I’m a sucker for infographics. Truck over to the RIGHTSLEEVE Pinterest page and you’ll see there’s a board devoted just to those charming nuggets of graphs and stats.

Naturally I wanted a RIGHTSLEEVE infographic of our very own and set out to rustle one up. I got one, but looking back on my quest, I see parallels to how customers want promo. Oh, and not the good kind of parallels.

I started my quest innocently enough, with a Google search. I found a few pages describing how to go about making a quality infographic. Things like: know what you want to convey, gather your data, take your time to create a custom look.

But, I want my infographic and I want it now!

The articles I found told me I was going to have to slow down and do some work. I didn’t want that. I wanted my graphic. So, I kept searching and found a site called visual.ly that is currently building software that will take the complex elements (like design and number-crunching skills) out of making infographics.

Notice I said “building software.”  As in, not available yet.

I was back to having to put effort and resources into our infographic.

The Band-Aid Solution

I kept peeking around on visual.ly (which does look like a really cool tool) and discovered that they could make an infographic for me based on the @RIGHTSLEEVE Twitter stats. And, they’d do it for free.

*Cue victory music*

I synced those bad boys up and got me an infographic.

Victory at Last!

Well, not really.

I have my infographic, but it’s not really worth anything. Sure, it’s cool for me to see the breakdown of our Twitter usage, but that doesn’t really matter to anyone who, well, matters. And, I don’t quite understand why the graphic says we have 1:1 “Follower:Following” ratio when we have over 1000 more followers than we follow.

Even though I have a graphic now, I’m not any further ahead because it doesn’t convey much of value to co-workers, clients, or readers.  It doesn’t serve anyone.

I have the shiny new thing, but it’s not worth anything.

This is exactly what a lot of people do with their swag campaigns. They want instant gratification. The cheapest solution. Something that’s not right, but that fills a want.

That’s why my infographic #fails. And why a lot of swag campaigns #fail.

The title of our infographic is “You Are What You Tweet.”  I like to think we’re more than that.  With swag.  And with any future infographics.

RIGHTSLEEVE loves social media. We love to share and create.

We also love to participate and were proud to be on board as a sponsor again this year for Social Media Week Toronto. In addition to being involved in the sponsorship, I trucked out to some events and have been thinking a lot about what I learned from my session, ‘Storyselling: How to use great digital content to help make the sale.’

What I learned might not be what you think.

Sure, Lisa Horvat of Strategic Storytellers used great examples of stories that educated me, made me smile and, made me tear up. But, looking back, I learned a lot by watching what Lisa did with the session, not what she did at it.

Homework
Before the event, Lisa sent an event reminder to me, but it was more than your typical calendar reminder. She personalized it, kept true to my company brand by capitalizing RIGHTSLEEVE in her message, thanked us for sponsoring, and opened the door for me to speak to her at the event. Chatting with a friend who also attended the session, Lisa some online sleuthing and also personalized her contact. Eyeballing the full room of attendees at the seminar, I was impressed that Lisa would take the time to reach out to people on such a personal level.

Connection
Because she did her homework (see above) Lisa knew a sponsor (me) was in the audience and gave a personal shout-out to RIGHTSLEEVE. She also knew other attendees by name and commented on interaction she’d had with them prior to the event. Such engagement helps to tear down the wall that sometimes exists between presenter and audience and creates a personal connection…something fundamental to story telling.

The Extra Mile
They provided coffee and treats – score! There was also someone greeting me as I entered the room and getting me set-up with a name tag, which was nice when chatting with other attendees. There was good lighting and sound. It might seem like the small things don’t matter for free events, but they do. The small things always matter. Oh, and the bathrooms were clean. I totally judge events based on their bathroom facilities. And now you may judge me based on my bathroom prejudices.

Availability
Lisa made herself available. After the event she chatted with attendees. She also pointed out other members of the Digital Storytelling crew so that guests could speak to them. And, because she reached out to me with that personalized event reminder, I felt comfortable emailing her so I could ask for help while I was writing this blog post. An email she replied to within minutes.

I learned a lot from my session, but it went beyond story telling.

When was the last time you were surprised by what you learned?

Knowing the scope of your campaign makes a big difference when deciding on your product marketing. Things like gender marketing go beyond pinks and blues nowadays. For example, motorcycle shows are a typically male crowd, but 10% of Harley Davidson buyers are women. Knowing that, Harley Davidson can ensure women are accounted for as a small percentage of their product mix.

