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Solutions September 2005
Case
Study
Booth
Theme Races Ahead Of Competition
Several
months ago, a Chicago pharmaceutical
company introduced a new heart
disease drug at a heart surgeon’s
conference in Seattle. The company
wanted to draw a crowd to its
trade show booth, and its advertising
agency thought a racing theme
would do the trick.
Searching
online for sources and quotes
for racecar-themed mouse pads,
the advertising agency discovered
Proforma, a group of more than
600 independent distributorships
that’s headquartered in
Cleveland. Proforma franchise
owners are matched with a client’s
online request based on ZIP code.
Kathy Labbe, owner of Elgin, Ill.-based
Proforma PPG since August 1994,
was the client’s match.
“I
like to do things based on a theme,”
Labbe says. She was given the
client’s name, phone number,
email address and request for
racecar-themed mouse pads. She
took the request and searched
for other promotional products
with a racing theme. Next, Labbe
created a detailed proposal that
included several promotional products,
including invitation cans filled
with racing novelties, shirts,
computer mice, bottle openers,
racecars filled with mints, die-cast
racecar replicas, stress relievers,
hats, ballpoint pens, remote control
racecars and mouse pads. Each
item included racing theme art
or was shaped like a racecar.
Labbe scheduled a meeting with
the advertising agency and presented
her quote, indicating that samples
were available. “They just
went crazy for the ideas,”
she says.
After
the company reviewed the quote,
Labbe submitted samples of the
hat, shirt, key chain, stress
reliever and computer mouse. The
6-panel twill hat was solid black
with a black-and-white racing
pattern along the left side and
across the bill. The collared,
cotton, short-sleeved shirt had
a racing-patterned contour and
cuffs. The key chain and stress
relievers were shaped like racecars.
The fully functional, aqua-filled
computer mouse had a custom racecar
floater. (Prior to the production
of the mouse, Labbe had a prototype
made that included the floating
racecar.)
As
a result of Labbe’s first
meeting, the agency decided to
order the hats, shirts, computer
mice, mouse pads and key chains.
(Later, the agency dropped the
key chain order for budget reasons.)
Initially, the company wanted
only 2,000 mouse pads. After reviewing
Labbe’s proposal, the company
ordered 8,000 instead. In addition
to the mouse pads, the company
ordered 2,500 computer mice, 60
hats and 60 shirts.
Meanwhile,
the agency successfully booked
NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne to hand
out signed racing flags to booth
visitors. But there was a problem:
All of the racing flags available
were too big. “Fortunately,
I knew of a supplier that would
be willing to make a custom, smaller
version for him to sign,”
Labbe says. The custom 11 x 11-inch
flag had black-and-white checkers.
The pharmaceutical company’s
logo appeared in the lower-left
corner. Kahne signed his name
near the top of each flag, on
a white border. “I even
provided them with three fine-point
Sharpie pen samples for Kasey
to use,” Labbe says.
Although
the flags required a custom job,
Labbe says the biggest challenge
with this order—and all
her promotional products orders—was
quick, consistent delivery. No
matter which service she used
(UPS, FedEx or DHL), samples weren’t
delivered on time. When dealing
with a new client, this can be
akin to engine problems during
the final laps of the Daytona
500.
Despite
her delivery dilemmas, Labbe’s
racing theme promotional products
were successful. The pharmaceutical
company achieved greater exposure
of its new drug by drawing a crowd
at the trade show. “They
had people flocking to their booth,”
Labbe says. Proforma PPG has completed
four additional projects for the
company, including a presentation
that was preloaded on a USB drive.
Labbe
says the key to promotional products
success is to do more than what’s
requested. “Given a concept
or objective, always take it a
step further,” she says.
“Give them what they want
and present additional ideas.”
—Kara
Gebhart Uhl
1.
When a client requests a quote
for a single product, present
10 additional ideas similar in
theme, says Kathy Labbe, owner
of distributorship Proforma PPG,
Elgin, Ill. Often, clients don’t
know other products exist.
2.
Develop a niche market and build
relationships. Promotional products
account for 95 percent of Proforma
PPG’s sales. Labbe, whose
background is in direct mail,
knows first-hand the impact a
premium or incentive can have
when trying to increase sales.
3.
If a client isn’t immediately
receptive to your proposal, revise
and try again. The extra work
can keep you from losing an account.
“My clients tease me that
my middle name must be Persistent,”
Labbe quips.
