Promotional Marketing – Gonzalo Peyrou
Gonzalo Peyrou is an expert in promotional marketing. His concerns and interest in learning how companies make themselves known led him to opt for this sector, which he has been dedicating personally and professionally for more than 10 years.
In parallel, Gonzalo has managed to take forward his own e-commerce. As he himself points out, he constantly takes advantage of the experience of one field in the other; whether to develop an international strategy or to reflect on how digitization has affected promotional marketing.
We take advantage of Gonzalo’s experience to ask him about topics as diverse as what strategies stand out in online promotional marketing, what are the best skills if we want to dedicate ourselves to this sector or what kind of actions have given him better results.
What made you interested in promotional marketing?
During my beginnings, I was linked at a professional level to the commercial sector and business development. My personal concerns and tastes always aroused a special attraction towards marketing. I decided to start training and turn around my career to be able to insert myself in this sector in which I have dedicated every day at a professional and personal level for 10 years.
I was always struck by the “brands”, logos, advertisements, slogans, and all kinds of action that a company could perform to highlight and / or make itself known. That is what made my commitment to this sector so important and convincing.
I wanted to be part of that world, of that process in which brands planned those ideas to launch their products or services, promote them, or with whatever aim, I had to find my place where I could add value, and offer something different from what exists until that moment.
Studying possibilities, I identified a need (therefore, an opportunity), in the Uruguayan market (the country where I was born) and it basically was to offer a totally digital, online promotional marketing agency service, an e-commerce.
The idea was evidently very good, the company was created and had a sustained growth during the 10 years of management, coming to operate at a regional level (Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia).
You have spent more than 10 years dedicating yourself to promotional marketing, has it evolved much in these years? How?
Promotional marketing is super dynamic and revulsive, evolution is constant due to the demand of brands and the imminent need to “be different”.
Annually there are two clear moments where new products and ideas are launched with the firm objective that those companies that are at the forefront can stay ahead or those that claim to stand out have the possibility, accessing an offer of disruptive and innovative promotional character.
The methodology of work has changed a lot, it is no longer a simple business of supply and demand, today the most valuable thing is to work closely with the marketing and communication departments of our customers, to develop ideas , campaigns, concepts and totally customized products.
How has digitalization affected you? What kind of strategies would you highlight in Online Promotional Marketing?
Digitization influences our way of life, our day to day and our ways of doing and communicating. Of course it has had a great impact on promotional marketing, especially in the way and dynamics of doing business.
Today, it is much easier to connect clients with suppliers, transmit an idea, request a quote, obtain a physical sample from the other side of the world, compare options, print in 3D or 4D, investigate the competition, and many others. All this, directly or indirectly, affects the business.
From my point of view, the promotional marketing itself and the so-called “online promotional marketing” are totally different businesses.
I see the first as an opportunity to add value to clients and potentials and to generate a good emotional experience that lasts over time. By being based in most cases on tangible products, it gives you that possibility.
The reality is that, today, most companies are focused on the customer. The so-called “customer experience” is a highly important item in any strategy.
The terms “Customer Journey” and “Kpi’s” have become something totally recurrent in these times.
Obviously digitization has contributed a lot to make that happen.
Equally important at the digital level is generating a “good experience” for our customers.
Our website must be updated, have a friendly navigation, be quick, have an easy and intuitive purchase process and a fast and effective customer service. The same happens with the RRSS, everything must be aligned and in tune to ensure that users continue to choose us.
Within the marketing of digital promotion emphasizes the influencers marketing. It has been gaining a lot of ground and I see it as a very valid and effective alternative when it comes to advertising or promoting a brand.
Online promotional marketing, which we were specialists at in our e-commerce (90% of our clients came through SEO and SEM strategies in Google and RRSS), I consider it as a means to achieve an advertising objective or to attract potential customers. But it is very difficult to reach the same emotional value as traditional promotional marketing.
I also think it is important to highlight the different sensations that this type of actions can generate in our clients.
The consumer is saturated and is no longer receptive to so much supply.
I think we should be very smart and respectful when considering an online strategy, researching and segmenting as much as possible.
On the other hand, promotional marketing is usually well received. We all want to receive a gift, of whatever kind, we surely accept it and stay with a pleasant memory.
