Character marketing -- is it for you?

I had an interesting conversation the other day with a vendor who does some pretty amazing things with plush animals (you may also called them stuffed animals). We were trying to figure out how these items can be used as a marketing device to male-dominated industries. After all, as soon as you hear the phrase "stuffed animal", most people think about baby toys like teddy bears.

We started to push each other to be more and more creative, and eventually we arrived at what we considered to be some excellent ideas (well, of course they were excellent -- they were ours!). Instead of simply trying to convince companies to use plush/stuffed animals in their marketing efforts, we thought they could be a complementary piece to a character marketing program.

So, what is character marketing? It's simply giving a face -- usually an animated one -- to a business.

Say what?

Here are some examples -- Charlie the Tuna, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald, Count Chocula, the Vlasic pickle store, the Morton Salt girl, the Jolly Green Giant, Mr. Peanut from Planters, the Gorton's fisherman, Mr. Clean, the Phillie Phanatic (and a whole host of other sports mascot characters).

So how can this work in the promotional products realm? Obviously, you can recreate this mascot/character on any printed pieces, but you can also recreate this character on three-dimensional items as well, like stress relievers, flash drives, masks, full-size characters, ...heck, just think of everything you've seen with the Phillie Phanatic's face on it.

Next time your company is thinking of branding or re-branding, give some consideration to giving your company some character.

One week, 2 trade shows

We had the chance to make it to two industry trade shows this past week. The first one was the ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute) Show, which was held at the Javits Center in New York City. It's probably the biggest show on the East Coast, filled with numerous manufacturers trying to show off the latest and greatest in the promotional products world.

The second show was the Imprinted Sportswear Show, held in Atlantic City. This show, which is primarily geared toward companies that decorate clothing, either through silk screening, digital print or embroidery.

While both shows were well-attended and offered a lot to see and do, there wasn't a ton at either show that was truly different enough to create a strong buzz in the industry, unlike the "Lance Armstrong bracelets" of a few years ago.

At the ASI show, there were two exhibits that caught my eye. One was a company that makes a hat with a bottle opener in the brim of the hat. The second company was one that makes Big Stuff (like oversized items). Both companies offered items that are unique enough to create interest and sales -- which is the point.

The big "news" from the ISS Show was the continuing advancement in digital printing. When it was first introduced, just a few short years ago, this method of printing was limited mostly to white and ash-colored shirts. Now, thanks to the advancements in technology, printing and inks, even black shirts look great digitally printed.

Seeing just these few items -- the hat, the big stuff, and the digital printing -- makes these shows worthwhile. These shows (and by now most people know I'm a big fan of trade shows) help us to stay sharp and always have new options to offer our clients and customers.

And, at a time when companies are trying to make themselves noticed, these options can make a lot of difference.

Trade Show Season...time for new ideas

It seems like the trade show season is upon us. Time to break out your best welcoming smile, your stack of business cards, your most comfortable shows, and your best ideas and ... then what?

If your company is like most, you're either going to set up or attend a trade show sometime in the near future. And, if you're like most companies, you probably will drag out a tablecloth or the tired booth design and hope to draw people to you booth with some pens or some frisbees or some trite idea.

But you don't have to.

Through the miracle of Facebook, we recently were able to put together a list of 30 trade show promotions. We don't mean 30 different things to give out at your booth, but rather 30 ideas for activities that you can do at your booth to generate buzz and traffic..and hopefully sales. Some of the ideas are BIG ideas...and some are admittedly small. The one thing they have in common, however, is that they have all been done before and they all worked before.

We've also put together a three-page Marketing Checklist to help companies with their marketing programs -- which should include trade shows. In fact, this checklist can easily be adapted for a specific event, like a trade show or product launch or mailing program.

Curious? Interested? Let us know....