The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

Today is polling day. Suppose that tomorrow we have a new government or coalition. How will they promote themselves? This is a marketing issue faced by any new start up and one that can be solved using promotional gifts. Let’s take this a little further. When a new company forms it has to create an identity and branding style. The organisation may then develop a strapline that encompasses its ethos and unique selling proposition. With these aspects in place the new entity is ready to start advertising and promoting itself. So what are the best promotional products for start-ups? Well with fairly limited budgets low-cost promotional gifts are always popular. Merchandise such as promotional pens, mousemats and promotional mugs are readily available, easy to brand and customise and always go down well with both clients and recipients. So just imagine that tomorrow is a fresh start. Imagine the first cabinet meeting taking place early next week and on the table at Number 10 are newly supplied promotional gifts from Redbows. It could happen.

The other day I came across the term ‘brand snacks’. Off course to all intents and purposes this is what promotional gifts provide. A short burst of your brand to energise and maybe just get you wanting more. Take promotional pens, you generally pick them up to write with and consciously or unconsciously take note of the branding on them. The same can be said for other standard types of promotional gifts, like promotional mugs and mousemats for example. The important bit is that you have noticed the brand, recalled the contact details and found the products to be useful, reliable and readily available. Just the type of characteristics you want from a supplier off course, and especially a promotional gifts supplier like Redbows.

The promotional gifts market is very competitive and it is possible to see many suppliers offering the same or similar products. Internet search engines and price comparators make it easy for clients to check out prices. So just how does a promotional gifts company differentiate itself and add value? Take a company like Redbows, its differentiation-based strategy is based on innovation and customer service. In terms of the latter, our mission is to provide the best possible customer service in the promotional products industry. This starts from the moment we ‘touch’ a potential client to looking after them through the quotation and ordering process, to final product delivery and after-sales follow-up. We have one of the highest client repeat ratios in the industry, simply because we look after our clients. In terms of innovation, we don’t just look to offer the latest products but also innovate in how we serve clients. This includes investments in our marketing, websites, Twitter and Facebook applications as well as internal process to the business itself. Every employee is involved in the customer service interface and acts as a customer service champion, in addition to being encourage to innovate. So no matter what promotional products (promotional mugs, pens and mousemats for example) you are looking for you can be assured that Redbows delivers ‘probably’ the best possible customer service in the promotional products industry.

Well after much work we have almost finished the revamp of our primary Promotional Gifts website. Unlike the Promotional Gifts Store which features numerous product collections and thousands of promotional goods, we wanted the Redbows website to go back to its roots. We wanted to provide a source of the cheapest promotional gifts available and those considered essential for most marketing and promotions managers. Hence the new name for the Redbows website – the Essential Gifts Store. What we have done is made the website display our lowest cost and most popular promotional gifts including pens, mugs, mousemats and many others. We have also added seasonal best sellers such as our chocolate advent calendars. We will add more collections and promotional merchandise to this website over time and see how effective this latest approach is to serving our clients.

How often do we act global but go local? The internet provides everyone with a global information search facility but how often do we then search out a local supplier? The point is we like (and possibly still want) local service and that personal touch when it comes to even commodity purchases. This was all brought home to me the other evening whilst watching Pretty Woman. Remember the scene when she fails to get service in a high class boutique, then returns the next day saying ‘you work on commission right? Big mistake, big, huge….sorry I have to go now, I’ve got shopping to do.’ So what has this got to do with promotional gifts? Well people still buy from people. When it comes to promotional gifts it does not matter how much we automate the quotation and buying process. People like to speak to a professional gifts consultant and make sure that they are going to get the service they want, with a dedicated project manager looking after their every need and making sure their promotional products arrive to time, and as intended. Part of the issue for a company like Redbows is the size of the ranges we supply. Take our pens, coasters and mousemats. Your’re talking 1000 plus products, all within a similar price range, with similar specifications. This can be daunting for a client and the main reason why they want to talk to someone who knows the ranges inside out and can guide them to the right product for their need and budget. I am pretty sure other industries are very much the same. Yes, we are turning into a world that will purchase on-line without seeing a physical product or sales person but for some products and merchandise I can see full automation will be a way off, if ever.

Yesterday being Father’s Day I was wondering if we should have an International Promotional Gifts Day? Why you may ask? Well there are two aspects to consider. Firstly, days such as these are intended to recognise the unsung heros and take the time out to reward and recognise them. If you consider staple promotional items like pens, mugs and mousemats then all too often they can become the unsung heros. Part of the issue is that they play their roles well but at a subconscious level, reinforcing brand names and marketing messages whilst providing a more explicit function. Secondly, ‘promotional gifts’ are international by their very nature and are part of a global supply chain. There are very few promotional items these days that are soley sourced (components and materials), manufactured and supplied within a single country, without crossing international boders and supply chains. Just a quick afternoon thought….whilst washing the lunchtime dishes with the males in my house enjoying a snooze and the British Grand Prix.