Posts Tagged ‘Advertising Specialties’

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Whiskey, women and the changing face of distilled spirit promotion

April 4th, 2013

The promotion of whisky to women is not new, it is just making a comeback.

Women are drinking it, blogging about it, and cooking with it. Bars and restaurants are promoting events specifically for women who have a passion for this caramel-colored spirit, infused with notes of peat and spice. Clubs for female whisky aficionados are becoming popular. Heck, they have even their very own typeface.

Marketers who once viewed whisky as a manly man’s drink are seeing this spirit from a different perspective – a female perspective. How to win the women who love whisky? Be as bold as the women who drink it.

Customer engagement is key to stimulating trial. Below is a unique twist on sampling that’s a novel take on the age old practice of getting a target market to sip your spirit:

Taste & Peel
Tasting strips are well suited for spirits. Wafer-thin film, packaged in a branded foil packet is a unique way to deliver the flavor without the alcohol. They are very similar to mouthwash strips – but way better tasting! Technology allows you to emulate the flavor of a spirit or mixed drink. Perfect for dry tastings, on/in pack promotion, or direct mail campaigns.

 

 

 

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Posted in beverage promotion, Customer Engagement, Interactive Promotions, Promotional Trends

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How promotional products can help you tap into growing consumer optimism

February 26th, 2013

How Americans perceive their financial situations is a fairly accurate predictor of consumer spending habits. According to a preliminary reading from the Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan (TR/UM) index of current conditions, Americans are feeling more positive. The index just jumped from 66.6 to 68.7 for February.

Consumers seem to be giving the signal that they are open to explore the possibility of spending again. The timing seems ripe for marketers to amp up efforts to capture mindshare. It takes multiple impressions to get a consumer to take an action. In a fast-paced world that lives on short-term content, you might want to consider adding a longer term delivery mechanism like promotional products to your campaign. Here a few good reasons why:

  1. Promotional products deliver more impressions for a longer period of time than other media. According to a recent industry study, advertising specialties are kept for an average of 5.8 months.
  2. 87% of recipients could identify the advertiser associated with the item and
  3. 31% reported a high likelihood of doing
    business with the advertiser after receiving a promotional product. With a strong ROI,     promotional products are a great addition to a multi-faceted marketing approach.

 

If you are a fact geek like me, check out the ASI study below for more detailed information.

*ASI Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study V. 3

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Posted in Industry News, Marketing, Promotional Product Statistics

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Interactive Direct Mail: Tapping our inner human through Decoder Technology

August 20th, 2012

Human beings are social by nature. We crave interaction, looking for ways to stimulate our natural sense of curiosity. We also love being entertained. Advertising has seen a progression from the simple hand-printed sign to interactive advertising using the full power of today’s technology.  

The goal of advertising has always been to alter behavior and to create a forum for interaction with a brand or product. Direct mail has been a stalwart and proven tactic for marketers for decades. With all the emphasis on sexier social outreach, direct mail has been relegated by some as an outmoded technique for promoting products and securing customer engagement.

 Enter Decoder Marketing. It is the use of a proprietary print technology to deliver a hidden message that can be decoded using on-site verifiers. How effective is this at changing consumer behavior? As it turns out…very effective .

IMC recently sent out a campaign to important clients we wanted to connect with at an event. The direct mail piece was imprinted with a hidden message that could be revealed at our booth location. Clients simply had to bring the card with them to the show. The results speak for themselves. Traditional direct mail has an industry standard response rate of around 1%. The addition of Decoder Marketing technology resulted in a response rate of 38%. Yes, you read that correctly – 38%. Results vary but decoder technology response rates hover around 30%.

The moral of this story: Dust off your direct mail program, have faith in human nature, and give yourself a lift.

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Posted in IMC Idea Generator - Product Idea Library, Interactive Promotions, Marketing, products, Promotional Product Statistics, Promotional Trends, Stories from the "Real World"

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Mardi Gras Goes Green: The Transformation of a Popular Trend

August 2nd, 2012

Mardi Gras – the festival of indulgence that has intrigued and delighted us in the United States since around 1699. The hallmark of this famous festivity – beads.  Thrown from floats, these timeless give-a-way items have been used by marketers to build awareness and drive traffic for decades. Over time, they have evolved into a pop culture phenomenon and are one of the most popular, and sought-after pieces of promotional jewelry. Collectible beads can be highly customized or a quick-turn promotional solution. Either way they are a proven advertising specialties product.

