Marketers are always looking outside their walls to see how other marketers are bringing their brands to life. With this comes lots of opinions as to what is right, what is not right, what you would do, what you wouldn’t do, how far you would go…
At times you may find yourself wishing that you didn’t have the brand guidelines or the long approval process. That you could just go with it.
You are the brand manager, marketing manager, marketing director, general manager – shouldn’t you be the one to make the final call? You could well be the closest person to the brand. You are the person in the company that protects every inch of that brand.
Then you find yourself having a conversation with yourself about whether the loss in time due to the lengthy approval process is worth the loss in motivation, brand exposure, speed to market? Who are we protecting the brand from? People in the business or people outside the business. Given the volume of brand and messages in general, are we overthinking the details versus the objective and impact?
H&M and Kenzo, now that’s an interesting collaboration. I wonder if it was in the Kenzo brand guidelines?!!
And then you see examples of a brand execution that feels far from right!! You think – what, why, how did that get out the door? The realisation or reminder that positioning and guidelines play a vital role in building brand surfaces.
The art of marketing…. Finding the best way to simultaneously cut-through, resonate, be efficient, stay on brand, keep to budget and evolve. That’s when it pays to talk with someone who gets it – brand plus execution – and knows how to get it right.
The go-to promotional item for so many businesses, particularly if there is someone in the business that plays golf. And who doesn’t want a massive umbrella?! No fun when the sun is out, but when the rain hits, you couldn’t be more in love. The umbrella has its hero moment.
So it’s a bit of a winner as far a promotional item… but how do you get more out of this medium and avoid becoming another boring golf umbrella.
Think about your brand positioning.
Think about your customers.
How can you find the sweet spot between your brand, the customers and the promotional item?
Can the message be more than your logo?
Is there an opportunity to stretch the usage? Smaller umbrellas may be the answer during hot summers.
How do you stand-out from the crowd of branded umbrellas, so the user becomes excited to see rain fall.
Let us know if an umbrella is on your wish list as your next promotional item, and we can work on a way to get more interest from this perennial favourite.
It’s so topical. Your regular take away coffee cup is not disposable, despite the fact that it is made of paper. Your clients and customers are becoming more educated about this issue, and are getting on board the movement to save nearly 1 billion coffee cups from going to waste each year in Australia. So why not consider reusable choices?
One of the most popular ways to embrace this trend is the reusable cup trend. So many options to choose from, design through to branding applications.
Plus – a money saving bonus! Over 1,600 café’s are now offering a discounted price on your coffee when you use a reusable cup, which gives you something extra to talk about when you present this item as a gift. Visit https://www.responsiblecafes.org/ to find a cafe close to you that offers this.
This is one fashion item that can be really positively aligned to your corporate and brand values.
Yes, winter has arrived. It may not be as cold as our friends in the Northern Hemisphere, but we’re feeling it!
It’s not surprising then that you see a change in peoples behaviour during the cooler weather. Let’s be honest, things slow right down. Lot’s more watching TV and eating comfort food, but we also see more time spent in organising – planning for the upcoming busy Christmas period.
If you’re looking for something that your staff and clients are going to love – you can’t go past the basics of winter apparel. Everything from beanies & scarves through to fleece lined jackets are a super practical choice.
It’s a great example of how you can combine fashion with your brand, and create a seamless transition into your customers lives.
There is something about building blocks, the inspiration of many cities, flying objects, robots and epic battles.
Nostalgia is back in full swing, and having the multi purpose use of tech and stationery items that you can play with at your desk is pretty appealing. The grown up’s version of the fidget spinner!
Bright colours, loads of different items and great branding space, the new office blocks series is an easy choice for a simple way to intrigue your customers.
There are too many to list here, so just call me and we can talk about your project and how you can have more fun with it.
We spend a lot of our time in the digital world, seeing brands. An Apple study found that on average we unlock our phones 80 times day. The mobile has been referred to as an extension of your body. Are we saying that your phone is a new body part… well close enough!
