|PROMOSIGHTING|

It’s difficult for writers to get their words in front of readers, but here’s a formula that worked for Argentine footballer Lionel Messi: First, be a star athlete. Two, have a namesake shoe line with a major footwear manufacturer. Then slip excerpts of your new book into the shoes so fans read a sample and become hooked. Don’t have a shoe deal? This cross-promotion could still work in any number of ways.

Clearly, their sales proposition is a bit confusing. This is why the calendar works so well. Users tear off a square per day, submerge it into a liter of water, and the solution becomes a handy household product, such as fertilizer, deodorizer, or all-purpose cleaner. Agency: Creative Juice, Bangkok, Thailand

To market its waterproof mp3 player, Sony dropped one each into bottles of water and sold the devices in gym vending machines. The benefit behind the innovative packaging of "The Bottled Walkman" is that it instantly showcases the product's main selling feature. |PS| likes that it's a built-in litmus test of the mp3 player's waterproof promise. Agency: Fcb Auckland

A laundry detergent brand that was new to the market skipped the TV/radio ad route and opted to give customers and prospects imprinted clothespins, or "nose pins," instead. Illustrations on each pin depict cartoon figures smelling the fresh scent of the detergent, underscoring the brand's message that the product smells so good that users won't want to stop using it. Agency: TBWA, Lima, Peru

This DIY radio was handed out to university students on behalf of the Australian Defense Force (aka air force). The kits contained everything the students needed to build a radio, except for the instructions. The promotion was developed to serve as a sort of job interview for technicians, with the thinking being that the most-skilled candidates would be able to construct the radio on their own. Once flipped on, the radio broadcasted this message: "Congratulations, you've successfully constructed a radio and located Air Force FM." This greeting was followed by contact information and played on a constant loop. Agency: George Patterson Y&R, Melbourne

Designer Carl von der Lancken made this two-in-one product for a Swedish clothing brand also named CARL (no relation). The item starts its life as a reusable shopping bag, but end users can easily transform it into a tank top by cutting along the dotted line. Not only is it strikingly simple, it plays on modern themes such as upcycling and DIY fashion.

|PS| The best part about these guest courtesy products and souvenirs is the understated imprint applications. Simple yet elegant, and so Ace.

A Swedish grocer used this direct mailer to advertise how easy its grocery delivery service makes meal prep. The paper, covered with a tacky adhesive, was sent along with salt and pepper. To read the marketing message, recipients simply had to "season" the mailer. The same goes with the meals delivered by the advertiser. Agency: Akestam Holst

The folks at Publicis Conseil in Paris, France, used thermosensitive mugs to their client's advantage in this global warming-awareness campaign. At room temperature, a polar bear is shown on the mug happily floating atop a chunk of iceberg. Once the cup is filled with hot liquid, the scene slowly disappears, leaving the message "A few degrees more and polar bears will disappear." Sobering but effective.

To reinvigorate sales staff and branch managers, a bank's financial planning division loaded up fan-mail bags with real-life letters from customers. The bags were sent to regional branches as a way to show employees how their work matters. Positive referrals jumped to more than 19 percent during the campaign. (The target rate was 10 percent.) Agency: BMF

Ikea offers more than affordable modular furniture. It also has a cafe that serves, among other things, some pretty fantastic cinnamon rolls. To remind customers of this fact, the company sent this de-constructable fork and knife set through the mail. |PS| Now if they could only figure out a way to send the scent of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls straight to homes. Then we'd really have something.

Hanson, one of the world’s largest suppliers of aggregates and heavy building materials, needed to rebuild the brand recognition it had lost due to acquisition and expansion. This mailer was part of an overall campaign to reintroduce the company to its North American market and position it as a strong player in the industry. Agency: MasonBaronet

No flood story is grander in scale than the story of Noah's ark, so it was a perfect basis on which to build Bankers Insurance Group's flood insurance promotion for sales reps. And, interestingly, few direct-mail promotions are as grandiose as this one. Each day for 40 days, the insurance group mailed a small envelope containing one piece of this paper display to sales reps. No explanation was given other than the numbers "1313" and a note to keep the piece. Finally, on January 3, 2013, sales reps received large envelopes containing instructions for assembling their arks and details on the 2x2 sales contest—for two months, reps received two percent more commission on flood insurance sales. Fittingly, this promotion won tons of awards. Via Behance.com

Hair loss is no laughing matter, but it sure makes cute sticky notes. A company that makes hair revitalizer chose office workers as a main target and produced these "now you see it, now you don't" notepads as daily reminders of what is to come. |PS| wants to see a blue beehive pad, à la Marge Simpson. Agency: JWT

Here's one from way back long ago in the year 1999. It's a Y2K survival kit given as a holiday gift on behalf of agency Hunt Adkins. End-of-the-world promotions are huge attention grabbers. Remember this ditty from 2012 when the Mayan calendar indicated the end of time? Jump on the next one with future dates listed in this apocalyptic wiki.