Thanksgiving (generally considered the beginning of the holiday season) is less than four months away. That means it is time to start cracking on holiday promotions. August’s issue holds a feature and product section on holiday and seasonal products, but for now you will have to settle for a few tips from the pros at Chocolate Inn/Taylor & Grant and HotLine Products.
1. More Chocolate is Better
Don’t be afraid to suggest more chocolate, either in each individual package or overall. End-users will be disappointed if they run out too quickly, but they won’t be if they have a bit too much. “It can be shared amongst an entire office,” said David Miller, president of Chocolate Inn/Taylor & Grant, Freeport, N.Y.
2. Custom Molds are Key
Miller offered an example of a promotion where a custom mold was used to revamp a program. “A customer had given out baskets the year prior to 300 clients and had not received one thank-you,” explained Miller. “They called their distributor and had Chocolate Inn/Taylor & Grant produce a 3-D chocolate mold that represented their new faucet head in dark chocolate with a laser-engraved hammer included,” he said. The edible promotion was a success. “This gift that was very industry specific and different stood out and they received many more thank-yous than prior years and are in the tip of their clients minds next time an opportunity arises.”
3. Use Personal Pictures
Melinda Marr, vice president of sales for HotLine Products, St. Paul, Minn., detailed a promotion where a greeting card with a client-supplied image was used to create a personal message. “A trucking company made a custom greeting card showing one of their trucks on the front of the card,” she said. “They then showed their dispatch team’s picture on the inside of the card so everyone could see the faces behind the voices.” HotLine Products further personalized the card with signatures and then mailed them for the end-buyer. “Artwork was also sent with everyone’s signature so they didn’t have to sign each card. A spreadsheet with all of the mailing addresses was sent so HotLine could mail the cards to each recipient for the customer,” Marr explained. The promotion was a hit and the distributor’s client appreciated that the cards arrived before the end of the holiday season. “According to the end-buyer, this was the first time their cards had arrived before the end of December and everyone loved seeing what the dispatchers looked like,” noted Marr.