Despite spending more time in the digital space, our appetite for ‘living experiences’ has grown. This may well be in direct relation to, the life we would like to portray, through the digital world, or that, we want more from life. The booming travel industry is proof of this.
How does this relate to your brands and business? What experiences are you creating or being apart of to connect with your customer in the real world? If you are creating experiences that are memorable and have high talk-ability and Instagram-ability then the life of the experience extends beyond the moment.
How can you do this and do it better? Some questions to ask:
Who are my customers?
What’s important to them?
What do they do?
Where do they go?
What do they do for fun?
How can my brand play a role?
We are seeing brands become savvier in how they are connecting. Nike Running Groups, Google Digital Garage, Restaurants offering Cooking Classes, Starbucks Country Origin Merchandise. These experiences are seen to be designed for the user, with the brand being a complimentary partner in how they live their life.
Adding value to customers in the space that they are already in or through creating new spaces, whilst still maintaining brand positioning, is the win-win for everyone.
Organisations seeking to assist their staff and clients with stress management are well-placed to show their support by offering corporate branded exercise apparel and equipment that promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Anyone grinding madly towards a deadline or the end of financial year knows how stress can impact your work productivity and your life away from work. As well as increasing your overall health, the links between exercise and stress-reduction have been acknowledged for some time.
Endorphins are the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters and they spike in production when you exercise. Whilst exercise also helps stressed employees forget the long tiring days and allows them to focus on moving their body, it’s also beneficial in clearing the mind, especially with outdoor activity or yoga. Being physically tired instead of not just mentally tired is also a great way get a good night’s sleep and feel recharged in the morning.
Employers can help reduce stress with a few simple ideas:
Management can Lead By Example: In order to reduce stress it’s important for managers to lead by example. They can stay positive in the face of negative or stressful circumstances; make time to go for a run and fit in exercise; drink plenty of water and eat healthy, organise walking meetings outdoors rather than in an office or boardroom; take regular breaks and socialise. This will show your employees that it’s OK to take some time out. Consider a clever gift for your employees that allows them to monitor how much water is being consumed during the day.
Introduce a Corporate Wellness Program: statistics show that exercise and a healthy lifestyle is important when it comes to alleviating stress at work. A wellness program can include paying for a portion of gym membership; running a company-wide health eating challenge or encourage divisions to compete in a step challenge. A couple of ideas that will help employees unwind and feel better about themselves. This program can be supported with a range of promotional merchandise that employees can aim for if they achieve certain goals or levels within the program, such as pedometers, smart bands, workout apparel, fitness Towels, High End Water Bottles to name a few.
Create Social Activities: Your staff spend a lot of time with each other and it’s really important that they have good working relationships. When staff enjoy coming to work, the atmosphere will improve and lead to higher productivity, collaboration and even customer service. Perhaps once a week set aside some time to bring your staff together in a fun environment; play a team sport such as game of basketball or soccer or even take the staff our for a healthy lunch at a vegetarian or raw food restaurant. Social activities help reduce stress, boost morale and build successful teams. By also providing the staff with suitable sports gear like t-shirts, socks, shorts, sunscreen and caps, they will also feel rewarded and part of a team.
Provide a ‘Chill Out’ or ‘Zen’ Area in the office: By creating a quiet room in the office with some lovely relaxing music playing in the background, walls painted in a soft neutral colour, scented diffusers; with some oversized bean bags and encouraging your employees to take a 10 or 15 minute break during the day to relax and get away from technology, can help stress and possible burn out. A nice environment can improve happiness. Include some products such as branded LED Candles, stress relievers, eye masks, yoga mats etc.
Sports gear improves fitness engagement!
