Promotional Idea: Printable ‘Nice’ Certificates Outdo ‘Naughty’ this Christmas
Editor’s note: While this application targets desktop printers, it’s still a testament to the visceral nature of a printed piece and could be adapted as a holiday self-promotion, including sending out a packet of pre-printed certificates.
PORTLAND–Dec. 22, 2010–“FreePrintableCertificates.net users have shown that ‘naughtiness’ is not the norm this Christmas,” said Kevin Savetz, the site’s creator. “Of course, this is not a scientific poll. But I like to think it’s a good sign for humanity.”
So far, 1,200 Christmas “Nice” certificates have been printed, compared to 721 “Naughty” certificates.
Savetz suspects that many of the “Naughty” certificates are printed as gag gifts for adults, while little kids are probably getting the “Nice” ones. “Every little kid secretly worries about ending up on the ‘Naughty List.’ An official certification that they are ‘nice’ could ease their fears come Christmas Eve,” he said.
However, throwing a wrench into Savetz's theory, there have been a significant number of people printing “Lump of Coal” certificates: 853 copies have been printed in December.
“Lumps of coal, either in literal or certificate form, are probably reserved for cases of extreme badness. I presume that ‘naughty’ is more of a playful, low to moderate level of badness,” Savetz observed. “You have to be pretty awful to deserve a lump of coal, so I have to admit I’m a little concerned. Maybe more people are nice than naughty, but there are apparently still plenty of people who are just flat-out bad.”
Savetz owns FreePrintable.net, which has more than 60 sites with free printable items, from business cards to coloring pages and everything in between. Another popular Website this year is SantaPrintables.com, offering printable letters from Santa. There are 40 full-color, “signed” letters to choose from, including styles perfect for Christmas morning.
The Christmas certificates print in standard letter size from any home or office printer and can be sent in the mail, presented at office parties, and rolled up and placed in stockings. They are free as PDFs that can be written on in pen, and there's also a $5 premium .doc option for people who want to type names and other information directly into the certificate.
“I’m keeping a close eye on this nice vs. naughty trend,” Savetz promised. “It’s fun, and cheaper than therapy.”
There are more than 60 sites in the FreePrintable.net family of free printables sites created by Savetz Publishing, Inc., a company devoted to creating useful and informative Websites of interest to consumers and small businesses.
Source: Company press release.