Kayrell congratulates our latest contest winner: Jeff Hoffman of ASPPA. Jeff entered our ticket contest online and was drawn as the grand prize winner. Given a choice of sports events and other shows, he selected tickets to see an upcoming concert at Verizon Center. It pays to ask “What is The Kayrell Solution“?
Congrats to Brittany Burcham of NASP! She is our winner for the May contest drawing and has chosen to receive two tickets to a Washington Nationals game. When notified of the award, Brittany said, “Thank you! This will be my first Nats game, I’m very excited and thankful to you guys for the opportunity!”
Is your organization meeting its marketing goals for reaching new members or promoting an upcoming conference? Are you able to get away from the office for a ballgame or a summer concert? If not, let Kayrell Solutions help! A new contest is now underway – visit www.kayrell.com/entertainment to enter!
Can you believe that the reality TV series “Survivor” just completed its 26th season? The show is still going strong, and over thirteen years I have seen EVERY episode! I’m not ashamed to admit that I love watching what happens when you drop a diverse group of people onto an island, deprive them of food, and throw in some stressful challenges. The results are fairly predictable, but extremely entertaining nonetheless.
The motto for the show is shown on the “Survivor” logo: “Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.” At the end of this most recent season, the jury unanimously voted our local “fan favorite” John Cochran (he’s from Oakton, VA) the winner. I don’t think I can remember a more obvious choice as it was clear that Cochran was the most strategic player who knew everything there was to know about the game. He’s been obsessed since his childhood and even wrote a thesis about the “Survivor jury system” during his time at Harvard Law School. If you wanted to know anything about this show, no need to watch the past 25 seasons, just ask John Cochran!
This got me thinking about the challenge so many companies face when searching the web for an appropriate, logo-imprinted advertising specialty product to promote their brand. With literally thousands and thousands of items available (just try searching for a pen!), the task can be quite overwhelming. It’s easy to believe what Psychologist Barry Schwartz has said in his famous “Ted Talk” – the more choices we have, the more paralyzed we become about making a buying decision. How is someone to decide, based on an online photo, which is the best item to represent their company? Will the quality be as expected? Will the online store deliver on time? This is not like buying a stock item off the shelf from Amazon.com. We are talking about customized products that are not easily returned for credit. You need to make the right choice.
When Google needed some “swag” for new hires in the DC area, they came to Kayrell for help. Our team put together a short list of web links showing options that met Google’s stated goals and budget. We offered discounted prices and then provided Google with free samples, so they could see and touch the actual product they would be receiving, before even spending a dime!
So, the next time you need to find a custom, logo-imprinted item to promote your business or event, don’t be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices out there. Allow our team to do the heavy lifting for you, since promo products are what we know. Like Cochran, we’ve been obsessed with this stuff for a very long time. We just might update our logo to mirror the “Survivor” motto – it could say, Kayrell: “Outsearch. Outfind. Outsave.”
Mike Petrusky is an Account Executive for Kayrell Solutions. He has been offering marketing products, services and solutions to clients for over twenty years. He’s considered trying out for “Survivor” but he knows that living without food (and sunscreen) for that long would be a really bad idea. You can follow him @MikePetrusky on Twitter.
Kayrell Solutions has focused on helping associations and nonprofit organizations grow members and donors for almost a decade, and to celebrate, we are excited to launch another online contest where we give clients a chance to have some fun in 2013. Follow this link to tell us about the projects you are working on and you will be entered into a drawing for tickets to an upcoming Nationals game, a show at the Kennedy Center, or a concert at Wolf Trap or other area venues. Good luck and we can’t wait to hear from you!
It’s the start of another year, and like many of you, the thought of losing a few pounds has crossed my mind. But the older we get, it certainly seems more and more difficult because our body’s metabolism appears to slow with age. Every five to ten years or so, the scale in my bathroom reminds me that things are changing. It’s time once again to evaluate my eating habits and re-think my exercise program. I’m just a couple of weeks into my latest physical fitness effort and several ideas struck me as a perfect analogy to our business and marketing goals:
It’s tough to change
Whether we’re talking about our diet or our marketing strategy, admitting that things are not working and moving the program in a new direction is incredibly difficult. Yet, it is inevitable that the things that kept our weight in check, and kept our customers or members happy in the past, may no longer be effective. As Dr. Spencer Johnson wrote in his great book a few years ago, our “cheese” is always “moving”. (Yum, did somebody mention cheese? There goes my diet!)
Getting started can be the hardest part
Once we’ve decided that adjustments are needed, we find that implementing the new plans can be quite a hurdle. The daily routine is deeply embedded with our eating habits as well as our business protocols. Changing how things are done with your marketing communications requires more thought and planning than doing it the way it has always been done. The risks are higher also. Investing in new creative concepts or testing new marketing channels is like buying a meal plan from Weight Watchers or another diet program. What if this doesn’t work and we end up pouring money down the drain? The fear of failure often leads to procrastination, but it can also serve as motivation, as I’ve discussed in an earlier post.
Results come slowly
After my first week of serious calorie deprivation and a dramatic increase in my activity level, I stepped on the scale excited to find out how many pounds had dropped off. Surprise! Nothing had changed. Not a single pound. It takes time, I am told, for our bodies to begin to show the effects of these lifestyle changes. Similarly, your new marketing strategies will not show magical results overnight. You’ll need to be patient and not abandon a new campaign too soon.
Consistency is the key
It is clear to me that a long term view and consistent execution of this new fitness plan will be required for success. An effective integrated marketing strategy will only work if you are committed to investing upfront and resolved to staying patient and focused over time. Stick with it! Soon, you will begin to reap the rewards of both your fitness program and that new marketing campaign.
Mike Petrusky is an Account Executive for Kayrell Solutions. He has been offering marketing products, services and solutions to clients for over twenty years. He’ll be the first to admit that none of this is easy, whether talking about exercise or marketing. But, it helps to have a friend by your side in both cases. You can follow him @MikePetrusky on Twitter.