One of the hallmarks of a lasting trend is the ability to change with the times and cultural values of our society. The emphasis on sustainability, recycling , and environmentally-friendly products is paramount today.  Enter Corn Beads – throw beads made from corn plastic.  New eco-friendly corn beads are biodegradeable and compostable. They are made from a sustainable resource – corn, and return to the bio-mass in the form of simple CO2 and water. 

So go ahead. Think greener promotions when you think beads and let the good times roll!

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Posted in beverage promotion, Event Promotion, Holidays & Celebrations, IMC Idea Generator - Product Idea Library, Mardi Gras, Promotional Trends, Sports Promotion

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Top five ways to use promotional products as incentives

May 4th, 2012

The Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) has published their most recent study analyzing channel belief versus customer needs. In a world of massive changes in communications technology and how brands go to market, the promotional product is still an effective way to motivate and influence behavior in end-users.

In a previous post (about a year ago), I centered on the number of products and how long people hold on to thier advertising specialties. I challenged you to look in your purse, desk, closets to underscore the point. Today, I am happy to report that promotional products are alive and doing well in the marketplace. People will take action to acquire them. People covet them. People steal them (yep, that data is included in the study too!) End-users still love them.

The following is a list of the top five ways promotional products can, and do, influence the way end-users behave:

1. 82% will take a survey to gain a promotional product.

2. 70.6% of end-users will go to a booth at a tradeshow

3. 41.8% will “LIKE” a company on Facebook or post a Tweet on Twitter

4. 33.2% will buy the “gift” with purchase

5. 27.7% will make a positive post about the company on a social networking site

As a marketer in a sea of new technologies for engagement, it is comforting to know that some things never change.

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Posted in Industry News, Marketing, Promotional Product Statistics, Promotional Trends

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Create a more engaging promotional experience with QR Codes

February 1st, 2012

Recently, we received a nice nod from ASI Advantages Magazine in regard to our business card design. Our card features two QR codes that direct people to either our website or to the LinkedIn profile of the card holder.

The business card is probably one of the oldest, most popular promotional products on the planet. Richly enscribed calling cards were the hallmark of the elite for centuries, each specifically designed to convey the personality of the owner. While they are now a mainstream item, their basic purpose has not really changed over time – but communications technology has.

Taking advantage of these changes can be the difference between good and great response. QR codes can be an integral part of a well-designed promotional program.

When you design your promotional campaigns, are you thinking about how to:

Drive recipients to an online destination to get more information?

Create a greater level of engagement with your brand?

Encourage someone to purchase your product or service?

Extend the reach of your original campaign?

Here are a couple of great resources and one shameless self-promotion that I have come across/written that talk about how best to integrate QR into your promotional endeavors. They also include cautionary advice of how a good idea can go bad.

MarketingProfs:
Five Tips for Implementing a Successful QR Code Campaign

ASI Advantages Magazine:
Build a Better Business Card

IMC Promotional Products Blog:
Three Tips on Integrating QR Codes and Promotional Products

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Posted in beverage promotion, Collegiate Promotions, Event Promotion, Fundraising, IMC Idea Generator - Product Idea Library, Marketing, Promotional Trends

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Three Twists on the Company Picnic: #3 Casino

September 22nd, 2011

OK. So casinos and the great outdoors are not things one readily puts together, but go with me here. Company picnics are about having fun and playing games. Casino day picnics can fit the bill.

Picnic Roulette
Everyone receives a logo tee shirt in one of two company colors. A prize wheel (in company colors) is spun at each activity an individual participates in. If the shirt matches the color on the wheel the player gets a wristband. The wristbands collected can be redeemed (like chips) for prizes.

