A Boost In Morale Equates To A Boost In The Bottom Line
The ability to recruit and retain top talent is key to every
organization's bottom line. To motivate employees, boost sales, increase productivity and
improve customer service, human resources professionals are increasingly turning toward the
power of promotional products. To measure the trend, Promotional Products Association
International (PPAI) polled attendees at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Show in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 28-July 1, 2009.
Seventy-four percent of those who had rewards and recognition programs in their company used
promotional products in these programs and of those, more than 70 percent cited promotional
products as either "extremely effective" or "effective" in motivating, recognizing and rewarding
employees.
The most commonly cited uses of promotional products in awards and recognition programs
include:
Employee Service Awards-used by 59 percent of respondent companies
Anniversary Recognition Programs-used by 59 percent of respondent companies
Motivating Specific Behaviors-used by 45 percent of respondent companies
Reinforcing Organizational Values-used by 34 percent of respondent companies
Improving Teamwork-used by 31 percent of respondent companies
The three most commonly used promotional products in award and recognition programs are:
Wearables: t-shirts, jackets and logoed shirts were most commonly mentioned
Recognition Awards: plaques and pins were most commonly mentioned
Writing Instruments: pens were most often mentioned
The top five ways HR professionals measure the success of the use of promotional products in
their rewards and recognition programs are:
52 percent of companies used employee surveys
34 percent of companies tracked employee turnover
28 percent of companies tracked customer retention
25 percent of companies tracked productivity
25 percent of companies tracked customer surveys
Promotional products are an essential element in the marketing mix. Adding your message to a
tangible product turns an ordinary message into a marketing experience your audience can see,
touch, hear, smell and even taste. Promotional products are the only way to make a sensible-and
memorable-impression.
Sep 30th | 2009
Seven Steps to a Successful Promotional Campaign
Successful promotion campaigns don't happen by chance. To realize goals, promotional products programs must be carefully planned, taking into consideration the audience, budget and, of course, the ultimate result to be gained.
Ready to plan your next promotion? Use the consultant search engine to locate a PPAI member consultant in your area. You and your consultant will discuss these seven important elements to help you plan the best promotion for reaching your objective:
1. Define a specific objective.
Whether the goal is to increase traffic at a trade show exhibit or to boost sales with current clients, the first step in any campaign is to clarify the purpose of the program.
2. Determine a workable distribution plan to a targeted audience.
Distribution of a promotional product is as important as the item itself. Research shows that a carefully executed distribution plan significantly increases the effectiveness of promotional products. For example, a pre-show mailing to a select audience delivers more trade show traffic and qualified leads than simply distributing items to passerby at the show.
3. Create a central theme.
Linking a recognizable logo and color to all aspects of a campaign, from promotional products to sales sheets to product packaging, helps create an instantly recognizable image.
4. Develop a message to support the theme.
Supporting a campaign's theme with a message helps to solidify a company's name, service or products in the target audience's mind. For instance, to promote its services to small businesses, a bank created the theme "Are you tired of being treated like a small fish?" and sent fish-related products to its prospects along with promotional literature.
5. Select a promotional product that bears a natural relationship to your profession or communications theme.
A good example is a company that developed a magic motif for its conference at Disney World. Attendees received magic-related products to tie in with the theme "Experience the magic at Disney®."
6. Don't pick an item based solely on uniqueness, price or perceived value.
Don't fall prey to the latest trends or fads. The most effective promotional products are used in a cohesive, well-planned campaign.
7. Use a qualified promotional products consultant.
A good promotional products consultant will help you answer all of these questions as well as offer a variety of value-added services, including unique product ideas, creative distribution solutions and insight on the different imprinting methods just to name a few. PPAI consultants have met the highest qualification standards in the industry and display "The Mark of a Professional." A MAS (Master Advertising Specialist) or CAS (Certified Advertising Specialist) designation after a consultant's name means they've earned one of the industry's only official certification.
Aug 26th | 2009
Logo Travel Mugs - Why Promotional Items Work By Kim Medeiros
We have all received our fair share of promotional items such as key chains, pens, pencils, tote bags, logo travel mugs, magnets and so on. Politicians hand them out when election time rolls around. Banks and doctors' offices purchase promotional pens by the case. At every festival, at every event, people do the best they can to get their free promotional products into your hands. But why? The truth is that promotional products get results.
If you're not handing out custom printed materials along with your competitors, you're missing out on an effective, inexpensive advertising strategy. In fact, your competitors may be getting the upper hand and earning more money than you simply because their logo, their image is in people's homes. Their logo is on ordinary products that people use everyday. Imagine: daily brand advertising simply by handing out an inexpensive product such as a logo travel mug.
Still on the fence when it comes to promotional items? Take a look at the following reasons why promotional giveaways work:
* People love free stuff. When you set up a booth at a function and hand out giveaways, people will flock to your booth to pick up their freebie. When they do, you can talk to them. You can sell to them. You can familiarize them with your company and put a human face to the company name. If you're just sitting there handing out brochures, you will find that most people will pass you by. They don't want to be sold to, but they do want freebies.
* Once you get your promotional items into people's hands, they will use them and remember you. Take for example logo travel mugs. If you give away a travel mug to a coffee drinker, there is a good chance that person will use your mug everyday. They will see your logo daily and so will their family. They may even carry their mug to work. The amount of people that see your brand on just one traveling mug could be quite large. Imagine how many people would see your logo if you gave out 100 or more coffee travel mugs!
* Promotional products endure. If you hand out paper items like coupons, flyers and brochures, they may not even make it into people's homes. The amount of people that will actually use them once they have them in their home is even fewer. Items such as logo travel mugs, on the other hand, will make it home and they will be used.
Sure, promotional items are a little bit more expensive than Xerox copies of your latest sales flyer, but when you consider the results, they are extremely cost effective. The goal of sensible advertising is to get the best results for the lowest price. Promotional products are perfect for the job!
Aug 6th | 2009
Promotional Advertising - Is it Right For You? By Kris A Ann
Have you ever thought about all the advertising info that shoots at you daily? It gets in every pore of your being. Piped in bread smells go to your nose and straight to your brain. Yes, there are places that use fake smells to induce hunger and coziness. So it is more than everywhere you look. It is also in your ears too. You are probably even wearing it right now.
Advertising can become stuck in your head. It is so pervasive. I don't think people even realize how really intense it is. We are all affected by it. It starts as kids and goes for younger and younger children. It manages to seep into our subconscious. If you don't pay attention, and who has time outside of secular life, you get completely inundated with it.
It seems that there is no way for a company to get any attention without some promotional marketing of their own. Imagine your own desk without those products. I would have no mug for my hot tea or pens to write with. There goes the calculator and a lot of my flash drive storage. Oh boy, today I would be shirtless too. Maybe your company needs some just to keep up.
You can come up with some innovation of your own rather than using tired models. The items available are endless it seems. You can decide what you want to put on one of these and how you want it used. You could even start your own sort of design line. Use the products that they have to offer. Use your own very creative logo on them. Get some input and get a totally cool logo. That would rock!
However you decide to mark your items it seems that there is almost no way around the whole promotional advertising issue. It is everywhere and your business needs to be seen too. If you don't know what to do about it, ask around. There are a lot of ways to get to people and to design things too. It is all up to you.
