Marketing Tips

Advertising Specialties

By: Steve Miller, President, The Adventure

Advertising specialties are the little giveaway items you see at every trade show, for which there are literally thousands of possible ideas. They can be one of the most powerful methods for creating brand awareness and name retention. At the same time, they are probably one of the most misunderstood and misused marketing tools available. The Advertising Specialty Institute was founded to help bring some semblance of order to a very confusing industry.

An item must meet three qualifications with regard to function, printed message, and price before it is defined as an advertising specialty, function, imprinted logo or message, and be at a reasonable cost.

Function
Those plastic bags given out by the millions at trade shows are a good example of an advertising specialty product. Their function is to hold things. They hold flyers, brochures, and other small giveaways. The problem with these bags is that they don't have a long life span. As soon as the stuff inside the bag is sorted through, the bag is tossed out. These have become increasingly popular in recent years, which means there are probably several exhibitors at your show already doing this. Don't copy, innovate. I don't recommend plastic bags.

Imprinted with a Logo or Message
Every advertising specialty product will have a corporate logo or advertising message imprinted somewhere on its surface. Ways to imprint include silk screening, engraving, hot stamping, and printing.

Reasonable Cost
An advertising specialty product is usually fairly inexpensive. It's not unusual for one to cost just a few pennies. If you are planning to give every attendee walking by your booth a gift and there are 65,000 attendees, you don't want to spend very much. If, however, you're planning to give a nice gift to your top 100 customers at the show, you might want to spend a little more.

Reasons for Using a Giveaway
You might ask why you should use a giveaway. Although I'm not necessarily endorsing the use of advertising specialty products, I do feel there is a place for them in a marketing mix. And, quite possibly, the trade show is a good place for them. If you elect to use giveaways, select something that will stand out in the crowd, something that will help your prospect think of you.

Personalize it. Besides having your corporate logo on it, engrave the recipient's name, on it. It adds a special personal touch; also, people rarely throw out something imprinted with their name.
Ensure high-perceived value. One company used Swiss Army knives as part of an elaborate giveaway in a promotional campaign aimed at presidents of companies that purchased heavy equipment. Although compared to a truck costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, a Swiss Army knife is inexpensive, the perceived value was high and the giveaway was a success because of the first-class campaign.
Build in exclusivity by limiting distribution. My wife worked for Walker Manufacturing Company, a division of Tenneco. The company manufactures mufflers and catalytic converters. Like other automotive aftermarket companies, Walker uses several giveaway items-T-shirts, hats, knives, coffee cups, and jackets to name a few. They also use a special black jacket that everybody wants. Not everybody has it, however, because only a limited supply exists; it's become a special prize, a semi-status symbol among customers.
Cloak it in celebrity status. After Jack Nicklaus won the Masters with an oversized putter, a sales bonanza started for that particular brand. Everybody likes to have a product with such status behind it. If you can create status, capitalize on its value.
Provide a name-brand product or something designed by a renowned person. Imagine giving away copies of a Leroy Neiman specially painted for a customer's company. It would be even more successful if Neiman did the painting at the show.
Make it fit the taste, position, and status of the receiver. Some companies keep using little stick-on fuzzy birds at trade shows to promote their name. The problem comes when they stick one on a CEO's $1,000 Georgio Armani suit. Be careful and be sensitive to the receiver.
Flatter the receiver. Create subtle pats on the back that keep silently applauding and patting for years, and, of course, are seen by the right people. As an example: I have a paperweight in the shape of a star. I did a favor for a client and received it with my name engraved. It's proudly displayed on my desk for everybody to see. I've also seen companies use specially designed pens with the corporate logo imprinted as "medals of honor" for their salespeople. When somebody pulls out the special pen to write up an order, customers automatically know this salesperson is a winner.
Add a twist. At one medical trade show, a company offered free teddy bears to every pediatrician invited to view a sales presentation. More than 93 percent of the invitees responded. Can you imagine a huge line of doctors waiting to get their teddy bears?
Select a usable, functional item. Functionality gives the receiver a reason for keeping your gift handy. It works, and that's its reason for being. It doesn't exist solely for self-aggrandizement. I use a pocket shoe polisher as a giveaway. Because I stress the importance of well-shined shoes at trade shows, this is a natural for me. It is very functional and people really like it. In fact, it's so well liked that I get calls for replacements!
Present the gift politely. Forcing a gift on someone defeats its purpose. Respect your attendees, even if they refuse your trinket. Not one of these ten tips is the ultimate answer for every problem. But the more of them that can logically be built into the marketing tool used, the better the probability that it will be kept. And that's the name of the game.

» Visit Steve Miller's web site - http://www.theadventure.com

Go to Marketing Tips main page.