Stanford researchers summarised 26 different studies in a paper published in The Journal of the American Medical Association and reported that collectively, the studies showed that pedometer users walk more than 2,000 additional steps each day than non-users, and their overall physical activity levels increase by 27%. Aussie kids scored a dismal D minus (worst grade) on the physical activity report card, Australian children are the least active in the world. By encouraging parents to get more active through company programs, they can lead by example for their children and ensure they live a healthy active lifestyle. Lower rates of active transport (walking) as well as higher rates of sedentary behaviour, particularly increased time spent in front of screens is a contributing factor. Branded sports gear is by no means a solution to this issue, but could prove to be a motivator.
With the Promotional Products Association International noting that 73% of those who received promotional products use it at least once a week, branded promotional sports and health/lifestyle products are going to improve not only your brand awareness and overall business, but the wider health of your staff, customers and general public.
Create impact at your next business event and ensure your organisation is remembered long after the conference or event has ended.
Events are the perfect opportunity to invest in branded apparel and promotional products for staff and customers. Promotional products are a necessity if you’re exhibiting at a conference or expo and you want to attract attention and also keep your company top of mind.
Over 37 million people attended more than 412,000 business events across Australia in 2013-14. These numbers have climbed in the years since, with meetings and conventions forming the largest component of the industry in terms of events, delegate numbers, expenditure and value add. With this in mind, it’s a good way to capitalise on your next business event, whether it be a conference or large scale trade show, with branded products and gifts that put you top of mind with potential clients and help develop strong business relationships and future opportunities.
5 things to consider before your event:
1. Have a clear objective or goal: What do you want to achieve with this event? Do you want to create exposure of a theme or simply your brand with attendees? Whatever your objective, consider having promotional items such as tote bags as they act as billboards with repeated exposure of your logo throughout the event and after.
2. Timing and Budget: A lot of the time you know exactly what you want, however, may settle for less as you run out of time. Once you have confirmation of the event date, use your promotional product consultant or let us know; what you want to achieve, your budget and you’ll be provided with a range of concepts to help you achieve your goals. We have worked with a number of clients that have finalised everything for the event and when asked by management ‘What are we giving out?’ only have a week or two to turn around the perfect promotional product for the event … with limited and uninspiring options available in short lead times.
3. Remember Before, During and After: Don’t only think about handing out promotional products during an event. For an even better impact, you could consider promotions before and after the event as well. Some ideas before the event might be an invitation with a creative product or a teaser to encourage the attendee to visit your stand and receive another gift. You could reward those that attended your event with another item to remind them of your organisation and keep the enthusiasm going.
4. Target Audience: The key to getting your branded products kept and taken back to the office or home, is to provide useful products that suit the target audience! It shows you have done your research and will ensure you stand out in an already crowded advertising arena with give-aways that make guests want to visit your stand to get the item.
5. Size Matters: If attendees have travelled interstate or internationally for the event ensure the product is suitable for travel. In this situation, sometimes smaller more thoughtful items can have more impact than larger items like water bottles that can take up too much space in carry-on luggage or breakable items such as glassware or coffee mugs.
For creative ideas to help you with your next meeting, conference, trade show or business event, we’re here to help.
Enjoy,
Diana
Diana O’Cobhthaigh, is the owner of Turnkey Promotions, boutique agency specialising in promotional merchandise and product development. Turnkey Promotions provides a helpful and consultative experience that is tailored towards our clients’ Branding, Values and Vision. Diana and Turnkey Promotions are focused on a partnership that delivers precision in planning, quality products and timely delivery.
Take advantage of branding opportunities in wet weather! The Rain in Spain SYDNEY falls mainly on the plain… If you’re in Sydney, you are probably absolutely over the month of non-stop rain we’ve had. The commute to work is slower, kids’ sport has been cancelled, and you’ve watched Netflix’s entire library. It’s been dreary, however people don’t stop their entire lives because of the weather. All the rain we’ve had makes it easier to raise the profile of various gifts and branded gear your organisation can provide for use in the wet, or even if it’s just cold and damp.
