65th ICAC Plenary Meeting, Goiânia, Brazil, September 2006
The IFCP conducted a session on demand enhancement during a production conference in the Room Lago Azul adjacent to the 65th Plenary Meeting in Goiânia, Brazil. Participants in the session agreed that there are many techniques that can be employed to promote and raise the profile and consciousness of cotton and cotton products that are relatively inexpensive, and appropriate for most countries.
Some of the techniques that were presented included "Cotton Day" activities, and combining those activities with topics that create media interest. Combining celebrities and cause marketing issues that generate funding for charities to attract media attention was discussed, as was developing design contests with educational institutions. In general, these promotion ideas utilized already existing resources to minimize costs to create consumer awareness of cotton.
Fashion shows were consistently used as examples, as were fairs and exhibitions. Educating students as well as consumers, and "Look for the Label" campaigns, were seen to be effective. While logo campaigns were talked about, there did not seem to be consensus that developing a cotton identity this way could be considered a low cost alternative. However, it should be noted that strategic placement of visual identities for news coverage is an important part of developing a successful low cost campaign.
Posters were seen as very effective in lieu of broadcast or print advertising. Having companies sponsor the donation of tee shirts with logos or tag lines for individuals running in marathons was seen as being extremely creative, including funding the campaigns by assessing suppliers of bail wrappings by percentage of cost. Developing "Cotton Schools", and "Discovery Centers" as a variation of the education theme was popular.
Parades were mentioned, as were awards for diverse activities, especially aimed at retail. One common theme was that even in difficult economic times, there are still ways to scale back promotion activities, and that it is important to continue activities that provide forward momentum for promotion preparation, such as exploratory research.
There was audience participation through questions, and the audience voted on one organizations tag line for an upcoming promotion.
Organizations participating in the program were from Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Turkey, and the U.S.