A vintage toy doesn’t seem like the most logical promotion for a company involved in construction, but it worked wonders for Procore, a construction project management software company based in Carpinteria, CA. David Schmaeling of Proforma Color Press provided branded Viewfinders with reels that promoted the company’s accounting software, along with a printed insert card and packaging.

Schmaeling had been in contact with the marketing department, which referred him to another buying center within the company. The project was for a division promoting accounting software to approximately 100 clients in the construction industry. These were larger companies in need of accounting software systems to manage workflow and track costs from the tiniest nail to the largest steel beams as well as manpower – a complicated mix of costs and revenue. What would be a simple, yet powerful tool to tell a memorable, convincing story?

The team already had the Viewfinder in mind. The sourcing and production process took about three or four months. Schmaeling secured the spec sample, planned packaging and created a promotional story that told recipients how Procore’s Sage Connector accounting software would help them accurately project costs, manage budgets and eliminate entry errors. The Viewfinder reel with seven 3-D slides illustrated the story in full color, highlighting benefits such as “Data When You Need It,” “Enter Everything at Once,” and “Work In Sync!” The final slide was a call to action to call a Procore expert.

The first distribution of the promotion went out in December and Schmaeling predicts another to follow soon. The client loved the retro-feel of the Viewfinder, particularly as a fun contrast to the high-tech nature of accounting software. What’s the next pitch? “An Etch A Sketch,” says Schmaeling.