The Power of Subtlety

By Janice Jenkins

The best kind of marketing material is often the kind that is not immediately obvious as an advertisement.

A postcard serves a very specific function. As soon as I pick up a postcard I know what the point of it is going to be. This postcard is meant as an advertisement to get me interested in a company. Often flashy colors are used, large words are chosen, and direct language is employed.

This grabs a person immediately and gets right to the point. I am not here to say this does not work, because this kind of advertising has been around for as long as it has for a reason, but there are other avenues, and when combined with the more direct methods, can create an overall powerful marketing agenda.

Calendar printing is a great example of this other kind of marketing that I am talking about.

The primary purpose of a normal advertisement is to promote a company, whereas if you hand out calendars to people the main purpose of the calendar is going to be to act as a normal calendar would. It shows people the months and days and has certain holidays and such highlighted.

If your calendars could not properly function as a calendar than no one would care to take them, now would they?

Advertising is the secondary purpose. A well-crafted calendar is not going to have every page covered with a company name, or try as hard as possible to promote. Instead you will find a company name on each page, but more in the corner. If you look at the page you will see it, but you would not be overwhelmed by it, and this is where it shines as a form of marketing.

For many businesses the point is to stay in a person's mind for when they need your services. If you run a gardening store and you use calendar printing, then when a person needs to have some gardening done they have your name and number in a convenient spot on their wall.

Consider it almost like a business card. You are giving them a tool to remember you. It does not need to be actively advertising to people for it to work. Simply having your company name in a person's home and out in the open is more than most companies would dare ask for.

In the case of calendar printing you know that the majority of people are going to use calendars, which is what makes it a perfect marketing device. More so, why would someone pay to buy a calendar when they can get one for free? You are not only advertising to them through the calendar itself, but offering them a convenience for free that will help make a good impression on them.

Marketing extends beyond just the normal methods. You do not have to be actively advertising to someone to still gain their interest.

Janice Jenkins is a writer for a marketing company in Chicago, IL. Mostly into marketing research, Janice started writing articles early 2007 to impart her knowledge to individuals new to the marketing industry. For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Calendar Printing