In the advertising specialties business we talk a lot about the influence and power of promotional products. We have lots of data supporting the fact that people really like getting free stuff. Not only do they like the promotional beads, buttons, bags and pens they receive - they place high value on them. According to a recent ASI Advertising Specialties Impressions Study reported that people use them regularly (81% considered them useful) and keep them for a very long time. More than 75% kept their promotional products for more than six months. This is destined to make brands very happy because they are getting all sorts of incremental impressions long after the campaign is over.

For example, IMC did this crazy student section wig for a stadium sponsor and it is still showing up on game day three years later. I can open up my kitchen cabinet and pick out 3-4 mugs, koosies, and other assorted drinkware that is at least that old or older myself. All collected by the way, before I came into this industry. The new stuff lives in my office. Don’t even ask about the closet of promotional tees, golf shirts, and jackets my family has collected over the years.

But what happens when the free stuff runs out?

Or someone gets passed over because of an unintentional error? I used to think that while disappointed, folks would just say “oh well” and move on or contact the company to see if they might have an extra lying around the office. That was until the day before yesterday. I read a post that blew my mind.

Apparently someone got passed over for the free stuff and got really upset. They got so upset they threatened an officer of the company with blackmail. The weapon a choice – a blog. Apparently the pen is still considered mightier than the sword. But blackmail? Seriously? Over a promotional giveaway item? Apparently the value propositon is greater than studies have led us to believe.

I would like to believe that this reaction was an isolated incident, although I cannot provide you with any statistical data to support that theory. The blogger in me is disgusted that someone would use the space in that way. The self-interested marketer in me hopes that it will give brands pause and they will order more robustly in the future. The realist in me knows this is wishful thinking.

Thanks to George Smith Jr. for the most unlikely blog fodder I have come across related to the promotional marketing. Link to the “blackmail” post http://bit.ly/IUWmP

The study used for this post is a great tool to illustrate consumer behavior and interaction with promotional products and the ROI potential. Released at the ASI Power Summit November 10, 2008, the “Advertising Specialties Impressions Study” is made available through the Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) at http://www.asicentral.com 

 Submitted by Linda Whitteaker-Hanson

Here is my short “to do” list for the over 40 crowd (or anyone really) trying to keep up with the pace of change.

The Mind Shift

Think of social media as a giant cocktail party in space. When you attend tradeshows, seminars, or simply go to the grocery store you meet and chat with perfect strangers all of the time. It might not be your natural inclination to be chatty but you can do it.

The halcyon days of privacy are virtually over. Get over the fact you do not want anyone to know anything about you. The next generation is an open environment of free association. Yes, you should put a picture of yourself out on LinkedIn or Facebook. I am thinking about using a picture of Tina Louise in the hey-day of Gilligan’s Island so that my former colleagues and classmates cannot determine my official weight gain.

Please note that you will be stalked by people you used to know looking for friends and contacts. You do have some control over who you accept in your personal network. From what I have determined, in my short tenure in space, there are two types of networkers – accept almost no one or accept anyone who asks. I am not sure if this is a “who gets the most wins” scenario or not . . .

Types of Social Media

I recently attended a social networking seminar that made me feel as if I could actually brave the social media world. It was where I finally realized I was not alone. Aside from delivering a great introduction to the medium the speaker boiled things down to six types of social media:

Social Networking – Creates communities and connections (Linked In, Facebook)

Blogs & Microblogs – Content used to drive SEO efforts (You are reading a blog! See it’s not as hard as you thought to participate, Twitter)

Social Broadcasting – Visual medium of interest used to drive SEO and promotion (UTube, Flicker)

Social News – Vote driven, SEO driver (Digg, Topix)

Social Bookmarking – Creates communities of similar interest (StumbleUpon, Delicious)

Social Pages – Create content about anything, keyword driven (Squidoo, Hubpages)

My life is now a much better place being in “the know”. Now, I write a blog, have online identity and visit all sorts of webinars and groups. I challenge you to check out some of the sites listed above. You don’t have to participate initially – but it will give you a good feel for what the experience is like. Be joyful and tweet!

The seminar I attended was called LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter … Now What?

Hosted by Caroline Melberg at Melberg Marketing at www.melberg.com

 “Innovation is all about staying relevant. That’s all it is.“
Stephen Berkov, Audi

“When you live in times of rapid change, growth is going to come from innovation because growth is all about fashion.”
Seth Godin, Squidoo

For me (ad hoc industry guru) innovation is the ability to drive connections that change perception and alter behavior. If we take this to be true, the promotional products industry is incredibly innovative. Take into consideration the sheer volume of new products introduced. We make connections and alter behavior daily. The enormity of the effect is staggering. We operate from within an industry that generates around 18 billion dollars a year. Statistical data gathered from a study conducted by Wayne State University supports the conclusion that our products and services are powerful influencers of behavior.

76% of people in a Dallas Fort Worth airport study were able to recall the name of an advertiser who gave them a promotional product.

73% of those who used the promotional product used it at least once a week.

55% kept their promotional products for more than a year.

Messaging attached to and item of value certainly is relevant, fashionable and changes behavior by the simple fact that the recipient chooses to use it. The change in perception lies within the connection to purchasing behavior – demonstrated in this 2004 study by L.J Market Research.

52% reported having a more favorable impression of the advertiser since receiving the item.

52% did business with the advertiser after receiving the product.

 We live and work in a veritable petri dish of innovation – a public pool in which all of us can swim. The Hub article asks a roundtable of experts the following questions:

• How do you encourage people to be innovative?
• What are some of the greatest barriers to innovation?
• Is innovation always critical to brand success?
• What is the best way to get at consumer insights?
• Where do you see the greatest opportunities for innovation today?

The gurus also take a good poke at the institutionalized structure of work environment and its effect on creative thinking. They give great insight on how to encourage global participation in an organization.

For the full article click on this link
 
Where’s the Big Idea?
The Hub January/February 2007
 
IMC Marketer – Promotional Products – Promotional Product Consulting -  www.imcsuccess.com

Yet, not everything is so cut and dry.  Check out these Health Partners Promotions, found in their facilities to raise awareness about their online service offerings (a bit shaky, taken from 2 Megapixel iPhone).

Have you considered mega-sizing a part of your products or services in order to catch attention or generate buzz?  If a health care company can pull it off, chances are you could too.