Print Solutions Magazine - July 2008: 433 East Monroe

433 East Monroe

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Promotion Stands (and Sings) on Its Own

Michael Crooks and his daughter, Stephany, wish they were Oscar Mayer wieners. Or at least that’s what they said, in that familiar sing-song way, on the road trip last summer that turned them into human promotional products.

The two Leslie, Mich. natives saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in a grocery store parking lot in Brookland, Mich. Crooks, a 23-year veteran promotional products seller, and Stephany were videoed singing the Oscar Mayer wiener song. They were told that in a few weeks, the clip would be available on the Oscar Mayer website. Both were thrilled. They were given wiener whistles as a keepsake and a code to access the site.

For the next few weeks, as the two continued traveling, they told everyone they met about their upcoming internet video debut. When the clip was posted, they emailed the link to friends, family and associates. “I even sent it to my discussion group listserv,” Crooks said. “It was a brilliant, multilayered promotion on the company’s part, because we were willingly, freely promoting them.” Even though the Crooks’ didn’t turn into actual Oscar Mayer wieners, they effectively represented the 72-year-old icon for weeks.

Oscar Mayer may have purchased promotional items—the wiener whistle that branded the campaign—but what they gave away were family memories, positively reinforcing the company’s image. For the price of a small plastic trinket, the company bought the loyalty of two people in Michigan, who spread the word to hundreds of connections, including one reporter. Now I’m spreading the word to everyone who reads the magazine.

"You could be an effective promotional sales person even if you handed out a piece of paper."

Crooks’ experience poses an important question that should confront all distributors: If you take away the product, do you still have a promotion? Beginning with our cover feature on page 18, Crooks further elaborates on the concept of selling promotional products on creative force, not price—including a few ideas of his own. On page 22, read about trackable promotional products, which lead recipients online to generate ROI data. You can also read about promotions that sold on the concept of eco-friendly components, innovative uses and e-commerce solutions. In short, campaigns that came to life based on the strength and appeal of the promotion, not the product.

After all, without the promotion, would you be selling any products?

Rebecca Trela
Managing Editor
rtrela@psda.org

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