It is one thing to have a pretty woman handing out literature on the streets of Chicago – the impact is immediate, but short-lived. It is a different thing entirely to have the public actually read the literature given to them beyond a cursory glance. This though is exactly what XTREMEimpakt is designed to do. The key is to make the public take some action to view the literature; this builds anticipation, which is an emotion most marketers attempt to invoke because it further “involves” the target audience. Once involved, there is a higher probability that the marketing device will be viewed in its entirety. This, of course, is the greatest challenge facing most marketers.
XTREMEimpakt has already designed a number of impact devices that can be used during numerous street campaigns. This includes:
a. the diploma
d. the baseball card
b. the triangular football
e. the rose
c. the envelope
f. the crumple
a. Diploma : imagine a heavy bond sheet of paper cut in half vertically with your marketing message, and possibly a coupon, printed on its front. Next, imagine that it is rolled-up tight and taped at the end. Lastly, imagine a colorful ribbon is tied in a bow around the center. Now imagine an attractive woman handing you this “diploma” on the street. Will you be curious enough to untie the ribbon and unroll the sheet to see what is contained within? We believe so.
b. Triangular Football : once again a half-sheet of heavy bond paper with your content. This time the sheet is folded at 45° angles until it is shaped like a triangular “football” – oftentimes seen in the office. The very end gets a touch of Crazy Glue; thus it is secure. Once again an attractive woman hands this to you on the street. What will you do with it? We think you will open it.
c. Envelope : imagine one of our “models” hands you a business-sized envelope made of lightly colored paper. It is sealed shut. On its top is printed in large letters “PLEASE READ.” Will your imagination get the best of you? Will you open the envelope? We think so.
d. Baseball Card : people have been collecting and trading baseball cards for many decades. They are small enough to be stacked and “feel good” in your hand. One side has a photo, and on the reverse are some statistics. Many collectors protect their cards by placing them in rigid plastic holders designed specifically for baseball cards. Now imagine that one of our models hands you a baseball card-looking item in a plastic holder. Will you look at it? Both sides? We believe so. Will you throw it away if it does not interest you? We do not believe you will. We believe you will take it to work or home to show others this unique form of promotion.
e. Rose : this one we believe will be very effective a day or two before Valentine’s Day or Sweetest Day - - especially if you are targeting women. Imagine being given a live rose, with a message rolled up around its stem. Will you unravel the message and read it? We believe so. Will you throw away the rose if the message does not immediately interest you? We don’t think so. Actually, we believe the message will stay in your mind simply because it came with the rose; a rose that you eventually put in a vase with some water.
f. Crumple : this is definitely a unique and somewhat risky impact item. Imagine a standard sheet of paper containing your marketing message. Now crumple it up as if you were preparing to throw it out. What would happen if an attractive woman on the street gives you this crumpled piece of paper and only says, “Please Read”? Will you read it? Probably.
