Advertising on packaging has traditionally been the prerogative of the seller of what's inside that packaging.
    But that's fast changing, and one field where that change is occurring is in dry-cleaning.
   Marketers are being invited  to place their logos on the plastic bags that protect freshly-cleaned garments and the paper jackets that cover the metal hangers.
   Dry-cleaning covers are also becoming venues for offering product coupons and samples.
    The most recent innovation is peel-off couponing. Advertisers can add a cents-off sticker that can be redeemed at the corner market or at a Wal-Mart anywhere in the country.
    To find out how it works, read on.
    This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

How it works:
    Ads appear on a variety of disposable dry-cleaning delivery products, including cover bags and hangers. Peel-off coupons, tags and "gift paks" can be attached to the bagged dry cleaning.
    The bags, hanger covers and other products are distributed through a network of over 10,000 dry cleaners in 100 major markets. The dry cleaners purchase the wraps at a 30 to 50 percent discount.
    Branding and promotion are both objectives. 
   "At first we started the business as a branding tool," says William Sancho, president and CEO of Look Worldwide. "We quickly realized dry cleaners are so close to supermarkets and pharmacies and added couponing and sampling.
    "You want to hit consumers when they’re in the errand-running mode, picking up dry cleaning, shopping, getting groceries. You want to hit them at that point in time. You want to be the last impression before they go into the supermarket." 
   Logos, text and full-color magazine-quality images can be printed on plastic dry-cleaning bags.
    Logos and coupons can be printed on so-called cover ads, the paper garment covers that wrap the shoulder area of hanging garments. 
    Literature and coupons can be attached as tags to dry cleaning. Local advertisers use these detachables to attract consumers to their businesses when they’re out running errands.
    The covered hangers are often used by consumers after they remove their dry cleaning, increasing the potential impact of the ad.
    Product samples, literature and coupons can be bagged and attached to hangers. Look Worldwide calls them "gift paks."
    Peel-off coupons can be attached to bags, hanger covers and the paper wraps that sit on top of the hangers over the finished cleaning.
    "At first we had cashiers at the dry cleaners attaching the coupons, but that wasn’t reliable," Sancho says. "So we patented a method of attaching the peel-off coupon to the bag."
    The coupons launched with a panty hose campaign with bar-coded coupons that were redeemable at major stores like Wal-Mart and Target. Sancho reports a two-percent-plus redemption rate.
    America Online has distributed promotional disks in gift packs.
    Advertisers often place their ads on multiple dry-cleaning venues. For example, they might place their logo on the cover bag and add a peel-off coupon with a cents-off promotion.
   Nestle, for example, put its logo on the covering ad bags and turned the paper cover ad into a giant coupon for Instant Breakfast that could be cut out and redeemed for a free sample at supermarkets.
    Poster ads can also be placed in the dry-cleaning storefronts.
    The advertiser provides creative.

What works?
    "The same kind of theory that works for any out-of-home applies to us," Sancho says. "Bright colors. Brief messages. These are walking billboards."
    The majority of advertisers are national brands, with local and regional businesses starting to sign on. 
  "The local guys – bank chains, car dealerships, the McDonald’s franchise owner – are starting to try us," Sancho says.
    At present, about 15 percent of ads are local or regional with the remainder national.
    Exclusivity is available within individual stores. 
   "You walk into one store and we’re exhibiting one campaign at a time," Sancho says. "We don’t want to turn into a magazine with ads floating around. Every single bag has high impact."
    Secondary exposure to the ad occurs after the dry cleaning is hung in the closet and the consumer sees the cover bag or hanger at a later time.
    Ad bag images are 15 inches by 20 inches. They can be printed with up to four colors.
    Flexographic inline printing, using water-base ink, is used to print on plastic ad bags. The outcome may not appear as crisp as ads printed with oil-base ink. Advertisers unfamiliar with this type of image may want to preview samples.
    Hanger ads are printed on paper using offset lithography. Two colors is the maximum.
    Cover ads are printed on white paper with up to three colors.
    Paper insert coupons are square or rectangular with an 8.25-inch maximum length and a 5.5-inch maximum width. Minimums are 5 inches by 2.75 inches. Ideal ad size is 4 7/16 by 7.5 inches. All inserts carry their own bar code.
    Product samples included in "gift paks" must meet size standards of an 8-inch maximum length, a 5.5-inch maximum width, a 1-inch maximum thickness and 1.5-ounce maximum weight. There are also packaging requirements available from Look Worldwide.
    Peel-off coupon design is a maximum of 3 inches in length and 2 inches in width. Four-color process is used in printing. Coupons are manufactured by Look Worldwide using their patented process.

