Kid's stuff turns into gizmos for big clients

By DITA DE BONI

Anyone who thought owning your own multi-million dollar marketing business and having four-day weeks were mutually exclusive concepts has obviously not met Carol Comer.

At 37, Ms Comer has a $5 million going on $50 million business which spans several continents and is operated entirely from New Zealand - the kind of knowledge-wave business that should make our economists shimmy with glee.

But this is a business-owner with a difference. She goes home at around 3.30 pm every day and has never worked Fridays, choosing to spend them with her 4 year old daughter instead.

It's partly research, of course. A big part of Ms Comer's business is coming up with ideas for the gizmos and toys that are sold in children's promotions across New Zealand, Australia and Asia - "and nothing is better for getting ideas then rummaging in [my daughter's] friend's toy boxes!" she says.

The business, High Impact, creates, sources, packs, and co-ordinates promotional products (products with logos) for a range of both domestic and international clients including Burger King, Coca-Cola, Air New Zealand and a host of others.

For Burger King - one of High Impact's larger accounts - Ms Comer and her lieutenants create trinkets for meal promotions across the Pacific Rim.

They then find a manufacturer, ensure packing and production are carried out on time, and make sure the burger stores receive the toys to the right specifications and in time for any special promotions.

The entire process is operated by a handful of staff in a small, split-level unit in East Tamaki.

The business now turns over just under $5 million a year, but Ms Comer - who has no formal qualifications - says this could reach $50 million if she conquers the new Asian markets she is eyeing.

And judging from her business history, there is no reason to believe it won't happen.

Ms Comer launched High Impact in 1997 in the basement of her home in Maraetai.

She had just enough money to buy the essentials (car, computer, phone and business logo), but had five years previous experience in the promotional marketing business.

And High Impact came ready-equipped with its first client, Georgie Pie.

"My focus from day one was to keep the business simple, be completely focused on my clients and their needs and to deal only with the companies that were spending the money," she says.

"I decided to take only one client per industry and I've stuck to that religiously - just one brand at a time and given it my total focus."

When Georgie Pie met its demise soon after, Ms Comer decided to approach Burger King with a proposition to do similar work.

It helped that her husband was working and so money was not her motivating factor. She also had little in the way of outgoings because the basement was a low-cost premise.

"But I knew from day one I'd be successful, and I wanted to be really big. I thought I could do it better because I looked at the bigger picture - the global business."

Three weeks after her call on Burger King, the New Zealand portion of the chain gave her an order for 100,000 sports balls to accompany children's meals.

But Ms Comer knew that economies of scale would make more sense, and, taking the bull by the horns, placed a call to the Burger King chain in Australia (known as Hungry Jacks) with a proposition to add their order to the list.

" They came back with an order of one million toys for delivery and asking for my bank account number so they could deposit 50 per cent of my payment up front."

That up-front 50 per cent payment - not compulsory, but one which High Impact rewards in its pricing structure - helped finance the order and the rest is history.

Now the promotions contractor for Burger King in Australia and New Zealand, the company has recently won a contract to supply Burger King Taiwan, which has necessitated several fact-finding trips on top of regular visits to contacts in Hong Kong. Further Asian Burger Kings are being investigated.

"We've just offered the type of service they needed in Taiwan."

"The previous company they worked with out of LA didn't worry about little markets like Taiwan and so didn't do things like print the necessary [instructions and/or warnings] on the polybag in Chinese, meaning the Taiwanese had to pay to print special stickers that had to be affixed to each bag - which was time consuming and expensive.

"But we just ask the printers to add one more paragraph in Chinese to their runs. The Taiwanese had never had that level of service before."

While the High Impact-ers seem to have an affinity for contracts involving toys, they are quick to point out that they've also scored some "grown-up" business, including the worldwide merchandising contract for Air New Zealand.

Essentially, she says, the key to the business is to keep clients happy, and to do that, pull out all the stops.

"Often I've said I'll get them something without really knowing if I could or not," she laughs.

"But I'll make it my mission to source anything the client needs."

Operating a marketing business requires some basic skills, including "understanding your brief and client very well", she says.

High Impact usually suggests the promotional gimmicks to its clients, so a knowledge of pop culture and the ability to co-ordinate with film and television companies to know what entertainment product is due for release and then create relevant toys is very important.

Knowing instinctively what kids will find cool is also key - "easier if you have your own child to observe".

Although the story of High Impact has been one of success, there have been some rough patches.

Financing the growth of the business has been a problem at times.

"I have found the banks' attitude to be quite backwards previously," she says.

"Even when I've said to them 'my clients are the likes of Coca-Cola, not Joe Bloggs the plumber!' they have still been unhelpful."

She believes that being young and female may have also added to her difficulties.

She suggests new businesses should always employ the best lawyer and business manager possible.

Negotiating the best buying terms has also been a learning curve although one that has paid off richly. A consistent "look" is also important. For example, all products sent out in a High Impact order are packed in new boxes, with clear packaging tape and black tissue.

And, says Ms Comer, suppliers should be treated like business partners.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about this company is that flexitime is standard for founder and support staff - who are all women, except for a newly appointed Auckland general manager.

Which even gives a person time to be a media star. Ms Comer recently joined restaurateur Leo Malloy and lingerie maven Jenny Hannah on TV2's Money Game which the trio won, raising more than $40,000 for Starship Hospital.

"If you are totally focused on your clients and are concentrating on what you are doing, you do not have to work more than 30 hours a week," she says.

"My daughter is my number one priority, and my time with her is special. As far as I can see, the business has not suffered because of it."