Posts Tagged ‘promotional products’

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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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Fans are Open to Advertising & Promotions Around Super Bowl

January 25th, 2013

The Super Bowl – the penultimate sporting event in America. Brands are vying for a slice of football watching consumer mind share and the consumers are apparently ready and willing to be wowed.

According to a Lab42 survey published in Adweek, “Nearly 40% of American adults said watching the commercials was their favorite part of the Super Bowl.”

BIGInsight for the National Retail Federation reported in a survey conducted last year that 73 % of of U.S. adults consider Super Bowl commercials to be entertainment.

Not everyone can afford the pricey commercials, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get in front of your target audience at a time when they are open to being advertised to. Promotional products surrounding Super Bowl fanfare are a great low cost, high return way to to get attention. The many quick-turn options offered in the industry, give you a variety of last minute options.

This year’s Super Bowl event is held in New Orleans over Mardi Gras. What a great time to invest in a cost-effective bead necklace solution. Beads are also kept long after the event is over. Industry statistics also point out that promotional products are kept by recipients for an average of five years.

Team color is a great way to go when you want a last-minute promotional solution. Some team color decal bead options to consider for last minute sponsorship and events:

Have some fun and get in the game with Mardi Gras inspired football promotions!

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Posted in Event Promotion, IMC Idea Generator - Product Idea Library, Mardi Gras, Promotional Product Statistics, Sports Promotion

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Casino and the Non-cash Incentive: Three ways to motivate player behavior

November 16th, 2012

Non-cash incentives have a long track record of success in motivating behavior.

Non-cash awards like merchandise, travel, and gift cards are both more motivational and cost-effective than cash. Decades of collective experience and countless employee incentive/motivation studies have substantiated this statement. The net-net is that merchandise can, and does, motivate behavior.

Achieving a desired behavior is the goal of marketers. How do we influence the target audience and persuade them to take action? If non-cash incentive modifies behavior in the world of employee compensation and productivity, it stands to reason that the same principle can be applied to promotional marketing.

Let’s take the gaming industry for instance. Casinos have a high need to achieve the following objectives:

  • Create attention getting events that motivates players or prospective players to visit the property
  • Extend play when players are on property
  • Reward loyalty and repeat visits

Here are three examples of how non-cash incentives can be used to influence player behavior:

Plateau Programs
Leveled point redemption for merchandise can motivate players to increase play in order to obtain merchandise with a higher perceived value.

Shopping Sprees
Create a custom on-site shopping spree filled with luxury items. VIP or Lucky Winners are able to “shop” in exchange for a certain level of play. Tangible items can influence acquisitive behaviors and extend time on property and play.

Experiential Events
A grab-and-go run is an exciting way to reward your most loyal players. Fly your players to a special off-property event. Usher VIPs into a warehouse of luxury goods, where they get a chance to run and grab the items of their choice in a pre-determined amount of time. A unique combination of non-cash incentive meets reality television. The experience will leave your most valuable players with a lasting memory and tangible proof of their value.

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Posted in Casino Promotions, Event Promotion, Holidays & Celebrations, Interactive Promotions, Promotional Trends

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Mardi Gras Mayhem: Super Bowl 2013 meets the humble throw bead

October 16th, 2012

Spectacular double-header this year with the Super Bowl in New Orleans during Mardi Gras! Let the good times roll indeed with two events that are institutions in their own right. Promotion in and around the events will be at a fever pitch. What better time to adopt long-established, well-loved, and sought-after Mardi Gras beads as your promotional product of choice.

This long-standing tradition began in the 1920’s when the Rex parade threw inexpensive glass strands into the crowd. Krewes continue to distribute thousands of bead necklaces from parade floats along the route. What started out in the traditional Mardi Gras colors, Purple (representing Justice,) Green (representing Faith,)and Gold (representing Power) are now limited only by the imagination of the advertiser.

Throw beads are a hallmark of the season and are an affordable way to get noticed. People will be collecting these souvenir items and taking them home. They are the perfect way to create brand awareness with a tried and true promotional track record. Bead Necklaces come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Look for football-shaped beads, football-shaped medallions, custom-built bead strands, and quick-turn decal medallions for those last minute promotional opportunities.

“Laissez les bons temps rouler!” Let the good times roll.

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Posted in Beer Promotions, beverage promotion, Collegiate Promotions, Craftbrew Promotions, Event Promotion, Fundraising, Holidays & Celebrations, Mardi Gras, Marketing, Sports Promotion

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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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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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Five successful wine tactics for marketing your craft brew

April 3rd, 2012

Looking for a growing segment in the beverage category? Craft beer is gaining in popularity, and market share. Facing competion from macro brewers and the ever expanding craft selection, how will new brews break through growing competition in the cold case?

The growing assortment of craft brews at retail give consumers more choice than ever. Craft brewers are looking to new ways to get their product to stand out on-premise and on retail shelves. Tap handles, coasters, bar mats, and tacker signs are great ways to expand awareness – but is it enough to stand out in today’s crowded market?

With an emphasis on food pairings, aromas, and how to cook with it, the craftbrew conversation seems to more akin to wine than its macro brewing cousins. Perhaps craftbrewers should take inspiration from promotional products developed for wines.

1. The Recipie Pen
A great way to pass on great recipies, food pairings, or tasting notes. The retractable banner is a unique spin on a popular promotional product.

2. The Bottle Necker
On-pack promotion can get you noticed in or out of the cold case. Insert literature or small items like lapel pins.

3. Chill Bags
Nothing is better than a perfectly chilled bottle of beer. Except maybe receiving a perfectly chilled bottle of beer. What better way to brand your product, stimulate trial, create buzz, and deliver a memorable impression.

4. Shelf Talkers
Communicate your passion! Move more off the shelf by sharing your vision, your experience, your tasting notes with this time honored promotional tradition.

5. Custom Gift Bags
Treat hand-crafted specialty brews like high-end champagne. Offering a gift bag with purchase treats special brews with the status they so richly deserve.

Go beyond traditional brewing for ideas to get your brand noticed. Translate successful promotional ideas used by the grandiose grape to the humble hop and see what happens.

Innovative Marketing Consultants is a proud member of the Brewers Association. CLICK to view the entire press Brewers Association release.

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Posted in Beer Promotions, beverage promotion, Craftbrew Promotions, IMC Idea Generator - Product Idea Library, Marketing, Promotional Trends

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Developing the “Right” Promotional Product – Who are you speaking to?

February 24th, 2012

As we move forward, the audience we promote to is ever-changing. What makes them tick is important to know when developing a successful promotional product, particularly with younger audiences.

The growth of mobile communications and application consumption is on the rise. Developing promotional products that address both online and offline marketing efforts is becoming more important as the population ages. Below is a brief overview of generational cohorts and behaviors that you may want to take into consideration when developing your next promotional product or premium.

Generational descriptions derived from Wikipedia.

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Posted in Marketing, 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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