2020 Promo Campaign Awards
Best Supplier Self-Promotion
✶ Winner: Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680)

Sometimes, life interrupts our plans.

Still, so much of what comes next depends on how you respond – the actions you take to overcome the adversity the best you can. And in that regard, Maple Ridge Farms came up aces.

The Mosinee, WI-based supplier, which specializes in gourmet food gifts, conceived a creative, timely, on-brand direct-mail self-promotion themed around March Madness. But as the campaign was kicking into high gear, COVID-19 compelled the cancellation of the early spring tournament of college basketball’s best teams. That put a damper on the promotion’s theme – to some, it made it feel a bit awkward.

Maple Ridge Farms could have sat back and bemoaned its bad luck. Instead, Executive VP Jodie Schillinger and the rest of the Maple Ridge Farms crew rallied, using the promotion as a platform from which to launch an empathetic, heartfelt outbound call campaign to package recipients. The call initiative became one important factor that helped the supplier increase year-over-year revenue 72% between mid-March and the end of July.

Maple Ridge Farms used its creative March Madness promo to stay in touch with clients after the coronavirus forced the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournament.

“The self-promotion became the impetus for our call campaign,” says Schillinger. “It was all a little surreal.”

In that nimble point guard-like pivot, Maple Ridge Farms showed an adaptability that’s been emblematic of the promotional products industry in general during the coronavirus. And, in a roundabout way, the move turned the direct-mail promotion into a success, just with a twist.

“Because of everything going on with the virus and society, we waited a few weeks to start the calls,” says Schillinger. “It was important to be sensitive. We were aware of the furloughs and layoffs occurring in the industry and we didn’t want to push anything. We started making calls just to check in with customers – to see how they were doing. What we found was that they just wanted to talk. We listened to their pain points and were sympathetic. We built stronger, genuine relationships.”

The strengthened ties helped stimulate business that was mutually beneficial for Maple Ridge Farms and its distributor customers. As COVID decimated event calendars across industries and remote work proliferated, end-buyers were increasingly determined to use branded direct-mail initiatives to reach audiences, be they employees or prospects they might have interacted with at an event.

Thanks to its food gifts, shipping capabilities, custom creation options and ability to kit out attractive packages with gourmet delectables, Maple Ridge Farms was in prime position to help distributors meet the end-buyer demand for direct mail. Through the spring and summer, the supplier did just that.

“We had a couple weeks in July where we were up 500% over the same weeks the prior year,” says Schillinger.

But what of the March Madness-themed promotion that touched it all off?

Brainstorming for a winning self-promotion began in winter. Different ideas were dribbled around by the sales team, which led to the basketball theme. Schillinger helped ignite the creativity by recalling how when she was stuck for ideas she’d sometimes “hoop a little” on her sons’ small, Nerf-style indoor basketball hoops that can attach to bedroom doors.

“The sales team collectively created the concept and then our production team rushed the shipment of this kit out,” says Schillinger.

Ultimately, the solution centered on a full-color basketball-themed box into which a Maple Ridge Farms-branded basketball hoop was packaged along with some of the supplier’s top-selling first and second quarter products. The tasty treats included gummies and snack mixes.

The basketball theme pervaded the package, with an insert featuring an inspiring Michael Jordan quote and references to slam dunks. Individual product packaging bore messages about Maple Ridge Farms that the company aimed to communicate to prospects, such as “We are experts in individual shipments direct to the recipient.”

“The goal was to engage the senses and show recipients that when you tie food in with a branded message/idea, it’s a slam dunk,” says Schillinger. “The same experience they feel when receiving the item is what their customers would feel as well.”

The holiday gifting season in the fourth quarter is by far Maple Ridge Farms’ busiest time of year. Employee ranks swell from 25 to 300. Given the company’s surging sales so far this year, Maple Ridge Farms is poised to be one of promo’s true success stories in what’s been a stark 2020.

“It’s so important,” says Schillinger, “to truly care about your customers and stay in front of them in creative ways that show how you can help them.”