How To Use Promotional Products Effectively

We recently wrote a post about what promotional merchandise is, who uses it and the benefits that utilising it can bring. For this post, we’re going to focus on how to use promotional products effectively to ensure you get maximum return on your merchandise investment.

Qualities Of Effective Merchandise

According to the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) merchandise works best if it has one or more of the following qualities:

• Useful
• Informative
• Attractive
• Fun
• Desirable

Why all of these qualities are important, if you wanted to focus on one of these qualities for your promotional merchandise then we recommend ‘usefullness’. This quality was as identified in another survey by the BPMA to be highest ranking factor in what makes the perfect promotional gift.

Later research also backs up ‘usefulness’ being a key quality to bear in mind when choosing promotional products, with 85% of respondents keeping their merchandise purley because of it’s functionality and overall usefulness. So, when considering how to use promotional products effectively, an items usefulness to the end user should be high upon your agenda of things to consider. Generally the more everyday items we use such as pens, notebooks, mugs and totebags are considered by our clients to be the most useful promotional items. However, if you have a specific target market you may find other items more relevant to their lifestyles and interests. For example, the International Cheese Awards might think our Chop and Cheese Board would make a great event giveaway and be a lot more relevant to their audience than a branded mug.

10 Reasons Recipients Own Promotional Products

Of course, usefulness isn’t the only quality to consider. Some of the other top ranking reasons were the ‘entertainment’ and ‘design qualities’ their merchandise had. So, if you aren’t interested in the functionality of promotional products consider the entertainment value they might give your client. If you’re wondering how a promotional product can be classed as entertaining then the answer is…simples.

In 2009 Compare The Market, an insurance comparison site, launched an ad featuring the fictional character Aleksandr Orlov, a talking meerkat. The ad played on how Comparethemarket.com sounded an awful lot like the character’s own site comparethemeerkat.com. The fictional meerkat becoming a national star almost overnight. As part of the campaign anyone who purchased an insurance policy through Comparethemarket.com was eligible to claim their free meerkat soft toy. At the campaigns peak a meerkat soft toy was claimed every 30 seconds, with a redemption rate of 65% and a staggering 4 million Orlov teddys being gifted. The campaign was so successful that various other meerkat characters were created and other retail merchandise items, such as a fictional autobiography of the lead meerkat, were available to buy. Replicating the success of such a campaign isn’t easy and the additional support it received from TV advertising was undoubtedly beneficial. This said, if you wanted to try and emulate their success by turning your own mascot into a soft toy then check out our custom soft toy page here.

The Test Of Time

The longer your clients keep your branded merchandise the better. Promotional products that are able to stand the test of time are able to offer repeated brand exposure for months or even years to come. So, the longer something is kept the greater return on investment your promotional product brings, which makes it more likely to be effective. According to the BPMA, for an item to stand the test of time it should have one or more of the following traits:

• Unique
• Quality
• Usable
• Personalised

By choosing a reputable merchandise supplier you can ensure your promotional products are good quality and as mentioned earlier, opting for usable merchandise is also preferable. Both of which can extend the lifespan of your promotional products. Merchandise that is unique and personalised to the individual can be more difficult to find but not impossible. When we worked with Chivas Brothers on their promotional drink bottles we were able to do a full wrap design that was unique to their new offices opening in Glasgow. Each bottle was also personalised, with an employees name from their office engraved at the bottom. This made them both a unique and personalised promotional product.

In addition to the above, reusable bottles are also highly useful and with ours being made of food-safe 304 grade stainless steel, they’re also great quality. All of these traits combined make Chivas personalised bottles had all the features of a long lasting promotional product that’ll offer branding exposure for years to come.

So, now you know how to use promotional products effectively, it’s time to think about which ones you will choose for your campaigns. Remember quality and functionality or distinctiveness are traits that set your merchandise apart. If in doubt, ask yourself will the merchandise leave your clients feeling valued, rewarded, special or excited? If you’re not sure then it’s might be worth getting a second opinion. We’re always on hand to discuss your promotional product requirements and ensure you get quality, purposeful, effective and memorable merchandise for your brand. Get in touch on 01753 491470 or send us an email with sales@brandelity.com or hit the button below to see some of our best selling merchandise.