Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Are you linking the sale of the magazine and the sale of the condom?

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that most (although not all) condoms are purchased by men. So how would the typical male condom buyer be attracted to buy a magazine aimed at women?

Not sure which country this promotion is in, and what the cultural mores might be (more detail required). However, if the promotion is in a country where women are relatively liberated, perhaps the magazine should get the condom manufacturer to provide a free condom to be attached to every copy of the magazine as a value-added freebie? The idea being, to provide the woman magazine buyer with a defence against disease and/or pregnancy transmission. Should her man come unprepared...

(Not recommended in countries where such a concept might cause offence).

Net cost to magazine, virtually free. Plus, it's win/win because the condom maker gets more free samples out there, and encourages people to er, try, their product.

Hope that helps.

ChrisB

Hi Susan.Leonardo,

hope you're having a splendid day but most importantly a wonderful life. I love challenging questions and I hope you like my answer.

First of all I think that the Co-Branding opportunities of your organization are (Capital E) ENDLESS. But the money spent on Branding your magazine off of a post-it note could be more ***wisely and creatively*** thought out.

USING A POST-IT?...here's how I'd use it...
I could think of many ways to use a post it. And while I don't want to fully rule out that putting your magazine on a post-it note distributed and passed along the hands of a condom manufactures end users may not work it does leave me asking many questions like:

How do they make this work?

Why would a condom user want to advertise the services of your magazine?

What kind of a magazine do you have?

What are the age ranges of the women you cater to?

Is it a magazine that speaks to all women or does the magazine cover communicate something for the youth only? or the business woman only? I.E. who is your market? This will determine what might be some of the vehicles we can use to reach your target audience.


I think Post-it notes are ---GREAT for Idea Generation---. For instance playing a game like "Think of 100" ideas that we could use to sell our magazine using a condom would be an effective way to use a Post-it note. Here's something else a CHALLENGE...that's right challenge your condom users to come up with 100 ways to help you sell your magazine and offer a prize to the individual with the most ideas generated.


USING A CONDOM TO INCREASE MAGAZINE SELLS MAY BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK...
Secondly I believe you can use your magazine to sell condoms if you could provoke the women to see the advantage of why they should carry one. (There are many thought provoking ways I could imagine this being done but if I tell you everything what's in it for me). So let me tell you what's in it for you and if you like it let's talk...Here's what you do...Have the order from the sell of condoms come into your companies P.O. Box and forward them on to the condom Manufacturer who can ship them out as you keep track of the commission from the sales in your magazine.

Next...Before you ship them out do this: Have a magazine coupon placed in each box communicating the Hot advantages your magazine provides for your customers. Give the subscriber a discount to push them over the edge a little. Finally...Monitor the return on those coupons and whalla!!! You've Got Sells REMEMBER... our only real problem in life is our failure to be "MORE Creative" than we’ve ever been. If you “Invent” your opportunity YOU WILL most definitely create your future. I'm only an email away from you if you need my help. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Your Servant,

Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)

*Caring Promotes Exuberance

My suggestion is that you tell management that there isn't a natural tie-in between condoms and a woman's magazine, and that while the use of the logo won't hurt, it probably won't do much for magazine sales either. Finding a way to link the use of the logo on the condom notepads to magazine sales at the point of purchase is a real stretch.

I think it's time to tell the emperors at the magazine that they are naked. Their idea is a waste of your time and energy.

If there were some logical connection between the magazine and condoms, a cross-promotion tie-in would make a lot of sense. But I'm having a tough time figuring out what it might be. What is the common link between the two -- the consumer, the reader, the subject matter? I give up.

One final note: The distribution channels for condoms and magazines are completely different, so it's not even clear that both products will be available in all the same retail outlets.