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Solutions September 2005
Case
Study
Tech
Firm Gets ‘i’-Catching
Promotion
Hank
Frisch helps United Computer Group
Inc. catch the eye of prospects
with “i”s. UCG is
a technology solutions company
and an IBM Advanced Business Partner.
When the company asked Frisch
to provide a high-impact promotional
product to mail to prospects,
he studied UCG’s web site
for ideas. “I learned they
were all about ‘i,’”
says Frisch, president of Cleveland-based
Team Promotions. “Their
focus is on iSeries IBM products.”
United
Computer Group’s web page
stresses that it specializes in
IBM iSeries servers, peripherals
and services. Frisch suggested
emphasizing the same message on
a T-shirt—but not your average,
ho-hum T-shirt. Frisch turned
to vendor Simply Smashing for
a custom-printed, compressed T-shirt
mailed inside a box shaped like
a laptop computer.
Simply
Smashing is one of many vendors
who offer T-shirts, towels and
other fabric items that are compressed
under pressure and placed in custom-shaped
boxes as small as a bar of soap.
Boxes are available in shapes
ranging from ATM machines to tool
boxes. When the T-shirts are washed,
they return to a normal size.
Because
UCG is in the computer industry,
Frisch suggested a laptop-shaped
box. A freelance designer working
with Team Promotions designed
the T-shirts based on Frisch’s
idea. He created the tagline “Everything
iSeries” for his client.
The T-shirts are imprinted with
UCG’s name and tagline in
the center in blue. Below that
is the word “everything”
in all blue capital letters, except
for the “i,” which
is lowercase and orange. Several
floating letter “i”s
are printed in blue and orange
across the front of the shirt.
Frisch
supplied 250 T-shirts, which are
compressed into the 53Ú4 x 71Ú2
x 1Ú2-inch boxes. UCG mails the
boxes to prospects. When they
open the lid, it resembles a laptop
screen depicting the “About
Us” page from the technology
company’s web site. The
message “Call UCG for Everything
iSeries” and UCG’s
phone number are displayed prominently.
The inside of the box resembles
a keyboard, with the compressed
T-shirt stored underneath. On
top of the T-shirt is a digital
overlay of the shirt design, so
recipients can see the T-shirt’s
message prior to washing it.
“We’re
all looking for the ‘wow’
factor in a mailing,” Frisch
says. “I felt this would
be the best way to get attention.”
The results back up his gut feeling.
“When UCG follows up with
prospects [who received the mailing],
they know exactly who the company
is,” says Frisch. “The
T-shirt was a great introductory
vehicle.”
For
Team Promotions, the T-shirts
were more than just a nifty promotion.
“The most rewarding thing
about this project was the client
believed in our ability to help
them with a solution for their
business marketing,” says
Frisch. “They allowed us
to be creative and think outside
of the box.”
—Susan
Keen Flynn
1.
Make ’em laugh. Some
of the most memorable TV commercials
use humor to sell products. Just
think of the gecko in the Geico
Insurance ads. Hank Frisch, president
of Cleveland-based Team Promotions,
tries the same approach with promotional
products. While he admits it’s
harder to get companies to use
humor for B2B campaigns, he’s
convinced promotional products
that get laughs are memorable—that’s
the ultimate goal. Recently, Frisch
suggested a company that sells
anesthesia to nursing homes, hospitals
and other institutions send prospects
boxing gloves imprinted with the
message, “We’ll knock
you out.” The company loved
the idea, but hasn’t yet
selected a promotional product.
2.
Sell knowledge, not specials.
Many promotional product vendors
offer weekly or monthly specials
on products. Frisch markets them,
but says they shouldn’t
be your primary focus. “Ask
about the client’s business
as opposed to telling them what’s
on special this week,” he
says. “The more you know
about your clients, the better
you can solve their problems.”
In addition to asking questions,
Frisch recommends visiting clients
regularly, checking out their
web sites and attending their
trade shows.
3.
Become a branding expert.
For the greatest impact, don’t
pick the most ornate or expensive
promotional item you can find.
Instead, make sure it ties in
with print collateral. Use the
same marketing theme, design elements,
logos and slogans on all printed
pieces and promotions to reinforce
your customer’s message.
“We helped United Computer
Group not only with a T-shirt,
but with a branding solution,”
Frisch says. Team Promotions created
the “Everything iSeries”
slogan that UCG now uses on all
its marketing materials. In addition
to T-Shirts, Team Promotions has
supplied playing cards and note
pads with the slogan.
