I had a lesson this morning in the way promotional products have an impact above and beyond other traditional pieces of marketing. We’ve all had a paper cut. If you ever worked in the print industry, you’ve had a lot of them – and are aware of the degrees of severity these cuts can have: from the “one sheet slice” that occurs when opening a letter or shuffling papers on the desk, to the pain and hemmoraging caused by sliding your hand down the length of a stack of 100# gloss cover at just the right angle while trying to hurriedly load a digital press.
First thing this morning I inflicted the bleeder seen above. Not huge, but painful (why do paper cuts hurt as bad as they do? Read up on that here.) – and as I’m right-handed, it pretty much makes everything you do impossible until you stop the bleeding. A few cuts like this and you learn to show respect when handling paper. A good supply of bandages is always smart to keep close by in a print shop, but today I was out of the ones I keep at my desk. Then I remembered ImageSmith has a handy bandage dispenser as a promotional product: imprinted with our logo and contact information, and even containing zebra-striped adhesive bandages to promote our marketing tagline “Earning our stripes… every day.” A supply is displayed up front to give to customers.
Finding this bandage dispenser at the right moment was a clear lesson to me in the impact that branded merchandise can have. Most folks will hang onto this item as they know its handy to keep a few bandages nearby for an emergency. Your logo and message are refreshed in the person’s mind each time they notice it at their workstation. At the moment of need… when you really do need a bandage to stop the bleeding… the message of the product is a powerful one.
What message is this product implying when it functions in this way?
- “I’m helpful.”
- “I’m close at hand when you have a serious need.”
- “I was thinking ahead, knowing you might need me some day.”
- “I stay one step ahead, and can help you.”
Pretty powerful messages, right?
Think about how branded merchandise could be used for your company to put your logo and message directly into the hands of your public. Make it a gift that they will want to use, find helpful and keep handy. The longevity of these items outstrips other promotional media by far, as people have a need for the items beyond their marketing message. The variety of products available is HUGE. Enter a search term here and take a look at what you can order.
