This year, I am focusing on letterbox marketing, and each month, I'll be discussing a specific type of product that would work for a letterbox marketing campaign. To kick things off first, I'm talking all about Ice Scrapers!
Branded Ice Scrapers as a Promotional Product
I love to use ice scrapers for my own marketing. It's a product that may be given at any time of the year, especially (for amusement and great impact) at the height of summer. I always say to people that if they give an ice scraper to a customer (as I am, at that moment, giving to them), it is likely to be put in the car neatly or even thrown in the footwell – and immediately forgotten. Then, when the first frosts arrive in November or December, and they suddenly need an ice scraper, there it is! Sitting there, waiting to be used, and with your logo staring them in the face.
I do a lot of networking, and I can't count the number of times I have met someone at an early morning group in winter to be thanked for the scraper that I gave to them weeks or months (or longer) before!
Apart from the promotional and advertising opportunity, there is also the basic safety aspect of an ice scraper, and by giving these away, they will be fully appreciated for their functionality. As Andy Ford, Road Safety Manager, Oxfordshire County Council's Fire and Rescue Service, and a client of mine, has said about winter driving: "Plan ahead, take into account potential longer travel times and be prepared and drive to the conditions as stopping distances are much longer on snow and ice. Ensure your car has enough oil and water, check your windscreen wipers and washer bottle, clear all your windows so you can see, and make sure that your battery is in good condition. And it's also very important to check your tyres are in good condition and have more than the minimum tread depth".
He recommends keeping the following items in your car in case you get stuck: ice scraper, de-icer, blanket, jump leads, shovel, decent footwear, first aid kit, hazard warning triangle, torch, and high visibility jacket. Not many products on that list would be regarded as promotional merchandise ideas, especially ones that could posted to clients, but at least ice scrapers are on there!
Types of Ice Scraper
When it comes to ice scrapers, I have a vast portfolio, each with an area specifically for branding to be added. Some of the types of ice scrapers available are:
Small Ice Scrapers - How often have you heard someone using a credit card from their wallet to scrape the ice? Maybe you have done this yourself! There are smaller ice scrapers, flat and ideal for letterbox campaigns, which aren't so much bigger. There is the one pictured, which is 112mm x 120mm, which is very handy. It has one serrated edge for tough-to-remove ice and a rubber edge to help deal with dewy mornings.
Standard Ice Scrapers - There are other options with handles, usually for a thumb recess to allow for greater oomph when dealing with hard ice! These come in a range of colours and are designed to be printed on the flat part at the top, but often, there is the facility of an extra print position on the handle. Some images are attached of various options.
Green Ice Scrapers - There are even ice scrapers with green credentials – one is made of 50% bamboo fibre and has a great surface area to take your advert.
Fleecy Ice Scrapers - Some ice scrapers are quite luxurious, with a fleecy glove to keep your hand warm (although the physical activity first thing of trying to clean the windows in the smallest amount of time will probably sort out the rest of you!)
Multi-Use Ice Scrapers - I have come across a 5-1 parking disc/ice scraper – it shows the time you arrive, has excellent ice removal features, and even a tyre tread depth gauge and some plastic trolley coins!
Larger Ice Scrapers - And finally, some are like little garden tools – wonderful to use, but possibly beyond this remit of letterbox marketing.
Ice Scrapers for Letterbox Marketing
If you're thinking about running a letterbox marketing campaign, then now is the perfect time to think about sending your clients something useful, like an ice scraper. Contact me today, and we can discuss various options and what will work best for you.
If ice scrapers aren't for you, then make sure you follow me, as I'll be focusing on a different product each month, which is a suitable item to send through the post!
