A Happy Ending for Obsolete Promotional T-Shirts

While many election year promotional products end up in trash cans at the end of campaign season, one group defied the easy route and is putting those old items to good use.

The Daily Caller reports that the Knox County Romney Campaign of Tennessee has donated its leftover Romney-Ryan 2012 promotional t-shirts to a needy school in Kenya.

The campaign managers donated the unused promotional shirts to The Orbit Village Project, a nonprofit organization that runs a school, medical clinic, orphanage and Baptist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. More than 200 of the school's students received their own t-shirt.

"We were thinking, 'What's the best use for these shirts?' And it was very organic in how it came together," said Alexander Waters, campaign director for the Knox Country Romney Campaign. He explained that he became aware of The Orbit Village Project through his aunt, Cyndy Waters, founder and director of the charity organization.

This was indeed a happy ending with promotional items being put to good use instead of ending up in a landfill. So, what else can you do with leftover promotional or logoed marketing products?

1. Give employees first pick. Your employees are your best salespeople and the living representation of your brand. Why not reward them for their hard work with some free promotional items? Everyone loves free stuff and sharing extra promotional items, especially if they are useful, creates a lot of goodwill.

2. Have a "garage sale" and donate the proceeds to charity. Set up a table in the lobby one day and tell your employees or other office workers that all donations for the items will go to a charity. Even if people only pay $1 for each item, you're supply closet will be empty and the charity will be grateful for any help you can give them. Some charity retail stores will take the promotional items, as well. Give them a call to see if they are interested.

3. Donate them to a local school. Kids love free stuff and school PTAs are always looking for prizes to give out to students for contests or motivation. As long as your promotional item is kid-friendly, let the kids take them home and show off their winnings.

What have you done with your leftover promotional items?

If you have the opposite problem and need to create some promotional products or get your logo printed on some trade show giveaways, give me a call at 847-398-5500 or email me at dona@newportpros.com.

Promotional Products Given Away at Trade Shows Work!

Ever wonder why so many companies give away promotional products at trade shows? Because they work! 

A few Universities have done studies on the subject. Most notably, the Promotional Products Association International reports the results of a study done by Georgia State University that was conducted at four trade shows representing the gift, jewelry, dry-cleaning and close-out (housewares, toys, clothing, etc.) industries. University researchers conducted exit interviews at these trade shows, consisting of 18 multi-part questions designed to determine what attendees remembered about the promotional products they received at the shows, their perceptions about the promotional product and its usefulness, and their impression of the companies giving them the product.

The results were good news for marketers. 62.6% of trade-show attendees stated they had received a promotional product. 71.6% of attendees who received a promotional product remembered the name of the company that gave them the product. 76.3% of attendees had a favorable attitude toward the company that gave them the product. 

Providing promotional gifts to attendees at trade shows, increases the likelihood of them remembering your company's name and it creates a favorable impression of your brand. A great return for your marketing investment! 

So what can promotional products do for your business?

Promotional products can be used as a one-time promotion to grab the attention of and acquire new customers. They are effective tools to inform, remind, persuade and support a company’s effort to increase loyalty and sales, ensuring the continuous growth of your business. When it comes to trade show marketing, you can't beat a promotional product's ability to drive traffic to your booth and create a create a positive image in the mind of the recipient. 

Best yet, there are so many unique and creative ways to promote a special product launch or boost your company brand with promotional products. The possibilities are endless and effective.  

For an example, Herr Foods was extremely successful in meeting their trade show marketing goals with a unique promotion.

OBJECTIVES: Herr Foods had a few objectives for their trade show marketing:

1. Drive traffic to the trade show booth; 
2. Write orders at the booth with existing and new customers;
3. Increase brand awareness for the company; and 
4. Create a positive image for the company in the attendee’s minds.

