Marketing a New Design

It depends... Assuming you are a 'one man' business...I'd say the best publicity is free publicity. Send publicity shots and story to as many journals as you can find...they love free copy.

Set up a website....

Climb onto the roof of the Houses of Parliament with a banner

Del

http://www.terborgmedia.com/

Check this out--ask for Tony, tell him Daniel Lea recommended him--he is very media oriented and savvy to market entry.

I guess the first question to ask, is your design a complete product, or an integral part of something that is a complete product?

I assume it is a solution to some problem or simply a better way to do this or that. In either case, you might consider approaching BRANDS of products which might be interested in your invention. After all, the benefit is to the MARKET, so approaching brands is a way to entice interest, and they will already have a manufacturer (or manufacturers) who build for them. I have been a party to this approach with some success.

If possible, try to make sure your design is protected internationally, because most brands market world-wide, and also most manufacture in foreign countries. It's said the greatest form of flattery is to be copied, however that doesn't do much for your pocket. Sooner or later your idea, if it's good, will become known to those who wish to take it, but as soon as you expose it internationally, that becomes a 'fast track'.

Good luck with your efforts.

Are you a designer, a marketing expert or a patent lawyer?

If you are not all three, with lots of money to burn during start-up, you are in for a big surprise. Market share, purchased at trade shows, is very expensive and does not happen over night, or without connections for a perfect location, during the show. You need to know the dock guys and the labor team, before the day of opening for building your booth, or it may never happen.

1) Contact the trade association of your industry or where you expect to see the most benefit from your ad dollar. Buy your reservations one year in advance and start the graphics planning the same day. Pay for your room, close to the show. Review the most comfortable shoes / socks, in the world. Buy a economy class ticket for yourself to the show, but reserve a first class flight home. Trust me on this one, (you'll thank me afterwards). Order and plan to ship 2 pallets of bottled water and a small refrigerator and coffee / espresso maker.

2) Buy a booth with lots of moving lights and expensive crew, for the show. Politely ask your installation team to store it for you and move it around the country, to all the shows you plan on attending, with a long term installation contract. It is worth the effort and expense.

No one can walk Orlando or Anaheim or Hong Kong, all by themselves, plan the meetings, sell the show, build the set, make all the connections and perform adequately, unless they have done it for at least 5 years sporadically or three years constantly. Hire this type of road ranger / person and pay them well, under contract.

They are your life line.

3) Back ground check and re-verify all Booth Babes / Booth Hunks, (which are considered mandatory for the first three years, or until you get ISO certified), to be sure they have never worked for the competition. Good luck with that one.

Unless you expect the business cards to fly out of everyones pockets at your booth by themselves, these experts of show business are to be considered mandatory for the first three years, or until you get ISO certified. (Never allow yourself, or your in-house sales team, to say a single word to any customer before a Booth babe or Booth Hunk brings them to you, pre-qualified). Build a firewall.

4) Buy out another known competing company, (preferably one who is going under, with clients), right before the show starts and use their clout. (Known is much better than un-known, unless your family has given you a title or famous last name).

5) Throw a great big open bar, the FIRST day of the show. Everyone supposedly waits until the last day to party, but they are usually already shot from walking the floor or they have too much work to do before the plane leaves, on the last day. Get the competition wrecked the first day and do not drink or party at all, while you are there. That'll teach them who the new kid in town is!

6) Bring your own vacuum, because the Association will charge you $450 to clean your rug, every day the show opens. We won't stand for this expense! All the others, but NOT THIS ONE!

7) You'll want to tip the Booth Bait, the teamsters, the fork lift op and all your install crew, before the show and afterwards, or they will call all your contacts back and blow your deals out, lose your booth, erase your contact list from your database, re-direct your shipments and cancel your flight. This primarily happens "WHEN" you are silly enough to leave your ticket info and lap-top, in your day bag in the closet which everyone has the key to. Polite is better. Make no enemies. The normal problems are more than most people can handle psychologically. Bring Advil.

8) Invite all of us here, from this forum, see you break the ice please, (preferably before you let the booth babes go for the day)!

9) Do NOT FORGET the invaluable list of "global partners", whom you met by the droves. Guard it with your life, with hired armed guard, if need be, or you won't be back for the next show.

10) Flash for Cash,

11) Plan the Show: then : Show the Plan.

12) Cash tips or provocative "swag", or "GIFTS"if you prefer, will lube the entire process, constantly. (Under-tipping or worse, no-tipping; is much more costly, in the long run. Get over it).

Happy Business!

Ten years ago maybe. No matter how big you are, find the company that the technology or the product will hurt the most and cut a deal. If that company doesn't bite, then seek out there competitor and try again. If again no takers then invent a better product next time. This approach is as good as gravity.

A book that I read that appeared to be well written and based on real experience by the Author is "The Inventors Bible: How it Market and License Your Brilliant Ideas" by Ronald Docie. One reason I liked the book is, it approached marketing of a new idea from a little guy perspective not from a corporate shark perspective.

This book primarily covers the topic in the US.

<>David French replies:

<> It's very hard to market a product if all you have are design rights and possibly patent rights. There are invention promotion agencies out there that will take your money, but for the most part, almost universally, they make their profit off the inventors. The occasions when they succeed are extremely rare. The government has trouble policing them.

If you sent me an e-mail at DFrench@MiltonsLLP.com I will send you back some hand out articles that I have on marketing your invention.

Regardless of the design or patent; the most important is marketing & sales. if you don't lunch it in a big way; someone will do something similar if the products can made money. when your products is moving and you have money; you will made improvement and upgrade it. You can also employ the best engineer or management team to work for you. Best selling products are not necessary the best design but normally from the best marketing company.

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