Fashion publishing. One of the last few strongholds of the consumer print magazine world. (There’s something about seeing pretty, must-have products in print form that everyone seems to love). Demi Giannini (pictured right) and Lisa Gruzas, account executives at CMC Promos, San Francisco, Calif., took the idea of joyful product browsing, matched it with the practical value of a notebook, and created an artistic, exciting and memorable campaign for a pair of clients, a fashion designer and a high-end magazine.
By paying careful attention to the intended user base (fashion enthusiasts and buyers in the San Francisco Bay area), as well as emphasizing graphic and printing quality, Giannini and Gruzas were able to impress not one, but two detail-focused design-obsessed clients. Below, the pair explains the details of their promotion.
Promo Marketing: Could you briefly describe a promotion of yours that you consider one of your best?
Demi Giannini and Lisa Gruzas: Recently we worked on a project with both a high-end magazine and a clothing designer who were partnering to promote the designer’s new spring patterns. For this project we presented custom journals from Chameleon Like. After the project, we met Pierre Martichoux at the Las Vegas PPAI show and he told us that these journals were one of his favorite projects for 2011! That was pretty exciting for us to hear.
PM: What was the promotion’s goal? What did you do to make the goal happen?
DG&LG: The goal of the promotion was to showcase the designers new spring patterns and to make a splash at their Macy’s launch party.
PM: What kinds of items did you use in the promotion, and why?
DG&LG: We selected the 4×6″ recycled notebooks from Chameleon Like. We went with this product because it was useful for the end-user at the event, and showcased the designers’ patterns in full color graphics on the journal’s entire cover, spine and back (the style of binding was book-bound). Also, the notebooks are an eco-friendly item, which was important to this group of recipients, who were from the Bay Area.
PM: What, if anything, made this a profitable promotion for you? Why?
DG&LG: The client came to us with a specific goal, and we were able to fulfill that goal. They originally intended on going with a cheap item they found online, however once we presented the customized notebooks, the value outweighed the cost and we were able to salvage the deal by delivering a more appropriate item.
PM: What was the best decision you made with this program, and why? What, if any, was the worst?
DG&LG: Partnering with one of our key suppliers on this project streamlined our sales process. Chameleon is entirely dependable and sent us proofs before production and made sure each notebook was printed perfectly.
PM: Did you run into any problems with the promotion, and if so, how did you overcome them?
DG&LG: Our company mitigates unpleasant surprises by working with a key group of preferred suppliers.
PM: Any other advice or insight you’d like to give related to this promotion?
DG&LG: Identify key suppliers to partner with who can execute on good products and understand the clients’ needs.
Want to be considered for a future edition of My Best Promotion? Contact Michael Cornnell at [email protected] or (215) 238-5449 for a list of questions and other details.
