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What best represents your opinion

  • I'd try it just for the Name Branding alone

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • I wouldn't do it because people never look at the bag

    Votes: 10 41.7%
  • I say it'll work, especially the radio advertising

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • Nope, just keep doing drugs, forget the bags

    Votes: 12 50.0%

Prescription Bag Marketing

14K views 45 replies 18 participants last post by  DUNBAR PLUMBING 
#1 · (Edited)
It's obvious by now that everyone knows I like drugs. :blink: But to be serious before my meds kick in, I got an offer today that I feel is pretty decent.


I actually get my medications from this local drug shoppe, and here's the offer:

My name is xxxxxx and I am with xxxxxxxxxx and
we are getting ready to print 24,000 of the new pharmacy bags for xxxx
Pharmacy. On the bags we feature the pharmacy's ad along with 8 to 10
other local *recommended business or services *in the area and wanted to
feature xxxxxx Plumbing _/*on all *24,000* of the new bags this year.
Along with being featured on all 24,000 of the bags this year you will
also receive a *free* online web listing through all the major search
engines, on the web listing it will have your ad from the bag along with
a moveable map making for easy reference for potential new customers to
get map quest right from the listing. */You will also reeieve 20
announcements on the radio station 106.7 classic country. /*

************************Sizes and Prices***********************************

1.5x2 (block size ad) = 199.50

1.5x4 (banner size ad) = 299.50

3x4 ( pharmacy size ad) = 499.50

* *

*
*Keep in mind this is just the *_one time cost for the year for all
24,000_* of the bags, the online web listing for the year and 20
announcements. Spaces are limited so please get back to me at your
earliest convenience. Thank you for your time and I look forward to
hearing from you.


I'll probably take the middle ranged one, for $300.00.

Here's why I want to do this:

NAME BRANDING

I'm going to make it a cutout coupon, $15 off any services. <<< That's a too good to be true offer right there. My pricing is adjusted right off the bat to compensate.

I'm going to be the only plumber on this bag, they haven't done this on the bags in years so all these loyal customers are going to notice.

I've never done this before, other than a time I did this back years ago when the company who tried to do this for a well known grocery chain went belly up, took my $400.

Great thing was....the grocery chain out of their own pockets paid me back in full. It was only because me and a few others were going to drag them into the court of public opinion for letting a no-name company represent them in such a way, baiting local businesses to commit given their good name.


It's a sure bet I'll get 3 calls, with that coupon. What I'll incorporate is putting it on my invoices as a stamp to "find" that coupon on your next prescription to XXX pharmacy along with other hidden coupons I have on goooooooooogle and other spots in the advertising line.

Anyone else done this before?
 
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#3 ·
I was just looking into buying bags for marketing.

A few weeks ago, I was getting prices for bags to give out at home shows. Then, I was thinking about buying about 500,000 bags and give the bags away to small businesses that serve our target market. Our target market would be the type of people who go to upper-scale hair and nail shops, jewelers, doctors, pharmacies, gas stations, antique shops, hardware stores, and maybe a thousand more places.

The bags would be more for exposure, but I would want the bag to have only our advertising and cover the entire bag. While the $15 discount may be an incentive, I think you need something that bites more.

I am looking into getting bags from China for about 2 cents to 3 cents each.

For $300 you won't lose much, but with the small size of the ad you won't get much exposure and I would not expect any leads, but it only takes one good lead to pay for the entire campaign, so it is a difficult decision if money is tight.

You would probably do better with $300 worth of flyers and get a more-guaranteed and better exposure. $300 would buy you $7500 8 x 10 flyers that 100% of your target market will be forced to see, plus you have the cost of delivery unless you deliver them yourself.

I would go with the flyers, deliver them myself, and they are a better gamble.
 
#4 ·
~~SNIP~~

I would go with the flyers, deliver them myself, and they are a better gamble.

