December 19, 2007

Predictions 2008: Promoting During a Recession?

While we can't yet agree about whether we're in, heading into, or not facing a recession, there is consensus that the US economy is slowing down as we head into 2008. (Due to the delay in compiling data, recent recessions haven't been officially acknowledged until they were over or almost over.) The Advertising Lab recently did a nice post about advertising during a recession, including the useful graph below that charts sales growth for companies that did or did not cut advertising during tough times. Not surprisingly, companies that kept advertising (and presumably tightened their belts in other areas) did much better in the long term. In 2008, I think the same will be true of companies and their promo budgets. Companies that skimp on their trade show promos and direct mails this year may save a little cash now, but they'll be paying a steep price in the future as their more savvy competitors steal market share and brand awareness.

Posted by mark at 10:17 AM. Permalink: Predictions 2008: Promoting During a Recession? | Comments (0)

November 22, 2007

Google Promotional Outreach

Below are some promos that were sent to Barry Schwartz, a search engine marketer/search marketing expert. I think the tagline on the shirt, "I help make Google products even better" says a lot about the attitude Google is taking towards the search community, at least when it comes to promos. Even though the goal of search marketing is to benefit from (and some would say manipulate) search engine rankings, there is definitely also a partnership in which web developers, webmasters and search marketers are a key community that does provide valuable feedback to the search engines. (via Cartoon Barry Blog)

Posted by mark at 10:46 AM. Permalink: Google Promotional Outreach | Comments (0)

November 8, 2007

ad:tech New York 2007: Wheel...of...Promos!

Here's another great example of using promotional products not just to drive booth traffic, but to really get some interaction with trade show attendees. The folks at Kontera have a selection of products, from a promotional tote bag to a folding flyer and more. Attendees spin the wheel to find out what promo they get, and in the meantime they get to learn a little more about Kontera.

Posted by mark at 6:56 AM. Permalink: ad:tech New York 2007: Wheel...of...Promos! | Comments (0)

November 7, 2007

ad:tech New York 2007: The Simplest Promo

The round stress ball: it may be the simplest promotional product in the world. It's just a squishy sphere. To be fair, there are a few different versions of the round stress ball, but it's still pretty darn simple. It's also totally appropriate for some brands, like f5 and Datran Media, who both have logos that match up quite nicely with their round stress ball promos. Never argue with something simple that works.

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November 1, 2007

How the Pros Promo (Part Two)

In Part One we learned how they use promos, but what products do professional trade show planners and exhibitors prefer? Here's some date from the PPAI's recent survey:

The three most commonly used promotional products at tradeshows and events are:
*Writing instruments: pens were most often mentioned
*Wearables: t-shirts, golf shirts and logoed shirts were most commonly mentioned
*Bags: tote bags were most frequently mentioned

Posted by mark at 4:36 PM. Permalink: How the Pros Promo (Part Two) | Comments (0)

October 26, 2007

How the Pros Promo (Part One)

Ever wonder how the pros promo? Well, the Promotional Products Industry Association did a survey at TS2, the annual trade show for exhibit and event professionals to find out. Not surprisingly, 95% use promos and 72% find them 'extremely effective' or 'effective' at shows. Here's how they used promos:

*Increase name recognition – used by 79 percent of respondents
*Increase booth traffic– used by 64 percent of respondents
*Generate goodwill – used by 37 percent of respondents
*Attract new customers – used by 35 percent of respondents
*Generate interest in products – used by 34 percent of respondents

Posted by mark at 2:10 PM. Permalink: How the Pros Promo (Part One) | Comments (0)

October 15, 2007

Quality Indicator: Fan Appreciation

How do you know you've got a hot promo on your hands? If you're lucky, your fans will tell you. A great examples is this promotional case that was sent to people who pre-ordered the Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass video game. Send a quality promo and people tend to notice. And sometimes, they gush: "It's aluminium, feels indestructible, the logo on the top WILL NOT scratch off and it actually works as a carry-case...Isn't it just gorgeous?" Now that's the kind of response you want from your promotion! It's also worth mentioning, that if you want examples of great promotions, video game promos are worth checking out.

Posted by mark at 10:36 AM. Permalink: Quality Indicator: Fan Appreciation | Comments (0)

December 18, 2006

Promotional Merchandise: Google Goodies

After featuring the great Yahoo Answers promo gifts, I figured it's only fair to point out that Google has some great merchandise in their company store, too. Does your brand have the power to sell promotional merchandise with your logo? Even if you aren't as big as Google or Yahoo, it might. If it does, you get to kill two birds with one stone, promoting your brand and brining in some extra revenue.

Posted by mark at 8:06 AM. Permalink: Promotional Merchandise: Google Goodies | Comments (0)

November 22, 2006

More Video Game Promos: Matching Game Themes

As hyper-realistic as they are, video games still aren't like the Matrix, so you getting injured in the game doesn't mean you get hurt in real life. But that doesn't make this promotional first aid kit any less cool as a promo for the Socom video game. Plus, imprinted candy eggs are a perfect tie in for Yoshi's Island.