STRATEGY & EXECUTION: Herr Foods’ decided to promote their company with a trade show booth at an annual vending machine operator’s trade show. The show took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Recognizing the golfing appeal of the location, Herr Foods hosted a lively, attention-getting golf-themed game in the booth. Booth visitors were challenged to use a golf club to lift a golf ball globe onto a tee as spectators around the booth loudly counted down from 10. Game players who were successful in the 10-second time frame won five cases of Herr Foods snacks. Those who weren't successful were still winners since they got to keep the golf ball shaped globe. Of course, no matter the outcome of the game, the participants enjoyed the game and took home something of value with the Herr Foods logo. While Herr Foods was the big winner, as more and more show attendees were drawn to the booth to see what all the excitement was about.

RESULTS: With never less than 6 and as many as 18 visitors in the booth, this was by far the most active the Herr Foods booth had been in 12 years at this particular show. More importantly, the company sold over 4,000 cases and signed on 12 new accounts both at show itself and immediately after the show. By the end of the show, Herr Foods met all four of their marketing objectives: driving traffic to their booth, writing orders, increasing brand awareness, and creating a positive image for the company. By using a promotional product - a golf ball shaped globe with their logo - and a fun game idea, Herr Foods shot a hole in one with this promotion. 

Now, I'd love to hear from you! What's the best promotion you've seen at a trade show recently?

If you are looking to drive traffic to your upcoming trade show booth or see how promotional products can help you meet your marketing goals, give me a call at 847-398-5500 or shoot me an email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com. I'd be happy to consult on a unique promotion for your business.

For more trade show marketing ideas, you might like the following:

Draw More Traffic to Your Trade Show Booth

Creating Trade Show Buzz

A Surefire Traffic Building Promotion for Your Next Trade Show

A New Shape to Make Your Trade Show Booth Stand Out

Want to draw more people to your trade show booth? Sure, who doesn't, right? Well, here's an attention grabbing idea - showcase your marketing message in 4D with this four-sided, full-color, pyramid-shaped display! 

Tired of the "same old, same old" trade show booth banner stands that can only be viewed from one side?  Have more than one message to communicate, but need to do so in a small booth space?  Then this new four-sided display could definitely be your answer.

The display is 7 feet tall and can be seen from any direction so you can draw traffic to your booth from any angle. It's perfect for a corner booth space. It features strong carbon composite poles that easily open up like an umbrella so it can be set up very quickly by any member of your team. The hardware and graphics are super lightweight and packaged in a soft carry case that can be transported via auto or plane, saving you expensive shipping costs. Best of all, at under $400 each (including set-up charge), it's very affordable. 

Frank Cooper, Vice President of Marketing for the Magellan Industrial Group recently brought his display to an important trade show in China and was very pleased with it. Frank said: 

"The pyramid display unit is extremely unique and does draw a lot of attention, depending on your graphics. The OEM machined parts we displayed on it almost seem 3-D! Many show attendees commented on it very favorably. Thanks for all of your help in purchasing it and expediting the shipping. It’s a real winner!!"

The display is perfect for all indoor venues, such as trade shows, malls, conferences, or lobbies. You can have the same message on each side or have each side feature a different message for versatility.

Make your marketing message pop with beautiful, full-color graphics and a unique 4D display. Don't let all of the attention go to your head, though.

If you want to learn more about this unique and effective trade show booth signage, give me a call at 847-398-5500 or email me at dona.blunt@newportpros.com. 


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Use Personalization to Create Unique and Memorable Promotional Materials

Want to get your promotional marketing material read, kept and remembered?  Personalize it! Personalized copy is the way to go with marketing material. It's human nature to pay attention when you see your name, right? It's also eye-grabbing when you see your name inserted into a graphic that looks as if it were designed just for you. Digital printing has come a long way and it's easy for your business to take advantage of its customized features to Wow! your customers and prospects.

To bring this idea to life, let's take a look a successful example of a personalized promotional piece. WINGS, a not-for-profit group, was trying to encourage early registration for its 13th annual Benefit Ride.  In order to do so, they had to make their mailing unique and grab their potential participants' attention. The personalized postcards they created accomplished their objective and then some. Not only did the postcard cause a buzz when it was first received, early registrations were up over 40% from the previous year!

