Within bathing accessories sponges are increasingly POPULAR PROFITABLE product Our sponge is the FINEST NATURAL QUALITY Selling our sponge is HELPING GOOD CAUSE for the environment community Our sponge stands out as EXOTIC and DIFFERENTIATED from among

242 POS MATERIALS EXAMPLES 77: ‘USING IT ALL’ FOR OFF-THE-SHELF PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE SPONGE Letter introducing the company community, product, and making an offer Product samples Business presentation value proposition 24 • Increasing popularity of premium personal bathing products • Yet, scarce supply in Hawaii • Similar, but inferior, products retail for 15-30 • Smoothest bathing sponge available, with highly absorbent structure • Unique packaging and POS materials support • Proceeds go to farming communities, are their main source of income • Helps sustain livelihoods and traditions of island communities • Original personal gift from island vacation • The most unique sponge – the ONLY 100 natural at the same time ecologically produced sponge in the world • We give a very favorable wholesale price thanks to our non-profit status • Production supervised by marine biologists from Univ. of Hawaii, no chemicals used • Ecologically produced, thus supporting Marine Protected Areas • Produced in remote, exotic and climatically unique islands of Pohnpei, Micronesia

1. Within bathing accessories sponges are increasingly POPULAR PROFITABLE product

MICRONESIAN MICRONESIAN NATURAL SEA NATURAL SEA SPONGE SPONGE The Only Ecologically The Only Ecologically Farmed Sponge in the Farmed Sponge in the World World

2. Our sponge is the FINEST NATURAL QUALITY

4. Selling our sponge is HELPING GOOD CAUSE for the environment community

3. Our sponge stands out as EXOTIC and DIFFERENTIATED from among others

4 REASONS TO CARRY A MICRONESIAN NATURAL SEA SPONGE Business card Posters Brochures POS support materials Logo cards Educational materials Entertaining ‘Sponges 101’ booklet ‘What is a sponge?’ article What is a sea sponge? We’re all familiar with sponges - those colorful, handy and very affordable synthetic workhorses easily obtainable at the local market, and in bulk, usually 10 for a 1. Most well-stocked bath aisles also offer an assortment of “spongy” bathing aids and accessories that help make your evening soak in the tub that much more relaxing and enjoyable. True bath lovers, though, will agree that for pure bathing luxury there’s no contest when it comes to choosing between the synthetic sponge or the more costly natural sea sponge. Why? Natural sea sponges are much softer, they absorb more water, don’t retain odors and they’ll last much longer than their fake counterparts. Sea sponges are actually the skeletons of a once living sea creature. There are even some varieties that live in fresh water locations. Scientists have identified approximately 5000 species of sponges thus far, though only a handful can be used for bathing purposes. Most sea sponges attach themselves to coral, rocks or rock walls, shell beds and other hard or stable surfaces along the ocean floor. There are a few varieties that are free-standing, however, like the Barrel sponge. Before the advent of the synthetic age early Mediterranean and European civilizations used the natural sea sponge for many daily tasks like painting, washing and sweeping floors or as a way to gather drinking water when cups or other vessels were unavailable. Roman soldiers used them to line their helmets and doctors and healers used the burnt sponge as a therapeutic aid for certain maladies. Nowadays the natural sponge’s many uses has dwindled to selected areas like arts and crafts, painting and re-decorating, or for use in operating rooms during surgical procedures. Modern science is also investigating properties found within these sea creatures that could one day treat a host of human diseases. Sea sponges come in many different shapes and sizes and literally every color of the rainbow depending on their location. Some look like thin, swaying tree branches or floating bushes. Others resemble shapely urns or vases. Still others look like floating cylindrical tubes or swaying fans. There are even some sponges that resemble common flowers like the tulip and still more that have no definitive shape at all. While most sponges grow to only a few centimeters, there are certain species that balloon to many times the size of a man. Scientists believe that age, environmental conditions and food supply may be related to the size certain sponges achieve. Sponges have a life span of a few months to 20 years or more. They also have the ability to regenerate into new individuals from even the tiniest fragments of the original. This is of particular value when sponge habitats begin to degrade or can no longer support the growing population or if food supplies suddenly diminish. When any of these variables occur the sponges fragment and lie dormant until such time as growing conditions once again become ideal. ‘ Even the most minute change in conditions can impact these floating aquatic arboretums. Pollution, introduced species, over-harvesting by sponge divers, and the warming of the oceans over the last few decades is having an increasingly negative impact on sponges and sponge gardens. Commercial harvesting of sponges is done either by manual hooking, harpooning or more automated deepwater fishing. Once the sponges have been cleaned of all their living cells, these animal “skeletons” are ready for sale. NATURAL SEA SPONGES ALWAYS OVER SYNTHETIC OUT OF 5000 SPECIES, ONLY FEW ARE USABLE FOR BATHING BESIDES BATHING, SPONGES HAVE MANY USES QUALITY OF A SPONGE IS RELATED TO ITS CLIMATE SPONGES ARE ENDANGERED SPECIES MAINLLY DUE TO OVER- HARVESTING FORTUNATELLY, SPONGES ALLOW FOR SUSTAINABLE FARMING THANKS TO ITS REGENERATIVE ABILITY, BUT ARE … … Farmed ecologically in only one place in the world Adapted from ctct.essortment.com 1. Who we are 3. What is a sea sponge? 2. Check out our product 4. Why should you carry it? 5. If you do sell it, this is the POS support we will provide 1 2 3 4 5 IN-STORE PROMO 12 243 First of all, this topic is covered in detail in the section 3.2 ‘Business-to-business Selling’. This page is here just to quickly show other ways for you to use POS materials. Imagine you need to get new business partners for selling your products ―for example, new stores or distributors. You can also use POS materials to prepare a promotional package that you can give or send to these businesses. Just read from middle to top left corner and then clockwise following the numbers to get an idea of what you can put in an envelope or a box. Having POS support can help convince your partner to carry and sell your product and help convince the end consumer to buy your product. – 2.3 PROMOTION: In-store Promotions – How would you go about making these POS materials? 244

13. DISCOUNTS BASICS Motivating customers to buy more, Part One