Marketing / Communications
Articles
“Brochures, Rack Cards and Ads…Oh My!”
America’s Byways Resource Center; Vistas, May/June 2006
Public Relations: Brochures, Rack Cards and Ads...Oh My!
Many byways are creating their own marketing pieces (also known as marketing collateral) to showcase their byways to the traveling public. There are so many options that it’s hard to decide what will work that best and what to spend money on.
Many times, groups get caught up in the excitement of design without first figuring out what type of collateral piece would best serve their goals. You can imagine the letdown if your group spent hours and hours working on the fine details of how the cover looked for a brochure only to find out that there were no places to stock the brochure.
It is best to answer a few questions first:
What market are you trying to reach? Do you know who is interested in your byway? Do you know how that particular segment of the population gets its information? Does the market pick up brochures, go to the Web, look at magazines or read bus boards? It is important to know who is interested and how their receive information before determining what to use as a marketing collateral piece.
Are there distribution points to get your information out? Do they cost anything? There are many companies that have rack card displays - you know, those wooden or plastic displays in the entryway of businesses that have a large quantity of free brochures. Well, to put your brochure in one of those rack card displays is usually not free for the organization. Do you have the funds to cover that cost?
Can visitors call to get more information? We have all seen the small ads in magazines with telephone numbers or addresses to write to get more information. Do you have a mechanism set up to respond to those inquiries?
Do you know what quantity you will need? Printing large quantities usually lowers the per-unit expense, but there can be considerable costs for storage and distribution.
Whew…that was a lot to think about and it was only a sample of the questions to ask your group when discussing marketing collateral.
Now for some pointers for the fun stuff…design:
One golden rule to follow when creating a collateral marketing piece is that the cover says EVERYTHING. (Not literally!) It gets attention and conveys the main reason to visit, and that’s all-important. The cover - or front or first visual - entices the traveling public to pick up the piece.
Keep the cover/front simple and to the point. List your byway’s name, location and state the byway’s “essence.” This can be done without words. Sometimes a picture says a thousand words; a characteristic image of your byway with its name and location clearly spelled out will work hard to catch someone’s eye.
Creating a tag line or simple phrase that captures the essence of the visitor experience on your byway will help as well. Be careful not to get caught up trying to please everyone. Think of your byway’s audiences and stick to what will entice them. Watering down a brochure with tons of pictures of everything to see and do just so anyone will find something exciting makes the entire piece confusing and seem less important to the audience that is really looking for that “something special” on your byway.
Keep in mind how your collateral piece will be displayed. Will it be in a rack card display? Will it be on a countertop? Will it be on an illuminated advertisement? Will it be in a magazine? What portions of the piece are seen first? A beautiful brochure that has two thirds of the cover hidden by a display unit loses its impact. The decision to pick up your piece is usually based on the cover or first visual. Make it prominent.
Finally, for all of the nationally designated byways out there, don’t forget to use the America’s Byways® logo. Using the logo for your marketing materials helps build consistency and recognition for the collection of distinct and diverse roads designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. You worked hard to be designated as one of America’s Byways, so use the logo with pride! For America’s Byways logo usage guidelines, please visit www.bywaysonline.org. For matters regarding the America’s Byways brand and marketing, contact Patricia McNally.
These are just a few considerations to keep in mind when crating collateral materials for your byway. Many byways have firsthand experience with very creative techniques that may be beneficial to your projects. Post your questions on the byways forum on www.bywaysonline.org or call a Byways Specialist at the America’s Byways Resource Center and we can help you figure out the answers to these and many more questions.