I picked up a Xerox color printer through their free color printer program, and I print up 1200 pages which yields 2400 fliers a month to meet their minimum printing requirements to keep the printer free each month. Its a 3 year contract. We pass out all the fliers each month. One of the things I do is when I pull up on a job I put a flier on the houses on each side of the job.
 
#7 ·
Man,


You all forgot one thing; I am F'n lazy. I'm not going to do all that fancy footwork when 1-2 jobs will pay for that cost of advertising,

it'll add to änother leg of advertising that combines with all the others, and gives me the association with a well-known pharmacy that's community strong that I'm part of their network.

Kinda like subliminal advertising where once again, my name shows up indirectly and makes me that much more obvious when looking for plumbers in print, ad or web.
 
#9 ·
Yep, that's true. And if you get an aggressive salesman, tell them you want in print, 2% return on investment.


"Comon! It's only 2%, just like milk!" is what you tell them....and they still won't do it.


I'm with the attitude of trying it once, I pulled advertising from other avenues so to reappear in a different spot, puts another feather in my cap for diversity.

Plus, I might get discounts on my drugs as a result. Schweeet. :yes:
 
#10 ·
We've been offered this before too. From my experience, the pharmacy staples that drug information paper right over the bag.

And - I have never read the ads on the bag. I know the bag is white with blue ink, has the Rx logo, and that's about it. It's the first thing I throw away.

I don't read the back of grocery store receipts either with the color ads.

The ads on the radio - did they say what time slots they would run in? Also, why would you want your current customers hunting for coupons for their next visit?

Spend the $300.00 on something nice for your top 50 customers ($6.00 each) and ask for referrals. I bet it will yield more.

JMHO
 
#42 ·
PC I agree with you...My Mrs. and I discussed this and as she said, "I get the meds out of the bag and it goes into the recycle bin"...
Just confirmed for me that more often than not, my ad is not going to be seen.
Dunbar, you've got some good points too, hopefully they'll back up the 2% like you mention and perhaps get a few discounts on meds...

I ended up telling the guy "Negative ghost rider, the pattern is full"
:no:
 
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#12 ·
Toilet paper!
Give a free roll out to everyone at tradeshows etc. Print your company contact info on every sheet. There has gotta be someone who could do tha
t printing!

I remember in the early 80's my father did some part time bar tending on some weekends I would visit him. The restrooms had toilet paper rolls that had printed cartoons and jokes on them. It can be done Kind of cool good Idea.
t printing![/quote]
 
#13 ·
Y'know, that's a cool idea.....but how would that incorporate to my ability to be put in someone's face, not arse when it comes into use?


You all have me thinking twice but I know how name recognition and branding works.....and that means that some legs of advertising might not generate leads or calls, but indirectly it fires the indirect notion that once again, there's my name.


I'm a strong believer in putting my advertising everywhere that I can, because they all add up to a bigger picture.
 
#15 ·
Heck! Bag that idea!
It's a waste of money:whistling2:

I've got an idea almost everyone in town will see on a daily basis...
It costs less than $10!:thumbup:



If you want to upgrade you could hire a graffiti artist to work up a great logo and tag the town...:laughing:
 
#17 ·
:whistling2:DUNBAR, the $300.00 would be better spent on a vicidine refill. People who are getting prescription are already in a bad mood and will associate your logo with that mood when they see it on the bag.

P.S. ...... Forget what I said if you live in a state the allows the sale of medical marijuana.:whistling2:
 
#18 ·
Yellow



I got my refill today, $63 :cry:


I talked to the pharmacist up there....he said that he thought of me first, the other plumber he said wanted it as well. I don't think that was true but I could be wrong.


Thosa left hand smokies are Ky's #1 cash crop, Back in my hay day I was farming that stuff. See If I give a damn, I'm not running for office. :laughing:
 
#21 · (Edited)
Okay,


Here's the story of this:


This took forever to transpire, come to light on this. I had to call more than once to figure out where my money had went and why isn't it done.


