Promotional playing cards are not only very cheap and very effective for advertising and promotion, they also have a very long life. And yes, when compared to traditional advertising they are also very unique. If you dare to be a little different from the mainstream then the next time you’re looking for a customized item to promote your business or cause, take a step outside the typical box and consider using promotional playing cards.
It should be remembered that promotional playing cards aren’t exactly a new idea with Coca Cola put their logo and name on decks of playing cards as early as the 1940s – but today’s improved printing technology has brought them back into popularity. Today’s digital printing methods have improved quality, lowered costs and added all sorts of new options for getting your message across on a deck of printed playing cards.
One of the most interesting new developments in the area of promotional playing cards is shared advertising. Playing card manufacturers have long made customized decks of playing cards, but they’ve always limited themselves to a single advertiser per deck. That made the cost of printing personalized decks of playing cards prohibitive for most advertisers. An entrepreneurial slant recognized an opportunity in a typical deck of playing cards which released more advertising real estate than almost any other item you can imagine. After all, each deck has 52 cards plus 2 jokers, and each card has 2 faces – the back and the front. In addition to the cards themselves, the box offers even more advertising space. When the cost of printing a deck of custom promotional playing cards is divided among 52 different advertisers, card decks become much more affordable to smaller businesses.
The added benefit of advertising in a deck of cards from Super HOT Saver Cards is that you belong in a promotional tool of value to your customer and therefore you minimize the stark reality of most advertising of ending up in the bin!
If you’re still having trouble conceiving how you could use a deck of playing cards in promoting multiple businesses, consider these promotional ideas that have been fulfilled by various playing card manufacturers.
The City Deck
The Chamber of Commerce for a small city was looking for a unique way to promote local businesses. They considered and rejected traditional ideas like coupon books and direct mail coupon flyers. Instead, they created the City Deck – a deck of customized playing cards featuring local merchants and businesses. The Chamber sold advertising space on the face of each card to book stores, clothing shops, local restaurants and coffee shops and other local businesses, then packaged the cards in a box featuring the name of the city and a welcome message from the city manager. The cards offered 2-for-1 specials at restaurants, discounts from stores and other special deals from various city businesses. The promotional playing cards were such a hit that the Chamber of Commerce has already started planning their next deck, and are considering making the City Deck an annual collectors item with local artwork on the case.
The Catalog Deck
Got a new line of merchandise for your business? One clever way to get your new products out in front of your customers is with a custom promotional playing card deck printed with pictures of your new items on the face and your company logo and contact info on the back. The printable space on the front of a playing card is easily large enough to allow for an image and short description without impeding the playability of the deck. Ship a deck to customers along with their current orders, or hand them to your salesmen to leave as a calling card with prospects. Businesses will remember your name because of the unique message medium. Certainly this option of creating a dedicated company deck may only be open to large budgets but is proves to be proportionately effective for those that employ this format.
Promoting Tourism
Is your town a tourist attraction? Why not spread the love with a customized deck of promotional playing cards featuring local businesses that cater to tourists? That was the idea behind a deck of cards created by the owner of a bed and breakfast in a small sea coast town. He contacted area businesses and proposed that they all split the cost of creating a deck of playing cards featuring the tourist attractions and businesses in town, and he’d place a deck of cards in each room for his patrons. It was a unique and attention-getting way to provide a valuable service to visitors, and the value was further extended when local shops and restaurants also signed on to keep decks on hand for diners and customers.
College Cards
Any college student administrator can tell you that the most used item they hand to new students is a list of area businesses that cater to the needs of college students away from home for the first time. One clever student council decided to capitalize on their buying power to raise money from local businesses – and benefit the businesses at the same time. They worked with a manufacturer of playing cards to design a deck of Student Union cards featuring the college logo on the back of the deck, and promotions from local businesses on the front. To their surprise, the advertisers included not only the usual run of pizza and sandwich shops, but nearby Laundromats, bookstores and grocers who were delighted to have a unique way to advertise their services to one of the larger populations in town.
There are many ways to make use of the power of custom promotional playing cards for business promotion purposes. Whether you’re a business looking to advertise and promote your goods or services, or an organization looking for a clever way to raise money through advertising, take a serious look at the possibilities that customized promotional playing cards offer.
