Innovative People-Shaped USB Drives Feature in Direct Mail Campaign and Tradeshow Venues for the Access Control Technology Provider, Salto Systems

Challenge: Finding an extraordinary, sure-to-be-opened, game-changing direct mail incentive.

Even with the best of lists, marketing through direct mail can be like marketing on a minefield, where opportunities for your piece to become a casualty abound. Will the gatekeeper let it through? Will it even be opened? Is the offer strong enough? Will the letter turn the reader on—or off? But a minefield is not impenetrable; careful attention to each direct mail variable significantly increases the likelihood of a piece surviving—and performing as planned.

Salto Systems regularly taps the power of direct mail to reach its target market; the company provides innovative access-control technology through locks and swipe cards that exchange information during employee use, which keeps things simple for employees—who only want to open doors—while enabling the virtual management of thousands of doors and users at once. Today, Salto’s one-of-a-kind virtual access-control technology provides security for major hotels, universities, airports and other organizations in 60 countries.

For one recent campaign, directed to prospective and existing customers—security chiefs at governmental agencies, hospitals, universities and other organizations requiring access control—Marketing Manager Alexandra O’Brate turned to the ePromos Web catalog to find an innovative, extraordinary, sure-to-be-opened way to communicate the Salto message. She had initially considered a custom-built USB drive, but it proved too hard on the budget.

Solution: 1GB people USB 2.0 memory stick with a pop-off head and custom face.

This turned out to be a good thing though, because Alexandra soon discovered a perfect direct mail incentive: the one gigabyte People USB 2.0 Memory Stick. The head of this futuristic, cool tool acts like cap, popping off to reveal the USB connection. Choose a custom face or leave him faceless; have your data preloaded or load it yourself after the order arrives.

Alexandra worked with ePromos Promotions Specialist Valerie Bogucharova, who placed the order—including an order for a custom face. Not only would the People Drive compel recipients to open the direct mail package to see what’s inside, it would also keep the Salto name and message top-of-mind while helping the eco-conscious firm reduce its use of paper by enabling the delivery of electronic marketing materials. And the match between product and purpose did not stop there: the product also fit Alexandra’s desire to market with an innovative, paradigm-shifting promotional product unlike those used by Salto competitors: similar to how Salto is innovating and changing the way in which access-control systems operate. Alexandra also felt that the People Drive would bring a sense of fun and creativity to an industry typically perceived to be otherwise.

Result: Customers dub the creative, fun product “Salto Man”; success sends Salto Man on the international tradeshow circuit.

Alexandra was thrilled to see the new Salto-branded People Drives, which accurately reflected the company’s persona: innovative, differentiated, new and exciting, creative and fun, always striving to reach new heights, a cut above the rest. Recipients love the People Drives as well: prospects and customers alike have dubbed these conversation starters “Salto men,” meaning that they’ll remember them—and Salto and its products—for a long time to come. Salto-man has been such a success at home that he is now on his way to the U.K. and Dubai for tradeshows and other marketing activities. One final note: Alexandra also reports that recipients always smile when receiving a Salto man—and that makes us smile!

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