Gift Express cont…
Posted by: Qaiss in Marketing & Media, New Concepts & Idea's, StartupsFollowing my earlier post of Gift Express, when i introduced my marketing campaigns:P they are small but i like calling them campaigns. I had to know what impact i got for the money i have spent on such ads. So staring with Layalina, which i paid about 1000kd per month for a freaking one page ad, that did not even create a hiccup in my sales numbers. Many new customers started calling asking about the service, so my employees at the store would finish the customers request by asking how he/she found out about the service. The funny thing is, listen to this “marketing” folks, i love this! After i have paid up too 6000kd in marketing ads and awareness campaigns too, the most ad that got customers noticing and calling to figure out what service Gift Express was a 100kd banner on the delivery car. Thats not even 6% from the 6000kd marketing budget i paid for. About 92% calls came from the car banner, people would see it on the street delivering a gift and get the number and call. But ohh know! Bazaar and Layalina, had the biggest readers amongst Kuwait teens, that was all BS. Very few people notice ads in such magazines, i even later on tested the theory on my friend, made him zip through Bazaar Magazine and then ask him what ads he noticed, he barely remembered! Believe me what i have learned with past experience that marketing equals BS! You really have to work hard on advertising and know how to reach your targeted customers, but hold on here: i’m telling you so because i had a tight budget and had to maximise my returns as much as i can. But when more money was available, it would have sure been easier to market Gift Express.
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May 13th, 2007 at 9:26 am
WOW that’s one hell of a lesson. 92% comes from less than 6% of the budget!
I can relate to that I guess. I mean I don’t really care to read ads in a magazine because there’s actual material to get to. But when I’m on the road I do tend to notice ads when I’m bored and there’s nothing else to look at. Eeeeenteresting!
Maybe in the future inshalla you can consider using outdoor advertising. You know the unipol, mega, mupi thingies? Those are definitely eye catching but they ARE expensive. I mean I think you would have had to blow all KD 6000 JUST on that advertising method and then nothing else. Bass ham china a7san min il magazine.
May 13th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Qaiss.. hmmm.. maybe your ads suck :p
I LOVE a good ad/commercial. I notice simplicity, or creativity. But I’m also lazy, and I want to know things easily. To me, for example, a good website where I can find all the information I need is enough. I don’t like calling and asking. If I can’t tell what this service is fromt he ad, I lose interest. If it got my attention, I will log on to the website and see shessalfa. But that’s just me.
*Goes and buys a Snickers bar*
May 13th, 2007 at 9:50 am
1001 Nights: yah, but the problem with the out door ads, is that they got many stupid rules and very expensive, i think about 4 thousand kd a week for all over kuwait
May 13th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Enigma: i tend to be the same, if the ad is not simple and confusing i just ignore it and i always look for a website, and bother calling..
May 13th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Qaiss, I think for a small business like yours, you would have probably not needed to spend so much on magazine advertising.
I know it is alot easier to say this in hindsight after the business is closed, but what I would have recommended “guerrilla marketing“. I love this term, and it would work better for something like your service. Pick the right places and be creative in promoting ur product or service.
You said “Believe me what i have learned with past experience that marketing equals BS!” I totally disagree, its a matter of finding the best marketing method that helps you.
For example, a place like Maki, never uses any advertising and its very successful because its marketing itself through word of mouth and positioning itself as a very high-end elite restaurant for cool and hip youngsters, without spending a dime on advertising!! A place like KFC spends millions on advertising and makes millions more revenue because their ads are very important in reaching their most of their customers and telling them about the latest sandwich and so on.
Marketing is not advertising, advertising is just a PART of marketing.
Excellent topic btw
May 13th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
why is my comment awaiting moderation?
May 13th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
cause the moderator needs to moderate !
anyways .. all ads in kuwait suck, blame the client and blame the creative !!!
qaiss, i know u love that krispy kreme billboard ad u had a post earlier about lol !
May 14th, 2007 at 12:06 am
Q: great points provided, what i meant by Marketing is BS will post a topic later…but your totaly right about maki and how he targeted his so called elite customer…positions and location of Gift Express was incorrect, our major problem was the wraping it self, it looked bad and cheap thats what i ment by a womens touch… will show you pics later on..thanks Q and your cooment awaited moderation because it was long i think, sorry about that, having a lot of spam problems
May 14th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Kuwaitoons: yah the client “which was me in Gift Express case:p” are not that creative and want everthing to be done for them…lool yah i do:)
May 15th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
You just need a good copywriter LOL
May 15th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Holla: i guess so:)
May 16th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
hmmm..i see a young successful business man…keep it up man..:)
May 17th, 2007 at 12:57 am
MAZE: yah thanks, but Gift express went down:(
May 20th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
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June 21st, 2007 at 10:15 am
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title . Thanks for informative article
July 28th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
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