An Effective Advertisement – A day in the life of a radio spot:

I run this week, ready all you out there in listening land? Pandora is evil, listen to me! Here goes…

Everyone in your cars on your way to work, stop worrying about your big meeting and listen up, I have something to say!

Ahhh…rest.

Hey, it’s mid-morning, if you’re listening at work take a break from that report and listen, I’m on!

Nap time!

Going home? Glad the work day’s over? I bet you’re tired. Here, let me tell you something important…

Long day, I need another nap.

An Effective Advertisement – A day in the life of a phone book ad:

Sitting. Waiting for the big moment.

Ahhhh-CHOO! Darn dust.

Look, he’s reaching for me! YIPpe e e. Darn. He wanted the envelopes.

Ahhhh-CHOO.

This is part two of a four part series giving a tongue-in-cheek view of effective advertising options.

One of my favorite places to spend a Spring evening is watching the sun set over Arrington Vineyards with some of my favorite people. These wine gift bags make it easy for your recipients to carry their favorite bottles to their favorite picnic spots too.

Last year, the United States passed France as the largest wine consuming nation in the world. Thanks to a younger generation adopting the drink earlier and a larger part of the population drinking it regularly, wine gifts may be a good fit for you if your target market falls into the right demographic. Also, perfect products for wine stores, wineries and gift shops, insulated wine bags make taking a chilled bottle so much simpler.

Check out the video below for info on new wine gift bags. Neoprene totes, bottle stoppers, corkscrews and many other wine gifts are available also.

If you prefer to watch on YouTube directly, here’s a link for you:  wine gift bags

Rory Sutherland is back on a TED stage again and has some interesting challenges to all of us businesspeople with a limit to our budgets…

Apply It…

1. Like the Virgin Air salt and pepper shaker example, in what small way can you make a customer experience with your company unexpectedly delightful and memorable?
2. In what way can you make the customer experience more about them (allowing them to “choose the elevator music” so to speak)?
3. If it’s the small details that make a difference in our behavior and attitudes, what small things can you change to your advantage?
4. If you had unlimited power and/or influence in your organization…and no money…what would you do?

Effective Advertising – A day in the life of a newspaper ad:

Ow! Be gentle, willya?! I hate that morning toss to the porch. Why can’t they set me down politely for once? And of course it’s raining and I’m going to suffocate in this bag.

Oh sure. If you’re gonna stuff me in this thing, at least make sure it’s on right! Brilliant baggers. I hate when my edges get soggy. All my parts stick together. Then the family gripes and won’t read me. It’s not like they’re all excited to see me anyway. Half the time these days I go straight to the bottom of the birdcage. I’m pretty sure that’s why they still subscribe. Damn. What a day.

Hey! It’s coffee time! Look, I’ve got some great editorials in section B today! You missed the game last night, so get the scores! You can plan your weekend… Hello? What’re you doing? You what? You got a new iPad?!

Sigh. I really hate those birds.

[we're sorry. Newspaper has been a bit grouchy lately what with losing cultural relevancy and all.

Effective Advertising – A day in the life of a television ad:

A big performance today, I’m a bit excited! I’ve been practicing in off peak time slots, but today, I have a shot at the big time. I’m gonna rest up a while before I go on.

Ready…set…go!

Hey! Where are you going? Come back here! Use the bathroom during the show, I’ve got something to tell you!!

Fine. Catch you next time.

This is part one of a four part series giving a tongue-in-cheek view of effective advertising options.

Tangerine Tango has been named 2012 Color of the Year and one lucky listener can pick up a deal on a custom lunch bag order in orange if they hurry.

If your target market is color conscious or you’re doing a citrus-themed company picnic event, this might be just the closeout for you!

Custom Lunch Bag

Closeout Price:  43% off original price!
Pricing available while supplies last and may change without notice

Qty 100 (minimum) +… $2.35 each

There are 115 in stock and available at post date.

Ask for Item #CLOSE-LAN-BGT250

Pricing includes a one color, one location imprint on each item. Setup charge additional and other charges may apply depending on your imprint requirements.

This week’s kickstart is a compilation of the winners of TEDs second annual Ads Worth Spreading contest. Check them out here, then think through the following questions.

Apply It…

1. What about each one of these ads makes them “worth spreading?”
2. What tactics have been used in each ad? (for example, humor)
3. How can you adapt one or more of these themes or tactics to your next campaign?

