The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

It is funny how the growth of the promotional products industry matches that of mass manufacturing, industrial and technological revolutions. I comment on this because the first known promotional items were used in the US for the George Washington 1789 election. Apparently, commemorative buttons were all the rage back then. Later on promotional calendars and wooden rulers began to be used and the promotions industry really started to take root during the 19th Century. Our industry is now dominated by the internet and this is being used more and more as a way to present information and secure valuable sales leads. My only concern is that the quality of websites within our industry varies considerably and I find a number using ‘cloak and dagger’ methods to gain search traffic and hoodwink clients into thinking they are dealing with two or more separate organisations. All this is off course possible with database driven websites that can deliver content to any domain. However just because the technology exists do we have to abuse it? If we can be true to ourselves in how we promote our organisations, clients will benefit and standards in the gifts industry will only rise.

I was thinking the other day just what products fit the classic promotional products profile – low cost, high quality giveaways, with a good print area, unique designs, functional and that can get seen by more than one person. Now there are many promotional products that fit this profile but a timely one for the new year would be bottle openers and perhaps even bottle stoppers for those that have had enough festive cheer. A printed bottle opener, branded with your logo is just one of those functional gifts that people like to have around. What’s more they can fulfill a useful role in an office or non-work environment such as at a company event or corporate hospitality day where drinks are on offer. Off course bottle openers are required regardless of whether there are alcoholic beverages such as beers on offer or just bottle water. If you ware considering the latter as part of a new year detox then you could also consider using branded promotional spring water as part of your campaign.

Promotional pens are one of those stationery products that are considered a classic when it comes to promotional marketing. They are excellent promotional products that are used regularly and provide great brand visibility within any business, corporate or public sector environment. What we are talking here is repeat advertising, and the more times your brand is seen the lower the cost of the advert! In such an environment, there is also the opportunity for some viral marketing of sorts. If you pick the right promotional pen then there is a good chance that others within the target market environment will want to get hold of one, so expanding your overall distribution. So just how can such promo items be distributed and used? Well we find that many clients within the charity sector use pens as part of their direct mail campaigns and as giveaways. Within a corporate environment pens are used to help build the brand and team identity with employees actively encouraged to use the available promo items both within and outside their office environments. Off course the classic distribution method is as a reward and corporate gift for clients, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. If you have a visitors book why not keep a stock of these promo pens on the same desk and encourage your visitors to help themselves to one?  Also when it comes to promotions using pens and other types of promotional stationery, remember that their giveaway is part of a much wider advertising and marketing campaign.

When it comes to promotional products and their distribution what matters most? Research shows that giving promotional items to clients and potential clients can help to drive up business. However, to be effective the right gifts have to reach the right audience at the right time. This requires targeting, market segmentation, timing and packaging. The items used should also off course be of the right quality, perceived value and relative to the promotion. We find our promo products being used to support a number of marketing initiatives including: free trials, sample evaluations and demonstrations. One aspect from most promotional campaigns we find missing is results evaluation. As a marketing spend you must evaluate whether you achieved what you wanted from the promotion. If you get what you expected all well and good but why stop there? Remember to repeat the promotion and only alter one variable so that you can test whether this generates an improvement or not. Promotional marketing is a science as much as it is an art form and this is why we continue to generate promotional materials and articles to help expand the knowledge base.