Junk Nobody Throws Out

Junk Nobody Throws Out
While waste disposal company 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is in the business of removing clutter from the businesses and residences it serves, there is one thing its customers never want to throw out: the 1-800-GOT-JUNK? branded dump truck toys used to promote the company. The blue Hot Wheels-style toy is a miniature version of the company's recognizable trucks, carrying its name and tagline, "The World's Largest Junk Removal Service."

Employees at the company's corporate headquarters and its more than 200 franchises in the U.S., Canada and Australia keep a number of the toy trucks on hand and give them out whenever an opportunity presents itself. Whether during office tours, on jobs at houses with kids or when meeting with prospective customers, the trucks have become ubiquitous branding tools for the company.

"I bring a bag full of them and I leave them everywhere – on my seat when I leave a plane, at restaurants – even when I leave my hotel room, I put the tip for the housekeeper in the bed of the dump truck," says Natalie Burgwin, public relations manager for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, who makes decisions with the marketing department about all promotional initiatives.

The company keeps a warehouse full of the trucks and goes through 50 to 100 each month, according to Burgwin. "In deciding on the trucks for our promotional product, we really looked into what our company is known for," says Burgwin. "The answer is: our cute dump trucks. In the end, it was more about having fun with promotions and getting the idea across that we are a creative yet professional company."

While the toy trucks are the standard promotional product for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, it also incorporates a number of other products into its marketing. The company's marketing team has started giving out squeezable "stress trucks" that are particularly popular with corporate clients who can keep them on their desks at work. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? also warehouses a huge number of refrigerator magnets, pens, mugs and lanyards that franchisees give away to create brand awareness in their communities.

From:  Successful Promotions