Thursday, August 28, 2014

Custom Promotional Items Help Differentiate Your Brand

You need a promotional item to hand out at your next trade show or event. You want an item that advertises your company name, product or service but that people will remember and keep. You are flipping through catalogs or looking at promotional products on Pinterest and aren't inspired. Nothing you look at really helps to tell your brand story or showcase your product or service. Sound familiar?

Try looking at it a different way. Instead of looking at what is available and trying to make it fit, why not design EXACTLY what you need instead?

If you are tired of the "same old" items or don't want to use promotional items that really don't relate to your products or services, then you may want to consider creating a custom promotional item. With all of the new production techniques available, there are more options for customization than ever.

Now, custom designed items don't work for everyone as they often require new tooling and extended lead times to get them created, produced and delivered. However, they are worth investigating to see if they will support your marketing objectives. For the biggest conference of the year or to support your most important new product launch, a custom designed promotional item might be just want your company needs to stand out and get noticed. It's worth the investment.

Here are some examples of companies that created custom promotional items to help them build their brand.

Mini Manufacturing Robots

FANUC USA builds manufacturing robots. As you can imagine, it is not easy bringing a full size robot to a trade show for demonstrations nor is it always practical to bring a customer to one of its facilities to see one close up.  But what about a miniature version that moves and pivots the way the full version does?

That is exactly what was created from FANUC's original CAD drawings. This 6" miniature version of their manufacturing robot can serve as either a demonstration piece or as a fun commemorative item to gift to a customer to remind them of their visit to the facility or after a sales demonstration. (Plus, customers' kids love them, so they get saved.)

This was a very complex custom item.The lead time and molding charges will not work for everyone's budget, but perhaps this may be good way to show your equipment in action.


Historical Homes

If you think manufacturing robots are too large to carry around, what about a whole house?  The Rolling Meadows Historical Society in Illinois wanted something different to help visitors remember their tour and the town's important contribution to local architecture. The Society decided to  recreate their 1950's house museum in miniature to sell in their museum shop. Created from photos of several different existing houses that retained the original 1950's design, this miniature is a 3-D replica of the style of houses built in their city, including the landscaping!


Is your company located in a historic building or do you want to promote the unique style of buildings in your community? Then creating  miniature promotional models could be a great way to show them off and even earn a little money if you decide to sell them.


Unique Product Design

Do you produce a very uniquely designed product that you want to replicate in a giveaway? Create a mini version then. Or, do you just want to create a unique promotional product that your customers and prospects will love and actually use for maximum brand exposure? Go custom!

Another example of a custom promotional item is this miniature 3-D tow truck sculpture from D & R Towing.  Given to key clients and referral sources, this makes for an unusual desk or credenza display item that will be kept for years, reminding the recipient of the advertiser. 


So, to recap, if you have a product that is large, uniquely designed, or you really want a marketing item that stands out and gets remembered, a custom promotional product could be exactly what your business needs.

To learn more about custom promotional products or start brainstroming ideas, give me a call at 847-398-5500 or shoot me an email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

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