Posted by mark at 10:45 AM. Permalink: More Video Game Promos: Matching Game Themes | Comments (0)

November 17, 2006

Adidas Releases Promotional Watch Just for Kicks

Adidas created a promotional watch as a tie-in with the new documentary Just for Kicks, which is an overview of the "sneaker phenomenon" that looks at the role sneakers played in sports, hip-hop and street culture. The movie features Bobbito Garcia, who wrote the definitive book about sneaker culture from 1960-1987, Where'd Ya Get Those? I'm guessing anyone lucky enough to score one of these watches is going to hear a lot of "Where'd ya get that?"

Posted by mark at 11:08 AM. Permalink: Adidas Releases Promotional Watch Just for Kicks | Comments (0)

November 10, 2006

Promotional Roadshow: Brewery Promos Appraised

Sometimes promos are really more like promobilia, especially if they're promoting super brands, super bands or superman. Or beer. In Cincinnati, a couple local brewery buffs are holding their own Antiques Roadshow-style appraisal session for local brewery memorabilia, and some of it can be worth big bucks. According to beer historian Paul Abrams, "If you collected beer cans back in the '40s and '50s, you'd be set. They outperformed stocks." He ain't joking, either. Apparently some beer cans have sold for thousands of dollars on ebay, including a can from Burger beer that sold for over $6,000:

"It's a legendary can," Abrams said of the Burger can, which features an image of a camel asking "Are you thirsty?" Only two of the cans are known to be in existence.

Indeed, that must be one legendary can.

Posted by mark at 7:37 AM. Permalink: Promotional Roadshow: Brewery Promos Appraised | Comments (0)

October 24, 2006

Pirate Booty

Does your company name or brand feature an iconic object or image? This foam pirate ship was a giveaway from Pirate Capital, an investment firm. With a word like pirate in your company name, a promo like this would arrrguably be harrrrrd to resist. Plus, the recipients arrrrrr bound to remember your name.

Posted by mark at 11:47 AM. Permalink: Pirate Booty | Comments (0)

September 25, 2006

From Center Court to the Streets of Midtown

In New York, hot weather in August sends everyone on vacation, except tennis fans. If you are stuck in the city, you're bound to notice US Open promos all over the place. Practically any tennis promos you can imagine are being given away, sometimes by Maria Sharapova look-alike street teams.

Posted by mark at 10:32 AM. Permalink: From Center Court to the Streets of Midtown | Comments (0)

August 25, 2006

Hot Water for 'Weeds'

According to the Boston Herald, "a promotional campaign for “Weeds,” a cable television series about suburban pot smokers, went up in smoke in the eyes of federal drug agents last week after they witnessed children getting goodies from the “Munchie Mobile” in Boston." The promos in question included promotional frisbees and bags of Doritos. Obviously, it would be very difficult to promote this show without raising these issue, but some local law enforcement officers question whether the show should be promoted at all.

Posted by mark at 12:11 PM. Permalink: Hot Water for 'Weeds' | Comments (0)

August 17, 2006

Thrifty Brits Save Almost 7 Billion Pounds with Promos

According to a recent survey, taking advantage of promos has saved big bucks, er, pounds, for folks in the UK. From Life Style Extra:

Thrifty Brits save themselves a whopping ｣6.9 billion a year by taking advantage of promotional giveaways, according to a survey.

From free bikinis and flip-flops given away with magazines to coupons for free coffees and cinema tickets, our love of a good freebie saves each of us an average ｣150 a year, the research claims.

Posted by mark at 11:42 AM. Permalink: Thrifty Brits Save Almost 7 Billion Pounds with Promos | Comments (0)

August 4, 2006

Beach Branding

Promos on the beach are hot this summer, with everything from beach umbrellas and promotional towels to beach bags and flip flops. One guerilla advertising firm even suggested "advertising messages delivered in bottles left on the beach by street teams posing as mermaids is another possibility." I would venture to argue that finding a message in a bottle, then realizing it was advertising, would be a bit of a disappointment, but I'm pro-mermaid.

Posted by mark at 1:05 PM. Permalink: Beach Branding | Comments (0)

August 3, 2006

GTA Mirror vs. Anti-Tobacco Promos

While one blogger feels that this promotional mirror given out at the launch party for the controversial video game Grand Theft Auto III, the Department of Health is using promotional items tied into the Little League World Series to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco, particularly chewing tobacco. This isn't the first time promos have been alleged to encourage or discourage drug use.

