Advertising waste

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Author Message Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 187 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - 05:54 pm:    We are all inundated with tons of paper advertising this and that, and most of it we just throw away or recycle. Advertising is an integral, unavoidable part of business, and although it would be nice to be rid of junk mail, I won't go so far as to say we should eliminate advertising mail. But, in today's mail, I received a package that struck a nerve - something that's hard to do to a thick-skinned, insensitive, humorless old specifier. It was a corrugated cardboard box, approximately sixteen by twenty-four inches by one inch thick. Inside, wrapped in bubble wrap, was a wall calendar. And a grand calendar it was - colorful pictures printed on heavy glossy stock, with metal binding and a metal hanger. So what's wrong with a that? I doubt many of us have that much wall space, but the thing that makes this a useless item, one that will doubtless go directly from the inbox to the garbage, is that the calendar itself - the part that shows the dates - measures about four inches square. A truly amazing waste of countless dollars in photography, layout, printing, packaging, shipping, and recycling - more likely landfill - for something that has no use. Doug Frank FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: doug_frank_ccs Post Number: 131 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 10:31 am:    I too received one of those magnificent calendars yesterday. In fact, so did about 8 others in my firm. Unlike Sheldon, My first thought was how much money that company had spent in creating and then mailing who knows how many of those things around the world. But then Sheldon’s comments jolted me back to how I “Should” be thinking; not about some advertisers dollars but about how our dollars will eventually be spent in landfill management. Still it’s amazing to me that most companies are using the internet to distribute Product information claiming it’s more cost efficient (I’d rather have a hard-copy catalog; but that’s a story for a different thread). Then they spend a kabillion dollars on a fluff piece that has no value at all. But it’s not all bad. Playing with the bubble wrap was a fun diversion from work for a short time. Tom Heineman RA, FCSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: tom_heineman Post Number: 75 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 11:01 am:    Where do I pick up my calendar? We have more than one landfill here. David Axt, AIA, CCS, CSI Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 601 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 03:17 pm:    Remember: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Sheldon: Just regift the calendar to someone in the office. (We have a freebee table at my office and stuff goes fast!) Reuse the cardboard box and bubble wrap for original specs that go to the printer. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 188 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 04:23 pm:    If the calendar were usable, someone might be interested, but reactions from those who looked at it ranged from rolling eyes to astonishment. Of the several that came in, none were kept. I wonder how many thousands of them are in the garbage this week? Great investment! William Buchholz, AIA, CCS, LEED-AP New member Username: bill_buchholz Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - 09:57 pm:    So is anyone going to tell us whose calendar it was? And has anyone called them to give them some feedback on their little gift? I think almost every manufacturer is very sensitive to what their clients think, and this seems like a great opportunity to provide that feedback. I'm doing it all the time with construction materials - why not with advertising? David J. Wyatt Senior Member Username: david_j_wyatt_csi_ccs_ccca Post Number: 21 Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 09:23 am:    We contribute to the problem when we indiscrimately allow representatives to scan our bar-coded badges at product shows. A trip down a single aisle at a large show can result in hundreds of pounds of mail arriving at our offices that may have little to do with our business interests. Even when you tell the earnest product rep that you don't want catalogues sent, the manufacturer's media machine will send them anyway. A tip: Before you open parcels, read the return address to determine who sent it. If you don't open the package, you can write "Return - Refused" and the package will make its way back to its source at no cost to you. This will get you off the mailing list. On the bright side, some manufacturers are doing a good job of cutting down on unwieldy promotional stuff. Ardex and the W.W. Henry Company have developed useful 20-page bound desk references that measure about 8-inches x 8-inches and contain their full line catalogues on CDs. These are great for independent spec writers who don't have lots of room to store product literature. They know how to be clear, concise, complete, and correct. Doug Frank FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: doug_frank_ccs Post Number: 208 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 07:42 am:    January 15th 2008 and my New calendar has arrived. Except for the dates, it's just like last year's; packaged in carbaor and wrapped in bubble wrap. Apparently someone in the marketing department thinks there's value in these things (they obviuosly don't read these posts). Since we never named names last year, and I'm not going to spill the beans, but here's a hint: the sound a crow makes + a synonym for close. Doug Frank FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: doug_frank_ccs Post Number: 209 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 07:46 am:    although at least the calendar doesn't contain nearly as many "typos" as my post cardboard obviously David R. Combs, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: davidcombs Post Number: 260 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 10:23 am:    Just received mine also. The irony is, the calendar's theme is environmental stewardship, and making the right choices when it comes to sustainability. 24 1/2" x 13 1/2" x 2" cardboard container: . . . $1.50 23" x 36" sheet of bubble wrap: . . . . . . . . . . $0.95 Shrink-wrap covering: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.50 19" x 24" spiral-bound, color-photo format in which to display each actual 5" x 3 1/2" monthly calendar: . . . . . . . . . . . . $27.00 FedEx shipping: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 Ability to toss it in the recycle bin: . . . . . . . . PRICELESS Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 361 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Tuesday, September 08, 2009 - 11:24 am:    And today's winner is... Dow Roofing Systems, for their three-page, 17 by 21 inches, super glossy advertisement, announcing the purchase of JP Stevens, arriving in a 17 by 21 heavy card stock envelope. Word count, excluding logos, copyright, fine print: page 1: 23 page 2: 30 page 3: 49 page 4: 28 page 5: 101 page 6: 74 total: 305, only 189 of which are text, the rest being headings. Plus several screen captures from the website, with print too small for old folks (most of us, according to Bob's survey). Accompanying the huge, unwieldy advertisement was a single 8-1/2 by 11 letter, which pretty well summarized the ad. Much more to the point, much easier to read. And far less expensive in any terms you care to choose. Word count, ignoring logos, addresses, and signature: 171. All of which went directly into the recycling bin. At least the ad wasn't promoting how green the company is!