It’s a debate that has raged for years.
Are promotional gifts merely `after the event throw- away novelty gestures’, something to add to the shopping list when planning your exhibition say, or, is there a more serious side to them? I don’t think that the answer is black and white. For many people, me included, promotional gifts have demonstrated they are more than just the cherry on top of the cake. They can artfully combine sizzle and substance when used as part of a well-planned campaign. For example, I know from experience that a natty drinks mug filled with jellybeans can drive sales through the roof. A T-shirt used as a giveaway in a competition can revive the fortunes of a flagging product and, a desk set comprising four elements can play a key role in ensuring that a seminar is packed out with eager attendees. (Send one piece within the initial mailshot, give the other pieces at the seminar itself.) On the other hand, promotional gifts can tumble into a bottomless pit when they are bought for nothing more than a novelty factor and the choice of gift has no bearing on the business brand and the preferences of the target audience.
Even the right gifts can have the wrong impact. For example, laying out row after row of freebies at your exhibition stand for the grab and go brigade is not only unimaginative it’s a complete waste of money. You end up attracting the very audience you want to deter – the ones with deep pockets for freebies! In today’s cost conscious climate when marketers and business owners alike have to account for every penny, buying shed loads of promotional gifts simply to make your stand look pretty or worse still, to tick a box on your exhibition planning itinerary is to be avoided at all costs.
There will always be a demand for promotional gifts – that’s not really up for debate.
But we need to be much savvier in how we use them. When planning a marketing campaign, always consider whether including a promotional gift will encourage responses; accelerate sales, drive visitors to your website and so on. Yes? Then it’s down to choosing gifts that are appropriate to your brand and, an appropriate ‘reward’ or even dare I say ethical bribe for what you’re asking the person to do. Offering a cheap coaster as an inducement for a large sale won’t work. But, a nice quality mug filled with something fabulous could just be the tipping point that encourages a customer to spend a little more with you or, to start spending with you again.
The devil is in the planning and the detail as my old English teacher used to say!