This week at Sonic Promos, we're working on...

... custom woven afghan blankets for 39 West Lexington, a Southern Management property in Baltimore.

... and awards for an annual employee meeting at Sigma-Tau.

"This Week at Sonic Promos" is a regular feature on our blog.
Read all past posts here.
Check in every week to see some of the work that's going on in our office.

We have some exciting news to share! It's even more exciting than additional floor space and office baseball!

Inc. Magazine ranked Sonic Promos on its sixth annual 5000 List, a ranking of the nation's fastest growing private companies. We came in at number 3,373. Spot our name below!

Among Advertising & Marketing companies on the list, Sonic Promos was ranked at number 295.

In response, Sonic's President Seth Weiner said, "We are honored and excited to be included on this prestigious list. It is a validation of our belief that success comes from providing exceptional customer service and offering creative solutions to our clients' evolving promotional needs. We appreciate our loyal client base who brought us to this point, as well as the hard work of our employees, who always strive to insure we are doing the very best for our clients."

To view complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region and other criteria, visit www.inc.com/5000.

Thank you to Inc. for including us, and thank you to our wonderful clients for your continued support!

On Wednesday evening, Sonic received its first Gold Pyramid Award at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas. Debbie Bostin and Seth Weiner's direct mail campaign with Columbia Books won top place in the category of Political and Legislative Program.

Read on to learn more about the project.



In 2008, Columbia Books acquired the US Congress Handbook (first published in 1974). The handbook is known as the go-to-guide for information on members of Congress, and it is often used as a tool for legislative advocates and a gift for political donors. The book can also be customized with a branded cover and custom page inserts.

In October, Columbia Books contacted Sonic for assistance with a direct mail campaign to grow sales of their custom handbooks. Facing competition from a nearly identical product, Columbia Books needed a creative solution that would highlight their handbook's superior features and get it directly into the hands of key decision makers.

The selection of items for this mail campaign was actually inspired by a past Sonic promotion. Two years ago, Sonic sent out reusable coffee mugs, water cups and personalized notes to top clients, Columbia Books included. Columbia Books was so thrilled with the gift that they chose to use the exact same items for the US Congress Handbook promotion. 

75 boxes were sent out, each containing a set of drinkware, a sample handbook, a tailored letter signed by the sales rep, and red, white and blue paper filler. One week after the mailing, Columbia Books' sales reps conducted follow-up calls to secure meetings, close potential clients and renew existing clients.

So, was the promotion a success?

You bet! Columbia Books closed 28 new clients and achieved a renewal rate of 80% from existing clients. Of new clients, eight specifically attributed the gift as the most important factor to their order. Columbia Books was so pleased with the program that they entered the project for an industry award and won.

Hi guys!
Wanted to let you know the mug and cup marketing campaign we did just won the SIPA (Specialized Information Publishers Association) award for Best Print Effort. When the award was presented, the presenter said that they decided not to award any "honorable mentions" for this category, because the winning entry was so definitively the best in its category (and yes, there were many other entries). So, thanks for all your help and feel free to tell your other customers the stuff you guys create is award winning!

Thank you, Columbia Books  for the opportunity, and thank you, PPAI for the recognition!

Remember when I first wrote about office show-and-tell? At Monday's staff meeting, Seth shared a story particularly worthy of recognition.

Last week Seth received an email and attached press release from the United States Leaders and Entrepreneurs' Association announcing that he had been selected to receive the 2011 Outstanding Leadership Award. Though thoroughly honored to be recognized as our country's "up and coming leader and pioneer", Seth's intuition told him that something about this particular accolade didn't sit quite right. While musing why an unrecognizable organization with no real contact information would decide to choose him as a recipient, Seth diligently pursued the necessary steps to retrieve his award.

An embedded link took him to their designated website, where he discovered that his USLEA award and award recognition emblem (to proudly display in [his] business' print and web materials of course) was just a $149.99 payment away.

