The Promotional Idea Showcase - Fall 2001 - Updated Quarterly

Real Problems, Real Solutions

Chick-fil-A Cows Bring Out Chikin Vote

It’s every company’s dream to develop an ad campaign that becomes popular with the public and stays that way. The trick is, how do you keep that campaign fresh enough to sustain people’s interest over the really long haul? 

Ask Chick-fil-A. For the last five years it has run a summer promotional campaign that features the now well-known “Eat Mor Chikin” cows – bovines who stand upright and encourage America to eat more chicken rather than the beef burgers offered by other fast-food chains.

“We started [the campaign] to aggressively build brand awareness,” says Don Perry, senior PR director of Chick-fil-A. “That worked effectively, and gradually we started turning everything over to the cows, the core of our advertising and marketing plans.” 

Traditionally, the promotion is targeted at increasing sales and repeat business. Each year, the cows undertake a major agenda. In 1999, for instance, they celebrated the 30th anniversary of Woodstock with a “Summer of the Cow” promo.

But last summer’s program was undoubtedly the most visible yet. In recognition of the presidential campaign, the cows formed their own political action group: the Self-Preservation Party.

The promo premiered July 3 and wrapped up September 2. As with most political campaigns, it employed a variety of promotional products to get its message across. “It seemed like the election would be perfect fodder – and the cows like fodder,” jokes Doug Rucker, creative director of the agency that developed the campaign. 

Chick-fil-A’s 897 nationwide locations used bumper stickers, red, white and blue bunting, tray liners, table tents and soda cups, all of which carried the election theme. Some simply noted, “Dunkees. Elefunts. Chikin. Vote Chicken at Chick-fil-A.” Other mottoes included, “Chikin 4 More Years” and “Vote Chikin in 2000.” In select markets, radio spots and billboards encouraged, “Vote Chikin. Itz Not Right Wing or Left.” 

All of this, Perry says, was geared to engage the customers with the election theme, increase sales and encourage repeat business. When a customer purchased a medium or large drink, for example, the cup featured a peel-off sticker that offered free menu items on a return visit. Over 6.5 million food and beverage offers were made, in addition to 2,000 grand prizes of 100 chicken sandwiches.

When Chick-fil-A owners were told of the upcoming program, the company newsletter offered suggestions on how to promote it. One was to hold voter registration campaigns, which occurred at every Chick-fil-A store in Orlando, FL. In Tyler, TX, the “Self-Preservation Party” held a press conference, and the cows – wearing straw hats trimmed with patriotic ribbons – promoted voter registration.

Sales numbers haven’t been released for the promotion, but Perry notes that beyond the boosted sales and repeat business created, the media attention garnered was also a definite plus: “If we got food-media response,” he says, “that confirms it was creative and effective.”

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Picture What’s Next ... 

Photos of those close to us often adorn our workspace. Recognizing that many of us spend most of our office time at a computer, PhotoWorks.com sent prospective customers a mousepad that doubled as a photo frame. It was sent as a direct-mailing, offering free online previews and e-mailing of photos, as well as free online storage. The blue/green pad bore the PhotoWorks logo and advised, “picture what’s next.” Below the window was the firm’s phone number and address, so customers knew where to develop that next great shot.

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Amtrak Tags Depart Early, But Go Out In Style

Getting a gift on a holiday or your birthday is always welcome, but there’s something extra-special when it’s presented without prior expectation. Maybe that’s why promotional products work so well. The element of surprise is almost as valuable as the products themselves. On the other hand, an inappropriate gift – winter gloves for a Caribbean Cruise, for example – makes the excitement short-lived.

Amtrak West’s Coast Starlight division ran into a similar problem. Its promotions weren’t necessarily missing the mark as much as landing with a resounding thud. The line, which runs between Los Angeles and Seattle, held a thank-you promotion for all riders staying in its sleeper cars. Small items were placed on the pillow of each cabin during turndown service. Past gifts had been somewhat successful, but none really created the desired buzz.

Consequently, Coast Starlight wanted a product that would immediately grab passenger attention. The only parameters: It had to be gender-neutral and inexpensive, given the line’s limited budget. It eventually selected a brushed steel luggage tag with a stainless steel wire clasp. It didn’t tarnish or attract fingerprints like other tags that had been used, and it also featured a plastic insert that completed the die-cut logo, with space for a name and address.

The promotion lasted only six weeks, but the initial order of 9,000 disappeared quickly and customer reaction was upbeat. Matt Cahoon, manager of guest services, attributed the success to both the utility and upscale appeal of the tags.

“You have different responses to different things,” he said. “We had an umbrella, and that went over fairly well, but not nearly like this. These were really classy. They had a nice look to them. They fit well. People are traveling and a lot of them have your standard paper luggage tags, so these were very well-received. 

A second order of 10,000 was placed, but unfortunately the promotion was prematurely suspended by a corporate edict citing “budgetary constraints and the alignment of the
products for all the trains.” But despite this setback, the tags remained an outstanding success to Cahoon, who said the firm received more customer compliments for them than any other product used in the program’s entire four-year history. 

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Disney Film Promo Really ‘Floors’ Moviegoers

Sometimes a promotion calls for a very specific type of product that will successfully advertise a very specific type of material. That’s where your counselor’s expertise can really come in handy. For instance ... 

