2026-10-24

What Happened When We Called the Offices That Got a Brandbot

We called the offices that received robots from one of our first campaigns to see if they arrived and what people thought. Here is what we heard.

It is easy to claim a gift works. We wanted to know for sure, so we picked up the phone.

For one of our first client campaigns this fall, we sent robots to 21 small businesses across the Northeast, mostly agencies and professional services firms. A few days after boxes were delivered, we started calling offices to ask one simple question: did the robot make it?

The deliveries

By October 21, 17 of the 21 boxes had been delivered, and the last few from a later batch were on their way. One had been forwarded by USPS because the company had moved offices. Packages landed at front desks, mailboxes, parcel lockers, and in one case were handed directly to someone at the office.

What people said

Every office we reached had received the robot. Here is what they told us, in their own words.

"He's super cute. He's actually on my boss's desk right now." (Front desk, IT services firm, Delaware)

"Oh my gosh, yes, we did open it. Thank you so much for the robot." (PR agency, Philadelphia)

"Sitting on the front foyer. We got little red guys sitting there on a magazine." (Video production company, Pennsylvania)

What we learned

The gift gets attention. People opened the robots, kept them, and put them on display. Not one office we reached had tossed it.

"Robot" opens doors. Mentioning the robot on the phone got an immediate, friendly reaction, even from the front desk.

Delivered is not the same as opened. One office had the box but had not opened it yet because the person who handles the mail was out. A callback two days later found it opened and loved.

Attention is not the same as need. One office loved the robot but simply was not in the market for the service. That is a targeting lesson, not a gift lesson. See targeting by trigger events.

Gatekeepers become allies. The front desk is often the person who unboxes the gift, and they are happy to talk about it.

Follow-up is everything. The robot creates the opening. The call is what turns it into a conversation.

What we changed

We now call 2 to 4 business days after delivery, always ask for the name of whoever answers, and put more effort into choosing recipients with a real reason to need our clients right now.

See what a campaign could look like for you.

What Happened When We Called the Offices That Got a Brandbot

We called the offices that received robots from one of our first campaigns to see if they arrived and what people thought. Here is what we heard.

It is easy to claim a gift works. We wanted to know for sure, so we picked up the phone. For one of our first client campaigns this fall, we sent robots to 21 small businesses across the Northeast, mostly agencies and professional services firms. A few days after boxes were delivered, we started calling offices to ask one simple question: did the robot make it? ## The deliveries By October 21, 17 of the 21 boxes had been delivered, and the last few from a later batch were on their way. One had been forwarded by USPS because the company had moved offices. Packages landed at front desks, mailboxes, parcel lockers, and in one case were handed directly to someone at the office. ## What people said Every office we reached had received the robot. Here is what they told us, in their own words. > "He's super cute. He's actually on my boss's desk right now." (Front desk, IT services firm, Delaware) > "Oh my gosh, yes, we did open it. Thank you so much for the robot." (PR agency, Philadelphia) > "Sitting on the front foyer. We got little red guys sitting there on a magazine." (Video production company, Pennsylvania) ## What we learned **The gift gets attention.** People opened the robots, kept them, and put them on display. Not one office we reached had tossed it. **"Robot" opens doors.** Mentioning the robot on the phone got an immediate, friendly reaction, even from the front desk. **Delivered is not the same as opened.** One office had the box but had not opened it yet because the person who handles the mail was out. A callback two days later found it opened and loved. **Attention is not the same as need.** One office loved the robot but simply was not in the market for the service. That is a targeting lesson, not a gift lesson. See [targeting by trigger events](/blog/choosing-gift-recipients-trigger-events). **Gatekeepers become allies.** The front desk is often the person who unboxes the gift, and they are happy to talk about it. **Follow-up is everything.** The robot creates the opening. The call is what turns it into a conversation. ## What we changed We now call 2 to 4 business days after delivery, always ask for the name of whoever answers, and put more effort into choosing recipients with a real reason to need our clients right now. [See what a campaign could look like for you](/contact).