Well, there's good and bad that's coming out of this...but I'll put it this way,

IF I would of known I was going to be on the side of that bag, I would of never committed. What's in my favor is I only paid for half, $150.00 for what you see, for 24,000 bags.

What's the killer?

The company who did this work, didn't proof their bags and misspelled a doctor's name that is in competition with him and they instantly said no to distribution. So now this company lost their profit margins completely on this move and they have to eat the costs/destroy the bags.

I haven't seen the new ones yet but my ad turned out nice, but unless someone gets a ton of medicine the likelihood is rare they'll see it, if ever.

It looks to me that the company who was in charge of those bags was getting greedy and decided to do the inner folds as well to gain more revenue. If they dare call me requesting the other half of the payment, they won't get it and I'll take them where they don't want to go, because I clearly asked them where I'd be on that bag and they kept coming back with "I don't know" and wouldn't tell me the names of the other advertisers. <<< I thought that was rude as well.


Looks like their attitude and deception has them losing money from the go, it seems.

I'm completely content with the cost/exposure over 14,000 bags...and someone will see it but most likely is for name branding purposes only. It indirectly works as a donation in big picture semantics because the owner of that pharmacy launched me in with good word to an event at a church last year that blossomed into something big with my other companies.

So yes, the good deed does come back to those who help without reward.



I forgot about the search engine listing and the radio advertising that came with. Wooooohoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
 
#23 ·
How long have they been out? Any calls?



They pulled them out of circulation as soon as the doctor found out of the mispelling.

They are back to the white bags for now, and I won't disturb a sleeping dog unless I go in there next month and still no bags.


But last I was told that another 24,000 bags had to be printed (big money) and the corrections made.


For $150 when it comes out, I couldn't go wrong.


But I'm hoping I'm not wasting anyone's time on here with this subject matter because reprinting all those bags is big money, and I could see this company just reimbursing/refunding the money instead of spending what is probably a few thousand dollars on new bags.

And the Doctor demanded they get destroyed. Had a request through his lawyers. !!! <<< Goes to show you how competitive the medical field is. :blink:
 
#25 ·
Follow-up

I've been getting numerous calls the past few days, turns out it is the company that sold me this advertising on the prescription bags.


The lady was trying to tell me that "already" they are collecting for next year's run of prescription bag marketing campaign.


There's no futting way that pharmacy went through 24,000 bags. No way.

She basically said that "now"...I can have placement on the face of the bag, which is "better than the spline" of the bag.


Oh really. I got pissed when I heard this because I asked where I was going to be on this bag beforehand, and I got nothing but I don't knows.


They say that the woman I dealt with before has been fired for all the mistakes she made but that doesn't matter; it hasn't been 6 months and now they want $300 for 24,000 bags? BULL****. That pharmacy isn't running I bet 200 bags a week, tops and I don't buy the attitude that NOW I get the face of the bag.


The answer is no, I'm going to take the luck that I only paid $150 for my second bad experience with prescription bag advertising and call it good...if that's proper to say or not.

The email I send will be one of attitude, expressing disappointment that they think that righting a wrong from last time and not discounting will ever be a chance with me.

I'd rather drop out and say I did my best, but $300 even with being on the front of the bag, no way. Their actions caused my disappearance at this point, and with good reason, because literally no one ever knew I was on that bag to begin with. << She'll know that in my email.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I'm in A$$hole mode tonight

Here ya go, Game on:


xxxxxx,

You spoke to Dave in regards to this advertising on
xxxxxx, Pharmacy prescription bags.

