Branded, Promotional Grow Cups Help Spread an Idea—and a Campaign—for the Non-Profit Child Care Southwest Florida

Challenge: To locate a plant-themed promotional product to advance an idea for a non-profit.

“Eureka!” Greek for “I found it!” this exclamation is music to the ears of product development, engineering and marketing folk, proclaiming the birth of a bright idea that will ultimately help company, clients and community. The sound of “Eureka” was recently heard in the offices of Child Care Southwest Florida, Inc. (CCSWFL) when brainstorming generated a metaphor that in turn yielded a theme staff could use in their work: the idea of children as plants. They (children and plants) begin as seeds and, if properly nourished and loved, are encouraged to sprout, bloom and grow.

The CCSWFL team, which initiates, coordinates, promotes and provides high-quality childcare for families and businesses in Southwest Florida, most recently wanted to spread the message of their non-profit’s new theme as it related to the USDA childcare food program. CCSWFL manages the USDA’s program for the region, helping childcare providers establish and operate successful food programs, from development through implementation, including assistance with menus and the paperwork required for federal program-cost reimbursement.

To encourage the metaphor to spread and grow at an upcoming, annual food program meeting attended by 400+ childcare center directors and other concerned individuals in the region, the team turned to ePromos’ extensive Web catalog. They were thinking of a plant-related promotional product, perhaps a pot they could imprint and then fill with soil and seeds obtained elsewhere. The thinking was that childcare providers and others supportive of the firm’s mission would keep the potted plants on their desks, thus providing fertile ground for conversations about children—and about CCSWFL.

Solution: Branded, dishwasher-safe Grow Cups complete with flower seeds and instructions.

But when they arrived at our site, they found something better than an empty pot: the Grow Cup, an all-in-one solution and a creative idea for growing businesses and environmentally friendly campaigns. ePromos Promotions Specialist Amanda Ammirato worked closely with the CCSWFL team to bring into production this promotional garden set that includes a recyclable, dishwasher-safe, full-color cup packed with soil wafer, a seek packet and instructions. The Grow Cup comes with a choice of four flower seed varieties (zinnia, daisy, forget-me-not and marigold), three fun face stock designs and your logo screen-printed on the back. The CCSWFL team opted for assorted fun faces and flower seeds.

Result: Grow Cups spark discussions, cause promotional campaign to grow.

The result was a fun, memorable, and long-lasting means of sparking discussions about CCSWFL and their programs and services, as well as a great medium for communicating the idea that children, like plants, need the right nutrition to grow. While the team initially used the Grow Cups for the USDA nutrition program, they are planning on extending the success to draw on the product’s unique promotional power for other CCSWFL programs and services as well. And that proves our informal theorem: great promotional campaigns tend to grow!

Child Care of Southwest Florida Grow Cups Event Promotion (PDF Version)