Offline Pinko Idea #1

So as you know, I am a big part of Killinghall Bathrooms, as well as Big Hippo a small online and offline bathroom business in Harrogate, UK.

Keen to implement what I spend all day theorising about (!), I have started the ball rolling on a quirky idea which I feel taps into the local community very nicely indeed.

I have arranged for 250 packs of Killinghall Bathroom branded crayons and 10-page colouring books (with bathroom-related line drawings) to be distributed to all local BBQ's, Car Boot Sales etc. which we sponsor. There are about half a dozen where we have a banner ad, so even indirect PR should be fairly positive as people tend to go these events in flocks (hmmm!). The competition isn't about the parents - the kids get the prizes (Toys R Us vouchers) slap bang in the middle of the end third of their summer holidays when they are the most bored!)

I am also asking (as a tie-breaker) the kids to tell me the best part of their bathtime. The idea behind this is to get the kids, with their lack of prejudices and suspicion to reveal the things they use most in the bathroom.

As many kids (under 10) as possible are given these colouring books and asked to send/drop in their favourite picture back to us at the showroom. The revelation of the winners is perhaps the best part of the idea.

Sundays are always very quiet, so we are revealing the winners on a Sunday at the showroom. Now this may not seem particularly exciting until I explain that the pictures will be covering two of our massive front windows. (Our premises are a car dealership) so we have got some BIG windows to fill! And it will be VERY noticeable.

Our window becomes a display for the endless kids pictures are currently getting sent and I am also toying with the idea of having a sort of kids gallery inside the showroom to stay longer. I am then toying with incentivising the family-centric bathroom suites to make sure they are irresistible (based on what the kids revealed to us in the tie-breaker question) to their parents.

The local paper is already booked to photograph the entry window and should generate a lot of great PR.

We have already spoken with the local schools to provide the same thing for them (all schools want free pens, pencil, drawing tools etc.) and hope to make it a regular event.

What lessons to draw from this idea:

1) It is not a sell - it is a kids competition.

2) It is not a sell - not even to the parents.

3) It is not a sell - it is PR.

4) It is two-way interaction (colouring + prize incentive + showroom prize display = showroom visit).

5) It is fun.

6) It mobilises the parents who might otherwise not care about coming to us.

7) It generates positive PR (banners and in local paper).

8) We meet people and develop relationships (we are not bathroom salespeople - we are "those people that did the funny colouring competition).

You ever walked into a shop and shied away when the sales person asked if they could help? Me too.

Make people want to come to you for reasons other than a sell.

I would love to hear your comments on how this can be improved. Hopefully, we can then create a neat little ideas collection which will be full of great, prtactical ways in which we can implement Pink Marketing.

Tags: pinko marketing, sponsorship, advertising, pr, sales