[Kde-events] Merchandising

[Valerie Hoh]

Hi,

sorry, I missed the first mail on that, but I think I can give some
background on the merchandising partners:

There's kernel concepts, who did the merchandising for akademy last
year. They are really nice and very open for new ideas, but some things
- like pins, for example - they used to buy from open source factory, so 
they were quite expensive, when we got them from KC. We can get stuff on
commission from them, as long as it is something they can sell
afterwards (wouldn't work for event t-shirts, but for whatever else).
They are very open towards new merchandising ideas.

There used to be Open Source Factory. They made the pins. They changed
their focus and gave up the whole merchandising business, and Fidu took
it over from them. Fidu has a little wider variety of merchandising in
stock, but they did not seem as open about trying new stuff. (I am just
talking about the feeling I had during my last conversation with them,
so I could be mistaken about that.) Getting stuff on commission is
possible there, too.

So, now to Wendy's very cool ideas.

On Tue, Mar 13, 2007 at 11:15:02PM +0100, Wendy Van Craen wrote:
> 
> I certainly am a bit a creative thinker, so I'll do my best to do  
> some creative brainstorming on the merchandising issue.  Maybé not  
> all the items I will mention below will be realisable, but before  
> saying "no" to something, perhaps it's better to think further on the  
> subject.

Better too many ideas; you can always not realise one or the other, or
keep it in store for some other time :) I'll just see this as a brain
storming and add to it. We can do the reality check when we have a list
of stuff :)

> [...] 
> How?  Each logo attracks other people
> KDE-logo = developpers, business, collectors, guys and men in  
> general, switchers, schools (higher education)

The KDE-logo is very much of a looker - simple, unique.

> Konqi = kids, parents, lovers, girls, teenagers, lower-schools

Konqi is "cute". Everybody loves conqi.

> 
> So I'll try to use this knowledge and translate it into merchandising.
> 
> Here are some of my crazy idea's:
> 
> We should seperate us more from the other open source-merchandising.   
> This by selling more got-to-have-goodies which are strongly attached  
> to our target groups.  If we have cooler merchandising, people would  
> love to buy it, if they come to the booth to buy it, we can give them  
> information about KDE, a free KDE-cd and this creates very powerfull  
> mouth-to-mouth advertising.

Everybody has t-shirts. Everybody has pins. Certainly *not* everybody
has stuffed mascots, mugs, ...

> MORE KID-MERCHANDISING
> KDE has a lot of kids-project, but not really kiddi-merchandising  
> (only stuffed konqi)  a lot of daddies asked about it.  And I really  
> believe there's a market for it.  You know what they say:  the  
> younger the better!
> 
> I don't know if someone knows the merchandising-hit Diddle?  Konqi  
> absolutely has thesame power.  I'm certainly not saying we should go  
> the Diddle-way, but there's a lot of unused power in Konqi we could  
> bring into practice.

Diddle... *argh* My sisters used to collect whatever they could get
their hands (and their pocket money) on... :)

> 
> - stuffed Konqi should stay and maybé we should try to sell  a little  
> more of them, though not to much, it has to keep his rare-object- 
> abilities
>     I really like it  like it is, but there is a baby-proof stuf in  
> the market which is very very soft and makes teddybears look even  
> sweeter.  Maybé we could inform about the possibilities to make Konqi  
> even softer?  (If you don't know what I mean, I'll bring my most  
> favorite stuffed teddybear to aKademy)

Maybe a limited edition of "very soft conqis"? Or a different size,
somewhere inbetween the (very) large konqi and the small ones? Or little
beany-bag konqis? (See how crazy ideas trigger more crazy ideas) At last
akademy I had a conversation with someone talking about a baby romper
suit, one to wear in winter, maybe, that I saw - that looked like a
bunny costume (or was ist a teddy bear? I don't remember) - with plushy
fabric, ears and all. Just imagine that to be konqi!


