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case studies

Case Studies

Lasting impression on your customers. Unlike a 30 second TV spot, a one-and-done ad or social network post, ad specialties brand your company and do so over and over again since they are useful and valued to your targeted customers.

Here are some innovative ways businesses use promotional products. Would you like to learn more? Just give us a call.


Targeted Group Eats Up Restaurant Gift-Card Promo

Most people would associate Scotts Lawn Service with a thick, green lawn but probably not with a thick, juicy steak. Selected Scotts customers got just that – or any other meal they wanted – when the company used restaurant gift-cards as a promotional product.

Scotts' director of segment marketing says the company identified customers who were likely to cancel their lawn service during the summer. "Our attrition model takes into account historic cancel data to assign a likelihood of cancellation along with a predicted timing of cancel."

Customers in that segment received a direct mailer that offered them a $25 card if they registered with Scotts online or a $50 card if they registered and signed up for automatic payments.

Scotts had hoped the promotion would increase retention 5% over its control group, but the program resulted in a whopping 26% increase versus the control.


Pizza Hut Uses Promo Product Tie-In

Many retail chains and restaurants use promotional items to tie-in their own marketing efforts to that of big movie releases. It's one strategy that distributors can capitalize on when conceiving marketing programs for their retail and restaurant clients.

If your name is Sarah or John Connor, you were in luck. To celebrate the premiere of the movie Terminator Salvation, Pizza Hut offered a free salvation pizza, with one topping, to those with the same name as the movie's characters. You just needed ID to prove it.

This was only one part of the pizza chain's massive tie-in with the highly-anticipated sequel. They launched a sweepstakes at www.pizzahut.com, where one grand prize winner was given the chance to attend the official premiere after-party and take a behind-the-scenes tour of Warner Bros. Studios. One first prize winner received a replica of the T-600 Terminator. Additional awards included branded T-shirts, logoed Xbox 360 consoles, the Terminator Salvation video game, and other merchandise.

"Fans strengthen their connection to their favorite movies by acquiring collectables, and as part of our promotion with Terminator Salvation, we gave fans the opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime collectible – a life-size replica of the Terminator robot from the film," says Pizza Hut's vice president of marketing communications. "Anything we can offer our customers that brings the experience of their favorite movies to life will always be a sought after prize."


Video-Game Maker Goes On Tour

Video-game maker EA Sports rallied US fans for its launch of FIFA Soccer 10; hitting the road with soccer stars, gaming kiosks and some cool promotional products to provide lasting memories and continuous advertising impressions for players who sampled the soccer game.

Beginning in Chicago, FIFA Soccer 10 was brought to 15 cities during a five-week tour. Two vehicles hit hot spots on both coasts. The custom-wrapped trucks held 13 TVs and featured the PlayStation 3. A full-time crew showed players how to use the 360-degree dribbling systems and all-new Virtual Pro that allows the player the chance to live out the fantasy of being a professional soccer player. Players then left with a variety of targeted soccer promotional products.

"The EA Sports FIFA Soccer 10 tour is an integral part of the overall marketing campaign, as it provides consumers with the opportunity to experience the game in a fun and engaging environment," said the tour's creator. "EA Sports FIFA Soccer 10 has the potential to be the highest-rated sports game of all time, and we are confident that providing a unique and memorable opportunity to play the game will drive consumers to purchase."


The Perfect Partnership

Eskimo Joe's, a popular bar and restaurant in Stillwater, OK, has been selling Hanes Beefy-Ts for almost 40 years. By all estimates, during the past 30+ years, Eskimo Joe's has sold more than 500,000 Beefy-Ts per year.

"We wanted the very best T-shirt we could buy. We were seeking a long-term relationship with our guests, not trying to make a quick buck. When a guest actually wanted to buy our t-shirt, well that was the ultimate affirmation that they really, really liked Eskimo Joe's," says Eskimo Joe's president and cofounder.

"Eskimo Joe's and Hanes Beefy-T have literally grown up together, and what a great partnership it has been," says Hanesbrands Imagewear's vice president of sales. "Today, Eskimo Joe's is known worldwide for its cool and creative promotional apparel, including the highly sought-after Eskimo Joe's T-shirt which, of course, is printed on a Hanes Beefy-T T-shirt."