Highlight Benefits When Designing Targeted Promotional Advertisements

There are times when the basic promotional advertisement does not really catch the attention of your target audience. An ad that is different from the normal one may attract notice and get the intended message across to the person you want to take action.

In OCS, you have a captive audience in the decision-maker (owner, office manager, facilities manager, etc.), since you have access to that person on a continual basis. Here is a "single cup brewer" promotional ad that has worked for me and for others in the coffee service arena with whom I have shared it.

The Manager's Daily Grind

"All day long I hear complaints about our coffee. No one appreciates that I arrive early in the morning to make the coffee, so my staff has fresh coffee as soon as they come to work."

Derek: "The coffee is too weak."
Morgan: "The coffee is too strong."
Jaclyn: "Why isn't there any decaf?"
Casey: "Same coffee every day, it's boring."
Jordan: "I hate the flavor of this coffee."
Carrie: "This coffee is burnt; someone did not make a fresh pot this morning."
Taylor: "Darn! no one made coffee after lunch."
Legend: "I don't drink coffee, but I would love to have creamy hot chocolate."
Jamie: "I love fresh-brewed tea, but only coffee is available."
Shannon: "Those glass bowls are so dirty! I can't serve our guests with bowls looking like this."
Lori: "Who left the pot on the hot burner last night? It is burnt, and now I have to clean it."
Aaron: "All the coffee bowls are cracked, so we now have to call and wait for new ones."
Rick: "As the controller of this company, I hate dumping leftover coffee down the drain."

Roseann, the office manager, as she is cleaning the dirty coffee pots and polishing them to shine, begins to daydream. "I wish there was a way to solve all of these complaints, so my boss and all of our employees would finally be happy with the coffee break we offer."

All of a sudden, the Magical Coffee Genie's face appears. She says, "Your wish is my command! Now go into the coffee breakroom!" As Roseann enters, she sees all of her staff with big smiles on their faces, holding cups filled with a multitude of different beverages. There on the kitchen counter is a new single-cup beverage brewer, along with a wide selection of single-serve packs of regular, decaffeinated and flavored coffees, a variety of teas, hot cocoa, espresso-based drinks and soups. The Genie says, "this new single-cup brewer will make every employee very happy, and your boss will be so proud of you."

Still dreaming, Roseann's boss raises his cup of freshly brewed French roast coffee and toasts Roseann in front of the entire staff. "Here's to Roseann, who knows that happy employees are good employees."

The real hero in the office is the new single-cup (name the brewer you offer), that does not need daily cleaning, never requires bowls that require cleaning and break, eliminates wasted coffee and gives every employee a choice of beverages to enjoy with a short brewing time of approximately one minute.

Call To Action

Now you, too, can become that hero in your office, by calling our office for a free trial using our most innovative, newest state-of-the-art fresh-brew single-cup beverage system. Your staff will experience the ease and delicious taste of a multitude of different beverages that we will supply at no charge.

Call now -- (555) 555-5555 -- and just say "The Genie told me to call for a free trial."

I am suggesting that you take this script to a graphic artist who can create the promotion in color. Have the designer use pictures of an office manager and the Genie, and show happy employees in the breakroom, along with a picture of the single-cup brewer you offer. Cartoon-type pictorials will get your message across a lot better than just words.

Lastly, have your delivery or sales person hand-deliver this promotion directly to the decision-maker. Also, put a copy into the coffee cases for employees to view, since they may also get the attention of the buyer.

Please let me know how you have promoted your single-cup program. I can be reached at (516) 241-4883 or by email at OCSconsultant@aol.com.