Promotional Idea that Went Very Wrong

Exerpted from PromoMarketing.com:
" A promotional product may have made the wrong kind of impact at a Northeastern (Massachusets) high school this week.  The bomb squad was called to investigate a "hissing" device found outside of Austin Prep School in Reading, Mass., on Wednesday. A teacher found the item and reported it to the authorities as a pipe bomb,  Police evacuated the school and brought in the bomb squad, which x-rayed the canister before determining that it was not dangerous. Inside the cylindrical package were flyers for a school supply company and a promotional, light-activated noisemaker. The aim of the promotion and the name (of the ) supply company were not identified, although Patch.com reports that it was sent by a marketing company in Minnesota."

The photo above shows the bomb squad outside of the school, working on "defusing" the package.

So, how does this apply to your promotions??  Should you attempt to use unusual or novel promotions?  Is humor a good thing in promotions?

The answer is "sometimes".  Utilizing an unique or humorous type of mailer is often the best way to break through the clutter' of the volume of marketing campaigns that your customers and prospects receive. 

But working with a promotional company who will provide a more impartial look at your intended promotion can help prevent marketing disasters.  Any "out of the box" type of promotion should first be cleared by the post office and tested on a small scale to determine if there will be any unintended consequences.   Another safe manuever is to adapt a proven campaign done previously by a company in a different industry from yours; they have already worked out the bugs and you will still have an unusual promotion that has been proven to be effective.

Do you have a direct mail campaign in your future?  Contact me today to receive case histories of other campaigns that you can modify to achieve your marketing needs.


Dona Blunt, MAS (PromoDona)
847-398-5500
dona.blunt@newportpros.com