Does the promotional product you’ve selected position your company in a unique, attention-getting matter? The more attention, the more talk, and the more potential for generating business from your effort.

For example, a new radio station gave away a Prime Line radio imprinted with their logo. Each radio dial is set to the new stations number to further reinforce listener-ship. At a small cost of only $3.95 to $5.95 each, this was a clever, direct  method to lure new listeners to the new radio station. Just as effective was the new computer store that gave away the Prime Line modem phone cord.

One of my favorite merchandise-driven promotions was launched by the Rhode Island Medical Society. They sent out Tee Off golf balls in a prescription bottle to their doctors. Costs varied – $5.50 to $11.50 – due to the quality rage of golf balls available to them.

The focus on practical items that your clients will use over and over serves your marketing efforts better and better. Case in point, your company sends out a CD with a Happy Holiday message on it from your staff. The same CD includes an hour of popular Holiday Tunes. The CDs go out with a great gadget called the iSlice. It is a hip looking CD opener with a ceramic blade that rips open CD packaging without effort. It is the type of item your customers will use again and again.

Selecting the appropriate corporate merchandise to represent your brand should be considered an important aspect of your company’s marketing plan and strategic brand building campaign. To that end, work with a qualified promotional product distributor – a brand partner – that understands the dynamics of merchandising and marketing.

Written by: Payden

Consider the following factors when purchasing promotional products that will carry your company logo.

First, does the promotional product reflect the quality of your product or service? If your company promotes a high-end product or service, it isn’t wise to imprint your logo on a low-end inferior promotional product. If you’re promoting a sophisticated event, your product should reinforce that sophisticated message.

For example: A financial firm has an upcoming convention. They purchase and distribute a more expensive Antigua 100% cotton polo shirt, at a cost of $26.75 each with an embroidered logo. A competitor, on the other hand, is preparing for an upcoming company tennis tournament, so they choose a nice but less expensive lower-end product: a Harvard Square 100% cotton, polo shirt for $18.50.

You’re delivering more than a gift with every promotional product, you’re delivering a message too. There is always going to be a more positive attitude among customers that receive a high quality calculator as a gift than by those who receive a less expensive highlighter pen. Every promotional product sends a message, every message translates into a consumer attitude, and every attitude dictates weather or not the consumer conducts more business with your company.

Written by: Payden

Part 2 coming soon…

We have all heard these words before, many like myself, from our mothers. It may be a bit of a stretch, but a correlation can be made with cross branding between a company, its brand, and  merchandise selected to promote both. In other words, your image and your brand are only as good as the quality or the “brand” of the merchandise your services or products are associated with.

Cross promoting with other brands should be a well thought out process before making a purchase. When purchasing golf balls for your executive charity tournament, do you want your brand associated with Titleist, the most recognized brand with the highest perceived value, or brand X golf balls? The corporate merchandising industry offers endless options, just like the advertising industry. Don’t treat them any differently. Your decisions about a corporate merchandise premium, like your advertising decisions, should be based on what will enable you to further achieve your overall brand marketing goals.

Written by Payden

One area that promotional products have been effective in, is the generation of booth traffic and quality leads at trade shows. Rather than just hand out an inexpensive promotional product to every show attendee as they passed their booth, one company qualified their target audience by sending invitations to both their current and potential customers. These were the people that the company wanted their sales force to spend time with during the show. Included in the invitation box were a set of batteries with a note saying ” Let us help you see the future”, with instructions for the recipient to visit their booth and receive the gift the batteries operated. Over 90% of the recipients were curious enough to visit the company’s booth during the show, resulting in substantive one-on-one time with viable prospects.

Written by Payden

Corporate branding through promotional products and corporate merchandise, once a cottage industry, has grown to over an $18 billion a year industry with numerous applications.

When I first entered the industry in 1977 with a sportswear screen-printing and embroidery business, my future mother-in-law questioned the longevity of my chosen career, stating “tee shirts are just a fad.” At the time few people realized that the tee shirt, and related sportswear items, would become such a powerful branding tool, with individuals of every age sometimes paying to wear your company’s corporate logo and brand on their chest.