Another very popular personalized item that will grab your client's attention is this calendar where the recipient's name is incorporated directly into each month's photo. It's not just printed in a text box or typed onto of a photo. It is actually incorporated into the photo as if it were photographed that way. This is one calendar that someone will certainly keep on display for at least 12 months!

So how else can you use this technology to promote your business? How about signing people up at your trade show booth to receive one of these personalized calendars if they fill out a form to request more information?  Because these calendars can start with any month, they are good for follow-up visit gifts or in a mailing with a proposal and sales literature. Insert your customer's name on your sales postcards and tell them you miss them. It's so easy to do, especially if you have been collecting names for your mailing list.

Technology has made it easy and cost effective to grab your clients' attention, so consider getting personal and adding individual names to your marketing materials. It's a unique way to set your business apart from the competition.

Need help on where to start? Contact me today at 847-398-5500 or at dona.blunt@newportpros.com and we'll create a memorable promotion that's perfect for your customers.

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Scan Your Way to Sales Sucess

By now you have probably seen those postage-stamp size squares with squiggly lines known as QR (quick response) codes. And, you probably know that scanning them on your smart phone takes you to a specific website to get more information on the company promoting the code. But did you know that they are also an inexpensive and powerful way to drive sales? 

Here's a case story that will help illustrate the power of QR codes for promotion. Moretti's Pizza was trying to stay "front of mind" with its current and prospective customers to generate more sales. So they decided to initiate a deal-of-the week campaign. When thinking about how to advertise these weekly deals, Moretti's noticed that their competitors spent a great deal of money printing custom pizza boxes with their promotional details and/or sending direct mail flyers with coupons. However, they realized that these methods were not only expensive, but they prevented those companies from being able to change their specials quickly. In fact, these traditional promotions literally had to continue until either the printed pizza boxes ran out or the direct mail flyers expired. Moretti's realized they wanted to do something that was easier and more flexible.

So, Moretti's supplied their current and prospective customers with a key tag that had a QR code printed on one side. Not only was a key tag a unique and inexpensive, it was ideal for their "on-the-go" customers.  As they were planning their promotion, Morttti's realized that most of its customers were calling in their orders from a cell phone and they didn't have their coupons with them. However, with a key tag the customers could simply use their smartphone to scan the printed QR code, see the weekly special, and place their order right from the same phone. If they saw that one promotion wasn't pulling in enough sales, they could change it quickly. With a QR Code, Moretti's accomplished two objectives--making it super easy for their customers to see the promotions and order from their phones, as well as gaining the flexibility to change promotions weekly or even daily based on customer response and competitor's offers.

On another note, Moretti's chose a key tag to give to customers to deliver their QR Code because it was inexpensive, customers would hold on to it, and it was perfect as a reminder for ordering pizza while you were out in your car or driving home from work. But companies don't have to use a key ring for their promotion. There are plenty of other promotional items that customers find useful enough to hold on to and are cost effective. 

For example, this pen with billboard clip is a perfect example. 

Everyone hangs on to and uses promotional pens! This example combines an area large enough for a QR code but it's also a very comfortable writing instrument. Other affordable items that can accommodate a QR code include coasters, insulated can wraps, sticky note pads, rulers and pocket mirrors.

Need an idea on how to use QR codes to promote YOUR business?  Contact me today at 847-398-5500 or at dona.blunt@newportpros.com and we'll create a custom promotion that's perfect for your customers. 

Put the Promotional Power of Swag Bags to Work at Your Next Event

Swag Bags are all the rage! You read about them at the Oscars, and other celebrity events. You even hear about them in conjunction with national sporting events, such as the Super Bowl.  But can you bring the glamour and promotional power of Swag Bags to your event?