          Prize Idea
           -  Magic 8 Ball Keychain with custom messaging

Jacks or Better - Trips to Win
Participants are given a Peel & Win Decal Bead Strand upon entry. Each has a poker hand with a pair of cards, 2 of a kind, and 3 of a kind. Pull up or scratch off to reveal prizes. Those with winning hands get a second bead strand with decal and go for a second round. Grand prize winner is determined by process of elimination.

          Prize Idea
           -  Team or corporate color ionic necklaces and bracelets.

Sports Book
Participants wager on who will win contests of dexterity like three-legged races, sack races, or ball toss. Guess the winner, receive a wristband and redeem for prizes.

          Prize Idea
          – Corporate color or team color Booster Sleeves for cheering or visually designating the winner.

We wager that this will be a unique and interactive event where everyone is a winner!

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Posted in Holidays & Celebrations, Promotional Trends, Sports Promotion

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Back to School: Promotional Products 101

August 31st, 2011

Was that a crisp autumn breeze I just felt? Maybe it’s just all the excitement about back-to-college season. Across the country, campuses are braced for the return of refreshed, enthusiastic students.

Everyone knows that college students have two things in common: 1) A fierce sense of pride for their own school, and 2) A profound love of free stuff.

As a member of the advertising specialty field, you can capitalize on both of these factors with specialized back-to-college promotional products.

Just picture students milling around campus with a branded keychain and drawstring jersey backpack. Imagine dorm rooms decked out with branded banners, Mardi Gras beads, and mascot bobbleheads.

At the first home game of the year, your company could be the winning team with sponsored gate give-aways like Spirit Stix or acrylic soccer scarves emblazoned with your logo.

Perhaps you run a business with locations in college towns? The opportunities for incentives are endless: use customized promotional products to entice students to stop by your restaurant or bar, shop at your store, or open an account at your bank. Give-away items like trend-right titanium ionic necklaces and bracelets in school colors are really popular with this demographic.

Consider this course Promotional Products 101. Advanced lessons in The Anatomy of a Sponsorship and The Science of Gate Give-aways coming soon.

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Posted in Collegiate Promotions, Event Promotion

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Promotional Products are Fair Game

August 23rd, 2011

The State Fair: three small words, but they evoke a sensory whirlwind. Food, music, livestock…and a whole lot of people.

 Texas boasts the largest state fair with an estimated annual attendance of 3,000,000. The largest paid state fair is in Minnesota, which drew nearly 1.8 million visitors in 2010.

These attendance numbers add up to one thing for those in the advertising specialty industry: extra eyes on your brand. State fairs represent an extraordinary opportunity for the advertising specialty industry. While Texas and Minnesota win the blue ribbon attendance prizes, state fairs all around the country attract people in droves. Attendees are ripe for a good time — and for free goodies!

Why not consider capitalizing on the throngs of fun-seeking fairgoers with a branded promotional product? Give away highly coveted beads, and you’ll have fairgoers asking each other, “Where did you get that?” Offer branded drawstring backpacks and your logo will be loud, clear and mobile as fairgoers carry your backpack around all day.

Consider these additional “fair-ready” promotional product ideas:

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Three tips on integrating QR codes and promotional products

August 15th, 2011

I came across a great article about QR codes on the Content Marketing Institute’s blog that I thought was really relevant to the advertising specialties industry. It is a discussion of how to think of QR strategically and how the best intentions can fall flat at the implementation phase.

Why bother? A recent recent report published by ScanLife, estimates that 30-40% of all smart phone users have, at one time, downloaded a bar code scanning application. Another stat for you, there was a 1,600% increase in mobile bar code scanning in 2010. QR is mainstreaming fast and has become a powerful marketing tool.

Many times we think we have a great idea and fail to test. See the Content Marketing Institute article for some great examples of good promotional ideas gone wrong. QR is a powerful tool and can be used really effectively with promotional products – the right promotional products.

1. Flat = Legibility
Make sure the QR code will be displayed flat, not with folds or bumps that can compromise a QR code reader and impact the effectiveness of your campaign.

2. Destination Insurance 
Add a printed message as an alternative for those who need it. While this technology is mainstreaming, it is still new to some.

3. Test, Test, Test!
Make sure the sample works with the widest variety of phones/readers to ensure that the code can be easily read.

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