How do you advertise to advertisers? It requires input from a top-name advertiser like Rich Silverstein of ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, according to Monadnock Paper Mill.
Monadnock, Bennington, NH, makes high-performance technical and printing papers. Until now, most of its promotions have focused on the educational aspects of printing or the technical elements of design. But its latest effort, called the Masters of Design series, seeks to inspire as well as educate through interviews and reproductions of the work of Mr. Silverstein and other icons from the graphic design industry.
“By showcasing very high-level individuals within the graphic design community and featuring their success and reputation, it will entice people to read their words and see their images,” said Geoffrey Verney, Monadnock vice president of strategic customer relations and corporate communications.
The targeting strategy also differs from previous efforts. The company is reaching out to a specific part of the graphic design community – in this case, ad agencies – instead of the graphic design community at large.
“We’ve always gone after the graphic design world, but it’s important that we begin to establish roots in particular areas rather than develop a broad brush,” Mr. Verney said.
Along with highlighting the printability and quality of Monadnock’s paper, the promotion aims to build a database of qualified e-mail addresses among the targeted communities. Monadnock plans to send individuals e-mail blasts about permission for future promotions.
The Masters of Design includes a 16-page, 10-by-12-inch brochure printed on Monadnock’s Astrolite PC 100 cover and Astrolite 100-pound text paper, which is made from 100 percent post-consumer waste. Monadnock printed 20,000 copies of the brochure, of which 7,000 are being mailed to distributors. The rest are being handed out to printers, designers and corporations. The brochure also is available by request through the company’s Web site at www.mpm.com.
The brochure includes excerpts from an interview with Mr. Silverstein, co-chairman of Goodby, which is known for memorable ad campaigns such as “Got Milk?” and the Budweiser lizards. Images from select campaigns are also reproduced.
The brochure directs readers to the Monadnock Web site, where the entire interview is available to download via podcast. This is the first time Monadnock has used podcasts in its marketing.
“I think [podcasts are] a reasonably simple way of providing something that is informative and entertaining to a wide number of people,” Mr. Verney said.
Visitors to the Web site aren’t being asked to register in order to download the podcast, though the company is working to change this so it can capture more e-mail addresses. E-mail sign-up is available on the site.
The Rich Silverstein interview and brochure also are being promoted via public relations to graphic design and advertising trade magazines.
Monadnock plans to continue with the Masters of Design series for the next two years, with future featured individuals to include icons of luxury packaging, annual reports and other specific areas within graphic design. The next promotion in the series will be available in January.
