Skip to Content

One Advertising Technique to Promote Your Digital Collection

One creative way to promote your digital collection is to use the following advertising technique from marketing pioneer Berma-Shave: Post humorous rhyming poems on small sequential highway roadside signs.

Burma-Shave was a Minneapolis based shaving company famous for its advertising. Typically, they posted a series of six small signs along highways, spaced for sequential reading by passing motorists. The last sign would feature the Berma Shave logo. According to Advertising Age (2003), about 600 different Burma-Shave verses appeared in more than 7,000 locations in 45 states.

One example from 1929 read: Every shaver / Now can snore / Six more minutes / Than before / By using / Burma-Shave.

When the Digital Bookmobile visited Mauney Memorial Library in Kings Mountain, NC this September, we saw this great marketing idea! Library Assistant Trey Ross created the rhyming poem to promote their digital colleciton of eBooks and audiobooks.

Now it’s your turn. Create your own Berma-Shave jingle to promote your digital collection, your library, your school, anything! You’ll be sure to bring back memories and raise awareness in a lively way.

Digital Bookmobile Celebrates Canada 150

This is a big year for Canada as it celebrates it’s 150th anniversary!

The Digital Bookmobile paid tribute to this monumental year by visiting five libraries in Ontario, Canada this past July.

7/18 Toronto Public Library – Agincourt Branch

 

Senior Collections Specialist / “eBook Goddess” Maria Cipriano got everyone fired up to visit the Digital Bookmobile at our first stop in Canada on our 2017 tour. Library staff worked two tables outside to promote their e-materials, including OverDrive. They had a prize wheel, candy, and give aways. At the end of the event, one lucky winner went home with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

7/19 Brampton Library – Cyril Clark Branch

Brampton built on community relationships with Starbucks and Tim Hortons to sponsor free coffee at this event. With all hands on deck, freezies, and a prize wheel, they had 377 visitors walk through the Digital Bookmobile!

7/21 Bibliotheque Publique de Clarence-Rockland – Rockland Branch

 

Library Director Catherina was so excited to share her library’s digital collection of eBooks, audiobooks and video with her community of French and English readers. Preschool students even stopped by the Digital Bookmobile!

7/22 Ottawa Public Library – Sunnyside Branch

 

The quaint Sunnyside Branch hosted 180 visitors on the Digital Bookmobile during our visit. Business Librarian Amy H. said, “The event was incredibly successful – lots of dedicated interest as well as those just curious.”

7/24 Chatham-Kent Public Library

 

A windy day brought in a gust of visitors who were interested in trying something new and learning about OverDrive’s newest app, Libby! Chatham-Kent did a great job reaching out to their local media and received coverage during the event from at least four different media outlets.

Happy anniversary Canada.

Love,
Team OverDrive