The most significant date in marketing history?
 

I often wonder if this was the most significant date in marketing history - the date when a producer like Coca Cola managed to get consumers to advertise their brand name on something like a t-shirt, and get them to pay for the privilege!

Blows me away whenever I think about it:-)

Anyone know who did it first?

Cheers

Philip


100% Accurate Proofreading

I was thinking much the same thing yesterday
 

I've been trying to lose weight and have been walking laps at a shopping mall. One reason I go to the mall instead of using my treadmill is because I like to examine the advertising and marketing ploys being used by the mall merchants. It has been a fascinating way to study advertising and marketing as well as helping me work on getting in shape.

One of the thoughts I had yesterday was the one wherein I was amazed that companies create promotional advertising products (much like the things Dennis Bevers sells) and then charge people for them! Nike, Reebok, Victoria's Secret, etc... all have clothing (and other items) that have their name splashed all over them and people clamor to give them money for those same items.

What's even more interesting is which companies are doing this. The aforementioned brands are "cool" and supposedly will help you get people to think you are "cool". Can you imagine someone walking around with a K-mart or Wal-Mart logo on their t-shirt? How about Playtex Tampons or Head-and-Shoulders shampoo?

Yep, walking the m-a-u-l has been enlightening......

:)
EM

Another fascinating way that some are making money from advertising
 

Hi Elizabeth,

> I've been trying to lose weight and have
> been walking laps at a shopping mall. One
> reason I go to the mall instead of using my
> treadmill is because I like to examine the
> advertising and marketing ploys being used
> by the mall merchants. It has been a
> fascinating way to study advertising and
> marketing as well as helping me work on
> getting in shape.

I was doing something similar - I didn't think that others did the same thing! :)

I was trying to walk regularly, and when the weather outside wasn't the best for walking, I'd head down to a very large indoor shopping center (mall) that's not too far away. I'd bring a portable radio with headphones, and walk around a few times to get some exercise while listening to the radio....

However, in my case.... I found I tended to be tempted by the ice cream stand every time I passed it. That was one of the dangers of doing this - in my case! ;)

> One of the thoughts I had yesterday was the
> one wherein I was amazed that companies
> create promotional advertising products
> (much like the things Dennis Bevers sells)
> and then charge people for them! Nike,
> Reebok, Victoria's Secret, etc... all have
> clothing (and other items) that have their
> name splashed all over them and people
> clamor to give them money for those same
> items.

> What's even more interesting is which
> companies are doing this. The aforementioned
> brands are "cool" and supposedly
> will help you get people to think you are
> "cool". Can you imagine someone
> walking around with a K-mart or Wal-Mart
> logo on their t-shirt? How about Playtex
> Tampons or Head-and-Shoulders shampoo?

Yes I agree... It is amazing to think that people are PAYING to advertise these brands for them!

I received a phone call a couple days ago, it was from a local public radio station. They offered a "coupon booklet" (I'm sure you know about these), where each coupon offers you something for free from a particular retailer or business. For example, a free ice skating lesson at a particular ice skating rink, a free entree at a local Indian restaurant, a free "PC Diagnostic Check" at a specific computer service store. All of these things have "dollar values" - so they can offer over $1000 worth of free products and services. They were selling these coupon booklets as part of their fund raising.

In a way, this is also kind of similar to what we're talking about, because these are all (of course) promotional offers. They want you to get the free item, then come back again to pay for their services in future.... It's completely win/win/win/win. The business wins, because they will get new customers. The customer wins, because they get products at a much lower price than they would if they paid for them all. The public radio station wins, because they raise money so they can broadcast for another year. And in this case, the business that put together the coupon booklet wins too - I'm sure they get a cut of the proceeds as well!

I know Don Alm has talked about doing this kind of coupon business before - you can see his post on this at http://www.sowpub.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?read=5728

Anyhow, it's another fascinating type of advertising as well.... :)

- Dien Rice

Actually, I think it was even earlier than that...
 

Arrowhead water has been in business for over 100 years. The idea of selling bottled water to people living in southern California - and doing it successfully for 100 years - is astounding.

I agree, though, that selling a product with your advertising on it is a close second.

An example that can work in all areas.
 

Hi:

I have a friend who does this 3 times a year.

Twice thorough community charities and once under another charity.

With the community charities he links up with them with the offer to fund raise under the auspices of their name...in other words when his telemarketers canvas they say they are calling on "behalf of XX Charity" which means the hangup is very low.

In a capsule this is the way it goes:

After approaching the charity, then he approaches the local businesses offering them free ads in the coupon book. Once he has his quota it is sent off to the printer.