Posted by mark at 12:55 PM. Permalink: GTA Mirror vs. Anti-Tobacco Promos | Comments (0)

July 3, 2006

Valley Schwag 3

Valley Schwag 3 was sent out recently, so flickr is chock-full of photos of this month's schwag. It seems like it's even more popular than when we first mentioned Valley Schwag here. Will we look back on it as an example of the execesses of the second Internet boom? As I write this, I just realized I'm wearing a promotional t-shirt from the first Internet boom. I'm not sure what that signifies. Perhaps that Internet booms come and go, but you're always going to need a clean t-shirt.

Posted by mark at 11:40 AM. Permalink: Valley Schwag 3 | Comments (0)

June 5, 2006

Here Come the High-Tech Promos

According to The Monitor, high-tech promos are the way of the future:

"Guard that logo-bearing coffee mug you picked up at a trade show, and those T-shirts marketing people drop in front of you during a sales pitch. In the future, you might be less likely to get as much of that old-fashioned stuff from companies that want your business.

"Increasingly, organizations are getting high-tech when it comes to promotional items. New items you might expect are calculators, compact discs, key-chain computer memory devices and state-of-the-art LED flashlights — all splashed with a logo or containing a sales pitch."

While I do agree that high-tech promos likepromotional usb drives have become and will continue to be popular, I don't think promo coffee mugs are going out of style until people stop drinking coffee. I, for one, drink more cofee than ever in this high-tech age.

Posted by mark at 5:55 PM. Permalink: Here Come the High-Tech Promos | Comments (0)

June 4, 2006

Promos for Blood

From NorthJersey.com:
"Donate blood these days and you might come home with a gift card, movie tickets or a cookbook to go with the warm feeling that comes from performing a good deed."

"Blood centers and hospitals across the nation are increasingly turning to rewards programs and promotional giveaways in their perpetual effort to attract new donors."

New Jersey's blood donation rates are low (the state imports blood from other states), so every drop helps.

Posted by mark at 5:41 PM. Permalink: Promos for Blood | Comments (0)

June 2, 2006

We Love Free Stuff, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Accoding to The Desert Sun, Arizona couple Marie Ann and Richard Ashcraft have, over the last 40 years, amassed a collection of more than 2,000 items worth about $100,000, including Beatles lunch boxes, wigs, album covers and even board games. That's a lot of Beatles promos, and they've appreciated in value over the years. One example:

"The pink mini-guitar was sold in 1964 for about $1.29. Today it is worth about $400, but the true treasure is the mini-mini guitar enclosed in a glass frame. The mini-mini guitar was a promotional item offered only to record stores and those in the industry, which makes it worth about $1,500 today."

Posted by mark at 5:12 PM. Permalink: We Love Free Stuff, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah | Comments (0)

May 25, 2006

Pan Paper: It Ain't the Product, It's the Promotion

When I tell people what I do, the often ask me what cool products we have. This is a legitimate question, but in some ways, it misses the point of what we do. Sure, we have some unique products, but most promotional products are things you've probably already seen before. That's one reason why they're effective - people use them. The key to a great promotion is taking a product and turning it into an interesting piece of advertising that is relevant to your business and your customers. For example, the butcher paper below is literally just a piece of paper, but with a pan printed on it, it's also a clever piece of advertising that people will remember:

Posted by mark at 10:27 AM. Permalink: Pan Paper: It Ain't the Product, It's the Promotion | Comments (1)

May 24, 2006

The Benefits of Being flickr

One of the cool things about being flicker is that people will take cool photos of your promotional products and post them online. Like this:

Previous coverage of flickr promos of various types.

Posted by mark at 10:52 AM. Permalink: The Benefits of Being flickr | Comments (0)

May 17, 2006

Intra-company Promotion, a VC Perspective

Venture capitalist David Hornik recently wrote a great post about promotional products (schwag) on VentureBlog. I'm quoting a big chunk because it's so good, and because it's a perspective on promos that you don't really get all that often. Of course, you should visit VentureBlog and read the rest. Here's what he has to say about the value of branded apparel and products for employees, and how it both signifies and reinforces company culture:

But the schwag that I think really matters is the intra-company schwag. I am not a VC who minds his money being spent on t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts. In fact, I encourage it.

Teams that love what they池e working on, want to wear their company logos. They want to have the t-shirt or the hat or the polar fleece. And the act of wearing the shirt of the company you love is self-reinforcing. It makes you love the company all the more. I remember visiting Yahoo in the late nineties and being struck by the fact that about 3 out of every 4 people I passed in the cafeteria was wearing a Yahoo t-shirt of some kind or another. It wasn稚 a dress code. It was a testimony to the culture Jerry and Dave had created from the very outset of the company. The same is true of my portfolio companies. They celebrate successes with company t-shirts. They give company laptop bags for the holidays. Their employees wear company baseball hats to lunch. And I, their board member, proudly rotate through my portfolio company sweatshirts when walking in the morning.

Posted by mark at 12:17 PM. Permalink: Intra-company Promotion, a VC Perspective | Comments (0)

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