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ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 18-Sep-16

Sunday 18-September-16

Collectible pins and the selling of holidays

It was recently a significant anniversary for my wife and I, so we did a big 'bucket list' tour across Canada, including a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer train and a short cruise up to Alaska.

On checking in for the train we were each given a rather nice enameled pin in the shape of a maple leaf, the Rocky Mountaineer logo and the year. I am seldom enthused by cheap giveaways and quickly bin them. But this pin was of good quality, so I kept mine. My wife put hers on her hat.

This says a lot for spending on quality giveaways. If you want people to keep and display them, they should be attractive, stylush and robust. Anything with your name on it should reflect the message you want to send, and in particular about the quality of your offering.

Then on the cruise, we were given another pin each, this time with 'Holland America' and 'Alaska' on it. And it struck me, this is more than about brand quality -- it's about collectibles.

People love to collect things. Even if there is little intrinsic value, the pleasure of possession, the anticipation of collecting a set, and the opportunity to chat and compare with other collectors makes collecting a joy for many. And the exclusivity of only getting this pin on this trip adds much scarcity kudos.

The bottom line for the vacation companies is that customers are now significantly more encouraged to go on more holidays in order to t more pins.

I'd guess that the return on the cost of these pins would be tremendous. There is also potential for the companies to encourage this, for example by facilitating collector conversation and by using the pins for some kind of exclusive club membership.