Campus Visionaries Make History

Need to spread the word on what makes your organization special? Take some tips from one university' unique marketing campaign – and make sure promo products are part of the mix.

Purdue University's movers and shakers were celebrated in fine style during last season's homecoming events. The "Makers, All" campaign recognized visionary students, faculty and alumni who made a mark on the world. From peacemakers and history makers to filmmakers, poets and spacecraft manufacturers, the Boilermakers have established a legendary tradition of employing creative ingenuity, drive and determination to make a positive impact on the world.

Conceived with the input of more than 5,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, prospective students, corporate partners and other stakeholders, the campaign employed a multimedia, multidisciplinary approach to engage the university community in spreading the word about its success, values and reputation.

"Boilermakers have a long-standing tradition of serving as catalysts for transformation around the world, from noteworthy alumni who have left a perpetual mark on the cosmos to dedicated researchers who toil in relative anonymity to solve some of the world's most vexing challenges," says Teri Lucie Thompson, Purdue's chief marketing officer and vice president of marketing and media.

During the 2010 homecoming football game, Purdue orchestrated a text-to-win giveaway that asked attendees to identify what kind of "maker" they were. More than 3,000 texts later, they exhausted their supply of T-shirts, produced by University Spirit.

Purdue also created customizable stickers, produced by Printing Services, to give wearers the opportunity to share what kind of "maker" they are by filling in a blank. About 6,000 stickers were distributed at Homecoming. The remaining 4,000 that were printed are continuing to be distributed at the Visitor Information Center.

Finally, a promotional products distributor worked with Purdue to create more than 5,000 "Maker" buttons in five different designations. These were distributed at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C.

The campaign also had a technology component. Purdue engaged their audience in conversation through the "Makers" site and interactive forums. They invited the Boilermaker community to share their own story about the kind of impact they make on the world. The site also supported video uploads, photos and text.

The marketing campaign was designed to uniquely capture the essence of the Boilermaker persona: energetic, optimistic, enthusiastic, creative, curious, capable and reliable. "There is an old saying in real estate: ‘location, location, location,'" Thompson says. "In branding, particularly in brand engagement, I emphasize ‘relevance, relevance, relevance!' This is particularly critical in the increasingly competitive and cluttered higher education category. You have to make sure your brand is relevant to the consumer – in this case, young adults – because if it is not, nothing else matters."

Organize a Golf Tournament in 6 Easy Steps

A successful golf tournament creates good memories for meeting and incentive trip attendees – and can be a great business-booster, too, if clients are involved. Here's how to plan a golf event that will stand out from all of the others.

Step 1
Plan at least four months out. Most golf courses are ready to help you with the planning task, as they likely have a few dozen group events come through each season, and so have a system for handling groups. But you should contact the pro shop at your desired course at least 120 days out; not only do you have to ensure that the course is free on the day you want it, you and your staff will need that much time to create your itinerary, coordinate the details and market the event. The golf shop will usually assist any group that has 16 or more players, and can accommodate as many as 144 players on a course for a single event. But groups generally need to have at least 60 players – and sometimes 80 – to secure what's called a 'shotgun' start on the course.

Step 2
Budget carefully. "Tournaments can run way over budget due to unanticipated costs," says Daiva Rugienius, events coordinator for Corporate Golf Tournaments. Besides obvious costs like course rentals, banquets and trophies, Rugienius advises searching out hidden expenses such as club extras and cart fees and minimums, gratuities and taxes. "When you've catalogued every possible expense, divide by the minimum number of participants to get your per-person cost," she says.

Step 3
Create a tournament Website. To drum up players, you might have to market aggressively. One tool that helps boost attendance at low cost is the Internet. "I'm seeing many organizations create individual Web pages for their golf events," says Walt Galanty, founder of AIM Meetings & Events. "A golf-events site can be used for registration and for keeping up interest of attendees and letting them know who else is playing," Galanty adds. "On the site, you can also post names of the winners and the prizes they won and allow attendees to order photos directly from the photographer. Not only that, but it can allow hotlinks to your events sponsors' Websites."
An additional tip: "Build excitement with photos from previous events," advises Rugienius.

Step 4
Choose foursomes wisely. Once the attendee list is set, there are several things to consider when grouping players into foursomes. The first, of course, is business interest. People come to business-golf events to meet others with reciprocal business interest, so allowing attendees to choose on their registrations forms who are in their group, or which type of buyer or supplier they'd like to be paired with, is wise. The other consideration is handicaps. By having players list their handicap on their registration, the golf shop can determine who should play with whom so that the pace of play does not get too slow. Also, handicaps help the golf pro determine which playing format would be best.

Step 5
Create a game-day timeline. "Start registration at least an hour ahead of tee-off," says Rugienius, "and make sure your support staff arrives on time." Equipment, gifts and trophies should be delivered well ahead of time, unpacked, sorted and available for distribution where and when they are to be distributed.

Step 6
Don't forget awards and giveaways. You'll want to give attendees logoed items that they'll use over and over again to help them remember the great time they had. (See "Tournament Shopping List" below.) And, you'll want high-quality photos. Rugienius advises hiring someone to photograph all of the course events and post the photos on clamshell display boards immediately following the tournament. When the tournament concludes, hand out awards at a cocktail party or dinner, and have a videographer on hand to create a customized DVD for all attendees.