> - baby t-shirts with konqi on it
>     a lot of questions from daddies was a t-shirt from the nice  
> dragon Konqi. What would seem nice is a white baby t-shirt with a  
> large smiling konqi on it.  The green part of konqi is stuffed (very  
> short hairy  and soft substance on t-shirt)
> maybe for the most little ones whe could at little wings on the back  
> of the shirt
> maybe it could look as if Konqi is jumping out of the t-shirt,
> and at the back of the t-shirt you'll see Konqi-tail, the tail curls  
> towards the front of t-shirt

Cool idea. Generally, if we make shirts with konqi - no matter if
printed or stuffed or whatever - we should see that we get it children
size. As you already pointed out - children love konqi.

> - large Konqi stickers with relief and/or without

We had small case stickers with konqi for last akademy. They didn't go
that well (not as well as the KDE-logo ones), but then, they aren't all
that pretty. The Konqi is only very small - for small stickers, we
should use konqi from bust up, only shoulders, arms, face, or it gets
too detailed. Large konqi stickers sound interesting. With relief, you
mean, so you can actually feel the outlines? There is another idea I
have about a large konqi sticker - it shouldn't be rectangular (or
whatever other shape stickers usually have), but only konqi's shape.

> - Konqi mug with/without relief

You mean, konqi's head (or body) kind of sculpted out of the ceramics?
How about the tail as a handle? :)

> - Professor Konqi education animation theme on computer (= more for  
> educational developpers)

Sweet. Konqi teaching kids how to read or do math? They'll love it -
*and* it could give KDE (and with it, Linux as operating system)
elementary schools as users... My sisters used to have a pc in their
class room in elementary school where they could do little educational
games as a goodie, when they were done early with assignments... just
imagine those to be KDE!


> - Konqi piggy-bank (all money you save with using KDE free software  
> you can put in the piggy bank and use for something better)

Ceramics or printed plastic would be an option with those. Ceramics
would be very nifty (and very expensive...), and printed plastic would
be poissible with the KDE-logo as well.

> - stuffed Konqi bagpack

I saw a pattern for a stuffed kitty backpack only recently. I doubt that
I will be able to make one before akademy, but I found them really cute.
There's, again, two options how to make those. One is kind of like
taking the stuffed animal, taking the stuffing out, adding a zipper, and
there you go - use the tummy as room for stuff. The other one would be a
"regular" backpack with konqi or konqi's head in plushy fabric as lid.

> - stuffe Konqi hand doll

Sweet :)

> 
> MORE GIRLY MERCHANDISING
> 
> Girls love Konqi and boys love to buy Konqi for their girlfriend.
> 
> - stuffed Konqi, mug and sticker are also here important
> 
> - the keyring with Konqi also was popular

Yes, and very, very handy :)

> - what I'm missing is girly t-shirts, centered in the waist, nice V-nek
>    Ideas: black shirt with a roughly sketch of Konqi on it in white,  
> style: punk - rock, maybé at the back smalle sketch of wings and  
> beneath  it a slogan like "Konqi is cool" or "Konqi rocks"  The rough  
> drawing could also be a Konqi with a guitar or whatever.

Yes! Kind of like an ink sketch, just rough outlines. Those shirts could
be the same as the children's shirts.

> 
> Also girl t-shirts with KDE logo are welcome of course.  The logo  
> shouldn't be to big.

No. Just small on one side of the chest. And maybe not as a box, but
with reversed colors and without the box - just the K and the gear
wheel.

> 
> MORE CREATIVE ART ON T-SHIRT
> 
> - I hate to tell, but in my opinion the KDE t-shirts are rather  
> boring.  We should think of some really originall concepts and  
> drawings to make nice shirts.  Best way to do this is to go looking  
> in shops like We, Zara, Shopping halls, ...  and see what's in the  
> market.  Then think of some nice idea's.
> 
> What  could be nice is a large KDE logo roughly stitched on the  
> shirt.  (back or front)
> If we go further We could even say: cut out the letters KDE, stitch  
> blue stuf behing it and paint under the KDE-letters "Desktop  
> Environment"
> 
> - black t-shirt with on front chest in smalle letters "KDE desktop  
> environment" or a cool slogan and on back below the neck centered a  
> small KDE-logo

I'd say that is especially a cool idea now that we are moving towards
KDE4 - how about shirts for Linuxtag and akademy saying something about
"coming soon" - kind of like ubuntu did last year (or was it the year
before?) - no, I don't necessarily mean the words "coming soon" but
something close to that.

