Idea #1 - Use images with the "awe" factor - they impact your customer
Christine DeCocker - AccuPhoto Lab, Charleston, SC - www.accuphotolab.com

...Inspiration for this campaign came from how moms and dads use images differently....early digital camera users, mostly dads. I would tell them of our service for real photos from their digital cameras ...well, they seemed content to keep those images in cyberspace ...until the day.... a new dad came into our store in hot water because new mom didn't have real photos to show grandma of new baby and new mom had put new dad on deadline to have real photos for grandma by the weekend ...and it dawned on me that once soccer moms got onto digital they would adopt digital in a big way...

...so...I asked our production staff to start looking through our lab customers orders for an image that had the "awe" factor...This image was it...the new dad "holding" the new baby...Moms want photos to hold...we also do work for a lot of wedding photographers..."to have and to hold" was born...The advanced amateur photographer customer has been recognized with a photo credit in our ad...she said the new parents are her friends and they would be thrilled...

Click on photo for larger image

We have just started using this...it cost very little...I did the artwork and the concept...we print them as 4x6 photos and just started using them as bag stuffers, literature drop off ...anywhere literature collects....fitness centers, etc...We are very much in the trenches in this marketing war!

"To Have and To Hold" will be the centerpiece in a new publication that is full color like the coupon "Clipper" magazine called Lowcountry Values that will reach 25,000 homes....more than what I would do if I were doing a direct market and less expensive...the ad cost me only my time and limited brainpower but I really think it was divinely inspired . . . (I always like to give credit where credit is due)...so we'll see how it goes!

Thanks so much for the recognition...We are three years new...a mom and pop store in a very sophisticated small town...I have so enjoyed your marketing newsletters...We are all looking forward to your "Success" talk ('cuz we could sure use a little....success...and then a lot more!)

Editors Notes:
Chris and her team are signed up for the Agfa Success Seminar in Durham, June 19 - check out www.AgfaSuccessSeminar.com for the cities/dates near you. Find out why 100% of the attendees said they would recommend this event to their peers.

Idea #2 - Get the word out wherever you can
Max Dittelman - East Greenwich Photo, East Greenwich, RI - www.egphoto.com

   Like many other Photo retailers, here at East Greenwich Photo and Studio, we use our printers to make great looking "stuffers" out of 4x6 paper. We put one in every processing bag and also leave them on a few of the counters for the customers to take. After reading Digital Guerrilla Marketing I started to try and think of as many low cost marketing tools as possible and stuffers came to mind. I had a bunch in my truck on the way home and stopped at the supermarket. On the way out I saw the "community board" and the idea struck. We have employees from all over the state, why not pass out all new stuffers to every employee and have all employees adopt a community board and change the stuffers every time we print a new one. I am sure this will not shoot profits through the roof but hopefully it will be one of the 27 times I need to be in front of my customers to get my message across.

Idea #3 - "Fusion Marketing" - working with other merchants
Frank Ponder - Bel Air Camera, Los Angeles, CA - www.belaircamera.com

   We just worked out a deal with a major Restaurant chain. I happen to have gone to school with the publicist for them and talked to her about Free advertising for Free dinners. They gave us coupons for a free dinner (up to $20 value) and we give them out with the purchase of any camera over $200. It seems to have brought us some business. We ran our Dads and Grads campaign around this. Radio and newspaper. We are spending upwards of $50,000. I understand that Bruce Tall (Tall's Camera, Seattle) does something similar.

Sample script:

BELAIR CAMERA / NIKON

(Editor's note: Look how easy this script is to change for other co-op advertising opportunities - it allows one script, one idea in the customers' mind to be reinforced with a variety of brands, increasing the effectiveness of your advertising.)

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