Though obviously a scam and a terrible example of marketing ethics, the Outstanding Leadership Recognition Award got me thinking about the lengths people will go for real, genuine recognition.

As a basic human need, our desire to have our efforts recognized shows up early in life. As children, we understand implicitly that a sheet of homework bearing a gold star is far more special than one without. Our need for acknowledgement develops with age, as we compete for merit scholarships, invest time, effort and money to wear varsity jackets and giddily choose the emblems on our class rings.

The funny this is most people don't like to talk about their accomplishments. No one wants to feel like they are boasting, which works out well, since no one enjoys hearing someone else boast. That's why a physical item or symbol is so meaningful; awards, plaques, pins and certificates are seen but not heard.

Think about the hundreds of miles that long-distance runners log to achieve the title of "marathoner" and the right to decorate their car bumper with a 26.2 decal. Heck, think about the car itself for that matter. For many people, a nice car symbolizes success. If you've ever done well enough to drive a Mercedes, getting in that car each day might provide the impetus to work even harder, do even better. People understand that you've accomplished something significant without you having to tell them.

Praise is good, but a totem of the success that earned that praise provides a lasting impact on the recipient. Just the promise of said item can be incredibly motivating.

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy knows what's what. The night before Sunday's Super Bowl, McCarthy had his players measured for championship rings. Some may call it intuition, all should call it smart coaching. McCarthy knew no locker room pep-talk could be as inspiring as the idea of wearing a Super Bowl championship ring for life. And man oh man did those boys sure knock it out (sorry, Steelers fans).

If you're looking for a way to motivate your employees, whether to hit monthly sales goals or to participate in a health-and-wellness program, you might consider an awards and incentive program.

Check out these unique recognition items:

 

However, I don't advise creating fake, meaningless awards like the Outstanding Leadership Recognition Award. Because as much as people love to be recognized, we all hate being patronized even more.

... and prepares for their television debut!



Sonic Promos received four Peake Awards at the Chesapeake Promotional Products Association (CPPA) awards ceremony Tuesday, January 20 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Three of the Peake Awards were for "Excellence in Promotions", an award given for the most creative, efficient and successful promotional campaigns. Seth Weiner, MAS, President of Sonic Promos, spearheaded the Best Promotion Under $5 with a health awareness program for Southern Management Corporation.

The Best Promotion Under $15 featured an outreach project by Lindsay Hixson. She worked with Professional Accounting Solutions on a series of mailings over the course of several months.

Jamie Cohen, CAS, claimed the Best Promotion Under $25 for his work with the Washington Freedom in their effort to attract potential sponsors.

In several categories that honor individuals or companies for an overall distinction in service, nominees are submitted by CPPA members and winners are selected through a general vote.

Amanda Abbott's pleasant manner, resourceful vision and warm demeanor earned her the well-deserved title of Customer Service Rep of the Year.

In addition, we were pleased to be nominated in two other "overall" categories: Seth received a nomination for Sales Rep of the Year and Sonic Promos was nominated for Distributor of the Year.

Our industry's recognition of our collaborative efforts give us the opportunity to say something very important:

Thank you for allowing us to partner in your work. You, our clients, inspire our creativity (sometimes requiring us to push the envelopes of budget, time and space) and encourage us to bring something new to the table with each and every project.

Speaking of something new...

Sonic Promos' fearless leader, Seth Weiner, MAS, will take the stage for his first-ever television appearance tonight at 6:30 p.m. on We Mean Business!

Seth and hosts Steve Dorfman and Tony Marciante will discuss the hot-button topic "Innovative Marketing: How to Capture the Attention of Today's Customer".

Local friends can invite Seth into the living room via Comcast or Verizon MMC TV Channel 16 (also showing on Wednesday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m.) and everyone can check it out online at: http://wemeanbiz.tv/.

Interested in having Seth or a member of the Sonic Promos team speak to your organization or at an upcoming event? Give us a call at 301-869-7800 or email seth@sonicpromos.com.