According to a study commissioned by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) in 1998, 95% of the 839 businesses surveyed used promotional products. Today, companies in every industry and of every size use promotional products to launch and promote new products, reward employees for their accomplishments and build customer loyalty.

The use of promotional products as a brand building tool has become a staple for many companies and organizations. It has become as important to their advertising budgets as their print, radio and television campaigns. The key to their success is the creativeness of the product and how it ties into their long-term goals and what the measurable return on their investment is. Just think of how many impressions your corporate logo on a tee shirt receives over the course of its life.

There are hundreds of applications for corporate merchandise and promotional products in today’s business world. The key is to come up with a product that fits your company’s image in a creative and effective manner. Your promotional products distributor should offer suggestions that reflect the image of the company, perpetuate your firm’s brand and contribute to annual marketing goals.

Written by Payden

The rising costs of cotton and oil will result in price increases in our industry this year.  Cotton prices have doubled over the last year and oil prices are also up.  We are anticipating an increase of around 10% in garment costs, more than likely during the second half of this year.  In addition, promotional products will also increase do to oil increases and the economic situation in China.

Payden

Everyone loves receiving promotional products.  Visit an office at any company and I guarantee that you will see a coffee mug, writing instrument, calendar, desk accessory or some type of promotional product with a corporate logo.  Is that your company or your competitors?  Bob Lederer, former President of a leading promotional product manufacturer states that, “promotional product advertising is the only type of advertising that elicits a thank you from the recipient.”  In traditional advertising, the number of impressions an advertisement receives measures an advertising campaign’s success.  Just think about how many times and how many different people see a corporate logo on that coffee mug. A more important advantage of promotional products, when used properly to increase sales, is the return on investment can be measured more accurately than any other advertising medium.

Maybe you’ve been using promotional products to advertise your business? However, have you used them as a tool to increase leads, sales and cash flow or only as a toy to elicit a laugh from fellow workers?  Can you measure the success of your promotional product advertising campaigns?  Or, is it just a line item in your marketing budget that increases when you have profits and is eliminated entirely when you don’t?  If you answer is no to the first question and yes to the last, it’s time take another look at the manner in which your company uses these unique marketing items.

It is imperative to increase sales in a sluggish marketplace. Ironically, it is often easier to win over new clients and expand market share in poor economic times than it is in good times because many purchasing agents , desperate to improve performance, are willing to work with new vendors presenting something conceivably more effective.

To increase lead and sales, considering including a promotional product in your next mailing to your prospects and clients.  A study by Silver Marketing Group, published by the Promotional Products Association, found that the use of promotional products, in conjunction a sales letter, can make a significant difference in direct mail response rates and improve the effectiveness of converting leads into appointments. In terms of appointments secured, a sales letter only received a 1.8% response.  A letter with a promotional product enclosed received a 2.7% response and a letter with an offer of a promotional product incentive received a 7.3% response.

Whether your a CEO of a large or small company, a promotional products campaign can be tailored to both your needs and budget.  Promotional products should not be the line item in your marketing budget that is deleted first.  Instead, they should be the creative marketing tool that puts your sales efforts in gear and contributes to making your company first in your market.

Payden

In a study done by PPAI/Promotional Products Association International, of advertising habits of marketing executives conducted in 2008, it was learned that promotional products ranked as their advertising medium of choice, over TV, newspapers and the internet. 1049 end buyers cited promotional products tops in these attributes:

* Ability to achieve long-term memorability at the cost of paying only for a single exposure.

* Flexibility to fit the cost of the medium to the budget

*Ability to bond with the audience in a way that promotes repeat business

* Audience-friendly (people actually want to receive promotional products)

* Proven to generate traffic in stores, trade shows, etc.

78% of those declared the medium (promotional products) as somewhat or very effective in achieving the advertising objectives.

What type of product did you use for your last promotion?  Please explain the details of how you used this item.