Since I’m focusing on offline advertising this month, I thought it might be interesting to see just how many advertising options I could find for you from the common everyday variety to the more unusual. Here’s a list…

1. On giveaways…promotional products (I had to list that first…)
2. Television
3. Newspaper
4. Radio
5. Yellow Pages
6. Magazines (national, local and trade)
7. Physical newsletters
8. Billboards
9. Direct Mail
10. Festivals (every locality has its own festival)
11. Community events
12. Sporting events (from local fun runs to NFL games)
13. Sport venues (baseball fields, hockey rinks, etc)
14. Local business bulletin boards
15. Flyers under windshield wipers
16. Public bathroom doors
17. Your own company vehicles
18. Behind airplanes (I saw a hair salon ad behind a plane last week in our little town!)
19. Public transportation (buses, subways, taxis, etc.)
20. Local restaurants (mugs and placemats – yes, more promotional items!)
21. Buildings (anything from a brick wall to a barn will do)
22. Local chamber of commerce events
23. Workshops or training events
24. New residents welcome packets
25. Sponsorships
26. trade shows or consumer shows for your niche
27. Posters
28. Business Cards (make good advertising use of this real estate, most don’t use the humble card as well as they could)
29. Info packets (make your own small bag of info with a card, candy or giveaway, a brochure and coupon)
30. Bag stuffers in other local businesses
31. Local college campuses
32. Product for moms? Care packages at local day care centers and birthing centers
33. Donate a product to a local radio station for contest giveaways
34. Packets donated for consumers who take a free test drive at a local car dealership
35. Coasters at local bars or clubs
36. local travel guides or maps
37. Lobby basket in local bed & breakfasts and hotels
38. Playbills of local theaters
39. Sponsoring local age group sports teams
40. Donating useful products (like bookmarks to your local library)
41. Free giveaway boxes in local businesses
42. Door hangers
43. Purchased word of mouth (hire someone to hang out in your locale, strike up conversations and recommend your business)
44. Nighttime projected silhouette (project your own bat-signal)
45. Hand stamp for event admission (provide a mini ad stamp for use instead of a generic stamp image)
46. Self publish a book (immediate credibility to hand to prospective customers)
47. Pre-movie theater screen
48. Storefront windows…yours or someone else’s
49. On hold messages
50. Table or kiosk at a local gym or fitness center

And, BONUS…because the original images are just too good to pass up, check this link for 15 weird advertising locations (including on people, eggs and zambonis).

There are traditional and unusual items in the list above. Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you should. Always follow the keys to effective advertising to help make your campaign successful. Check out this month’s issue of our ezine for an article with 5 Keys to effective advertising.

Seen an unusual ad location lately? Share it in the comments!

Paper made from stone? Is that really possible? Yes! This stone paper promotional journal has environmentally friendly paper made from natural stone and it’s chemically benign. If you’re looking for something unique, new and eco-friendly, this is just the ticket!

The cool little cutout on the cover gives you a peek at what’s special about this tree-free item. Check out the video to learn more and see this amazing paper in action.

If you prefer viewing in YouTube, check it out here:  stone paper promotional journal

P.S. Here’s a paper comparison after it’s been soaking for about 5 minutes and the writing rubbed a bit. Standard paper, disintegrating. Stone paper, very minimal change.

P.P.S.  Great for lefties! Smudges much less easily than standard notebook paper!

Rory Sutherland has a lot of experience in the corporate advertising world. He poses some interesting questions in this TED talk and makes you laugh while he’s doing it.

Apply It:

1. “actually … once you reach a basic level of wealth in society, most problems are actually problems of perception.”  In thinking through his train ride solution, what problems have you been struggling with that could be reframed in an entirely different way?
2. “Persuasion often works better than compulsion.”  Is there anything within your organization that could benefit from the “declaring the potato a royal vegetable” approach or the “smiling speed sign” approach rather than a compulsory one?
3. “The interface fundamentally influences behavior.” If you change the interface, you change the basic decision people make. How can this apply to your product or marketing strategy (think of the saving button example).
4. Can you create another product line or income stream by adding perceived value to something you already produce?
5. “We need to spend more time appreciating what already exists and less time agonizing over what else we can do.” Agree? Disagree? Why?

Catherine Mohr gives us a rundown of what it meant for them to build their green home in Silicon Valley. The message is interesting and might not be exactly what you would expect. If you’re making a commitment to any change in lifestyle after the Earth Day celebrations over the weekend, this is definitely worth watching.

Apply it:

The obvious question we all need to ask ourselves is, “What’s the elephant in our corner?”