To increase reach for marketers, the revenue generated from selling space to advertisers is used to keep production costs low. This ensures greater value and affordability for distributors. Moreover, the bloomerHang® takes advantage of previously unused space and serves as a marketing/media platform. The unique design of the bloomerHang® was the result of multiple design iterations.
Thian conducted numerous field studies in various locations such as the wardrobes of friends and family, furniture stores, and laundry vans. These studies aimed to identify the key design elements required to make the bloomerHang® a successful product. By comparing more than 20 different hanger designs, Thian noticed an important discrepancy in the size of hangers intended for the European and Asian markets. Specifically, there was a two-inch difference in width. This finding carried significant implications as the company’s focus was on the Asian market, specifically Singapore. The larger 18-inch hanger commonly used in Europe would stretch clothing and create wrinkles on smaller garments.
This observation not only improved the product design for the local market but also saved on production costs by reducing the material needed for a single bloomerHang®. Another interesting finding from these missions was that over 60 percent of dry-cleaned garments were menswear. This helped the company gain a better understanding of its target audience demographics and select advertising partners accordingly.
The bloomerHang® stands out due to its meticulous design, which has earned it nominations for a prestigious design award. It serves as an innovative marketing platform for advertisers and companies aiming to reach a particular demographic. To effectively reach its four target audience segments, the bloomerHang® partners with four main distributors: hotels for tourists, hostels for students, gyms for health-conscious adults, and dry-cleaners and laundromats for working professionals.
In this manner, bloomerHang® serves as a highly concentrated method of directly reaching its target audience. Within the student demographic, the company aims to establish strong connections with student organizations and boarding residents’ committees from the four main universities in Singapore. As a result, it has successfully reached a substantial number of local undergraduates. Taking advantage of this opportunity, bloomerHang® has been approached to deliver various advertisements and inform consumers about fresh products and services by advertisers and marketers who are constantly searching for novel avenues.
Nowadays, social media has become widely acknowledged in mainstream society, making social media marketing an essential strategy for many products. However, there are still untapped methods of reaching audiences, including the innovative bloomerHang®. This unique product is a clothes hanger that allows for customizable advertising messages, potentially grabbing your attention every morning as you choose an outfit from your wardrobe.
The bloomerHang® is a clothes hanger produced by bloomerang Pte Ltd, a Singaporean company founded by Thian Zhiwen in mid-2008. Thian’s inspiration for the hanger came from his frustration with a broken hanger in a gym locker room. He also noticed that the locker room was filled with advertising posters and saw an opportunity to combine the two. Drawing on his background in the paper products industry, Thian developed the bloomerHang®, a clothes hanger made entirely from recycled corrugated cardboard and recyclable art paper, which is also 100-percent biodegradable.
The bloomerHang® is a hanger that functions like a regular plastic wire hanger but is more durable and cheaper to replace. It also has a smaller environmental impact. However, what sets it apart is its integrated art paper overlay, which includes an advertising space. This space can be used for marketing fashionable shoes, electronic speakers, and even a healthy lifestyle campaign.
One recent campaign by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) aimed to reduce smoking in Singapore. The campaign targeted young adults and university graduates, using the bloomerHang® as a call to action and invitation to a text-message competition organized by HPB. The bloomerHang® has also been utilized for marketing purposes, such as distributing discount coupons for boutiques, which successfully increased foot traffic.
Other uses of the unique design of the bloomerHang® hanger include attachments such as discount vouchers and restaurant brochures for tourists in hotels, as well as skin care and shampoo product samples for users in gyms. The launch of the bloomerHang® hanger received significant press coverage and attention in Singapore. The company is involved in entrepreneurship, design, and biodegradable waste management, and has been nominated for prestigious awards. Additionally, the company collaborates with tertiary institutions in Singapore, making it a fascinating case study for product design, materials, and business marketing.
Though these have helped increase the visibility of the company and opened doors to new clients and collaborators, Thian admits that convincing marketing managers to adopt such an unconventional marketing channel is still a challenge. Nevertheless, the company’s efforts have caught the attention of parties abroad in Australia, Germany, Jakarta, and Kuwait who have shown interest in the bloomerHang® concept and business collaborations. However, for Thian, the bloomerHang® remains a business with a green focus that he considers essential.
He argues that without financial feasibility, convincing retailers and distributors to switch to the eco-friendly bloomerHang® would be challenging. Therefore, finding advertisers and establishing a media presence is a top priority for the company. The company’s business model combines elements of a traditional production company and a unique media platform. Business development efforts are divided between potential advertisers, interested marketers, and the gyms, hotels, and laundry services that form bloomerHang®’s distribution network.
The bloomerHang® symbolizes the convergence of advantages on three fronts – an appealing advertising platform for advertisers, a cost-effective substitute for traditional plastic hangers for retailers, and an environmentally friendly choice for consumers. Its triangular shape mirrors three key aspects of the company’s business approach: functional product design, innovative marketing tactics, and a commitment to corporate environmental responsibility. Undoubtedly, this harmonious fusion is the key to the bloomerHang®’s historical and future achievements.