Then his telemarketing room goes into full swing...canvasing on behalf of the charity that they are raising money for such and such, and for $XX dollar contribution they will receive the local coupon as a way of saying thank you for their participation...if they give double the ammount then they receive 2 books.

He has 3 delivery drivers that run all evening and on Saturdays picking up donations and dropping off the coupon books.

Profit breakdown is a bit secretive but esentially this is the way it is factored: 60/40 - telemarketer 15%, delivery driver $3 per pickup, company balance of the 60%.

The third campaingn is a bit different and is used in between the other 2 to give the people a break from coupons...it is one that gives a different bonus (usually a set of coffee mugs) and the money raised goes to supply amusement items (generally coloring books and crayons) for sick kids in hospitals.

He works 9 months a year and vacations in the deep south the other 3.

Cornell

Re: The most significant date in marketing history?
 

I don't know the exact date, but I think the most significant date in marketing history was something like this:

Historically, merchants sold their wares from their shops, or in open markets, or traveling to a location where the need for their wares was in demand (exporting).

Then along came media. I'm guessing that the first mass media was the newspaper.

Somewhere along the line, a savy shop owner approched the newspaper and asked if he could pay for space and have his ad/sale advertised.

Now he was expanding the reach of his shop with it's regular traffic. He was reaching out to people who didn't know who or where he was/is.

He expanded his market beyound his geographical limitations. By being proactive, he drove traffic to his store. He sold more. And the rest, is history.

Coca Cola and Nike with their logo branding are extensions of this. Without this first step, the brand name t-shirts, sneakers, would of never happened.

All modern advertising and/or promotion that exsists today would not exsist without that lone entrepreuner who ran the first ad. The key word is advertising. The first ad ran is the foundation of advertising/business as we know it today.

Who was the person who ran the first ad?

All of us on this board owe him a great deal.

Tom Lascsak

> I often wonder if this was the most
> significant date in marketing history - the
> date when a producer like Coca Cola managed
> to get consumers to advertise their brand
> name on something like a t-shirt, and get
> them to pay for the privilege!

> Blows me away whenever I think about it:-)

> Anyone know who did it first?

> Cheers

> Philip

Who did it first?
 

My question "Who did it first?" referred to what Coca Cola does with t-shirts etc, not who did advertising first. Getting t-shirt purchasers to pay for Coke's own advertising:-)THAT's the bit I find amazing.

Thanks for the interesting posts:-)

P

I did it first, and here's how...
 

Philip:

I was the first person to get company logos printed on t-shirts and then have those t-shirts sold.

I mean, I obviously am not the first... but in a way I am.

You see, what I did (and this is going to be done in 2023 - I've come back from then to tell you) was take the concept back in time and present it. (My NDA prevents me from telling you WHO I presented it to).

They loved the idea and had no problems putting one penny from every sale into a special bank account, as I stipulated.

In 2023 dollars that has grown to a bucket load of moola.

So that's it. That's how I did it... took an idea, traveled back in time and presented it.

I know. Your brain can turn to mush trying to figure that one out... what with time loops and who was the first (it was me) and if that's the case we are in an eternal loop... and oh my brian hurts just writing it. But it's like the chicken and the egg (wanna know which came first? I know because I hopped in my handy-dandy time traveler XP delux and went and found out).

Hope this helps.

Michael Ross

Re: Another fascinating way that some are making money from advertising
 

Dien,

I love to study marketing in this "browse-around" fashion too!

The coupon books you mentioned REALLY work well. As part owner of a pizzaria for three years, I can offer first-hand testimonial. These folks that produced those coupon books would come around every year, and ask if we'd like to participate. It cost us NOTHING for the coupons in their book but whatever we were discounting or giving away. The actual advertising, layout of the coupons, everything else was free.

We offered a significant discount on pizzas, and it was probably a good thing that we had stipulations on the coupon about which particular days they were good for, because we immediately became swamped when those coupon books went up for sale everywhere. For $10 or $15.00, you could get this incredible book of discounts, freebies, and other great offers. You're right about it being a win-win-win situation! We got people IN the door, who got to try our products, and once they did, they came BACK!

Now, if anyone out there could produce a good quality coupon book like this, and have the coupon book printed out professionally, you could easily turn this idea into a home business, by doing the same thing, basically. Retailers LOVE anything that will bring customers to their door in droves! Then, to market it, you contact local schools, little league, churches, and ask if they'd like to do a fundraiser, selling these books, and offer them some cut of the profit. :)

Just my thoughts.


135 years of great home business--right here!