I'll be rather to the point in regards to my experience with those bags:

When I committed to those prescription bags I had every bit of optimism to assume that I would be on the front or back
of that bag. When I was mailed the bag, to my surprise I could not find my ad. I was about to call the pharmacy and
asked why they sent me a bag with no advertising on it, and then I opened the bag to find out you all used the sides of
of the bag instead of the front or back. I was in total shock, and I am almost positive I have email transmissions asking
where my placement was to be on that bag. I kept getting "I don't know" or "We haven't made it to that process yet"
being strung along the way with no indication of where and who I'm aligned with. I paid money for this advertisement
I have a right to know where I'm going to be at.

Almost 2 months go by, no contact from your establishment and no follow-ups. Then one day these bags show up
in use at xxxxxx Pharmacy and I'm told they are going to be removed soon because there were some really bad mixups
which led to breach of contract issues with some advertisers. My ad, even though practically invisible was not proofed
but amazingly turned out accurate, nothing wrong with the content...just no one knows it is on there.

How do I know this? I ask, constantly those who I work for that frequent that pharmacy. No one knows it exists. They
are aware of other advertisers. Now, given that scenario, given that questioning/requests for location on that bag with
refusal to inform me of the location,

Your company willingly charged me for advertising that did not give reasonable discretion or the ability for my company
to "decide" what I felt was in my best interest for ad location. I asked enough times during the proofing process to "let
me know" when you DO get to that stage so I can accept that location. Do you really think I would of committed to
the side of that bag, knowing that the MAJORITY of people when they get medications don't load up their bag enough
to see the side?
Now, it has not even been 8 months since I paid for 24,000 bags, and you're telling my guy (Dave) that another
24,000 bags are going to be used by the 1 year anniversary of my first advertising contract?

There is no xxxxxx damn way 24,000 bags is being used up at that Pharmacy in 12 months. No xxxxxxing way. I don't care
how much money you save printing in bulk. I don't care at this point if your entire staff is inept and couldn't write on
a chalkboard and perform their work duties. That's not my xxxxxxing problem at this point because I paid for advertising
with the ANTICIPATION OF IT BEING SEEN. And apparently GREED on behalf of your company, utilizing every square
inch of the bag for your monetary gain has now become your undoing, and I'll list for you the reasons why:

I know I'm not being unreasonable. I know that any reasonable advertiser that xxxxxxing asks for ad location and gets
denied, then finds their ad somewhere where no one sees it, is going to be upset. And you all have the gall to request
for another $299 before the 12 month anniversary of my advertising contract, only because (and your history dictates this
at this point) you don't have the capital to pull off the cost of materials beforehand. Kinda like contractors asking for payment
before starting the job, then the finished product is revealed only to have upset feelings because you're working against a
"I'm so sorry" or "She got fired, let's try this again" attitude. Bullxxxxxx.

I'm contacting every single one of those advertisers on that bag, I'm going to forward this email to every one of them and show
them my experience with your company and see if they reflect the same feelings. And when I get responses from all of them, I'm
going to decide what is in my best interest in behalf of how your company used deceptive tactics to sell ads KNOWING that
objections would be raised for putting advertisers in the side of the bag, knowing they won't be seen.

I don't need your opinion on this matter, I don't want a response and QUIT calling my office 3-6 times a xxxxxxing day trying to get a
commitment out of anyone that will say yes.

I told your girl I had a horrible experience with a prescription bag advertiser at xxxxxx in xxxxxx, and I lead that complaint
filed with the Better Business Bureau, Angie's List, xxxxxx Channel 9 xxxxxx, and xxxxxx Corporate Management in collecting
the money that was taken by a bogus company that stole from us advertisers and did not deliver on a promise. Indirectly, xxxxxx
ended up repaying almost $3000.00 in costs back to advertisers that spent money to be on those prescription bags and the company
folded.
If I don't get compensated for your willing mistake, your inability to not lead your employees to perform work duties that are not
considered deceptive and misleading, you are going to find out how much I'll work to make sure your company is known for your
fraudulent ways. I love to write about my bad experiences, just like I did above. I'm positive you'll be as upset reading this as I was
when I got my prescription bag in the mail, seeing that somebody lied to get my money and put my ad in an irrevalent place. And
"this" time your guarantee places me "visible" as you mentioned to Dave? You're going to earn your place with this mistake, I'm
that pissed at this point. I don't treat my customers like this, xxxxxxxxxxxx certainly doesn't treat his customers like this, and I find it
repulsive you've created this situation that doesn't need to be. I value xxxxxx friendship, customer relationship through the years
and certainly your company's actions aren't in good taste. You are going to soon find out what it's like working for free when I
retain the opinions of others and how they feel at this point regarding your conduct in this game that was played on the
advertisers. This is a bad experience, again. A disturbing pattern I'm finding with companies that offer advertising on prescription
bag marketing.

