ASI Promo Campaign Awards reflects the many ways that industry companies are equipped to serve buyers. Congratulations to PG Member 1338 Tryon for receiving  the Best Distributor Self-Promotions. Read more here or below.

UNLEASHING MAJOR ROI - 1338TRYON (ASI/287946)

Where previous self-promos skewed more to a female audience, 1338Tryon embraced a more male-centric branding spin for big success.

Self-promo has long been an essential part of branded merchandise firms’ marketing strategy – it’s critical for highlighting popular product and imprint trends, showing off distributors’ and suppliers’ capabilities, and sparking ideation for upcoming campaigns among both prospects and existing clients.

But to be effective and result in a healthy ROI, a self-promo campaign has to resonate with and inspire recipients. And that’s the challenge that 1338Tryon (asi/287946), a woman-owned business in Portland, OR, recently sought to address.

The distributor sends out quarterly “hot boxes” – self-promo bundles of new products featuring innovative decoration methods – to key prospects and clients. But last year, it had received feedback that the boxes’ color scheme, which echoed their own branding, often appealed more to women than men.

“We decided to put together a box that targeted men between ages 40 and 60,” says CEO Heather Comerford. “We used a kit that’s darker and more serious, with the wrapped tentacles and ‘Kraken’ theme. It’s a more aggressive version of our branding, but it’s still tongue-in-cheek.”

1338Tryon shipped more than 30 boxes in Q4 2021 to men as well as women in male-dominated industries like trucking and technology to inspire ideas for their clients. “We decided on who would receive the kits based on the audiences they target,” says Comerford. “We sent them to existing clients as well as those we’re in the process of prospecting to, all with more budget to spend.”

The boxes with a “Release the Kraken” theme contained a beanie from Cap America (asi/43792), a 3-in-1 tumbler from Starline USA (asi/89320), dress socks from Sock101 (asi/88071), a lantern from IMAGEN Brands (asi/93990), and a 10-in-1 tool card from Top 40 supplier Logomark (asi/67866).

Comerford loves the raised imprint on the tumbler. “And clients have to see and touch the beanies. It’s like petting a rabbit,” she adds. “We wanted higher-quality items that wouldn’t break the bank.”

The boxes were an instant hit with recipients; 1338Tryon began fielding inquiries from interested recipients not long after they arrived on doorsteps. In addition to three prospects who became customers, one client wanted to use the same five products with their branding, another worked with 1338Tryon to establish a new online store, and a C-suite-level customer is now working on an identical box for his sales team for 2022.

Instead of sending the same self-promo item to their entire list, 1338Tryon put thought into the selection of products, developed a derivative of their branding, segmented the recipient list and developed a targeted strategy. “It resonated with recipients,” says Comerford. “We focused on male buyers and those who target male-leaning demographics. We wanted to show a targeted audience what they could do with their brand. Next, we’ll be working on a box with sustainable products from BIPOC- or veteran-owned businesses.”– Sara Lavenduski