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As seen in PPAI The News, reprinted with permission. Media Contact: Anne Lardner 972-258-3041, AnneL@ppa.org
Geiger HONORED FOR EXCELLENCE IN PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGNS
Irving, Texas, January 23, 2007 Geiger (UPIC: GEIGER) walked away the big winner in the 49th annual PPAI Pyramid Awards competition sponsored by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) with six pyramid awards - three gold and three silver. All winners were recognized at ONE, a special evening of awards and entertainment held in January during The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Winners in the 2007 PPAI Pyramid Award competition are recognized for effective use of promotional products in business and institutional marketing programs. The award-winning campaigns feature the creative use of promotional products, packaging and copy to create integrated marketing programs that delivered quantifiable results. These winners were selected by the PPAI Awards Committee and outside industry judges.
"Creativity and effectiveness are key to winning this much coveted award," said Steve Slagle, CAE, PPAI president. "As these winning programs illustrate, there is no limit to the application of a promotional products program. A very simple program can win a Pyramid award if it is successful at meeting the client's objective."
Geiger was recognized in the following categories:
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS PROGRAMS
Less Than $10 Per Recipient
GOLD Geiger, Shreveport, LA
Program: Fibrebond© Corporation
Program Goal: To introduce a new line of pre-cast concrete school buildings into the high school market; to develop that target market to represent 10 percent of the overall company sales.
Execution: Playing off the association of "apples for teachers" and the client's message "We're Different," Geiger developed a theme of "Apples to Oranges." A series of citrus-themed promotional items supported the message. Orange-shaped stress balls, orange slice magnet pens, orange polo shirts and orange mouse pads were some of the items presented during sales calls, distributed at tradeshows and shipped to prospective clients. The seemingly disconnected themes ("Why 'oranges' when you're talking about school buildings?") gave sales reps an opening to talk about the product and its benefits.
Results: During the campaign months, 352 buildings from the new product line were sold. This represented 20 percent of the company's overall sales and exceeded the target objective by 10 percent.
SILVER Geiger, Stillwater, OK
Program: Xtreme Collision
Program Goal: To increase referrals from adjusters, insurance agents, employees and customers
Execution: Upper management at area insurance companies and high-end dealerships received a classic promotional item: a coffee mug . . . with a twist. This particular mug was outfitted with four rolling wheels and the slogan, "Our Business Is A Wreck." Secondary items, bendable pens, were a nod to "fender benders." The pens were presented to non-management personnel at those same businesses.
Results: The rolling mugs and bendable pens helped boost referrals from the non-management recipients by 45 percent; referrals from management individuals rose 25 percent.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT PROGRAMS
Less Than $10 Per Recipient
GOLD Geiger, Scottsdale, AZ
Program: Arizona Department of Health Services
Program Goal: To generate community awareness of the risks of second-hand smoke, particularly as it affects children.
Execution: The campaign, first introduced with TV spots and brochures in the Phoenix area, received additional exposure through the distribution of two promotional items. Restaurants who supported a non-smoking policy received baby bibs to present to diners who came in with infant children. The bibs bore a custom imprint of the phrase, "I am a designated non-smoking area." In addition, bottles of soap bubbles for kids to play with were distributed at community events such as fairs, workshops and women's expos. A message on the bottle label made humorous reference to the Surgeon General's tobacco warning: "May Cause: Joy, Laughter, Smiles and Excitement; Not: Asthma, Pneumonia or Cancer." The program received tremendous support and sent a valuable message about the dangers of second-hand smoke.
Results: In a follow-up evaluation of the program, it was determined that the message reached more than 100,000 local residents.
DISTRIBUTOR SELF-PROMOTION PROGRAMS
GOLD Geiger, Scottsdale, AZ
Program Goal: To showcase Geiger's ability to design and deliver a quality promotional program, and to achieve a minimum 20-percent entry rate with the targeted group.
Execution: Geiger launched a daily, five-piece direct mail campaign targeting the marketing directors and sales VPs of major national corporations. The company used a boxing theme to communicate its strength, competitiveness, confidence and fearlessness. In the 1st Round (day one), Geiger delivered a pair of boxing gloves and a card proclaiming the company to be "a true champion." This first package also established the program's slogan: "Geiger Gets It!" In consecutive rounds/days, recipients were treated to a round bell, a punching bag, a robe and, finally, a gym bag. Each item, featuring the company name and the slogan, was accompanied by a note card. The message on the cards not only tied that particular item to the theme of the campaign but also touted a specific Geiger strong point. By the fifth consecutive day of the campaign, the Geiger name was surely foremost in the mind of each recipient.
Results: Needing only two or three open doors to consider the program a success, Geiger made a connection with nine of the recipients and was able to establish a dialogue with some of the top sales and marketing officers in the country.
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INTERNAL PROGRAM
$10 or More Per Recipient
SILVER Geiger, Lewiston, ME
Program: Geiger Brothers
Program Goal: To encourage employees to participate in a company-wide wellness program and reduce annual healthcare costs.
Execution: Launching a series of health and fitness awareness programs, the Lewiston, Maine, office of Geiger wanted to remind its 425 employees to make healthy lifestyle choices. The program was promoted with e-mail announcements and updates as well as posters placed strategically throughout the offices. Participants who joined the "Wellness Works" campaign received a gym bag, toiletry kit and digital jump rope imprinted with the program's logo. Participants who joined the onsite fitness center also received water bottles, sport towels, lip balm and hand sanitizer. Throughout the program, the company also used beach towels, mugs, pedometers and lapel pins as incentives for different levels of participation. Good communication about the program and a fun/functional selection of promotional items gave this wellness program a steady pulse and a long, healthy life.
Results: By the end of the campaign's first year, 216 associates and spouses were participating in the program - 170 percent above the participation target. The Heart and Sole Walking Club had more than 100 members, and the Fitness Center had signed more than 150 members and exceeded the goal to reduce healthcare cost over 134 percent.
SALES INCENTIVE PROGRAMS
$10 or More Per Recipient
SILVER Geiger, San Francisco, CA
Program: McKenzie River Corporation
Program Goal: Create top-of-mind awareness of a unique malt beverage product and to build on-premise sales by 100 percent.
Execution: The McKenzie River Corporation placed a custom point-of-purchase display item in selected on-premise drinking establishments. The countertop, oversized replica of the company's caffeinated malt beverage creates the illusion of lighting strikes and sparks inside the "can." The effect is impossible to ignore, especially in an environment where the lights are slightly dimmed.
Results: Establishments where the point-of-purchase item was placed reported a dramatic increase in sales - between 200 and 500 percent - easily topping the projected goal of 100 percent.
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If you would like more information about the PPAI Awards program, contact the Awards department at 972-258-3088, PriscillaB@ppa.org or www.ppa.org. For more information about Promotional Products Association International - PPAI - or to learn more about the proven power of promotional products (including research and case studies), visit the PPAI website at www.ppa.org or contact PPAI at 972-258-3041 or PR@ppa.org.
PPAI - the promotional products industry's only international not-for-profit trade association - offers education, tradeshows, business products and services, mentoring, technology and legislative support to its more than 7,500 global members. Promotional products are an $18 billion industry and include wearables, writing instruments, calendars, drinkware and many other items, usually imprinted with a company's name, logo or message. PPAI created and maintains the UPIC (Universal Promotional Identification Code), the industry's only free identification system and universal company database.
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