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Let's Talk About Stuff.
Our Blog
Our goal in posting our blogs is three fold: To introduce timely industry news that is relevant to our clients; to post items we find interesting and entertaining, and finally, to give you a glimpse of TSW US “Behind the Curtain”. We take the business aspects of what we are doing very seriously, but we like to have fun, hopefully that shines through here.
Our Blog is a puzzle being assembled. Sometimes the individual pieces of the puzzle don’t look like the whole picture once completed – You have to keep adding pieces one at a time to make the image clear. We hope you keep coming back to see how the TSW US puzzle takes shape.
Print Innovation – Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Print is one of the longest-standing and trusted medias available and it continues to prove effective for brands across categories. While the media has long existed, there is a lot of new & exciting innovation with print. You have probably experienced some of this as a consumer… Maybe you have come across magazines that release a smell when they are opened or have seen an ad that changes color in different lighting - it is all amazing and somewhat MIND-BLOWING! Connections by The Specialist Works is taking the power of print media a step further and has found success in using word-of-mouth marketing to drive incremental response and brand loyalty.
Brands including The White Company, Graze, Celtic & Co and Charles Tyrwhitt have utilized our innovative print services to bring this opportunity to life. We have effectively leveraged word-of-mouth marketing by utilizing a format most commonly known as the “Double Pop-Out,” which can be utilized in direct mail, event marketing & inserts. The “Double Pop-Out” format has two pop-out cards (similar in size to a gift card) imbedded into the printed piece. Utilizing perforation on a flat sheet of paper means that this format can typically run through feeders for inserting or withstand expected wear and tear through the postal system without deterioration. In short, it is an extremely versatile and robust print format.
As mentioned above, the “Double Pop-Out” has two pop-out areas which presents a brand a larger opportunity. We suggest and have seen success when utilizing the first pop-out to share an offer with the targeted consumer, and then utilizing the second pop-out for that consumer to share with a friend. If you are targeting the right audience and reaching them at the right time, this format has proven to be incredibly effective - in some cases even doubling response rates! Giving consumers an opportunity to share amazing offers with their friends is a great example of word-of-mouth marketing, as consumers are now doing the work for your brand.
Word-of-mouth is THE most powerful form of marketing because of how much we trust our friends and family. Word-of-mouth marketing is also essentially free (e.g. in the example above, you are simply dedicating space on a piece you were already running), which makes it very efficient and scalable.
At Connections by The Specialist Works, we love creative, new, and engaging formats. Creating new opportunities for brands to connect with their current and potential customers is what we live for!
New Program Launch - SchoolKidz Package Inserts
The Connections Team is extremely happy to announce our newest retail partner: Schoolkidz!
Schoolkidz, also known as Teacher Tailored, has provided millions and millions of school supply kits to parents, and has been servicing thousands upon thousands of schools nationwide for the last 25 years. The Teacher Tailored team works with Parent Teacher Organizations and Parent Teacher Associations to develop customized lists of school supplies.
A package insert program of 230,000 volume. For more information: https://www.connectionsbytsw.com/media/schoolkidz
Insights on Working From Home
One of our team member has reviewed her first week of WFH, amazing insights from Desiree Metzger.
Working from home has made me realize that a home office is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Apart from eating all the snacks the first few days, emotional eater over here, I am working at the dinner table. This is away from the television and closer to the modem.
My first few video calls proved, working from downstairs isn’t going to be possible. It is probably for the best, the man cave equipped with it’s 75” TV would not have been the most productive space.
The first few days last week, proved productive I got quick replies to emails. As we got closer to the end of the week, those responses started to dry up. Tough to take and created some anxious feelings
At Connections we have a variety of programs that will help clients navigate these uncertain times. E-commerce brands will see an increase in sales as brick and mortars experience a decrease. We can help brands ‘piggyback’ those E-Commerce sales with an implied endorsement to the new potential customers.
Quarantine will not stop our team fun!
The Specialist Works got together today for a Pub Quiz on the International Day of Happiness!
Quarantine will not stop our team fun!
Launching Connections by The Specialist Works
We are very excited to announce that the brand new Connections by The Specialist Works website and platform has launched!
For any brands looking for ways to acquire customers or build an extra revenue stream, reach out.
May 21st is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
Today, May 21st is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. 2018 is also the year at TSW when we focus on diversity. In keeping with our historic theme of having fun while getting meaningful exposure to other cultures, we are hosting a “Pot-Luck” lunch. Each employee is bringing in a dish that reflects their heritage and will be sharing a unique or insightful point on how their background and culture impacts how they see the world. It should be fascinating, and yummy. We can’t wait!
Home Depot Textile Expansion Brings Death to The Company Store PIP
With The Home Depot acquisition of The Company Store, December 19, 2017, they've decided to pull the package insert program from the market. TSW recommends Plow & Hearth Package insert Program as a great alternative.
Cascarones
At TSWUS, we are firm believers that in embracing new experiences from other cultures, we become more well-rounded as people. One of our 2018 corporate initiatives is diversity. Part of building diversity is building for it. That means understanding other cultures.
While our offices are already diverse here in the US, we are always ready to join in the challenge of having a little fun while learning about other cultures’ traditions. Today, we jumped in with both feet. Both feet, a broom and a dustpan.
While a Mexican tradition, Cascarones in the US, are common around Easter as there has been a merging of Mexican and US holiday celebrations. Having one of these confetti eggs broken over your head is said to bring good luck. It is also confirmed to be quite fun and very messy.
Fun, Educational, Messy, Addictive. Perfect!
The Power of Imagery – Rorschach Plate IV