Counselor Lisa Leichtfuss was asked by Disney Studios to come up with some imaginative products to complement the release of the film Flubber, the bouncing, green entity made famous in the Absent-Minded Professor series. 

Leichtfuss began the creative process by reading the Flubber script. Inspired by the description of jiggly green goo, she tracked down what she felt were the ideal products to match the movie’s launch. “We thought how great it would be to create a mousepad filled with green liquid ‘Flubber Juice,’” she recalls. “We had several prototypes made. The Flubber logo was imprinted in black and placed under the liquid, and a fine glitter was added to suggest a ‘live’ element.” 

The concept took shape, and before long led to other product ideas. “In an effort to play off of Robin William’s character, Professor Brainard, we found a pen that resembled a laboratory boiling flask,” Leichtfuss says. “It was filled with green Flubber Juice that ‘boiled’ when held between the fingers. The barrel was black, so we imprinted the Flubber logo in green. To further enhance it, we packaged it in a test-tube-style container. This seemed a perfect complement to the mousepad.” 

Disney liked both items, and Leichtfuss was eventually filling mousepad/pen orders for the domestic and international markets. “They were used to enhance marketing strategies, including field promotions, publicity, press mailings, distribution, special events and more,” she says. “In total we [delivered] close to 11,000 units.” 

But things didn’t stop with the pre-show promotion. “To take the liquid mousepad idea to new heights, we created an 8-foot-by-125-foot liquid ‘floor’ guests would walk on as they entered the world premiere of the movie,” Leichtfuss says, adding that the floor consisted of large liquid-filled tiles durable enough to withstand the traffic at the premiere and numerous subsequent events. The tiles were shipped in wooden crates specially designed to withstand their tremendous weight. As an added precaution, they were delivered to Disney by a courier who picked them up at the airport. 

But not everything went flawlessly. Some crates had fallen from the courier’s dolly. “Later that day we got a call from Disney saying [some of the] the crates were oozing green liquid,” Leichtfuss recalls. “In a panic, we called the manufacturer, who fortunately was in the same city. He had production of the replacement tiles expedited and delivered them himself.”

All the effort was worth it, considering the “incredible positive reaction” the floor generated among arriving guests. All told, Leichtfuss says, the entire campaign was a glowing success. 

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Walker Center Draws Interest With Magnetic Promotion

Outreach efforts are a critical sustaining force for nonprofit organizations such as museums, not to mention excellent publicity for the companies that respond to them. 

The Minneapolis-based Walker Art Center (aka/The Walker) needed to create interactive experiences for adults and children in order to increase family visits. As a start, it set aside the first Saturday each month to open its doors free to the public. 

“On Free First Saturdays, we average 2,200 people for the day,” says Adrienne Wiseman, associate director of marketing. “Every month is a different theme with different activities. These range from art to film screenings, music, kids on stage, family-oriented tours and interactive efforts. The activities change, but there’s always hands-on art-making for kids.” 

The challenge, of course, was how to spread the word about this free service. Unfortunately, promotional products weren’t high on The Walker’s agenda – at least not at first. “We rarely do promotional giveaways,” Wiseman says, noting that the whole Free First Saturdays program set a new precedent. “We wanted to highlight our family-friendly programs, and we wanted something whimsical and different in a fun shape both kids and adults would enjoy.” 

The Walker’s choice for this first foray into specialties was a customized magnet. The curved, cloud-shaped, extra-thick magnet measured 4 by 3 inches. The perfect all-purpose product was substantial enough to be used as a gift at the museum’s special events, as well as at off-site festivals, trade shows and the Minnesota State Fair. But it was also light and small enough to include in thank-you letters or direct-mail solicitations.

To appeal to the child in all its patrons, The Walker drew from the previously commissioned artwork of J. Otto Seibold for the magnets’ design. Seibold is perhaps best known for his illustrations in the popular children’s book Olive, The Other Reindeer. When he visited The Walker in 1998, he provided illustrations for a map of the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens, including perhaps its most famous piece, the Spoonbridge and Cherry.

The mixture of the colorful illustrations and the unusual shape and weight of the magnet created a powerful combination. “They flew off the shelf,” says Wiseman, who has since placed multiple reorders. As of October, approximately 17,000 magnets had been delivered.

The results? Increased awareness and the knowledge that the magnets might very well be holding a child’s artwork in place on the family refrigerator. And The Walker was more than satisfied with the outcome: “The magnet was meant to be more of a reminder to help people think about The Walker as a family destination – with Free First Saturdays as a monthly event – but also for other family-friendly activities,” Wiseman notes. 

Mission accomplished.

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A Picture’s Worth ... 

To announce the grand opening of its new photo processing facility, dotPhoto sent out a clear mailing tube with a poster-quality announcement inside. The mailing also doubled as an invitation. The tube was large enough to catch the attention of any recipient: 18 inches long, with red end-caps. The poster inside was cleverly designed with an image of an androgenous-looking individual and a spin on a familiar phrase: “When a word is worth a thousand pictures.” As a perk for those that took the company up on its offer, dotPhoto offered free membership to its “online digital photography community” to those who attended the grand opening.


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