There’s no such thing as bad weather …
Despite the rain, life goes on! The game of golf scheduled still goes ahead, most outdoor winter sports play in drizzling rain, and outdoor training sessions go ahead unless it’s bucketing – three reasons why branded wet weather gear is a solid investment. A quality rain garment is treasured in every household, while umbrellas and outdoor pop-up marquees are all useful practical items that will ensure your branding and message receives multiple impressions. Give your staff, clients, and customers an opportunity to be outside with the appropriate clothing and they will feel special and rewarded whilst wearing it.
If you are looking at the apparel market, you’re in good company. In 2013, the Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA) noted that of the $1.55B of sales to end users, apparel is by far the biggest category, accounting for a third of sales. What’s also important to note is that 89% of consumers recall the name of the advertiser on a promotional product they received in the past 24 months according to Innovative Marketing Consultants. Imagine having brand recall up two years after you’ve given a promotional product!
Promo Gift Tip: Customise and personalise as much as possible! The thought and effort into selecting a gift pays big dividends. If you can personalise a gift as much as possible, it gives the recipient a greater emotional connection.
Wet weather rain jackets – What to look for:
Tsunami Rain Shell Jacket
A lot of time and innovation is invested these days in making technical apparel to perform appropriately in all types of weather conditions and outdoor activities. For the wet weather, the higher the waterproof rating, the more precipitation the fabric can block from crossing into the barrier, thus keeping you drier for longer, as well as featuring sealed seams, waterproof zippers and articulated hoods to provide you with maximum weather protection so you can remain warm, dry and comfortable all day long.
Some jackets available have been field-tested for performance in a wide range of climates and weather conditions. For the wet weather jackets have 3 water resistance levels; basic water resistance jackets are showerproof and suitable for light rain /drizzle situations. High resistance is the next waterproof level and then extreme resistance, which will keep out heavy rain if outdoors for a long time and still allowing the garments to remain breathable and keep sweat away from your body. If an outdoor activity will get your heart pumping faster, this is what you want.
Non breathable waterproof garments include the promotional style ponchos. Although they don’t breathe they will keep wearers dry if they are out in the rain. There’s a variety of different quality ponchos available to showcase your branding and they are a great for outdoor events to allow you to show guests you’re keeping them in mind when menacing clouds arrive.
Umbrellas
Walk down any city street on a rainy day and you will notice that half of the umbrellas popping up are branded with a logo, while the other half are plain black! There’s nothing like an umbrella with your logo on it to reinforce your brand. Whether it’s for a golf game, going to the footy, or walking from the station to work, umbrellas are a tried and trusted means of getting your logo seen. Colours and logos can add some enthusiasm to an otherwise dreary day, so think about how you can use your logo against something other than a black background. It’s not just golf umbrellas that do the trick either, branded café and market umbrellas grab people’s attention at various outdoor locations, while marquees for that outdoor event will draw guests to you and are an absolute lifesaver when the heavens open.
Keep your gear safe and dry
You’ve managed to keep yourself dry underneath your umbrella wearing a waterproof jacket, but there’s nothing worse than realising your bag is completely soaked through … as are all the documents, electronics, contents contained within. Rather than needing to pack the valuables into plastic bags before you venture outside, you can use a branded waterproof bag you received as a gift recently, to save the day.
There are a great range of waterproof bags that can keep your bag contents safe and dry. Choose from different sized backpacks, duffle bags, tote bags and even protective laptop bags.
Enjoy,
Diana
Diana O’Cobhthaigh, is the owner of Turnkey Promotions, boutique agency specialising in promotional merchandise and product development. Turnkey Promotions provides a helpful and consultative experience that is tailored towards our clients’ Branding, Values and Vision. Diana and Turnkey Promotions are focused on a partnership that delivers precision in planning, quality products and timely delivery.
Winter is coming: Prepare now for a winter sport promotional product campaign
Autumn is upon us and that means the winter sport season is just around the corner – exciting Rugby League, Rugby Union, AFL and Soccer games are starting to grace our screens – which means now is the perfect time to prepare a winter sports promotional campaign.
