– It works for romantic comedies
You laugh. You cry. You melt. You “awhhh”. But let’s face it, all romantic comedies are essentially the same movie, regardless of the beautiful people who happen to star in the current edition. Reality check here. Sorry ladies.
They all go something like this:
Girl is with Wrong Guy who she thinks is Right Guy
Girl meets real Right Guy who at first seems to be Wrong Guy
Something happens, usually Wrong Guy blows it
Girl and Right Guy, who she thought was Wrong Guy, kiss in the rain
Right Guy blows it, and dramatic break up ensues
Right Guy, who is Wrong Guy again, opens up a bottle of crazy to prove he is Right Guy after all
Happily ever after happens…presumably.
Director, producers, and actors laugh all the way to the bank….again.
Unfortunately, unlike romantic comedies, there is no magic formula in promotional products and marketing. If there were, every company would excel, every promotion would yield a positive ROI, and every idea would be a homerun. As it is, there is no magic, perhaps a little luck, but no magic.
Marketing strategies, from the simple giveaways to a nationwide campaign, are merely tools to help you reach your goals. The effectiveness is largely dependent on the implementation and use of the tools in relation to your target audience and overall goals.
Promotional products are one such tool.
Each company, each event, each target market has its own set of variances that you must consider to get the most out of your promotional strategy. There is no given path to follow to guarantee a successful promotional campaign, however, there is a basic framework that can be followed to give you a greater chance. This framework, surely, will not cover all aspects of your promotion or its path to success. But it will start you on a path with a higher probability of success.
With that in mind following these few steps will greatly increase your odds:
- Know your Objective
- Research
- Budget
- Respect the timelines
- The perfect item
- Distribution
In my next post, I will expound on each of these steps.
What process do you use to prepare a promotional product strategy?
