Dr. Gerard F. Abbott

President, Block Island Historical Society and Southeast Lighthouse Foundation

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…

Sincerely,
Lori Petrone
Academy for Little Children

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

Written by Payden

According to Payden, “the company has experienced 29% sales growth since 2009 and anticipates strong growth in 2012.  We are seeing indications that the economy is getting stronger. We anticipate that this will help provide another good growth year.”

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

Over 30 factories will be displaying their promotional product and sportswear lines.  It’s a great time to see products and get ideas for your holiday gift needs or next years marketing plans.

If you plan on attending, please RSVP by calling Payden and Company at 401-884-6811 or sending an e-mail to payden@paydenandcompany.com

We hope to see your there!  It’s a great event and I’m confident that  you will be pleased if you attend!

Regards,

Payden

Payden

Donna Zarrella

Prime Time Magazine

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