Tournament Shopping List 
Here are some popular logoed giveaways for golf events:

Polos – These are a staple at any upscale tournament. Look for a relaxed fit, moisture wicking mesh, knit collar and UPF sun protection. Place a tonal logo on the sleeve for an understated look.
 
Golf balls – Shorten play time by choosing urethane-covered balls engineered for maximum distance off of a wide range of swing types.

Shoe bags – Choose models with heavy-duty construction with a handy top handle, mesh screens for ventilation and a plush lining to avoid scrapes and scuffs.

Hats – Opt for a logoed bill cap featuring structured, well-fitted construction, a dark underbill to reduce glare and vibrant stitching and piping.

Jackets – Choose full or quarter zip, depending on the look and style.

Golf bags – Consider inexpensive gear bags as starter gifts and hole prizes, but go all out with beautifully-textured leather club bags for top winners and raffle prizes.  

Gloves – Choose a pair with superior suppleness, enhanced moisture and heat dissipation and good, flexible mesh airflow.

Golf packs – Prepare your duffers for the elements by choosing kits that include sunblock, lip balm, moist towelettes and insect repellent.

Divots – Look for divots with curved, course-friendly designs that repair grass without pulling it out by the roots.

Towels – Features to look for include: 100% double-sheared cotton, expert hemming and grommet hooks.

Trophies – A variety of options are available, from mounted crystal balls, golf pyramids, presentation boxes, descriptive plaques and distinctive vases. Work with your promotional products distributor to find the perfect item.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS HELP YOU ESTABLISH A NAME

A marketing strategy is developed with many facets in mind. Running an ad in a local paper is maybe good advertising but it cannot be considered a marketing strategy. A marketing strategy may include advertising in a local paper as one of the facets but much more needs to be developed and strategized in order for a campaign to be effective.

Promotional goods like pens, mugs, caps and USB sticks can add passion to any marketing campaign and push you ahead of your competition. It may simply be that one extra step that makes the difference between being remembered and being forgotten.

Although great ideas are born every day, here are some marketing arenas where promotional goods can effectively raise awareness of your campaign:

1. Get involved in or sponsor community or fundraising events in your area. It’s an excellent way to promote local goodwill and helps to enhance your business reputation, attracting attention from prospective customers and referrers. But make sure that your businesses involvement is remembered by offering to fellow participants. A pen or T-shirt can go a long way to remind future customers of your community commitment.

2. Hold a launch party for your new or product. Invite existing and prospective clients, business partners and the local media. Hand them a loot bag filled with carefully selected promotional gifts. Include things to pamper and things to use every day. Chocolates, sweets and wine are a memorable treat, and a useful memory stick or calendar will have a lasting promotional effect on your brand.

3. Be opportunistic, hand out promotional winter gloves during a snowstorm! What a great way to get people to remember your helpfulness – and brand name.

Promotional goods can be used to move your marketing campaign into a completely different level. Add them into the marketing mix and see how they help in your visibility and brand recognition.

Chimera13's Holiday Giveaway

Chimera13 is feeling festive! 

With the holiday season starting up, we figured we would make your last minute shopping a little less painful.

Chimera13 is offering to one lucky winner an Apple™  Ipod Shuffle in their choice of colour (depending on availability).

You can load it up with all kinds of music to get in the holiday spirit or simply to drown out the in-laws :)

This contest is open to US and Canadians only.

 Each of the below criteria will get you an extra entry. To enter, please comment in the comments section below this Note.

 1. Publicly follow our new blog using Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs . 

2. "Like" The Chimera13 blog.

2. Subscribe to either our RSS or email feed.

3. "Like" Chimera13 on Facebook.

4. Follow Chimera13 on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/Chimera13)

5. Tweet this giveaway, being sure to mention @Chimera13  in each Tweet. (No more than six tweets per day, Each tweet is worth one extra entry)

6. Repost this note to your own Facebook page.

7. Invite ten Facebook friends to join our fan page. (for every ten friends invited, give yourself an extra entry. Make sure to keep a list of first names only)

This contest will close at midnight EST on December 10, 2010.

Good luck!

China, in a few shots.

I have been traveling to China for over 10 years and the most common question I get when people hear that I have been is, “Really…what is it like?” So I figured I would give you little idea of what it looks like in the areas that I visit.

The purpose of this post is really just to give you a peek into how things work over there. China is a beautiful country and is definitely a place I would recommend you visit. Unfortunately, given the size of it, most people will only see the big cities of China and never get to experience the true essence of the country.

These are typical vehicles used to transport raw goods for factories, or to do deliveries. Space is always a concern so if you can do more with less then you're a step ahead!

I've gotten a lot of questions about the food that I eat when I am out there. Presentation is definitely different from that to which I have grown accustomed, but while I do not eat everything that I see, I can attest to the great quality and variety of dishes I have sampled over the years. The majority of North American visitors take issue with the presentation of their meals, rather than with the actual taste! The rural Chinese do not feel a need to disguise the fact that their meat started out as a living, breathing animal. Contrast this with North Americans who manage to convince themselves that  their hamburger started its life in the grocery store!

When you drive through the small towns you'll notice many people make a living as street vendors. Observing their wares is a great way to get to know which fruits and vegetables are now in season. If you've never tasted an in season pineapple then I'm sad to say that you have no idea what you're missing!

When was the last time you saw someone in North America riding a bike in a blazer? This is very typical in rural China. The men are always in blazers even in the ridiculously hot summer months.

I hope you enjoyed this little insiders' view! If you would like to see more of these type photos please ask in the comments.