Leveraging Merchandise as Part of Your Brand Strategy

1789 and

the wooden

button

George

Washington

Jasper

Freemont

Meek

School Girl

Drops her

books in the

dirt

Red Oak

Iowa

Courthouse

2009-20B

“The average life span of a promotional item is 6 months, versus traditional advertising media, which lasts for only the life of a campaign and the cost per exposure of a promotional item averages at $.50 per hit, versus $5.00 per hit for traditional advertising.”

Source: ASI Study of the Efficiency of Promotions 2007

Merchandise:

1. The only three-dimensional medium of advertising

2. Allows people to embrace the message

3. Allows people to embrace the brand

4. Ability to positively impact sales

5. Endless number of impressions

6. Gives a brand look, tone, feel, smell, and taste

Corporate Brand Launches

Generating New Customers

Company Stores/e-commerce

New Product and Service Launches

Tradeshows and Specialized Events

Awards & Employee Recognition

Market Research Surveys

6:45-7:30: Shower get ready for work, select favorite shirt and/or cap Impressions: Wife and Children 4

7:30-8:30: Leave for work, stop by deli for coffee and bagel

Impressions: 23 / Neighbors, Shoppers, and Cashier

8:30-Noon: Arrive at the office / Impressions 46 / Staff

Noon-1pm: Lunch at Pizza Hut / Impressions 37 / Patrons & Cashier

1:00 – 6:30pm: End Work, Arrive at the gym / Impressions 19 / Co-workers and Gym People

6:30-7:30pm: Leave gym, stop by the store for groceries before arriving home / Impressions: 64 / Shoppers & Cashier

Pros: Branded Merchandise marketing fits into any advertising budget, complements other media, can be directed to selected audiences and remains to repeat the advertising message each time the product is used, without extra cost per exposure. People like to receive them. And since the items are useful and appealing they are effective as incentives and motivators. Because there are so many products available, there is a lot of flexibility in planning a successful promotion.

Cons: On many products the imprint area is limited. Production time could range from days to as much as eight weeks and if not planned properly can become expensive

Advertising

Agency

Event Agency

PR Agency

Merchandise

Agency

Successful promotion campaigns don't happen by chance. To realize goals, promotional products programs must be carefully planned, taking into consideration the audience, budget and of course, the ultimate result to be gained.

– Chris Piper, President

Leveraging Merchandise as Part of Your Brand Strategy