Susan Kirkland (bio)

One very reliable promotion: Calendars are one of the oldest, most trusted methods of promotion, no matter what the business, product or service. There’s a reason for that; staying power. Few people can discard a calendar; ask an older, male mechanic where he used to get his favorite free babe calendar and he'll probably say Snap-on Tools well enough to remember the brand when he needs new tools. Calendars are common promotions because they stick around for at least a year, but if you’re self employed, they might be a bit costly to produce on a large format offset press, at least I thought so when I first started freelancing. For my very first self-promotion, I wanted something nice I could give to my clients that they would keep; something that didn’t die when the end of the year came around, and something equally appealing as a reminder after a cold call or portfolio showing. That’s when I started a regular series of self-promotional posters; starting with Melon at the Plaza, NYC which you can download here. I mailed each one in a tube so it would be hard to ignore. It was reassuring to see it nicely framed and prominently displayed everywhere I went. That was before cyber times; now all you have to do is create a PDF file that can be downloaded at will. Self-promotion is easier and cheaper than ever.

Marketing Managers everywhere: HEADS UP. If you want to control your Ps, at least know what the words refer to in strategic plan execution. In the late 1950s (about 60 years ago), Jerome McCarthy came up with the 4Ps of Marketing in his book, Basic Marketing. If you learned one of the Ps was Place; you’re behind the times. Place has evolved into POSITION. If you’re thinking POSITION means logistics and where you store your product, move into the Twenty-First Century. McCarthy wrote that book before iPhones, Star Trek, a computer in every home, the internet and massive marketers like WalMart. Try to apply PLACE to any one of these and you’ll see the conundrum.

Yes, when a marketing manager decides whether it’s a brochure, a direct mail piece, a point-of-purchase display or an ad campaign, that falls under PROMOTION. No, they should not design, write copy, choose the color scheme, or even pick the typeface. Please try something different and allow the professionals your company places at your fingertips (like the art director or designer) to do their jobs in support of your product launch. Oh, and that means without pesky, nitpicking interference which you see as careful task mastering. One of the worst things you can be called is a micromanager—besides, it’s distracting and drives us all NUTS.

When creating a PROMOTION for your product, concentrate on motivating your target market and put yourself in their place. What type of offer will motivate your target? Air Lines have great promotions when they open a new HUB, such as Allegient Air’s $89 airfare to Vegas. A limited time promotion always attracts attention, both from the market and the competition. What kind of leverage will you provide to salespeople that will motivate them to sell your product over the competition? One cell phone company offers to buy out your current contract if you sign up with them. What kind of deal will you create that will seem like an offer your target can’t refuse? Advertising, Public Relations and Publicity will keep your product or service out front, ahead of the competition; and these are all parts of PROMOTION.

How does Advertising differ from PROMOTION? Advertising is supposed to get everybody’s attention. Signs, brochures, videos, direct mail, email campaigns, corporate blogs and community events all fall under the fourth P of PROMOTION. So the next time a marketing manager steps in with specific instructions regarding his promotional materials, remind him that his job is strategy, not application. And I want to be a fly on the wall when you suggest that his dabble in graphics at college did not equipt him with what’s required to be a professional designer. And, no, redecorating a bathroom does not qualify as design experience.

*Chindoya street performers photo courtesy of Wikimedia

Thinking of freelancing for a living? Tired of doing the boss' castoffs? Better get some good advice on how to protect yourself from those who would rape and plunder your creative talents. Look for more stories and adventures in advertising design in my book Start and Run a Creative Services Business. It's filled with great links and a full spectrum of experiences. Not an artist? You'll be in stitches as you follow the pitfalls and adventures of self-employment. And if you've been freelancing for a while, you'll find new information and a trustworthy mentor to stand by your side through thick and thin in Start and Run a Creative Services Business. Excerpts are available online at my website.