The Subtle Art of Promotion
Handing out freebies can be good for business.
By Lorne Chase
How effective are free promotional products? The answer may be as simple as looking across your desk. Chances are you’ve collected a number of items adorned with company logos. Maybe it’s a calculator with a flip-top. Or the pen you keep handy to jot notes. Perhaps it’s the coffee mug within easy reach so you can fortify yourself with jolts of caffeine throughout your workday.
The point is that most of us have received free promotional items at one time or another. Pens, mugs, water bottles, writing pads, stress balls, flashlights, buttons, calendars, fridge magnets and T-shirts are just some of the wide variety of promo items produced by a Canadian industry that generated $2.1 billion in revenues in 2002.
“Promotional products are an exciting, one-on-one form of marketing,” says Kurt Reckziegel, CEO of the Professional Products Association (PAA) of Canada. “It’s advertising that people like because everyone likes to get something free.”
Make a statement
Promotional items have become part of the marketing mix for most companies. From the largest corporations to the smallest family-run business, there is one crucial question to ask before investing in promo items: What product best represents the image our company wants to promote? A golf course, for example, will likely have its logo stamped on such items as golf balls and tees. An automotive dealership might choose key-chains or tire gauges. Computer firms may go with a USB flash drive for storing files, or a media case for an MP3 player. If you are a fine jeweler catering to an upscale clientele you may decide to provide customers with an engraved Montblanc “writing instrument”, rather than a mere pen. The bottom line: the promotional products you choose should say something about the type of business you run.
Tony Liacos, President of the Toronto-based promotional products distributor AC Madison, says business owners should know what results they want to achieve by using promo items. “When I meet with a client, I go through a checklist of questions with them. Do they have a theme for their promotion? Are they trying to boost sales? Launch a new product? What’s the message they want to convey? Knowing what they want helps suggest the right promotional item for them.”
According to recent reports the amount of money being spent on marketing and advertising in traditional media such as radio, TV and print has been declining in recent years. One of the reasons is the Internet, which is attracting more marketing dollars from companies eager to tap into the vast online audience. Even so, Reckziegel says, the money spent on promotional products hasn’t seen a similar decline. “Large corporations like Staples and Costco are now giving out promotional items,” he notes. “Businesses large and small continue to see the value of an item that ties in with their promotional programs or campaigns.”
What works
Reckziegel says that approximately 37% of the promotional products that are created fall into the category of “wearables” (i.e. T-shirts, jackets, fleece tops), while writing instruments such as pens and pencils make up 9%, and “drinkware” (coffee mugs, water bottles, etc.) make up 8%. A wide variety of other products, everything from tote bags to candy jars to makeup mirrors, make up the other 46%. Distributors like AC Madison can access over 600,000 products created by suppliers and manufacturers.
Are there any truly unique promo products out there?
Reckziegel, who has seen thousands of them over the years, says there are always new and exciting products on offer. He mentions the “Chill and Grill”, a tote bag that features a cooler on top and a grill on the bottom, and the personal breathalyzer in a bag that allows you to see if you’ve had too much to drink. Tony Liacos recently came across a plastic ice cube that lights up when dropped into water or beverages, a novelty item that can be engraved with a corporate logo and is available in red, green or blue.
A handy item for travelers is the colour-coded flashing LED light that attaches to your luggage so you can spot it quickly on revolving airport carousels. Health-related products have become popular and include portable blood pressure monitors, bottles of hand sanitizer, handi-wipes, aloe lip balm, sun care kits and medication organizers. Then there are new twists on old favourites, like the zippered foam cooler (place a bottle inside and zip it up snuggly like a jacket), and the extreme sports water bottle with a freezer bar you can drop inside to keep drinks cold for hours. With so many companies “going green” these days, the metallic pencil provides an opportunity to demonstrate how concerned you are about saving the forests.
No matter what type of product you choose, make sure it’s something people will find useful or is a real conversation starter. After all, what good is a freebie nobody wants? People will quickly forget about it. After all the money you spent, your company’s message and contact information might end up languishing beside unused rubber bands, bent paper clips and dust balls.
Any promotional item should leave a lasting impression. Think about it this way: you’re putting something into a person’s hands that has the potential to remain in their life for years to come.
To find out more about the promotional products industry in Canada visit PPA’s website at www.promocan.com. You’ll find examples of dozens of promo items from its members, as well as the IDEA BOOK featuring a comprehensive collection of products from suppliers.
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