My Best Promotion

Ellyn Bresinger, president and owner of Promo Key LLC, Manchester, N.H. brings an unusually sunny and summery tale to us for October's My Best Promotion. Bresinger worked with a with a large East Coast brewery that wanted to do an inexpensive summer-fun promotion with its top beer distribution partners. She and the client chose to use a custom pair of sandals with a special die-cut footprint decoration, provided by footwear supplier Neet Feet Inc., as the cornerstone of the promotion. The sandals were first given to the beer distributors, who then passed them on to bars who decided to try the brewery's beer.

The promotion ended up not only being profitable, but also relatively hands-off. Below Bresinger explained how careful supplier choices, an initial focus on creativity and some quick thinking on a tight deadline landed her a great, worry-free promotion that left her with plenty of time to focus on the rest of her sales.

Promo Marketing: What was the promotion's goal? What did you do to make the goal happen?

Ellyn Bresinger: To create buzz and encourage more consumption of their brand of beer. We chose an item that people would love to have, incentivizing them to sample the beer and potentially accept it as their beer of choice. In the past, T-shirts or trinkets didn't do the trick but who doesn't want a pair of really cool flip-flops?

PM: What kinds of items did you use in the promotion, and why?

EB: Neet Feet's Zori sandals with a die-cut imprint on the bottom. The promotion's theme was Fun in the Sun (The logo has a sun in it).

PM: What, if anything, made this a profitable promotion for you? Why?

EB: The initial "flip flop" was relatively inexpensive but adding the die-cut imprint on the bottom made it more profitable. Working with Neet Feet was easy and other than the initial design and the necessary follow-up, I was able to leave it in their hands, giving me more time to sell. More importantly, the promotion was successful and my client came back.

PM: What was the best decision you made with this program, and why? What, if any, was the worst, and why?

EB: The best decision I made was using a supplier that was reputable and easy to work with. There were many questions on color and imprint, and had I gone with another supplier I might have not gotten the results I did.

PM: Did you run into any problems with the promotion, and if so, how did you overcome them?

EB: The promotion had a deadline. Due to a delay by the client we were going to be late on delivery. I arranged for the numerous shipments to be drop shipped instead and we were on time.

PM: Any other advice or insight you'd like to give related to this promotion?

EB: Listen to your clients and just "make it happen." They will then keep coming back.

Want to be considered for a future segment of My Best Promotion? Contact Michael Cornnell at mcornnell@napco.com or (215) 238-5449 for a list of questions and other details.