not them, because they are
already attending. The target audience are the friends and
neighbors, and acquaintances of the attendees. These
people have similar demographics as our attendees, but
don’t go to the track. So while our display environment is
going to be tied to current attendees, it must be a product
that is highly visible to the people they interact with. We
are going to be giving the product to our current attendees
when they leave the track.
So
what do we know about our current attendees that will help
us provide a product that they visibly display? Again we use
a question brainstorming session to uncover what we know or
suspect?
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 they afraid of? What do they desire?
How
old are they? Where do they live?
How
do they dress? How do they decorate?
As
you go through this process, play with the extremes of what
you think about. It’s OK at this stage to be a little
disconnected from reality. Joke and be ultra serious. Think
in opposites. Make outrageous assumptions and very
conservatively examples (they live in mansion or are
homeless). Discuss the irreverent and very relevant,
stereotype and let loose. Be entirely politically incorrect
and be fastidiously proper. The more fun you have with the
process, the more you will uncover unique areas where you
can utilize promotional products.
Step
Three: Delivering a product that maximizes the
‘promotion’ once in the environment is connected with
the work you did in the other two steps. An efficient way to
capture your ideas is to write them down throughout Step
Two: Understanding the end user environment. It is important
for those involved in the discussion, to keep their ideas to
themselves so creativity remains high. Ultimately, someone
will need to be an expert in the promotional products
industry to know the source and requirements to get the
finished product, and at this time, that knowledge can be
deadly in terms of killing creativity (They don’t make
those products! They cost too much! Blah, Blah).
For
our example, the current attendee profile owns a car, home,
has disposable income, is social in nature, and status
conscious to some level. Their taste in clothing, style,
decorating, taste is highly varied. They come to the track
for the fun, excitement, and a connection with horses
(otherwise they’d be regulars at NASCAR). As these
discoveries come up, product ideas will emerge, like trash
bags for the car, crystal, jackets, surfboards (there’s no
limit to creativity). Write these ideas down for completion
of Step three in a little while.
The
success of this promotional product campaign is based on
getting their acquaintances, friends, colleagues, and
neighbors excited about going to the track. Which means we
need our attendees to talk to their friends and neighbors
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
discussion of ‘going to the track’ between the potential
attendee and our current customer. This discussion should
take place where good 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. Think worst case to get to best-case
results. Think how will they justify ways to get rid of the
product, hide it or be criticized about it.
For
our example, the product determined to do the trick in our
example is a doormat: A large brown horsehair high quality
rubber backed doormat with a centered black silhouette of a
racehorse combined with the track logo (or name) and
possibly a reference to the racing season months.
Here’s
the linear logic of the concept that eliminated other
products. Doormats wear out and need to be replaced. So the
product will be useful and our product is likely to be put
into place quickly. A doormat is place in a highly visible
area and leads right to questions from a guest at our
attendees house like ‘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 (got to keep up
with the Jones') 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% of the 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 on the front door, it’ll likely end up at another high
traffic area). Leaving color out 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
for attending gift and the cost is justifiable by the
expected return on investment.
Which
brings us back to our objective. To discover the results of
our campaign, we will need to survey new attendees to the
park. While this can be done a variety of ways it can be
done quickly which is important, there are only two critical
questions? Do you come to the track often? (track the NO’s)
How did you hear about us? (if you get doormat, you
have a match. If you get friend, then the last question is:
Did they have a racetrack doormat? (if you get YES,
you have a match). Then measure the percentage of new
attendees to the positives. Will we really get 50%?
Maybe. What’s important is whatever percentage you get
pays for all cost 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.
The
more you do this process. The better you get. And while it
is good with a group, after you become practiced in the
process, you can do this in your mind. The above example
came about as I sat on a panel, listened to questions and
the other panelist remarks, and took notes.
©
2005 Jeffrey Hansler All rights reserved
#
# # # #
Jeffrey
Hansler is ‘Gun for Hire’ as well as a professional
speaker, author and trainer, he is a frequent consultant to
companies looking for rapid profitable growth with new
customers or expanded business with current customers. His
skills as a negotiation expert make him valuable at key
stages of proposal development, presentation, and
negotiation. He has helped his clients earn millions of
dollars in new business, often against better-seated
competitors. He is a frequent speaker at association events,
creating change with communication and is the author of Sell
Little Red Hen! Sell! He can be reached at jhansler@oxfordco.com.
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©
2004 Jeffrey Hansler All rights reserved
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