At first glance of my title to this long awaited post you may think I'm going to explain where I've 'bean' of late, and why my blogging has lacked posts. And while it would have been a very witty title if it were - this post is actually about a can of beans. I received a mysterious and somewhat surprisingly heavy package for it's size today at work. It was addressed to 'Grey Cory' so I assumed that meant me. Understandably it's far from
Ms. Chanadaler Bong as far as mistyped names go, but whatever is inside this package is off to a rocky start. Now while the contents were mysterious, the company it was from was not. Marked
UNDERSTAND > CREATE > DELIVER it was heavily branded
NIMLOK, a display and exhibition solutions centre. For those who are not in the know, that means simply they provide and create trade show booths. Something I've once contacted them about. But lets get back to the package itself shall we? (Thats what she said).
Aside from the branding and misspelled name one other thing about the packaging struck me as odd. Along the top of this package, in huge print was the term "BAKEABLE"... another misprint maybe? Obviously not.
So yes, suspense aside, inside the package was this:
It reads:
Front: Pictured above
Where have you been? (of course the "a" in bean is crossed out to really hammer down the play on words we're going for here)We haven't spoken for so long. Was it something we said, or something we didn't say?
Such as...
Back:
(Because the cliffhanger on the front left me in suspense)Nimlock having way more than 57 mixes in it's exhibition capabilities.
(As I just typed that I picked up on another fucking play on the beans, 57... Heinz... Heinz 57... Jesus, now we're really getting into it).We'd like to ketchup (sorry), soon
[Oh dear. Now they're actually apologizing for these puns. I suppose if you're apologizing for them, I can forgive you. Just don't do it again].
So expect to hear about a company in the exhibition industry that isn't half-baked (sorry again.)
[I'm starting to think they're not all that sorry. And 'Half-Baked', that's not even a good one.]So there it is - that is my can of beans update. So let's discuss the pro's and con's of this half baked promotion - and no, I won't apologize for using the term half baked, because unlike their use of it, mine makes sense.
Pro's:
1. Nimlock Name Recognition - I suppose if I was ever on the market again for Trade Show equipment, I would have to recall the guys who sent me beans right?
2. Free Lunch
Con's:
1. I failed to mention above that also marked on this package was the Canada Post stamp that read: $6.33. WOW. How many $1 cans of beans did they send out at $6.33 a clip, for a total of $7.33 each?
2. If you think about it, it's more of a clever little way to string 5-6 puns together than it was an effective promotion (unless of course one of you readers goes out and buys something from them based on this post). And I find when things are done as a way to be clever than effective (i.e. a phone call for the low low cost of NOTHING)it leads me to believe some intern thought of it after he took an extended lunch break where he met up with his other intern buddies, and boiled a bowl of grass. Not to discount some of the
great ideas that can be thought of immediately after smoking drugs, I'm just not sure this was one of them.
I think instead of further evaluating this promotion, I will go for an extended lunch with the shipping intern and enjoy my $7 can of beans for lunch. Although next time, if I could pass along one piece of advice for the NIMLOCK people, the beans baked in maple are REALLY good.