Better still, if we achieve that this gift contributes in some sense value to our client over time.
The simple example of giving a sun umbrella. We all know how unpleasant it is to get into a vehicle when it has been exposed to the sun; a sun umbrella, however simple, provides an important solution providing value to our customers. I give faith that the day that sun umbrella disappears our client will remember even more about our brand.
In parallel, you have also worked during these years in your own e-commerce. Do you think both experiences complement each other? How?
Of course, promotional marketing and e-commerce complement each other. They are fully compatible and together they work together very effectively, both for companies that provide and for end customers. It facilitates the operation, reduces costs and deadlines, without doubt a great ally in our company.
There is no longer any company in the sector that does not have an important digital profile that accompanies the development of the business.
What skills can not be missing from a professional who wants to dedicate himself to Promotional Marketing?
There are many different and very valuable profiles within the sector. Luckily, I have been able to share and learn from people with great experience that have undoubtedly marked my way of thinking and working.
If I had to highlight some qualities to develop successfully in promotional marketing, I would point out: CREATIVITY, good communication skills, empathy (to identify the client’s idea and transform it into something tangible), strategic thinking, commercial and negotiation qualities, total client orientation, tenacity, know how to work under pressure and be organized.
Personally, I believe that the added value that each one can bring to their work is what will make the difference. I am referring to the way of relating with your clients, collaborators and suppliers.
These are for me much more important and distinctive qualities than any hard capacity or related acquired training.
In these days, in this sector as in many others, we learn daily about bad experiences from consumers and many have to do with business ethics. Human values, no matter where you look at them, are more important than any company, brand or product. Businesses are made by people.
What kind of tools do you usually use in your work?
The truth is that my work is very dynamic and I am constantly living new experiences.
Of course, my day to day is very related to the computer, emails, RRSS, designs, products, the part of workshop and production and a high number of negotiations in which the calculator becomes a vital tool to develop my work , curious but true.
Because of my way of being and how I like to bond with my clients and collaborators, I spend many hours of the day gathered and visiting clients to feed the link and be up to date with their needs. In this way I can act proactively proposing solutions, or creating campaigns that I understand will give solution to the needs raised.
What advice would you give us to plan a campaign that will help us differentiate ourselves from our competitors?
Each market, sector, business, is totally different. I have had the possibility to work for many different markets and, frankly, none of them work in the same way. This is due to customs, consumer tastes, culture, religion, political situation, idiosyncrasy and many other factors that affect the market.
I do think there are certain points that can become global when it comes to a strategy: know exactly what is the value proposition of your company, be clear about the image and identity of the brand to promote (to know if you must adapt it to the new market), set clear and measurable objectives, perform a correct and deep segmentation, be consistent with the brand and what its customers expect from it.
Throughout your 10 years of experience, what kind of Promotional Marketing actions have given you the best results?
I do not think that I am able to differentiate a type of promotional action that has given me more results than another.
Obviously, when you launch an innovative and well-perceived product by the consumer, the impact is greater.
From my experience I can say that the key is to correctly interpret the “how” and “when” to perform that particular action.
If we have the sufficient lucidity to design the right strategy, we will surely achieve objectives and obtain the desired results.
What advice would you give us if we seek to publicize our brand internationally? Have you observed many differences between countries?
Each market is a “world”. Not only is there a big difference between countries, there are notorious differences between the regions of the same country.
To give an example, in Spain, taking a look at the wide variety of sectors in the market, we see a huge difference between the strategies used by brands located in large cities and those of other areas with a different profile.
For example, in Andalusia, where the agricultural sector is very strong and the main driver of the economy, promotional marketing is very much involved in the farmer’s DNA.
On a continuous basis, companies are carrying out promotional activities but always within a same range of products and ideas; Knowing perfectly what your customers value and expect when making a purchase.
Thinking about internationalization, I do interpret as a vitally important factor the design of a strategy based initially on markets that share the greatest number of similarities with the market in which we operate. The compatibilities will tend a bridge to the entrance and will allow us to jump some entry barriers or help to make them lighter.
At the same time, this does not guarantee us absolutely nothing. Only officiate as a first step a little less risky than attacking a market “x” for the simple fact of seeing potential.
Equally important is identifying markets where there are real and latent needs that our product can cover and jointly we are contributing value to potential consumers.
