There is this new high end coffee shop in town here. I went and checked it out yesterday its comparable to star bucks. I noticed they were just using plain white Styrofoam cups to serve the coffee in. I also noticed an extremely wealthy looking clientell they seemed to have. Lexus’s and range rovers as far as the eye could see in the parking lot.
I was thinking of having an ad printed up on a few thousand Styrofoam cups and giving them to the coffee shop free of charge. They would get free cups to give to there customers and I would get my marketing message slammed into the hands of some of my main prospective customers.
Eric: No Starbucks up there? Poor you. We seem to be getting more down here. It’s not like the States with one on every corner. But in the downtown area, they are on many corners. They seem concentrated in the downtown core, but there are only a couple where I live in a lower income suburb. They seem to target the more afflueunt areas.
I’m actually getting tired of Timmy’s. I use to find Starbucks coffee too strong but the mild blend isn’t bad.
Anyway, I’m hijacking
AS you were…new cups might work but I have a feeling they would say no. The owner must be pretty dumb to give boring cups in a upper class shop.
Whatever you decide to do though, make sure you include a compelling offer on the cup, and make sure its 100% trackable, so you can find out whether or not its really worth it.
Include a measurable direct-response mechanism of some sort. Of course, unique web URL’s are the easiest for that.
Mikep>> nah we only have Timmy’s, even a Timmy’s in our Canadian Tire store!
there is a local coffee shop called Twiggs, that has basically almost copied Starbucks logo and style, but its still not a higher end coffee shop.
hmmm, I don’t know about this. The offer would really need to be compelling (what am I saying, ALL ads need to be compelling), plus you will surely need to break off a piece to the coffee shop.
I have never seen it done. Let us know how it turns out.
[COLOR=Blue]Chris, there is something similar here but it is in a restaurant. Their coffee is served in ceramic mugs with local business ads on them. The benefit to the restaurant is that the mugs are free. Hope it works out for you. I doubt it would go over here because the one good coffee shop we have is heavily branded and even the cups and sleeves have the company logo on them.[/COLOR]
I think its tacky if you try to make it into an advertisement, by saying “10% off” or “double reward points”. Can it just be company name and website? Must make it standout, a well designed logo goes far and get noticed.
I dont think if you are marketing upper class homes they care quite as much about saving 10% ($20-$50) once or twice a year.
Dont know much about the mug stuff but I would ask myself this question: Would I let someone put their advertisment on my work van? No way! Sends too much of a mixed message in my opionion. Im not saying that it cant be done. Styrofoam cups are not that expensive. Especially the plain ones. I have seen advertisements on place mats at fast food places and pizza joints.
Then why do companies like like Pepsi, or Ford, pay untold amount of money to plaster their name / Logo all over the place. Sporting events, movie / TV scenes. How about the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl or the Fedex Orange Bowl. No offer just getting their name out there.
Now before I get bombarded, I do agree that just putting your logo out there will not result in any direct sales, but I also recognize the value in name recognition, whether on a local or national scale. If it doesn’t work or have any value why do these companies pour so much money into it.
One way around it : Make every ad you send out/use/develop 100% [I][B]trackable.[/B][/I]
In other words, put something in it so that when someone phones you because of it, or visits your website, or emails you (or whatever) you can trace it back directly to that ad.
Thats the intelligence behind “unique web” URL’s or telephone “promo codes” that are often used.
I’ve learned to do nothing ad-wise that isn’t trackable. If something is working great (i.e. a coffee cup promo) then you’ll want to throw every last cent at it. If its tanking, you’ll want to know that, too, so that you don’t waste another cent.
Wrong BC. Pepsi and Ford are where you want to go with this? FedEx?.. c’mon. They spend BILLIONS over many, many years to get you to remember and relate to their marketing message (which is usually nothing).
Do any of you know how completely unrealistic it is to buy advertising with the sole purpose of the ad is to be remembered?
Good Year blimp advertising- They hover that blimp over memorable events, know why? relation to something that you seen while in an elevated state of mind. Does anyone believe that anyone has ever left a game and went to the tire store to buy tires? But maybe, just maybe when they need tires and they are at the store that deep seeded memory (planted during an emotional state) would come into play.
I hope and pray EVERY one of my competitors believes “getting their name out there” is the way to go.
None of you, and I mean NONE of you have the available resources to build brand awareness. Want to see how hard it is? Start by trying it in the very neighborhood you live.
First of all what is wrong with looking at sucessful companies, and what they do for their marketing, would you rather look at the company that is failing? Yes they spend billions over many years, but they are also doing it on a national scale, we are talking about starting on a local scale what they have proven effective on a national scale.
If their marketing message is actually nothing why are we making six figures every year, and they are making six figures every week or more?
You are right that building brand awarness is hard, I never suggested it was, but it is not impossible. And if you read what I wrote I stated it didn’t translate into direct sales, so to assume I am suggesting do nothing but throw your logo out is wrong, I am not suggesting that at all.
If you suggest that putting your name out is of no value, then why do we put our name on our vehicles, but no offer. Should I get new sign for my vehicle “BC Window Cleaning 25% off when you mention this truck”
I think that a vehicle sign message like that is [I][B]smart[/B][/I], since it [I]includes a compelling offer [/I].
I would [I]change the percentage to a dollar value, though,[/I] (sounds more ‘scam-proof’) and add in smaller print : “First-time only” or disclose a similar condition like that.
And in an ideal world I would add a deadline too! (improving the offer, adding some urgency, but requiring NEW magnets every month or whatever period you decide)
I am toying with this idea myself, as a friend of mine owns a sign shop, and can get me a set of 3 vehicle magnets for a fairly reasonable price…
I haven’t tested this idea, though, with my own business, but I think its capitalizing on basic marketing intelligence.
It has been 6 months and no calls, so there goes that theory. lol
As to branding, I don’t know of anyone on here who has the EXTRA money to put into it. Remember, it does NOT lead to direct sales (normally) which means that money would have no return in the near future.
Branding also caters to our egos as we love our company, which blurs our judgment.
