Kitschy, Low Cost Self-Produced Self-Promotion Is a Hit with Clients

The team at Agreda Communications, a marketing communications firm specializing in digital printing solutions, was looking to promote the launch of their new online storefront, www.MarcomAndPOP.com. Agreda developed an innovative and witty package design as a gift for their graphic design and marketing agency clients.

"We really wanted to grab our clients' attention with a product that thanked them while highlighting our new online storefront and graphic production capabilities," said Agreda partner René Agredano. The staff decided to create a branded "Marcom POPs" box of candy coated popcorn. Each box was designed, printed, and converted in-house, then filled with home-made caramel corn.

Branded toy surprises were also hidden inside. The box even included an incentive to draw customers to the website, through a special "Bonus Buck" 15% off coupon on the bottom flap. "It's not that hard to market yourself," Agredano added. "It just takes a bit of ingenuity and successfully walking the line between memorable, fun, and cost-effective - something we try to do with every project."

Agreda first printed the box on their Hewlett Packard DesignJet large format printer. The prints were then laminated with a satin-matte finish on a Seal 38" wide laminator. Once the individual sleeves were manually trimmed and converted, high-strength banner tape was used to seal seams and create a six-sided box. The Marcom POPs boxes were then stuffed with home made caramel corn and a promotional yo-yo branded with the company's logo. As a finishing touch each box was shrink-wrapped for that "just-off-the-shelf" appearance.

To delicately balance the need to promote their services but still leave a lasting "good will and cheer" feeling among clients, clever text highlighting the company's services and products was subtly included on the sleeves. Catchy phrases like "Zero Calories" and "Elfin magic factored in for holiday cheer" were included in the nutrition labeling information, and in small type, clients could even learn about the many worldwide holidays celebrated throughout the month of December.