Markets:
    The top 100 metropolitan markets as defined by the International Cleaners Advertising Network are available.

    In 100^th place is Flint, MI with 59 dry cleaners.
    Markets can be targeted by DMA, county, city or by zip code, neighborhood or street.
    Most advertisers purchase multiple DMAs, Sancho says.

Research:
    What product categories do well? Packaged goods work especially well on dry-cleaning coverings. But anything goes, according to Sancho, though dot.com business has dropped off.
    Clients want more specific data on measurement, so Look Worldwide has commissioned a survey to measure frequency, impact and recall of ads on their products. Two recent surveys which were conducted during the AOL and No nonsense campaigns resulted in a 98 percent recall of AOL and 79 percent of No nonsense.

Demographics:
    Dry cleaning use is largely determined by profession and economic status with heavy users defined as those spending more than $26 monthly on the service. Heavy users are more likely to be better educated than non-users. They are also more likely to work in white-collar occupations and wear traditional business attire.
    Household income for an average individual heavy user is $100,000. Seventy-five percent are college-educated.
    The female head of household is most likely to take clothing to the dry cleaner in 66 percent of households. However, respondents with the highest level of education and income, when they are male, are the most likely to deliver and pick up their own dry cleaning.

Making the buy:
    Contracts are generally on a monthly basis with many advertisers opting for three months at a crack.
    Lead time is 60 days with creative in hand.
    Seasonal factors don’t affect pricing but can restrict availability. September through December are the busiest months.
    Factors affecting pricing include volume, number of colors used in production and how targeted distribution is.
    Production costs are included for Ad Bags, Hanger Ads and Cover Ads. Production costs are additional for Poster Ads, Value Tags, Gift Paks and Peel Off Coupons.
    Ad Bags range from $15,000 for 1,500,000 monthly impressions, in a minimum of 50 stores at a $10 CPM, to $262,500 for 30,000,000 monthly impressions, in a minimum of 1,000 stores at an $8.75 CPM.
    Hanger Ads range from $21,094 for 1,875,000 monthly impressions, in a minimum of 50 stores at an $11.25 CPM, to $384,375 for 37,500,000 impressions, in a minimum of 1,000 stores at a $10.25 CPM.
    Cover Ads start at $7,755 for 1,500,000 monthly impressions, in a minimum of 50 stores at a $5.17 CPM and range to $111,000 for 30,000,000 impressions in 1,000 stores at a $3.70 CPM.
    Value Tags start at $2,813 for 62,500 monthly units at fifty stores at a $45 CPM and range to $41,250 for 1,250,000 monthly units at 1,000 stores at a $33 CPM.
    Gift Paks cost $3,563 for 62,500 units at 50 stores at a $57 CPM and extend to $58,750 for 1,250,000 units at 1,000 stores at a $47 CPM.
    Peel Off Coupons cost $12,313 for 125,000 units distributed in at least 50 stores at a $98.50 CPM and range to $155,250 for 2,500,000 units at 1,000 stores at a $62.10 CPM.
    Poster Ads range from $5,000 for 250,000 monthly impressions in 50 stores at a $20 CPM to $71,650 for 5,000,000 monthly impressions in 1,000 stores at a $14.33 CPM.
    Sales offices are in Miami Beach and New York City. Check the Web site for contacts.

Who’s already on dry-cleaning bags?
    America Online, The Weather Channel, Unilever, Blockbuster Video, GTE, Citifi.com, AllNautical.com, American Red Cross, AT&T, Culligan Water, eRealty.com, The Miami Herald, Nestle, The New York Times, Spec’s Music, Yupi.com, Aerial Communications, Tommy Hilfiger clothing and Ralph Lauren Polo Jeans.

What they’re saying:
    Dry-cleaning covers are used in multimedia campaigns, Sancho says. "More and more we’re part of an integrated campaign. With The Weather Channel they were up on billboards, on radio and television, on peanut bags inside airports, in bathrooms, on bananas and on our dry-cleaning bags."

Web site info: 
www.lookworldwide.com

-Kathy Prentice writes about out-of-home advertising  for Media Life, penning her stories from the resort town of Traverse City, in the upper reaches of Michigan.

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