Product Number: #HB30

Description: Customized Candy Item Reenergizes Business at Popular Times Square Hotel

Industry: Hospitality / Tourism

What it was purchased for: In the heart of Times Square is the Westin New York; one of the crown jewels in the hotel franchise's collection. The prestigious hotel has won numerous awards and is consistently on the cutting edge of trends in the hotel industry. Business at this location has always been steady, but the Westin New York wanted to benefit from using a promotional product. In the past, they didn't quite understand the benefits of a promotional product, but the marketing team decided that now was the time to dip into the promo marketplace. With this product the hotel wanted to accomplish three distinct requirements; first, they wanted to thank customers for choosing Westin, they wanted to introduce a new service being offered, and then finally to offer a coupon. In the end, the Westin's national product distributor contacted supplier Admints & Zagabor.

How it was distributed: Admints has worked with a number of hotels across the country and completely understood the needs of the Westin New York. After working extensively through different product options with the distributor, it was decided to use one of Admints unique candy options. Ultimately, the product selected was the 1 oz. candy bag with a custom header card. The front of the header card would have a full color photo of the exterior of the Westin New York, while the opposite side would list all of the unique, guest services offered by the Westin, along with a coupon for Bar 10, which is the hotel's signature spot for drinks and light fare. Inside the candy bag would be Swedish Fish. After Westin received the shipment of product bags, they decided internally to place the bags on the pillows of new guests for weekends in September, traditionally one of the slower months for the hotel. Result The results far exceeded anything that the Westin could have wished. With their 800 plus guest rooms, this was a large order and a potential disaster if not done correctly, but the promo product team selected an item that struck a nerve with the hotel's visitors. The clients clearly enjoyed the treat and made it known to the hotel staff at checkout. During the month of the promotion, some of the hotel's often overlooked, but distinctive guest service options, such as the Broadway ticket desk and the travel concierge, were utilized more frequently. Lastly, more than 30% of the September guests redeemed the coupon for a "buy one, get one appetizer free" discount at Bar 10. The promotion was a success in that it accomplished everything that the Westin New York had hoped it would. This was just the beginning of the relationship between the hotel giant and the promo team.

Result or ROI: The results far exceeded anything that the Westin could have wished. With their 800 plus guest rooms, this was a large order and a potential disaster if not done correctly, but the promo product team selected an item that struck a nerve with the hotel's visitors. The clients clearly enjoyed the treat and made it known to the hotel staff at checkout. During the month of the promotion, some of the hotel's often overlooked, but distinctive guest service options, such as the Broadway ticket desk and the travel concierge, were utilized more frequently. Lastly, more than 30% of the September guests redeemed the coupon for a "buy one, get one appetizer free" discount at Bar 10. The promotion was a success in that it accomplished everything that the Westin New York had hoped it would. This was just the beginning of the relationship between the hotel giant and the promo team.

Product Number: #HB30

Description: Local BBQ Restaurant Smokes Out Business with Coupons on Candy Bag

Industry: Food & Beverage

What it was purchased for: Acme BBQ restaurant and catering needed a boost. They had just opened their doors and were receiving a modest amount of walk-in customers, but the owners understood that they had to ramp up their catering business to survive in this current economic climate. Not to mention increasing restaurant volume to reach near capacity. The owners of the Williamsport, PA establishment decided that they wanted to use a redeemable coupon for the summer months, when BBQ is in full swing, to help business. Acme felt that handing out just a standard coupon wasn't satisfactory; they hoped to put it with a snack to help advertise the restaurant. After some research and advice, Acme thought that their best option would be to use a promotional product to jolt business.

How it was distributed: Admints & Zagabor, one of the leading suppliers in the promotional product industry, was eventually offered the Acme job. After understanding the concerns of the restaurant's owners, Admints had drafted a list of possible products and presented them to Acme's distributor. In the end, it was decided to use the HB30, which is a 2 oz. candy bag with header card. The header card would contain the restaurant's information and address along with two coupons, one on the front of the card and another on the back. One coupon would be for the restaurant ("20% off any order over 15 dollars"), while the other would be for the catering service ("Summer Rib Special – Buy One Rack, Get the Next Half Off"). For the candy, Admints thought that the red, white, and blue tart stars were absolutely perfect for the summer months, including the 4th of July. The candy bags were distributed at the restaurant (to guests after they paid their check) and at several different local summer festivals and parades (where Acme gave away complimentary food samples and bags to passersby.)

Result or ROI: The promotion worked wonders for Acme's business. During the summer months, customers brought the coupons into the restaurant regularly. One of the owners of Acme remarked that during the early summer, almost every other customer at the restaurant redeemed the coupon, but during the latter half of the season most of the new customers came in by word of mouth. Also, the coupon produced a significant increase for the catering side of Acme. This is exactly what Acme wanted to accomplish; to use a promotional gift to boost the business. The idea was to hook the customers with a great deal and get them in the restaurant; once they are there they realize how fantastic the food is and then hopefully they will be continue to be customers of Acme. The owners of Acme said that they hope to work again with the promo product team in the near future.