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Manage expectations.
The client wanted to give attendees
custom-made toy excavators that would serve as desktop
reminders of the event, but “with the budget and timeframe
for the event, this was not possible. So I suggested a crystal
piece with the excavator inside,” Covell explains. “It was a
win-win.”
Use packaging strategically.
Covell says anything presented
inside
of something else has a higher perceived value. “This par-
ticular gift came in a blue velvet box with satin lining,” she says.
Suggest something unexpected.
Covell’s client usually
emailed invitations to corporate events, but she suggested
mailing invitations this time. “This also added to the unique fla-
vor of the event, being that it was the 60th anniversary.”
Seek out trusted suppliers.
“The right supplier is key to mak-
ing you look like a hero,” Covell says. In this case, she was
previously familiar with the supplier company and the products
she ordered.
64 •
PPB
• DECEMBER 2014
THINK
To commemorate a 50th wedding
anniversary and encourage attendance at
the celebration, direct-mail invitations
were shipped in white boxes to family
members and friends across the country.
Copy inside read: “Fifty years ago a young
cowboy from Montana and a lovely Philadelphia sophis-
ticate tied the knot.” Illustrating this fact were a western
bandanna and herringbone scarf tied in a knot. The cou-
ple’s names and the official invitation for the celebration
and request for RSVP followed.
An automobile dealer wishing to promote
business during its 30-year anniversary
advertised in newspapers, on the radio
and through “heart throb” key chains
decorated with the theme logo and passed
out to prospective customers. Car buyers
were given coffee mugs personalized with their initials and
the dealership’s logo.
To celebrate a church’s 75th anniversary
and help raise donations for renova-
tions, a series of commemorative gifts
were given to donors at various contri-
bution levels. The imprinted items
included porcelain plates, die-struck coins,
decals, certificates and Lucite paperweights. Ballpoints
pens were awarded to those who assisted in the fund-
raising efforts.
THREE SMALL REASONS FOR COMPANIES TO
CELEBRATE …
If the big stuff is just too far in-
between, ignite company morale with mini victories.
1. Overcoming a minor roadblock
, such as a buggy
email system or a tricky client dilemma
2. Completing a big project
that had staff logging
overtime hours away from home
3. Performing manual labor
, such as packing for a
trade show or sprucing up the office
CASE STUDIES
Party Down With
These Celebratory
Promotions
Distributor Lesli Hebert Covell of Proforma Extraordinary
Promotions won a PPAI Pyramid Award for her work on a compa-
ny’s 60th anniversary.
To commemorate a plant anniversary and
to generate good will among employees
and neighbors, a variety of promotional
products were deployed over a period of
several months to generate awareness of
the centennial celebration of the company’s
manufacturing plant. Key rings were circulated at kickoff
meetings, and employees received wallets with their pay-
checks inside. Employees past and present, as well as
their families and visitors from the community, attended
the celebration’s open house, where travel-hanger grips,
ash trays, tote bags and other items were distributed.
Limited-edition porcelain plates were also given to
employees and pensioners.
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