It can be content marketing, an editorial calendar, or promotional items, but coming up with fleshed out campaigns is universally one of the most procrastinated tasks in a day. Read around the web and you’ll get lots of advice on where to come up with ideas.  Scanning magazines, looking at your competitors, and researching keywords are all places to generate ideas, but I prefer the 5Ws tack to generating promo ideas. This fundamental tool of journalism is a great trick for tailoring your promo campaign.

Product Campaign Cheatsheet

• Who is it for?
• What is happening?
• When is it taking place?
• Where does it take place?
• Why are you giving something away?
• How will you give it away?
• How much are you going to spend?

It’s super-easy to call your promotional marketing partner and give them vague generalities of what you’re looking for but you’ll probably spend the next several weeks trading emails and phone calls back and forth on ideas that don’t really hit the mark. Instead, spend one minute each fleshing out  the questions above and in under ten minutes, you’ll have your promo campaign setting off on sure footing.

On any given day, you might have different pieces of product marketing kicking around in your pocket or purse.  Things like a key fob, business card holder, maybe even a USB. But, imagine walking around with a house in your pocket.

Spanish designer Martin Azua captured our attention with this inflatable house that folds small enough to fit into the pocket of your pants.

The pop-up house is made from an experimental metallized polyester that inflates via body heat or exposure to the sun.  The house is also reversible to keep occupants sheltered from either heat or cold.

Corporate applications for this could be stellar:

• Shelter from the sun at a beach event
• Housing for campers on an overnight trip
• Lodging For multi-day concerts; think Coachella
• A trip to the in-laws (you know, just in case)

A novel product design – both fun and functional.

Where else could this be used?  Let us know in the comments.

Let’s pretend you’re at a birthday party for a one-year old. There are lots of people chatting, a few kids toddling around, and a parent or two pulling their hair out. There’s also a grandparent or two in the group. And if you’re a parent, they’re the ones you have to watch out for.

A Grandparents’ Birthday Party Checklist

Feeding the kids candy and cake? Check.
Tossing them on the bed and teaching them how to get the highest jump? Check.
Gifting them the most annoyingly loud and flashy toy ever invented? Check.

Welcome to relationship building grandpa-style.

Grandparents get limited time with their grandchildren so they make it count. When the kids are over, grandma and grandpa don’t spend the time washing laundry or taking the car to get the oil changed. They drop everything and focus entirely on their grandkids. The errands can wait.

To build stronger relationships with your clients, give them your full attention. When you are with your client put the smartphone away. Don’t makes notes about that email that you really need to get out and don’t pick at the food from lunch that dripped onto your shirt. Devote all of that energy to your client. Listen to what they are telling you and what they aren’t telling you. You only get a limited amount of time to wow your client, so when you have an audience with them make it count.

When I was 10 years old “Nan” called my mom to ask if I could spend the day at her house with some cousins who were visiting from out of town. My mom said no because I had to help rake the leaves in the yard (my parents live on an acre with lots of trees). Nan loaded the out-of-towners into her car and drove over to our house. Everyone pitched in, the leaves were raked in record time, and I spent the rest of the day with my cousins. Nan was not about to tell my cousins no, so she found a way to make it happen.

When your client calls you asking for something that sounds impossible, you first reaction is probably going to be a head smack and a list of reasons why their request is crazy. Next time, instead of ticking off reasons their request can’t happen, jot down what you would need to do to make it happen. Then figure out a way to make it work. Nan never says no, and neither should you.

I overheard a father and son talking about a grandchild one time. It went something like this:

Parent: Dad, he’s not allowed to have that.
Grandparent: I know.
Parent: Then why did you give it to him.
Grandparent: Because it made him happy.

And there you have it. Your job is to make your client happy. It’s easy to say and hard to do, but that’s what it all comes down to.

The next time you pick up your phone and your client is on the other end of the line,  proceed like a grandparent would and you’ll be the one your competitors have to watch out for.

Give them your full attention. Check.
Never say no. Check
Make them happy. Check.

What has a business done to make you happy?  Let us know in the comments.

Using a product to create a connection is powerful, personal, and in this case, viral.

Two reasons we love this.

1 – It’s just a notebook. Agreed. And Einstein was just a guy.  Take an everyday object, throw a little  creativity (or maybe relativity) at it, and that common item becomes ground breaking.  It’s not the item itself, it’s what you do with it that counts.

2 – Digital can never replace tactile.  I’m sure Bryan could’ve put together a sweet flickr series for his wife, but you can’t smell flickr.  You can’t touch flickr.  You can’t pass flickr onto your children.  There’s an intimacy created by the tactile experience that digital is always going to be hard-pressed to replicate.

