With all of the new online, in your face promotional tools and resources available to marketers today, some of the older promotional resources are often those items behind the scenes, kind of between the lines promotional items.
There are at least four nondescript promotional tools well over 50 years old that continue to promote today. Outdoor signs, billboards, name tags and popcorn machines each have a unique way of promoting and a few have survived over a century.
Outdoor Signs
The Everbrite company in Wisconsin produces outdoor signs and displays as well as those fluorescent-lit menu displays you find in movie theaters and fast food restaurants around the world. The company and the technology are 80 years old and are a formidable way to display and promote items.
The company started in 1927 by creating glowing signs out of sheet metal and incandescent bulbs. Today, the company makes LED, neon and fluorescent signs for restaurants, ballparks, and the golden arches for the McDonald’s restaurant chain.
Just think about how anyone would be able to order snacks at the movie snack bar without those signs.
Billboards
Love them or hate them, billboards remain one of the most effective ways to promote hotels, restaurants, retail, education and hundreds of other types of businesses. Billboards are an affordable alternative to broadcast marketing.
Billboards are everywhere along the highways, in cities, along the country side. They come in all sizes and display all kinds of advertisements, and at times, deliver controversial statements and promotions.
It is a way of promotion that according to Billboards – Snapshots of History (http://desktoppub.about.com/od/signage/a/billboards.htm) technically got its start in 1450 with the inventions of moveable type printing. The first illustrated poster was printed in 1796 and the first roadside advertising was used to promote a circus in 1835.
Nametags
If you participate in any type of professional development, seminars, or networking events, you have labeled yourself with either a pated tag or a see-through plastic, reusable tag.
Are nametags really a promotional tool? Yes. Nametags are a great way to get a company logo, mission statement, and a representative’s name displayed for thousands of people to see. Think of it this way, if you are sending a group of people from your company to a trade show that has thousands of people in attendance; print your own name tags with logo, a mission or vision statement and the person’s name on it. The group will be walking around through large crowds of people that have similar interests and can be potential customers.
One company that has been making name tags since 1941 is Security Seals out of New York. The company has made security seals napkin bands, wax seals, metal seals, and point-of-purchase and promotional solutions among other items for over 65 years.
Popcorn Makers
Over 100 years ago, according to the history page at www.cretors.com, Charles Cretor decided to adapt an ancient process to the modern day needs of tradesmen. Cretor’s vision has lead to a “revolution” that is still used today.
One of the mainstays Cretors developed is the popcorn machine used to draw people to the snack counter in the movie theaters, (the sound and smells from the popcorn machines illicit seven or eight dollars for a small container from customers), fairs, and hundreds of special events.
Think Beyond Print and Broadcast for Promotional Tools
Be creative when thinking of promotional ideas. Think out-of-the-box, extraordinary, and use the ways that have served millions for hundreds of years. The four tools above make for a great place to start.
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