PPB February 2021

Consumer Programs Gold Winner Distributor: Arid Zone Type Of Client: A business that provides adhesive technologies across a wide range of sectors, from construction and schools, to hardware and industrial business Target Audience : Members of 3,000 families, including parents and children looking for back-to-school products Primary Objective: The main goals of this campaign were to reinforce the stores as a back-to-school destination and promote the products as the preferred brand in this category, and to measurably increase year-over-year sellout of more than five percent for each of the selected stores during the event period. Total Cost: $20,325, excluding GST Strategy And Execution: The distributor collaborated regularly with the client’s marketing team, introducing merchandise and product development ideas that complemented their planned activities and creatives for the campaign. Maintaining the back-to-school theme, environmentally-friendly sandwich wrappers with kindness cards inserted were selected. Besides reinforcing the client’s commitment to sustainability, we were confident sandwich wrappers would be a great medium to generate additional brand exposure as they would be seen when in use at school by friends and classmates (a core target market in this sector for the client). Further, the kindness cards engaged parents and students on an emotional level. As part of the planned activities, the client arranged for an ice cream truck at every location offering free ice cream and used branded ice cream sleeves as a low-cost branding opportunity creating brand exposure wider than the immediate promotion area. The client’s marketing team was pleased with the distributor’s merchandise recommendations, and ordered an initial production run of 5,000 sandwich wrappers and 12,500 ice cream sleeves. Results: Overall, the initial goal was achieved: a five-percent increase in category sales versus the prior period for each of the selected stores during the event period. Products that were key in crafting display and activities saw a 147-percent increase on activation day. The campaign engaged with more than 8,000 end users in 20 days; this was an average of 417 users per day and 238 per site. On those days, stores that had an activation saw a 17-percent increase in sales. Silver Winner Distributor: Funk Advertising Agency & Promotional Products Type Of Client: Sewing and alerations company Target Audience : Men and women living in a remote, low-population town. Those needing a seamstress who could sew, alter or repair all types of items. Those over the age of 17 living in 318 homes in the select ZIP Code. A total of 512 people met the age requirement of the target audience. Primary Objective: To have a sustainable backroom sewing and alterations business with a consistent, local customer base. The goal was to reach $3,500 in sales in 12 months, with expenses of less than $750 to launch the new business. The area is remotely located over an hour from any types of stores. Locals use and reuse items rather than buy new. The objective was to fill the niche for the community which was lacking a sewing business to assist with the local attitude of thriftiness. Total Cost: $673.75 Strategy And Execution: A direct mail postcard was mailed to all 318 households in the ZIP Code and pens with a textile-type barrel were ordered. Every customer received a pen when they picked up their completed alterations. Recipients loved the pen, and nearly all of them recognized the tie-in with the textile coating. The pens were also distributed at the only other businesses in town: a mini-mart gas station, a rural health clinic and a small hardware store. The postcards had a UV coating on the front with an image of Eva, the seamstress. The backside was uncoated matte. The mailed cards were chosen because many in the target audience do not have mobile phone service or internet. The cards were also a thank-you card, and the uncoated matte backside was used to write a note of thanks and attached to every outgoing order, along with a pen. Customers were verbally asked to pass along the card, and to refer the business to their friends. Results: In 10 months (the business was forced to close sporadically because of COVID-19 restrictions), the company received 206 alteration jobs totaling $3,564.15. Of these, 188 sales averaged between $5-$30, and 18 jobs ranged between $75-$100. All customers were asked how they heard about the company and 102 credited the postcard mailer, 42 said they saw the pen at a local business and 32 said they were referred by a current customer. Thirty new customers said they saw the information on Facebook. Pyramid Awards: Client Programs | FEATURE | FEBRUARY 2021 | 23