Of course! Swag Bags work so well as a promotional marketing tool because people just LOVE receiving free gifts Event guests get a bag filled with wonderful products that marketers are eager to get into their hands. The guest loves receiving new, free items to try and the marketers love the advertising and potential word of mouth for their products. However, Swag Bags aren't just for the rich and famous. They don't have to contain items that value in the thousands of dollars to be effective. They just need to include items that the target audience finds valuable.

Companies are using promotional Swag Bags as:

• Gifts in rooms for travel incentive trips
• Incentives to get people to buy tickets early to events, for example, the first 100 people who register get a swag bag
• Thank you gifts for attending trade shows, conferences, sporting events, and even networking meetings
• Product trial inducers - give people a sample of your product and a coupon for future purchase

To create a Swag Bag for your next event, there are a few considerations. First, what is your objective? To get people to try one of your products to promote future purchases? To get your company logo in front of them for more brand awareness? Once you know what you want your target audience to experience or take away from the swag bag you can think about the bag and filling it.

Start with the bag? Is it part of the "value" to the customer or is it's only purpose to hold the items in the bag? Should the bag be be casual, like a drawstring backpack? Or, more business-like, such as a briefcase or messenger bag? Or, more practical like a shopping bag or tote? The answer depends on your brand's personality and on whether you want your target to hand on to the bag and use it, giving your brand more visibility.

Next, what's in the bag? Products you want sampled? Coupons? Brochures? Giveaway items that will tie with the theme of your event or to visually to remind attendees of the meeting objectives? For example, if you are hosting a Wellness Fair, how about a pedometer that is both useful and is wellness-related? 

If you are staging an event for college-age students, how about including a speaker that amplifies a cell phone's music selections? 

On a tight budget?  See if your event sponsors will contribute an item to the bag-- the more the better!  If you are part of a Chamber or business networking group, all of you can combine to make a gift bag. Just try to eliminate duplicate items so everyone's contribution has maximum impact. It is not effective to have seven pens and two hand sanitizers when instead you could have had nine distinct items.

Also, if the event has a definite theme, try to have the items related to that specific theme as much as possible. I have personally seen people at a golf event throw out non-golf items from their swag bag, which is truly a waste of both precious advertising dollars and an opportunity to make a good impression on the bag recipient.

Need help in creating, customizing, or improving a Swag Bag for your event? We have so many ideas for both the bags and the valuable items inside to help your promote your business effectively. Contact PromoDona at 847-398-5500 or dona.blunt@newportpros.com  for some unique ideas that will make your clients feel like you're treating them like celebrities.

For more trade show, conference or event marketing ideas, check out my Promotional Marketing Board on Pinterest or Like my Newport Promotions Facebook Page. 

A Surefire Traffic Building Promotion for Your Next Trade Show

One of the things I get asked all the time is "How can I get more prospects into my trade show booth so I can tell them our story?" I've listed a few ideas on the blog here but I wanted to share another idea I came across in ASI's Advantage Magazine.

Jay Irby, the President of i-Mark, a pen manufacturer, suggests using personalized pens as a trade show traffic builder. Here's how it works. Personalize the cap or top half of a pen with your name or logo and phone number. Send only the personalized top half of the pen to important customers or prospects you know will be attending the trade show. Make sure it arrives a week before the show.

Include a short note about how to receive the bottom half of the pen, they need to visit your trade show booth. Don't forget to leave the booth number and a cell phone contact if they can't find you at the show. This will drive traffic to your booth! i-Mark's distributors claim  they've received an 85% response rate on this type of promotion.

Looking for other ideas on how to drive traffic to your trade show booth? Check out my post on using Matching Games to Drive Trade Show Booth Traffic and 4 Unique Promotional Ideas to Draw Traffic to Your Trade Show Booth. I've also got some great ideas on my Memorable Trade Show & Exhibit Promotions Board on Pinterest.

Ready to create a traffic building idea for your next trade show? Give me a call today at 847-398-5500 to get one of these promotions working for you. You can also contact me via email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

What is the best trade show traffic building promotion you've ever seen?