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4 Personal Branding Tips for Business Owners

Personal brandingPersonal branding is a hugely popular topic these days. As everyone’s busy curating and refining their online presence in an attempt to stand out from the crowd and attract more attention to their company, business owners wonder whether or not they should incorporate personal branding into their overall business branding strategy. If you haven’t considered exploring personal branding to benefit your business, you may want to give it a look. Here’s why.

How can personal branding help my business?

For starters, personal branding can establish you as a leader in your field and highlight your strengths as a businessperson. It also gives you more opportunities to promote your business—each time you appear in the media or write a blog post about an industry topic, for example, is a perfect chance to highlight your company’s products and services in an entirely natural and genuine way. And if you’re an entrepreneur who plans on starting more than one business, personal branding can help shine a spotlight on any venture you put your name behind.

So if you’re interested in developing a personal brand, what sorts of guidelines or best practices should you keep in mind? Here are a few bite-sized tips to get you started:

Personal branding tips for people running a business:

  1. Be authentic. Now more than ever, people want to see authenticity from the brands that they do business with—particularly Millennials. It creates trust, which leads to more enduring business relationships. Think of the personal brands you most admire. What do you appreciate about them? Is it their slightly quirky sense of humor, their realness, or the values they embody? Share what makes you unique with your audience and you will inspire greater loyalty in your customers.
  2. Highlight your vision and your values. Why do you do the work that you do? What are your goals, and what are your values? What are you most passionate about? Make sure that you communicate your purpose with your personal brand. Rather than dealing with a faceless corporation, people want to make a connection with the person behind the business. Giving them a chance to know you in a genuine way makes that possible.
  3. Tell your story. Storytelling is one of the most effective forms of branding, and people who have strong personal brands do it very well. Telling your story gives people a chance to make a connection with you and possibly even identify with you, which is very powerful from a brand perspective. People also tend to remember stories, which aids in brand recall.
  4. Make sure your personal brand syncs up with your business. Is quality a particular value that you’ve decided is important for your personal brand? Then you’ll want to make sure that your business delivers exactly that—quality—whether that’s in the form of a product or a service. If you don’t, you risk running afoul of tip #1 (Be authentic). Your personal brand should naturally flow through and be reflected in your business.

With some thoughtful care and attention, you can develop a personal brand that draws more interest and attention for your current business as well as any future ventures you may choose to launch down the line. Have you considered trying personal branding for your business? If so, how did it go and what did you learn? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below.

Looking for some expert guidance on promotional gifts or products might be a good fit for your brand? Get in touch with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 and we’ll be glad to advise you on exceptional promotional products that can represent your business with style and grace.

Co-Branding: What It Is and Why Brands Do It

Kung Pu Panda and Wix team up on a co-branded advertisement

Kung Pu Panda and Wix team up on a co-branded advertisement

Did you tune into the Super Bowl earlier this month? If so, you probably noticed a couple of ads that were a bit different from the others. One was an ad for Wix featuring personalities from Kung Fu Panda 3; the other was a commercial for Airbnb featuring characters from The Jungle Book. In both instances, popular characters from films that are currently playing in theaters were used to showcase the benefits of a service. What’s going on here, and why might these brands have chosen to team up in this way?

Co-branding, in which two different brands join forces for an advertising campaign or a special product release, has been around for quite some time. Very popular with the auto industry, it spans several verticals, right on up to consumer retail. Also referred to as a strategic partnership, co-branding allows brands to reach audiences they might not other be able to access, leading to increased awareness and sales. Co-branding also implies a subtle endorsement that can deliver positive benefits by dint of association: if one of the brands is highly esteemed and has a stellar reputation, simply appearing alongside it can have lend positive associations to the other brand as well. If the two brands have similar target audiences and brand identities, engaging in co-branding can help reinforce and strengthen their respective brands.

Sometimes co-branding ideas come naturally through the course of doing business: for example, Pottery Barn got lots of questions about the paint colors used in its catalogs, so it teamed up with Benjamin Moore to create a special color palette to better serve customers. In the beauty world, MAC recently teamed up with Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper to promote new, bold product lines of cosmetics. Household products have also gotten in on the act: Tide offers a version of its detergent that includes Febreze, a popular freshener.

Brands also occasionally partner up to promote humanitarian causes, such as when Bono’s Global Fund (Red) formed a sort of brand supergroup, collaborating with American Express, Apple, Converse, Dell, Emporio Armani, Gap, Hallmark, and Starbucks on a major initiative to fight AIDS in Africa. The campaign is still going strong, having recently welcomed Snapchat for a special social media campaign on World AIDS Day last fall.

