Accoding to The Desert Sun, Arizona couple Marie Ann and Richard Ashcraft have, over the last 40 years, amassed a collection of more than 2,000 items worth about $100,000, including Beatles lunch boxes, wigs, album covers and even board games. That's a lot of Beatles promos, and they've appreciated in value over the years. One example:
"The pink mini-guitar was sold in 1964 for about $1.
29. Today it is worth about $400, but the true treasure is the mini-mini guitar enclosed in a glass frame. The mini-mini guitar was a promotional item offered only to record stores and those in the industry, which makes it worth about $1,500 today.
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Posted by Mark at 05:12 PM. Permalink: I'm back for the third time with Harry and the Potters merch, if you haven't read it, check out and . This time, I'll explain why this custom pillowcase is a perfect example of hitting the promo sweet spot by combining utility, relevance and novelty.
Utility: A promotional product should have some inherent value, because they are generally seen when they are used.
Relevance: Your target audience is who they are because you share an interest, so relevance means picking something that is relevant to you and the recipient. People read in bed, and they also make their bed a comfortable space (e.
g., kids often have sheets with their favorite cartoon personalities). Harry and the Potters and their fans both share a love of the Harry Potter books, so choosing a pillowcase actually creates an environment of relevance: being in bed with my Harry and the Potters pillowcase, reading a Harry Potter book and listening to their cd.
Novelty: By novelty I primarily mean newness, freshness or uniqueness, but weirdness or other notions of novelty work fine, too. The primary principle is that if I've been to a million rock shows (and I have), seeing a unique item is going to have a bigger impact on me than seeing a cd or t-shirt. If you've walked a trade show, you know what I'm talking about.
Kudos once again for some great, creative promos, and .
Posted by Mark at 07:25 AM. Permalink: This is the second part of my analysis of Harry and the Potters merch, if you haven't read it, check out .
Years before I worked in the promotional products industry, my band actually had toothbrushes with our web site on them. It was our bass player's idea. I was glad to see Harry and the Potters promoting dental health with their "Harry and the Potters rock the plaque off!
" .
I also wanted to point out that by having inexpensive items, like these buttons and toothbrushes, Harry and the Potters have giveaways that may drive sales ("They were nice enough to give me a button, I'll buy their cd."), or generate brand loyalty (If you think of a band as a business, the goal is to attract and retain customers, or grow a fanbase.
) that will drive future sales. They're also recognizing, and catering to, a tier of the audience that paid to see them perform, but wasn't ready yet, or didn't have the cash, to buy a cd or t-shirt. Pretty savvy, eh?
They are wizards, you know. .
Posted by Mark at 07:15 AM.
Permalink: The White Stripes have always been good at self-promotion, and this limited edition record player and set of three-inch records is pretty darn awesome. Jack White puts it this way:
"I just wanted you to know that we are keeping all of our campaign promises to our fans. And we will never forget the promise we made that we will always do our best to provide our true fans with items of merchandise that they can get from no other band and cannot get on the internet, and cannot be used for any practical purposes.
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And he's right, it's cool and it satisfies the true fans because it is impractical. It exists purely as a signifier of the relationship between artist and fan and would actually suffer if it did have pratical value to people besides fans. And it looks cool.
And it plays tiny records. And tiny records are cool.
Posted by Mark at 09:47 AM.
Permalink: Why would I spend 482 Yen to buy a copy of Fantasma by Cornelius even when I already have a copy and a copy of the remixed version? Because this copy came with Cornelius , that's why. As it says on the case, "Slowly place the stereo earphones in your ears before meals, at bedtime, or as directed by your mother.
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Posted by Mark at 11:02 AM. Permalink: Looking for promos? Find , and at ePromos.
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