Promotional Marketing: Success With Goody Bag Marketing
Posted: Sunday, February 24, 2008
by Michael Crooks
Crooks Advertising Alliance
One of the most often-wasted promotional marketing opportunities is the "Goody Bag". This is the bag full of "goodys" that is handed out to participants at golf outing, conferences, seminars and events in an attempt to add value to their participation. Companies usually donate some "cheap" item such as a pen, pencil or refrigerator magnet imprinted with their corporate info. The practice is long on "feel good" for the donators and the organization that solicited the donation. But, because little or no actual thought usually goes into the donation, the practice has little or no real promotional value.
It's Free!
One of the biggest benefits of Goody Bag marketing is that most events allow you to donate items to the bag for free. Because most organizations view the Goody Bag as a benefit to the event participants, they will gladly accept just about any item you want to donate. That makes the Goody Bag a great free way to impact a target audience.
Extremely Targeted
The ability to specifically target your audience is another huge benefit of Goody Bag marketing. Whether your target is senior citizens, stock brokers, chamber of commerce members, business-owners or employees of a specific corporation, there is a golf outing, seminar, conference or other event that will give you access to your target.
The key to making Goody Bag marketing as effective as possible, is to think in terms of how the item you donate can generate phone calls, drive people to your website, your retail location or other wise secure actionable data that you can follow up on later.
If you are a local retailer your goal may be to drive traffic to your store. If you are a B2B supplier or a non-profit, your goal may be to drive traffic to your website. Whatever your goal, it usually takes more than simply slapping your logo and contact information on a pencil, pen or note pad. It takes thought and planning.
Here are a few things to consider when planning a Goody Bag marketing strategy.
1) Determine Your Target: Make a physical list of targets either on a legal pad or in your computer. When creating your list, think in terms of industries, occupations as well as individual interest. For example, if you sell flooring, perhaps you'll write down REALTORS, builders, interior designers and plumbers. If you sell computers, consider Chamber of Commerce, IT professionals and manufacturers, computer users. If you sell athletic shoes your list may include school athletic directors, gym teachers, fitness centers and marathon runners and podiatrists or chiropodists.
2) Research The Possibilities: Once you have a list of possible targets, research how to reach the target. Google "associations list" or "list of associations" and you'll find resources for locating an association that represents exactly who you want to target. You can also do the same for "clubs", "service clubs" or whatever other type of group, club, association, individual or business group you are interested in targeting.
3) Contact: Contact them and find out what upcoming golf outings, seminars, conferences or other events they have planned. Once you learn of an event that interests you, find out if they plan to offer Goody Bags and if they are accepting donations.
4) Get Details: Get the details regarding event date, when items need to be delivered, if they have any rules regarding donations and if they have anything in particular they're looking for. Note: be sure and find out specifically what's NOT welcome for the goody bag. No sense investing in a promotional item you can't use.
All of this information will impact the promotional marketing concept you'll develop to effectively impact your target. Because the variables are simply too broad to address in a single article, specific tactics for using Goody Bag marketing and how to develop a meaningful promotion will be covered in future articles. If you have questions in the mean time, please contact us.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Great insight on the goodie bag as an efective marketing tool when used strategically! However, do you think the goodie bag is an effective tactiic for entertainers?
Dear Anonymous, As a matter of fact, Goody Bags were effective within the entertainment industry, most notably the Ocsar goody bag. I IRS spoiled the fun in 2005, I believe, when it deemed the bags "earned income" and not gifts. Suddenly, recipients were exposed to income tax liability based on the value of the promotional products in the bag. I believe, the value of the bags had risen to well in excess of $100,000. The idea behind the bag, however, is valid. Get famous people who are well-connected talking about and using a new product and you'll establish the buzz needed to help effectively market a product. On a smaller scale, you want your target market to try your product or service and then talk about your product or service. That's why giving proper thought to what you put in your local goody bag is so important whether it be for a golf outting, opening night of a play or concert series or an open house. If you can't utilize goody bag marketing exactly as I laid out in the article, remember ... it's the concept that contains the real value.
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