Field Notes: Red Blooded from Coudal Partners on Vimeo.

The release date isn’t until March, but talk of The Hunger Games is heating up. The citizens of District RIGHTSLEEVE took four lessons from the series and voted for our favourite crossover products.

The victors will speak for themselves.

Gear Up	Fan the Flames
Enough storage for everything short of a bow and arrow. Hang the bag on your side for quick access to tools then adjust the shoulder strap and sling it when you need to make an escape up the nearest tree.	Like Katniss’ stunning debut at the opening ceremonies, this hand crafted piece of art makes your tribute pop.

Strength of Symbol	Channel Your Inner Scout
Go viral or go home. The spirit of your District will fuel the movement.	Use it to stock the Cornucopia or as a sponsor gift. Don’t have the training of a Career Tribute? Don’t sweat it. It comes with a Natural Disaster Guide.

Using a conventional product [a subway schedule] in an unconventional way [an instrument].

What have you redefined lately?

Conductor: www.mta.me from Alexander Chen on Vimeo.

Since opening our doors in 2000, we’ve had the good fortune of working with thousands of clients who have engaged us to plan their promotional campaigns. We’ve also witnessed the odd promotional train wreck. After 12 years in business, we sat down and analyzed the tens of thousands of orders we have produced and identified three common mistakes that marketers  make when organizing their promotional marketing.

Problem #1/You’re Hitting the Snooze Button

You’ve spent months creating and planning a project then a week before it goes live someone asks what your giveaway is. You call “your promo guy” and tell him you need something that your customers will love and keep forever.

Oh, and you need it in three days. And, your budget is gone.

What do you get? Something small, rushed, and cheap. And it falls flat.

The Fix

Don’t let your promo be an afterthought. Sure, we’re great at coming up with stuff on the fly and getting it to you when you’re crunched for time, but that’s not how the best campaigns are run. You plan your ad spend ahead of time. You plan your events ahead of time. Why wait until the last minute to plan your promo? Bring us in early to get better ideas, a wider variety of products, and maybe even a better price.

We know it’s tempting to keep hitting snooze, but try getting up early a few times to see how much better your campaign is.

Problem #2/You’re Firing a Shotgun

You know the principle:

Marketing strategy whereby (in contrast to rifle approach) the aim is to cover as wide an area or population as possible.

This tells us that you don’t:

• know your target audience,
• have product ideas that speak to them or
• have the time to figure it out

So you go high quantity & low price and hope that your message sticks because SO many people will get it. It’s like throwing a promo hail mary. To go really wide you’re going to have to go low cost which will limit your chance to get a product that speaks to your ideal customer. You’re left handing out XL men’s shirts to an audience half-filled with women. Even if those women love your brand, those shirts will go straight into the PJ drawer.

The Fix

Understand your target audience by

• looking at the demographics
• engaging them on social media
• finding out what they like

In short, do your homework.

Be picky about who you’re giving your brand away to and focus on your core. Move your event sign-up online and ask registrants to indicate their shirt size during sign-up. Use these numbers to get a feel for your audience then order accordingly.

Problem #3/You’re missing the medium

Your boss gives you an assignment: Remind our employees that our company is a fun place to work.

You call “your promo guy” and he throws your logo on a pen or padfolio and you hand them out at meetings.

Yawn.

The Fix

Promotional marketing isn’t about putting your message on an item, it’s about making the item part of your message.

I’m actually turning into a high school english teacher as I write this, but SHOW your audience, don’t tell them.

Then add your message to it and the medium becomes your message.

	If you wan to be fun, put your brand on poppers
	If you want to capitalize on a current trend go for capsacs
	If you want to appeal to the youth market check out tuber’z

You might not commit these promo mistakes, but you probably know someone who does, so keep these tips handy in the event of a promo intervention.

Did we miss something? Or miss the mark completely? Let us know in the comments!

And, remember, Friends don’t let friends buy bad promo.

[Our Take]
Jewelry first and storage second, these USB sticks bridge the fashion vs. function divide. Placing design at the forefront, rather than as an afterthought sure reminds us of someone else. Each piece of jewellery in the empty MEMORY collection is hand polished and finished in coloured gold. The stainless steel casing houses the USB connector and contains 4GB of storage.

[Why It Matters]
This new spin on a tech category usually filled with utilitarian or whimsical design will stand out against other products.

[Directions For Use]
Apply sparingly to make an impact.