The Promotional Idea Showcase - Winter 2001 - Updated Quarterly

‘As We Go Forward ...’
By Cathy Holnick
How do you get back to “business as usual” in the wake of September 11? Some suggestions from one promotional products writer.

The terrorist attacks on the United States September 11 shocked us, frightened us and profoundly saddened us as individuals, but as a nation they have united us. The very energy of hate those evildoers poured into their acts has fueled our resolve and will drive America’s recovery.

As we go forward we remember those lost, honor those responding and pray for those injured, missing and mourning.

This is a confusing time for everyone. With the catastrophic loss of life, corporate America acquired a face. Business is now expected to respond like a human being, not just an entity.

The advertising and marketing community is caught between its heart and its head, not sure how to proceed. We know that people are deeply hurting. To ignore the pain could be an act of omission. On the other hand, for advertising and marketing to go back to full-scale business as usual would be callous. Some images and slogans could be particularly painful. But there is also the economy and each individual company’s bottom line and employees to consider. Marketing and promotion drive consumer spending. Keeping our country out of a recession is paramount.

The current wave of patriotism isn’t and cannot be just a short-lived fervor. There are many ways your company can do its part and help Americans to stand strong at this most critical juncture. Don’t be embarrassed by the red, white and blue in promotions. But don’t flaunt it either.

Internal Affairs: Your Employees

Few in this country have been unaffected by the terrorist attacks. Reactions run the gamut of emotions from profound sadness to fear to survivor guilt to anger. Now, with the anthrax threat and continued warnings of the potential for new terrorist attacks, many people are increasingly edgy and anxious. For their employees’ sake and the stability of their companies, many organizations may want to consider providing counseling and support to their employees.

This tragedy lands on the shoulders of workers who were already feeling overwhelmed by stress and showing frightening signs of buckling under it. In a recent study by Integra Realty Resources prior to the terrorist attacks, 29% of those polled said they had yelled at co-workers because 
of stress, 23% had been driven to tears and 14% said that machinery or equipment had been damaged because of workplace rage. And most frightening of all, one in 10 said that physical violence happens at their workplace because of stress. Known as “desk rage,” this phenomenon has a pronounced negative effect on performance.

Just as our children need to be comforted and told they’re safe, so do adults. One way to comfort your employees is to offer counseling and morale-building events or ongoing programs. Employee-centered promotions show workers that the company cares about them, a special need among young employees who no longer have the traditional support that church, community and neighborhoods used to provide. 

When developing an employee program or offering counseling, think inform and warm. People may be fearful of accepting counseling. Make sure it’s presented in the best light and that the company believes in it and supports its employees who seek counseling. 

Use clear communications and imprinted items to support and continually remind employees of the message you’re trying to convey. It has to be about them, not the company.

And don’t forget the children. Many parents are having difficulty helping their children cope. Your company could provide counseling for children or seminars to educate parents about talking to their children about this tragedy. These kids could use a stuffed animal to hold on to or flags they can put on their bikes or patriotic keytags to hang from their backpacks.

Minding The Mail

In a world in which many people have become afraid to touch their mail much less open it, businesses that use the mail to deliver product samples and promotional campaigns are rightfully concerned about what used to be considered a very successful marketing channel. But, experts say, marketers don’t have to be frightened, just wise.

Many of the direct-mail techniques marketers have found successful are now almost guaranteed to make a mailing suspect. The biggest challenge used to be to get the recipient to open the envelope. Now the biggest challenge is to make sure she doesn’t feel the need to call the authorities.

There are simple and obvious measures to take in preparing a direct-mail piece, but there are some not so obvious ones as well. The following is provided as a general guide:
  • Use a clear and complete return ad-dress, possibly including your logo.
  • Use appropriate packaging and avoid including products that are likely to tear the package. Torn packaging or envelopes, or those repaired by the Post Office, will raise a red flag among recipients.
  • Avoid fragile containers such as glass bottles that might break and spill liquid or powdery substances.
  • Avoid statements or slogans on the envelope or carton that might be misunderstood or unnecessarily unnerve recipients.
  • Consider notifying recipients ahead of time by phone or e-mail that a package or mailing is coming.
  • Use UPS, FedEx or other delivery services if possible.
  • Check everything you have in the pipeline. Several recent mailings overseas and stateside have caused anxiety, resulting in more than 100,000 frantic calls to authorities for such innocuous things as Maxi-Pads and Oxy-Clean. The promotions had been in the works for months.
  • Do everything you can to ensure you have current and correct names, as people have become very wary of opening mail not addressed to them.
  • Have your sales team personally deliver promotional presentations, logoed items or mailings.
  • Target more promotional dollars where promotional gifts and messages can be handed directly to recipients (trade shows, in-store, etc.).
  • Metered mail is now preferred over hand-stamped.
  • Don’t use copy techniques like “personal” or “confidential.”
In our future may be sanitized or irradiated mail. What technique the United States Post Office ultimately chooses will have an effect on how mail is prepared. For example, sanitizing could make certain inks run and radiation might destroy film. 

All Bets Are Off

“Everything has changed.” Those words may have been said before, but never have they been so true or repeated so often as now. We as a country are no longer the people we were on the early morning of September 11. The effect this will have on the advertising and marketing of products and services in the long term is still unknown. But it has become as “proceed with caution” proposition, that much is certain.

Many big advertisers still have their new campaigns on. Those who are advertising are combing through their ads and commercials, eliminating anything that might be sensitive.

But what’s sensitive isn’t always obvious. It was easy for advertisers to know to pull ad images of the Manhattan skyline that included the World Trade Center, (although not all did), but many didn’t realize that any high-rise office building as a backdrop might also be deemed disturbing to some. 

Certain messages are still not appropriate, but according to a survey by Wirthlin Worldwide Advertising and Communications, people are ready for advertising. Sixty-two percent of respondents say they feel that advertising provides a signal that things are returning to normal. Twenty-seven percent see advertising as an important factor in the health of the economy, and 17% said that by continuing to advertise we are showing terrorists “they can’t beat us.”

But you still need to beware your ad copy. Good taste is important, and being sensitive to the pain many people are in and to the new reality we live in can help keep you from offending people. The lists are growing with advertising that has upset people. You don’t want to join their ranks.

Our president and countless psychologists and counselors have told the American public it needs to go back to business as usual, both for its emotional stability and the country’s economic stability. 

Advertising and promotion play an important role in helping us fully get back to business.

Cathy Holnick is a writer based in North Wales, PA.