Non-traditional marketing
Written by Verne on July 5th, 2007Anyone who has ever watched a segment of Chinese television will know that very little money is spent on marketing and advertisements, and that the quality of commercials is almost laughable compared to mainstream North American media (more people would laugh if it wasn’t so sad). Anyone who has ever been to a Chinese restaurant will also know that tea is served in, well, a tea pot.
One marketing genius from what appears to be GEM or GARYA has come up with this clever idea:
Talk about capitalizing on high-reach media.
What I’d like to know is (a) how much was paid for this “prime” spot, and (b) what’s the return on their investment.
Then again, I could be wrong and this could be just be one of those “contents are very hot” warnings. Any translators?
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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2007 at 5:45 pm and is filed under strategy... or lack thereof. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Satish
July 5th, 2007 at 6:36 pmTalk about an “innovative” marketing medium - using that word very loosely.
So I took it upon myself to actually call the number, and after about 7-10 rings I got a personal voicemail box (John something or the other, didn’t sound that Asian either) with absolutely no information about the company.
Now that’s ad dollars gone to waste… presuming these weren’t just someone’s leftover swag pots.
Tiffany C.
July 5th, 2007 at 11:13 pmI always thought the company name is “Gemini” :)…
I guess not.
opinionated stepsister
July 5th, 2007 at 11:34 pmI forsee two scenarios:
1) At the rate that these teapots hover around the table to emit tea from its spout, or perhaps (if you notice, you ask for tea and will never get your very same teapot back) get politely slammed by the oh-so polite chinese waiters onto your table when they return with a full pot of water - chances are no one has seen it, or it’s gonna get chipped off.
2) You pay cheap to get cheap advertising to cheap customers. Good Luck!
;)
Verne
July 5th, 2007 at 11:51 pmNice investigation Satish! See, if this John fellow had invested in a website and had put it on the teapot, he’d at least be getting some hits. You think Google will ever create a voicemail version of adsense?
And thanks for the clarification Tiffany! “GEMINI” - if only their tactics were as clever as their logo.
Opinionated stepsister: I’d probably bet the same. Obviously you’ve taken in on the 5-star customer service at chinese restaurants too!
Hung
July 6th, 2007 at 3:51 pmWhat is the company advertising?
I’ve seen a few restaurants that put a bunch of business cards under tables with a glass panel. I think it was pretty cheap to get it placed there as well. This is in a Tampa, FL, seafood restaurant.
Verne
July 6th, 2007 at 11:23 pmI gave the number another ring but was again unsuccessful in decoding the unenthusiastic voice. It actually just sounded like a personal voicemailbox. In any case, I don’t think it’s worth any of our efforts to dig any deeper!