| We had two goals: 1) capture the
entire industry’s attention, and 2) get the industry talking about the event. To accomplish this, we sent cowboy hats with Texas hat
pins to 2,000 industry leaders. To manage costs, we purchased the hats directly from a
manufacturer in Mexico, the pins directly from Taiwan and had the boxes manufactured for
us by a box company. For shipping, we arranged a sponsorship with UPS. For fulfillment, we
provided a donation to a youth group from a local church, who was happy to
“stuff” the boxes in order to meet one of their funding goals.
 And to further increase awareness, we sent an
additional 10,000 Texas pins with personal letters to other influential executives.
The results occurred quickly. Industry leaders called other leaders to talk about their
new cowboy hats and before long the industry was “buzzing” about the event.
The conference was successful; our client partner was both relieved and very pleased, and
there are cowboy hats displayed in 2,000 offices to remind executives about the event.
Footnote:
After the conference, the association
President, in a formal board meeting, said he “shuddered to think how the event might
have turned out without the exceptional marketing efforts.”
|
