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B2B, Brand, Branding, Business, Communication, Cost-Effective, Cost-Effective Marketing, Customer, Guerilla Marketing, Industry, Management, Marketing, Marketing Communication, Marketing Mix, Promotional Material, SMB, SME
My coworker and I were having a conversation this summer about a brand awareness marketing campaign. Our budget was really tight, so we were trying to come up with a list of possible communications mediums that would be cost effective.
We made at a list of possible ideas for spreading brand awareness that is cost effective for a small business:
- Networking and community events
- Give free class/presentation
- News articles in a newspaper or magazine
- Host networking event
- Blog/Vlog/Social Media
- Newsletters
- Website
- Direct Mail
- Direct Email
- Newspaper/Magazine/Online Advertising
- Telemarketing
- Promotional Branded Material
We were trying to come up with innovative ideas for a new campaign. As we pooled our heads together, we came up with something involving the last item on the list: promotional branded material. How could we use this in a novel way that would create an impact on our target market?
Some of you are probably thinking, “Why on earth would you choose promotional branded material for a cost effective marketing campaign while you could do something with greater reach like direct mail or social media?”
The Research
I was looking at research done with promotional material, and found some pretty impressive stats. Here’s a quote from an article in Marketing by Mark Freed called Trinkets to Treasure (2006). “A recent study conducted by the Promotional Products Association International of 800 business travellers in the Dallas/tort Worth International Airport, found that 71% had a promotional product with them when interviewed; 100% could recall the item; and 86% could recall the name of the advertiser.”
That last part really struck a light bulb with us. In another article, they said that: “…the average coffee mug is used more than 2000 times, offering over 2000 promotional opportunities, this is sure to be a cost-effective and successful trend.”
So we thought of a few ways we could use branded material in our marketing communication mix.
- Since we already sponsor business golf tournaments, we could bring a table at our hole and give away branded tees and golf markers with our logo and website on them.
- We thought about sending a direct mail campaign to potential clients. Since our brochures would be placed in envelopes (to minimize trash mail), we could include a branded pen in it so they could have our logo in front of them all day in the office.
- We thought about taking branded mugs with us when we go to business meetings and leave them with our clients.
- We also thought of sending engraved wine kits to our most loyal clients, in order to thank them for their business, and possibly keep them as a retainer.
These were only a few of the ideas that came up during our brainstorming. It is hard to come up with novel ideas in a traditional B2B environment (Management Consulting industry). What do you think? Do you use promotional material in your marketing mix? Do you use it in an innovative way? What do you think works or doesn’t work?
danielghebert 
Daniel: You raise excellent points in your blog post. Promotional products have received a bad wrap for being known a chotchies or trash and trinkets, but the reality is they are a very cost effective way to share a brand message. I’m a bit biased, because I am in this industry, but many of my “colleagues” shoot themselves in the foot when they just focus on selling “stuff” and not creating value or focusing on the brand message. Used correctly, custom imprinted products are a very powerful branding and marketing tool.
We’ve won a few awards for building effective marketing programs using these products. One award winning campaign we did was the Blackout Survival Kit. This capitalized on a current event that everyone was focused on. Several years ago, “rolling blackout” power outages affected Southern California. We tied a three part creative mailing in a brand message that included sending products with a specific messages. A flashlight had a message asking “Have Your Marketing Efforts Gone Dark? Let Us Shed Some Light on Your Advertising Program.” We used a two-piece key tag that was a plug going into a socket and a the messages noted, “Let Us Plug You Into Creative Marketing.” We followed up with a battery powered fan with suggesting the to the recipient, “Don’t Sweat Your Marketing, We’ll Help Keep Your Cool.” This was very cost effective and netted a great result. We earned new clients because of a creative use of these products that supported the message. By themselves, the products are just “stuff.”
I touch on some of this branding strategy in an article that was published in Promotional Product Business magazine back in 2008. It’s a bit dated and geared toward my industry, but there may be something useful there for anyone who is interested. It’s not really focused on products, but the core information is good, basic as it it is. The Blueprint for Success, that Dr Stephen Covey liked, is a simple, yet effective branding tool. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/n8mOXN
@Jeff Solomon, MAS – Wow! Thank you for your comments Jeff! It is nice to see that others have used branded material in their marketing mix. People think that if it’s not trinkets, it won’t be cost effective. I would say it is the other way around! The higher quality of item you use, the more cost effective it will be, as people will find these items useful, and will most likely not throw them away.
I like what you have done with your materials campaign. We are a Management Consulting company, so that might be a bit too out there for our target market (or maybe not…), but the basis of these ideas are still useful. I only outlined some of my ideas in my blog posts, but it is an option that we are exploring, and will most definitely pursue in the near future.
Thank you! And thanks for the link!
Totally agree about thinking in terms of ROI rather than choosing the lowest-cost item possible. A pen that feels “budget” and doesn’t write well won’t get used as often as a pen with smooth ink and a comfy barrel, so that means fewer impressions of the logo. Plus, any item with your logo on it gets associated with your brand in the recipient’s mind — and don’t you want your brand associated with something attractive and functional? Personally, I’d rather sell 100 high-quality pens than 500 bargain-basement pens because I genuinely think they’ll work better as a marketing tool.
– Claire, Gorilla Marketing
Daniel: I’m glad I could be helpful. As a management consulting company, I might suggest you consider the Business Relationship Blueprint I mention in the article. When we created this concept, it became evident it could be used for all types of businesses. Blueprint for an exciting vacation (Travel Agency) Blueprint for a successful remodel (Contractor) Blueprint to build your business (Management Consulting Company) All you need is a graphic designer who can lay it out. If it made sense, ultimately you could use tool theme branded products like screwdrivers.
Thanks for the clarification Jeff! I will definitely keep this tool handy.
We actually have an in-house marketing agency at the company I work for. We are equipped with a couple excellent graphic designers, and our own industrial printer, so we are well prepared for marketing activities. The last direct mail campaign we did was a real success. We had a lot more control on the design layout, and what type of material it was printed on. We are actually nominated for a marketing award at the local chamber of commerce for it.
I always emphasize that a giveaway item should be, first and foremost, a gift. What does your target audience want to receive? What will they appreciate? What’s something they will find useful or fun? What’s something they want but don’t want to buy, or can’t buy, or never thought of buying because they didn’t know they needed it? One fun way to brainstorm is to check out “life hack” and DIY websites like Instructables. They’re all about people dreaming up creative (and sometimes kludgy) solutions to their needs. Like the Poor Man’s Capacitive Stylus, which suggests that tech geeks want a stylus that works on the iPad and iPhone but they either can’t find one in a store or they don’t like the retail price. Our industry just introduced snazzy-looking capacitive styluses to fill this need.
Thanks for the comments Claire!
I agree with your first comment of having 100 high quality promotional products vs. 500 low quality products. It makes a better impression, hence greater ROI.
For your second comment, I also agree. Promotional material is really a gift that carries your logo. It should be useful to your client. If it is, there is less chance that they will throw it away, which means more brand impressions. I work in the management consulting industry, so it tends to be very traditional. However, we always have a few coffee mugs and fancy pens with us during our business meetings to give away as gifts to our clients. They really seem to appreciate it, because it is something they can use in the office.