Over 75% of people keep a promotional product because it is useful, therefore, tying your brand and logo with a suitable product for the upcoming winter season is ideal because sports apparel and equipment is highly sought after and very useful.
Footballs, netballs, basketballs – if it’s a sport played with a ball, then you can get your branding on it. Kids (and big kids) love a new footy or netball and will use it for years to come, thereby providing your brand with maximum exposure. Whether it’s for having a game of backyard footy, or passing a ball around the office on a Friday afternoon, custom sports balls will be used again and again and more importantly, seen.
Branded sports apparel is also very popular, not only for those participating in sport but also those supporting their favourite teams or cheering their kids on from the sideline every weekend.
Winter sports apparel = versatility
In the USA due to intense winter weather, suitable winter apparel is in the top five of favourite promotional products and 50% of people own promotional winter wear! Despite our more temperate climate, Australia has a large range of winter promotional clothing items as it is very versatile, is worn outside where it’s visible to more people and a good quality jacket or coat will be kept for a long time.
You may not be a part-owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs like Russell Crowe, but you can certainly use produce apparel from the same brand he did to produce a custom jacket for the Bunnies. Canadian based Stormtech’s range of apparel is available in Australia and they specialise in the latest technology in the apparel to suit all sorts of activities and climates.
Snow sport gear and apparel
The Australian snow season is also on the horizon and there are a number of different options that can make a big impact. Snowboards and ski gear are prized by frequent visitors to the snow – with the cost of such items just one reason why. A corporate gift targeting avid skiiers and snowboarders will ensure the branded gear gets used and your organisation is top of mind.
Enjoy,
Diana
Diana O’Cobhthaigh, is the owner of Turnkey Promotions, boutique agency specialising in promotional merchandise and product development. Turnkey Promotions provides a helpful and consultative experience that is tailored towards our clients’ Branding, Values and Vision. Diana and Turnkey Promotions are focused on a partnership that delivers precision in planning, quality products and timely delivery.
Marketers are always looking outside their walls to see how other marketers are bringing their brands to life. With this comes lots of opinions as to what is right, what is not right, what you would do, what you wouldn’t do, how far you would go…
The go-to promotional item for so many businesses, particularly if there is someone in the business that plays golf. And who doesn’t want a massive umbrella?! No fun when the sun is out, but when the rain hits, you couldn’t be more in love. The umbrella has its hero moment.
It’s so topical. Your regular take away coffee cup is not disposable, despite the fact that it is made of paper. Your clients and customers are becoming more educated about this issue, and are getting on board the movement to save nearly 1 billion coffee cups from going to waste each year in Australia. So why not consider reusable choices?
Organisations seeking to assist their staff and clients with stress management are well-placed to show their support by offering corporate branded exercise apparel and equipment that promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Create impact at your next business event and ensure your organisation is remembered long after the conference or event has ended.
Walk down any city street on a rainy day and you will notice that half of the umbrellas popping up are branded with a logo, while the other half are plain black! There’s nothing like an umbrella with your logo on it to reinforce your brand. Whether it’s for a golf game, going to the footy, or walking from the station to work, umbrellas are a tried and trusted means of getting your logo seen. Colours and logos can add some enthusiasm to an otherwise dreary day, so think about how you can use your logo against something other than a black background. It’s not just golf umbrellas that do the trick either, branded café and market umbrellas grab people’s attention at various outdoor locations, while marquees for that outdoor event will draw guests to you and are an absolute lifesaver when the heavens open.
You’ve managed to keep yourself dry underneath your umbrella wearing a waterproof jacket, but there’s nothing worse than realising your bag is completely soaked through … as are all the documents, electronics, contents contained within. Rather than needing to pack the valuables into plastic bags before you venture outside, you can use a branded waterproof bag you received as a gift recently, to save the day.
Autumn is upon us and that means the winter sport season is just around the corner – exciting Rugby League, Rugby Union, AFL and Soccer games are starting to grace our screens – which means now is the perfect time to prepare a winter sports promotional campaign.