Yesterday evening, as I was going home from work, I was handed a packet of free tissues outside City Hall MRT station along North Bridge Road. Considered one of the oldest promotional gimmick in the book, it came from QB House - famous for its 10 minute haircut costing $10 - which recently opened a branch at Basement 2 of Raffles City.
Despite the small rectangular area of the tissue, the company has cleverly done a few things right:
1) Adopt bright and easily readable fonts with brand oriented colours
2) Highly visible call for action (WE ARE NOW OPEN!)
3) Clearly articulated information on their key USP (10 minutes haircut for S$10)
4) Emphasise their 3 major highlights in Chinese characters and pictorial symbols (Skill, Cleanliness, and Timeliness)
5) Include their web URL
As I opened up the pack, I noticed that it came with a map showing the location of the new outlet in red.
In my view, giving away a pack of tissues is quite a no-brainer in marketing. People are more likely to pick up something that offers them utility as opposed to a brochure - even if it offers a discount or a lucky draw. The cost of mass producing and distributing them are also fairly reasonable.
Oh yes, I forgot to add that people who don't mind getting a freebie (like a pack of tissues) are also likely to go for budget $10 haircuts! So the company could be spot-on in terms of understanding its target audiences too.
Do you agree that giving away items like this still work in today's context?Labels: advertising and promotions, consumer marketing, giveaway marketing, marketing strategy, promotional gimmicks, QB House