One of the best, but most poorly used methods of advertising is promotional merchandise.  If you call it ‘swag’ or ‘tchockes’ or are one of those people whose campaigns consist of handing out generic logoed t-shirts, pens and water-bottles…YAWN…you should never be trusted with a marketing budget again!

A well-executed promotional item can encapsulate everything about your brand, can capture the essence of who you are, in a way that no other medium can.  And oh, it’s advertising the recipient will want to receive (and often wait in long lines for) and it’s visibility can last for months or years.  Here are some examples of those marketers who spend their budget well…

 

 

 

 

1) Promo Items For Brand Fans – KFC

KFC are the masters of creating lust-worthy promotional items. And, get this, they sell them! That’s right, customers actually pay to promote the brand. KFC understand their social media savvy audience and, the wackier their merchandise, the more shares and free publicity they will get. So, for those of you who don’t see the value in promotional items, look to KFC – a company whose customers want to buy their promotional merchandise, merchandise which in turn generates tons of free publicity.

The fried chicken carrier above sold out in days – at $50 a pop!

Here are some other examples of the KFC creatives in action:

And, not to be out-done, McDonalds have also gotten in on the act:

KFC and McDonalds know that promotional merchandise is a very powerful tool to reward and incentivize, in addition to building brand loyalty.

 

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2) Make Them Smile 🙂    – Cathflo Custom Stapler

In B2B marketing everyone wants to capture the most valuable real estate – the desk of their target audience. Cathflo knew that doctors don’t need another branded pen, so they got creative.  Promo items let marketers (and recipients) have fun!

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3) Welcome New Employees!  – Kelloggs Gift is GR-R-REAT!

Promotional items are not just for customers, they are ideal for internal marketing; from welcoming new employees to promoting a company initiative.

Kelloggs wanted to onboard new employees with a gift that spoke to their brand and mission and wanted something more exciting than the standard backpack.

The result – a gift box in the style of their iconic Corn Flakes cereal box, some cereal samples, a custom cereal bowl and spoon, and other branded items.

 

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4)  Make It Personal – PG Tips Are No Mugs When It Comes to Marketing…

As Coca-Cola showed with their names on bottles campaign, personalization can be done on a mass scale.  By taking advantage of new printing technology, even a mug can be made meaningful.

In 2016, UK tea brand, PG Tips, gave away more than 500,000 personalized mugs as part of a promotion.

Consumers  had to enter a special code from 80- or 160-bag packs of PG Tips black tea to see if they were one of 525,424 potential winners.

Successful entrants received a bone china mug with their initials in the style of the overlapping green and red capitals used in the PG Tips logo.

Consumers who received their mugs posted envy-inducing pictures on social media with the hashtags #MyPGMug and #keepittea.

 

And here are some other examples where brand and promotional item became one:

So, don’t be a MARKETING MUG, you can be creative with your promotional spend, even if it’s just drinkware.

 

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5) ABSolutely Sex Sells – Bravo Bravo!

Good marketing grabs our attention and if it’s a little risqué, it’s got our full attention!

Bravo perfectly summed up their show ‘Girlfriends Guide To Divorce’ with this self-explanatory revealing calendar…

And speaking of abs…

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6) Tell A Story – Sheridan Makes Referrals Playful…

Promotional items can be used (instead of a standard, boring brochure) to tell your story in a playful, fun and eye-catching way.

In this example, Sheridan wanted to encourage referrals of healthcare professionals and used this presentation to showcase the rewards for participation in the program.

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7)  Think Inside The Box – Frigidaire’s Promotional Packaging

Unwrapping the Christmas presents is the best part, so why not dress up your marketing too?  Creative packaging can make your marketing message impactful, even when you’re only giving away a water bottle.

This piece took the packaging from a protective necessity to a creative advertising billboard.

 

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8)  Creative Promotions – It’s In The Bag!

90% of marketers give away promotional bags with their logo on it and wonder why no-one cares about their brand.  But, if you don’t care about it, why should anyone else.  The other 10% of marketers inject their brand’s unique DNA into everything they do, into every touchpoint that interacts with their internal and external audiences.

Here are some examples:

 

So, the lessons from the examples above are:

 

– Promotional Merchandise Doesn’t Need To Be Expensive To Be Effective.
– Promotional Merchandise (Correctly Deployed) Drives Sales As A Reward/Incentive.
– Promotional Merchandise Can Communicate Your Brand & Message Like No Other Medium.
– Promotional Packaging Is a Vital Factor in a Successful Campaign.
– Promotional Merchandise Can Be Advertising That Your Recipients Want To Receive.
– Promotional Merchandise Only Works When We Marketers Put in the Time, Effort & Creativity – But It Does Pay Off.

 

Interested in a different approach to ‘just stick a logo on it’?  Contact Us to get the creative process started!