A Crackerjack Show Snack

Posted byCathy

July 7, 2011

Studio Life

Before we say goodbye to our trade show season for this year, we want to highlight our marketing materials for Surtex and The Licensing Expo. They were “lip-smackin’, whip-crackin’, paddywhackin’, knickaknackin’, silabawhackin’, scalawhackin’, crackerjackin’ Cracker Jack!” (And if you do not know the tune to that 1960’s Cracker Jack commercial, then you are closer to Ellen’s age than mine, because she didn’t know it either! I have provided a link below so you can enjoy this classic commercial.) We also want to give a shout-out to our local printer, Barry Colvin at Republic Printing, for the great printing job, on time and on budget!

Baby Bot, one of our new collecitons, was our booth theme this year, and with the retro accents that are a part of the Bot Buddies collection, it only seemed fitting to go back in time snack-wise, as well. We chose good ol’ Cracker Jack for our giveaway show snacks … partly for the nostalgic feeling one has ripping into a box of “candy-coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize,” but also, because we knew it would be just what the doctor ordered after a long day of walking a trade show. And, we were right. We heard from many visitors that they had needed their snack for a late afternoon pick-me-up, and for some, they called it lunch.

Above: we designed the box to slip over a genuine box of Cracker Jack, so people would know we hadn’t made the tasty snack in our own kitchen. We also created a booklet illustrating the way we work and highlighting some of our best-selling collections. It looked like this:

Most people will tell you that marketing materials are for making your brand memorable and unique. But, here’s another bi-product you might not have been told: friend-making. Below is a photo of our next-door booth neighbor at Surtex, who was from England, to whom we would supply our American snack, when we could tell he was feeling weak and hungry. I am pretty sure he is now our friend for life.

So, that’s about it on trade show tips and techniques … now it’s back to work on the projects that were sparked by the marketing pieces above.

P.S. Here is the 1960’s Cracker Jack commercial I promised. But be warned, you may have a sudden hankering to curl up on the sofa to watch Leave It To Beaver and scarf down a box of candy-coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize!