Determining the best product

Sometimes the right product is not the most convenient or best priced. Often the right product is one which relates to the chosen market. Whilst nearly everyone appreciates a promotional item, finding ways to remind your consumers of a business at key times will have a better bottom line on company branding and sales. Some corporations even choose several different promotional items, with varying benefits and price points to target different consumers within one campaign. First considerations of what product to use should involve several key factors;

Practicality. Generally items that are practical and will be used many times by the consumer are most effective.  It also needs to be a practical, audience-relevant product that makes sense when used within your promotional campaign.

Uniqueness. If possible choose a product, design or decoration options that will instantly grab people’s attention due to a unique, novel, clever or creative feature or function. Typically, the more useful and novel the product, the higher the impact it will have. However many companies successfully give something neutral away, items anyone can make use of. This is particularly appropriate if the target market is quite wide or difficult to determine.

Visibility. Choose a product that will be seen, appreciated and make an impact on the desired audience. That audience may be just the person or people given the item e.g. edible items which will leave a short but sweet impression on the recipient. Other promotional items with a short expiration and use date such as balloons are likely to be visible on the day they are received, particularly at public events and locations, but will not make repeated impressions in the long term. Similarly, seasonal items e.g. gloves might be highly visible and make great impressions during winter but will be unused for the majority of the year. Ultimately the best items in terms of visibility will be those that are designed to be visible to the company’s desired audience for an appropriate (hopefully extended!) length of time, thereby ensuring the maximum number of impressions per product.

Company Image & Branding message. There is also the necessity to balance the company image and branding you want to get across with this product.  If the product, artwork and design is too far removed from the company image commonly accepted it may confuse consumers. If you are not happy with what a particular product or design says about your organisation, consider an alternative. If the item lacks professionalism or is unreliable it can harm the reputation and perception of an organisation. Good understanding of a company’s brand values and the articulation of these values through a promotional product is essential to a clear branding message. Ideally the product will have a natural relationship or ties with your brand, and marketing communications theme. To get a branding message clearly noticed on a product, the best approach may be to avoid trying to replicate every detail of the traditional logo.  Instead, consider developing a slightly modified version of your logo. Promotional items are typically long lasting, and should be chosen with care; creating merchandise with a strong correlation to an organisation’s products, services or target market. This will ensure the item is not just long lasting, but has long lasting value to the brand.

Order Quantity – Consider how many people you are trying to reach with the product. Perhaps only one hundred people are targeted to receive a high quality product. Alternatively you may wish to give thousands of people an item that is not as expensive, but will ensure far more people are reached. Typically, the higher the purchase quantity the less each item will cost per unit.

Materials, Design & Additional Features – Talk to your promotional products provider about the varied printing options, additional features and materials often available for different products. Each minor decision will impact on the price of the product and overall perception of the end user.