> - a nice sweater from KDE - black or dark blue with on back large KDE  
> logo or Konqi  on front a slogan in small letters

Maybe a hooded sweater. I have one with a CCC motiv, and I really love
wearing it - plus, it is very, very soft inside!

> - black or dark blue skarf (this idea came to me when I was almost  
> freezing in the hallway on Fosdem because I was just wearing a thin  
> sweater)

I have two ideas about scarfs. One would be (silky) fabric scarfs with a
konqi pattern printed on them. Or wool scarfs - with one large konqui on
each side, either embroidered, or stuffed again. I saw children scarfs
with stuffed teddy bear heads on them - very cure.
> 
> OTHER IDEAS
> 
> http://www.multigift.be
> http://www.harogifts.be/
> this site gives some nice ideas we could consider:
> 
> - anti-stress Konqi or KDE

Release your computer stress with kde? :)

> - KDE longdrink glass

Yay! Party with konqi!

> - large sticker for on laptop (my boyfriend Bart once printed a large  
> KDE-logo sticker and stuck it on his laptop, seems that people love it)

I very much agree on this one, and I'd like to see those ready for next
akademy.

> - laptop protection sleeve
> - larger stickers
> - "I use KDE " removable sticker for car-window
> - screan cleaning cloth with logo
> - usb sensor lock with logo (computer automatic locks when your not  
> near it)
> - cool/hot pack (its a gelly substance in a plastick bag with a coin  
> in it, if you break the coin the substance gets hot, if you boil the  
> bag all returns to normal and you can start over again - very cheap  
> and original gadget) -->  "warming up for KDE"

Green - dragon shaped. Blue - KDE-logo printed on.

> - Konqi stuffed keyring and maybé also one to hand up in your car

The stuffed keyring would work well with beany-bag stuffed konqis.

Some more ideas:
Business-KDE:
- konqi or KDE-logo tie clips (like the ones with tux)
- Konqi ties (like the tux ties)
- metal pens with KDE logo on the clip and a catchy slogan etched into
  the metal
All of those should be very special and very limited edition.
 
> 
> GREAT MERCHANDISING
> 
> - stuffed Konqi

sold like hotcakes at last akademy

> - Keyrings

same there. Fidu has them with a little different konqi image and with
the KDE-logo.

> - mugs of glass

Those are sold out. I was told that the frosting is very bad for the
environment and for the workers doing it - I'm not sure if they are
"politically correct" with that in mind.

> - Keramiq mugs
> - small KDE stickers - although the smalle Konqi sticker also had  
> some attracktions for kids, most people thought the sticker was to  
> small for Konqi

I agree. It would, as already pointed out, look neat with only the upper
half of konqi on it.

> - cotton bags

They weren't sold at last year's akademy, but given as conference bags.
But, I'd buy some! (Wait... I already have... dozens of cotton bags...
I'd still buy some!) Ideas with that: white cotton bags with konqi,
black cotton bags with the logo.

> If you want to improve merchandising sell, I made some combinations  
> on Fosdem and they sold very good.  People could chose to buy a  
> solely item or buy one item and a cotton bag (to put the item in) and  
> this would be more advantageous.  stuffed Konqi could only be sold  
> with a bag.
> t-shirts and mugs were mostly sold with bag.  Ofcourse this inquires  
> some selling skills.

Buy a konqi and a shirt, get a bag for free? Or something like that?

What would you think about opening a spreadshirt shop, so we could try
how well accepted some of the ideas are? Especially the girly or baby
shirts could be sold there, and a sweatshirt, and some other
merchandising ideas are available there as well...

Reality check: the more of one item we order, the cheaper they are.
Merchandising vendors who sell on commission to us will not sell us a
dozen of new merchandising items that only become payable 200 pieces up
(like printed mugs), because it would mean that they are the ones who
make an investment on it and only get their money back in very small
doses. KDE doesn't have the room or the money to order right from
manufacturer. So, we have to see what our merchandising partners would
be willing to do. And I see that problem there when it comes to the
"fancy" stuff like stuffed konqi applications on shirts or backpacks. Or
relief konqi mugs. We have to start step by step. A new type of t-shirts
and some different stickers maybe this year, and something else next
year.

Hope I could help.
Valerie