xxxxxx
Owner of xxxxxx Plumbing Services Inc.
xxxxxxPlumbing.com
xxxxxx
 
#27 ·
Well if you paid 299 to be on the side of 24,000 bags then i think you got what you paid for. Did they ever tell you that you would for sure be on the front or back? If not then its their choice were you get put on the bag. Surely for 300 bucks you didn't expect a front row seat with an audiance of 24,000 did ya?
 
#28 ·
Well if you paid 299 to be on the side of 24,000 bags then i think you got what you paid for. Did they ever tell you that you would for sure be on the front or back? If not then its their choice were you get put on the bag. Surely for 300 bucks you didn't expect a front row seat with an audiance of 24,000 did ya?



There's no 24,000 bags. No effin way. No way 24,000 bags rolling through that damn building. They are only open till 7 every day, open till 2 on saturdays and closed on sundays.:laughing:

And the holidays.


I only paid $150, but that's not the point. That's like me going to your house saying I'm going to replace parts on your toilet, and even though you look in the tank, the lid, everywhere including the supply line, you find out I replaced the toilet bowl caps. :eek:


IF, I would of known the location of where my ad was going, I would of instantly said NO. Bad location. No brand recognition that I feel was worth the $150 spent.

I'm not the only one who had a bad experience with these fools.

24,000 bags is just a joke as an accumulation is more the reality at this point, and 24,000 bags, this guy should have a small warehouse in 4 years with the amount of bags he'll have in excess.

I got a dog in this fight, no doubt.


~Dunbar "fighting for every last advertising dollar" Plumbing~:thumbsup:
 
#32 ·
No. About as busy as a mom & pop grocery store is all. They do a good business but I rarely wait in the drive-thru line on the side of the building. Walgreens came in and took a lot of business from the area, along with Krogers.

24,000 bags would mean they are putting bottles of liquor in them and sending drunks out the door...


this place doesn't serve alcohol, unless it's rubbing. :laughing:


Realistically they are using probably 4-6000 a year, tops.

I know how this game is played to make you think there's 24,000 exposures and that calculation has been used to justify it's cost, as a sales pitch.

I'm a stickler for Truth in Advertising in my profession and I can't stand it when I'm getting goosed on something I should of been reimbursed for, inaccurate sales pitch.
 
#35 ·
Yep. Same way. I was on the offense on this one, but the latest statements from this company has me pissed, knowing and accepting the notion that it was okay to let that side panel advertising count as "no big deal".

No way. Not going to work and I can do two things, beat them into submission and get a free year out of them in advertising (won't happen because I just want to remove myself)


or


cease and desist, end it. Enjoy the measely benefit if there was one and run out my year's worth of advertising.


If I find out I'm not on those bags till june of next year? I'm telling them it's an automatic BBB complaint. No way that many bags are going to be used and sent out of that building in that fashion.


In the big picture, they are trying to retain those existing customers and blend this, have it where they correct their mistake for all those screwups before and if I jump aboard, they have a great chance to get this all taken care of, make up for a loss.
 
#36 ·
If I am sick I would be more interested in the drugs than what is printed on the bag. I get my blood pressure meds once a month and never read the bag i doubt if many other people do too.
 
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