• ALT TERRAIN (www.altterrain.com), headquartered in Boston.
• PromoConcepts, headquartered in New York City.

How it works:
    Ads can be printed on a variety of container sizes. Copy appears on the two sides that don’t have folds and handles.
    Promotion companies handle production and distribution of containers.
    Creative is provided by advertisers.
    Creative sometimes ties into the Chinese food theme, says PromoMedia president Marc Friedman.
    Printing is usually available in one or two colors.
    Branding both existing and new products, as well as services, is the typical goal.
    “They can be used for a new store opening or a web site launch,” Friedman says.
    Coupons, contests and promotions work well on the containers, says Offline Promotions CEO Adam Salacuse.
    “There should be an action motivator, something that drives consumers to get something or submit information, in the store or online.”
    Takeout containers are used in stand-alone and mixed-media campaigns. “It’s a buzz-generating media,” Friedman says.
    Containers and other PromoMedia products like cups and pizza boxes are often combined with other out-of-home options, like taxi tops and billboards.
    National and regional advertisers predominate. “A national bank might buy New York City to promote its local branches,” Friedman says.
    Targets can be cherry-picked, Friedman says, though not individual restaurants. 
    “An advertiser can choose restaurants around commuting hubs or Wall Street or the Upper West or East Side” of New York.
    Offline Promotions' clients can cherry-pick regions or zip codes within markets, Salacuse says.

Markets:
    Offline Promotions' boxes are available in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Atlanta, Richmond, Cleveland, Seattle, Portland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, San Diego, Hartford, Providence, New Haven, Austin, Hoboken and San Antonio; and in over 40 college markets including Ann Arbor, Albany, Syracuse and Gainesville.
    While New York City has been the most popular market for PromoMedia Concepts’ Chinese food containers, they’re available in most major markets.

Numbers:

How measured?
   Measurement is by number of containers, which are sold on a per-unit basis. CPM multiples can be applied, Friedman says.
    Although numbers aren’t documented, containers are often shared by two and three consumers, Salacuse says.

Research:

What product categories do well?
    Media, consumer goods, web sites, fashion, finance and office supplies.
     “Business-to-business products work well,” Salacuse says. “Think of businesses ordering while people are working later or after a long day.”
    Cantonese Chinese tops the list of ethnic cuisines, with Mandarin, Hunan and Szechwan tied for fourth place, in a 1999 survey measuring awareness of ethnic foods by the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association.

Demographics:
    Reaching an adult audience is the advertiser's primary demographic goal, Friedman says.
   “Whether the containers are used for leftovers or to go or are delivered, the containers have a repetitive audience because they sit in the refrigerator for a week or so.”
   Campaigns can be customized to reach specialized audiences like college students, Salacuse says.

Making the buy:
    PromoToGo, a division of PromoMedia Concepts, handles advertising on quart and pint containers.
    Lead time with creative in hand is six to eight weeks.
    Contracts are by number of units, with typical quantities ranging from a quarter million to several million. Advertisers can designate the length of a campaign, Friedman says. “We can do two million in one month or have them last several months.”
    Exclusivity is negotiable.
    Factors affecting pricing include quantity, markets and number of colors used in printing. Contact PromoMedia for specifics, as prices vary widely. Contact Marc Friedman at 800-399-CUPS.
    Offline Promotions sells advertising on several sizes of containers. Lead time with creative in hand is 60 days.
    Factors that affect pricing include quantity, coverage and quality, Salacuse says. “Sometimes clients want thicker containers or specific ink coverage.”

Who’s already on take-out containers?
    Kenneth Cole, Worldspy.com, Techs.com and others.

What they’re saying:
    “Chinese takeout containers are great because they deliver the client’s message directly into home and office environments, often are shared by several people and then are placed in a refrigerator, generating exposure two to four more times a day,” says Salacuse of Offline Promotions.

August 27, 2001 © 2001 Media Life

-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.