[Kde-events] Merchandising

[Wendy Van Craen]

On 17-mrt-07, at 09:23, Valerie Hoh wrote:

> 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,
great :-)
> 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, ...

Yes, yes, that's what I'm thinking too.
>
>> 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... :)

Hi, I'm Wendy and am with the AD (Anonymous Diddle-holics)...
>
>>
>> - 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!
>
Yes, yes!!!  Limited edition great idea!  I want one!
And a baby romper?  How cute!  Thought I don't quite know there  
whould be a market for it...  I would buy one if I had a baby... or  
maybe for  a doll?
>
>> - 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.
Thank you.
>
>> - 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.
absolutely
> 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.
Totally agree.
>
>> - 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? :)
Nice!  Now that's what I was thinking when I said original merch.
>
>> - 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.
Ceramics is nicer, but I would go for plastics.  These days you can  
really find nice plastic materials.  It's not only less expensive,  
it's also safer to ship.
>
>> - 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 :)

Don't tell me, I use it almost every day!

>
>> - 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.

And very small sizes: XS - S - M - (L ?)
>
>>
>> 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.
What about a dark blue shirt with light blue K-logo? or reversed?

And girl-tops with KDE?

>
>>
>> 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.

" Warming up for KDE 4 " ?

>
>> - 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!

I once had one too, but I wore it so much that it went broke... :'(
>
>> - 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.

I was more thinking: fleece scarf...
But  a wool scarf with embroidery on it sounds nice!  And the silky  
scarfs is very nice to wear for business-purpose.
>>
>> 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? :)

Absolutely

>
>> - KDE longdrink glass
>
> Yay! Party with konqi!

Ok, but if we're gonna have a party we need a cockail too!.
Let me see:

a KDE-coctail:
blue curacao and sprankling champaign or water
or blue curacao with coconut-juce

and maybe also a konqi-coctail:
pissang ambon with orange juce and kiwi-juce and at the bottom a  
little bit of grenadine-sirup

>
>> - 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.

I was thinking there are grey, white and black laptops.  All laptop  
stickers should be transparant, but blue letters on a black laptop  
isn't a good idea.    Maybe you should make one with the logo in blue  
and one with the logo in white and maybe the logo in black is also  
nice...
>
>> - 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.

Warming up for KDE 4
or
Get ready for KDE 4
or
It's getting closer...
or
Be aware of whats coming..
>
>> - Konqi stuffed keyring and maybé also one to hand up in your car
>
> The stuffed keyring would work well with beany-bag stuffed konqis.

cute

>
> 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.

KDE-ties... yes I  saw some on the website, they look nice.  I think  
they should be black, so the blue logo comes out better.
ties with Konqi in soft green or yellow maybé?

And why not a KDE business-cards dispencer from metal?
>
>>
>> GREAT MERCHANDISING
>>
>> - stuffed Konqi
>
> sold like hotcakes at last akademy

On Fosdem I had them for about 1 hour!
>
>> - Keyrings
>
> same there. Fidu has them with a little different konqi image and with
> the KDE-logo.

On Fosdem they were easy to sell as a present for the girlfriend.   
Konqi-Keyring was sold out first.  But they were almost equally  
succesfull.
>
>> - 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.

What a shame!  They were so nice!  Then I guess we have to be very  
creative with ceramic mugs...
>
>> - 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.

They are so easy to sell, these bags!  I wouldn't go for white bags,  
but maybé a soft background colour like soft green or soft blue...
>
>> 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?
It was more like: buy more, pay less.  For instance a t-shirt was 15  
euro's and the bag was 3,50 euros.  If you bought a t-shirt and a  
bag, you would pay only 17 euro's.

I actually almost only sold the bag in combination with an other item.
>
> 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...

I like the idea.
Maybe we could use the shop as a distribution center for  
merchandising on KDE-events?
example:  So if I would like to do a small KDE booth on an event in  
Belgium, I could order some merchandising online, it gets shipped  
directly to me and sell it at the event.

>
> 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.

I totally agree with the step-by-step- method.  "The faster you run,  
the harder you fall."

It would be nice if there could already be some laptop stickers and  
mabyé larger Konqi-stickers.
Also cooler desing on the t-shirts is do-able I think.
>
> Hope I could help.
> Valerie