So, we have a batch of awesome promotional merchandise that we want to sell or give away. We feel like this particular product will be the big selling point that puts our brand on the map and makes it grow exponentially in comparison to the past season. And according to nearly every metric, it should succeed. But somehow, it doesn’t. What exactly went wrong there?
Well, as any business owner will tell us, it’s not just about the items. It’s also about how we market them and how we sell them to the audience.
In the modern era, that makes a lot of sense. We might have the best, most outstanding product imaginable. But if we couple it with lacklustre marketing, nobody will want to buy it. In fact, the opposite might happen and they might avoid the product altogether. That’s why brands, even today, invest hundreds of thousands of pounds (sometimes even millions) into their marketing campaigns.
Now, if we’re a new business, we don’t need to invest that much. But if we want to grab attention with our products, we have to consider what should and should not be done during the advertising campaign. In this article, we cover precisely that.
What Not to Do
Trying Too Hard
Everyone can notice when a company tries too hard. For instance, lots of people are put off by certain well-known brands that try to make flashy, pricey, and tone-deaf advertisements.
Sure, some people might enjoy Coca-Cola’s overblown dance numbers or Hollywood celebrities promoting mobile game apps. But the majority of people will simply not connect to these ads. To them, it’s the equivalent of the wealthy bragging about their wealth.
Following Current Trends
We’ve seen it time and time again. Brands will do something trendy such as meme marketing or notice something popular like that array of dances from Fortnite, and focus on exploiting that. Another example of that would be pandering to causes or national holidays. How many times did we get message after message from brands celebrating Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or even Halloween?
Current trends, such as memes, fads, and certain celebrities, don’t have a lot of staying power. They will ultimately grow old and lose relevance. Furthermore, holidays and cause-related events will bring about a different problem. Namely, the brands will get lazy and use pre-approved patterns for their products during said events. In short, there isn’t a lot of creativity there.
What to Do
Minimalism
As we stated earlier, we can’t have overblown ads and commercial campaigns for our products. Instead, we should opt for the opposite. In other words, we need to embrace a minimalist approach to advertising.
One of the most prominent ad campaigns is the one for Marmite. We guarantee that our non-UK readers don’t really know about the company, but that their slogan is firmly in their mind, the famous ‘love it or hate it.’ It’s a simple phrase, containing only five single-syllable words. And yet, the campaign, drafted all the way back in 1996, is still going strong. To put it simply, the campaign used the ‘less is more’ approach. So, when we design promo items, we should keep it simple and to the point, and match our advertising to the product’s own simplicity to boot.
Oddity
As we stated earlier, copying popular memes or rehashing them will not result in a successful ad campaign. Instead, we should try to focus on forming our own memes. Japanese commercials do this perfectly, with the best possible example being the famous ‘Long Long Man’ series of commercials for Sakeru Gummy. An odd, uncanny commercial will definitely get the consumer to check a product out.
Of course, the same tactic was done in the West many times. Some examples include the early PlayStation 2 commercials, as well as the beloved Churchill nodding bulldog adverts. Even decades after being made, these commercials remain pop-culture milestones, and the businesses they helped continue to thrive.
Consistency
As is the case with brands, marketing campaigns should always maintain some form of consistency. For instance, Toblerone’s line of branded products will always have a deep lemon/apple red colour scheme. In addition, logos and slogans should also stay consistent throughout the years, with McDonalds’ famous ‘I’m lovin it’ being the perfect example of that.
Grabbing Attention the Right Way in 2023
Most of this article focused on what makes effective advertising. And while the examples we’ve provided don’t focus on promo items themselves grabbing attention, everything we’ve listed definitely applies to them.
So, to sum up, if we want to have an effective marketing campaign, we need to keep our promo items consistent and with minimalist designs. And if we can employ a little bit of odd, out-of-the-box thinking with designs and even product choices, we will definitely be on the right track.
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Out of fresh ideas? Have a look at our new products. If you have any more questions about promotional products, you can contact GoPromotional. You may call us at 0800 0148 970 or simply email us today. We have been in the business for years and know the ins and outs of the industry better than anyone. Give us a call, and let’s talk about all things promotion!
