Promotional products are often the first medium through which a company’s ethics can be promoted. Newspaper, billboard and other “above the line” advertising is most often used to promote the sales of a particular product or service. This tends to be product or service focused rather than brand building and communicating.
Promotional gifts can be a very useful medium for general awareness building of a company or brand. A simple example may be car producer. Their regular advertising is designed to promote the value or style of their newly launched hatch-back or family vehicle. This will focus on particular attributes of the cars advertised in order to enhance sales. A promotional give away or corporate gift on the other hand will generally promote and communicate the brand of the producer.
To receive a cap, umbrella, pen or USB stick from that producer may be a welcome gift but it says little about the company in question; except perhaps how much they are prepared to spend and therefore their perceived value of the recipient to the company.
To receive a gift that states it’s recycled, biodegradable, Fairtrade or organic alongside the company brand says an awful lot about that organisation. Not only do they value their customer but they have a greater sense of responsibility beyond their shareholders dividend. The user experience will be enhanced, the recipient may well show it to others, value and retain the gift longer and most importantly have a better opinion of the company giving that gift.
Remember though; it’s important not to give away wasteful or inappropriate gift items, keep them useful and relevant and they will give a fantastic return on investment.