Co-branding is also a popular and growing trend where promotional products are concerned, spanning a wide array of sectors and brand levels. Selecting a branded promotional product that people already recognize, appreciate and trust can be an effective way to draw their attention and get them to positively associate you with a brand they know and admire. We offer top national and international brand name product lines ready to be co-branded with your logo or design, from elegant corporate gifts designed by MoMA to a generous selection of Moleskine notebooks and weekly planners, Brookstone products, and many more items from every day brands like Thermos, Carhartt, BuiltBobble, Cutter & Buck and Swiss Army / Victorinox!

If you’re curious to know more about the name brand promotional products we offer, including select executive and corporate gifts from brands that are not listed on our website, such as Tumi and Mont Blanc, feel free to reach out to us! We’d be happy to share advice and suggestions on what types of branded promotional products might best fit your needs. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 and we’ll advise you on branding ideas that can represent your company with style and grace.

People Love Promotional Products: Here’s the Research

Promotional Products Work

Infographic: Promotional Products Work!

Have you ever wondered how well promotional products work—that is, whether they’re popular with potential customers and how well they contribute to lasting brand recognition and recall? Promotional products are considered very desirable and are often well received, perhaps more than you might expect. Here are some research findings that illustrate just how powerfully promotional products can represent your brand.

Consumers like promotional products, especially if they find them useful

  • 83% of consumers say that they like getting promotional items with an advertising message
  • People especially value promotional products that are useful to them
  • 48% of them want to get promotional products more often
  • 79% of people use promotional pens

Curious whether or not your customers liked the promotional t-shirt that you recently offered as a giveaway? They likely did. The vast majority of people enjoy receiving promotional products, and many of them would like to get them more often. Consumers particularly like to get promotional products that they think are useful. While this may sound kind of a no-brainer, it has a proven effect: something that they need, like a kitchen tool or a desk accessory, is much more likely to be kept over a long period of time, increasing their awareness of your brand.

Taking care to select a promotional product that gives value to your customer can make a difference. For example, power banks do quite well at trade shows since attendees’ smartphones and gadgets are often running low on power. Office and desk products, including pen sets, desk diaries, and note pads, are another great choice since they can immediately be put to productive use at work. While some people might think pens are a bit unoriginal, they’re actually very effective: 79% of consumers use promotional pens.

Most people have promotional products, often more than one

  • Eight out of ten consumers own between one and ten promotional products

Related to our earlier point about how people enjoy receiving promotional products, it turns out that the majority of them have promotional products right now—and, in many cases, they have more than one. And once they have promotional products, they tend to keep them for a long time.

Customers keep the promotional products that they get, especially if they’re useful

  • 91% of that people surveyed said that they have at least one promotional product in their kitchen, while 74% have at least one in their work area and 55% have at least one in their bedroom
  • 53% of people surveyed use a promotional item at least once a week or more.

People tend to hold onto the promotional products they receive—particularly if they think they’re useful. If you give out promotional products, the likelihood is good that they will be kept and used for quite a while, increasing the length of exposure that potential clients have to your brand. 

People remember the promotional products they receive for a long time

  • When asked to think of a specific promotional product they had received in the past two years, 76.2% of those polled could recall what the product was, the advertiser whose brand was associated with it, and the message.
  • 88% of people were able to recall the advertiser alone.

You’d be surprised at how well people remember the promotional products that they have—88% of them remember the advertiser who gave the product to them, and 76.2% of them remember other specific information such as what the product was and what the message was. That recognition represents a powerful impression that is not easy to achieve using other advertising methods.

Certain products lead to better consumer recall than others

  • The types of promotional products that lead to the best consumer recall are wearables (41%), including shirts, caps, other headwear, and outerwear.
  • Writing instruments are a strong second (35%), while drinkware also does well (19%)

People remember certain types of promotional products better than others—wearables, writing instruments, and drinkware tend to do especially well. Even calendars rank highly on the list of products that perform well. If you’re contemplating a promotional giveaway in which you really want to generate lasting brand awareness, you may want to keep that information in mind.

People do business with the brands that give them promotional products

Most importantly, promotional products lead to sales. Promotional products not only give consumers a positive feeling about your brand; they make them more likely to want to purchase your products and services.

So now we’ve seen that promotional products clearly do work and that they have a strong and lasting impact for your brand—particularly if they happen to be items that the customer feels is useful and relevant to their life. Stay tuned for future blog posts in which we share more insight into promotional products: what types are most effective, trends in the industry, and how businesses can best use them to connect with their target audience.

Are you looking for custom branded promotional products that can make a difference for your brand? Interested to learn more on what types of products might be a fit for you? We’d be happy to share some recommendations and creative ideas with you. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 and we’ll advise you on branding ideas that can represent your company with style and grace.

Much of the research in this post was sourced from the Promotional Products Industry International (PPAI). For more information, visit www.promotionalproductswork.org.

Color Matching: Why Is It Important?

UNICEF LogoConsistency is one of the most important aspects of branding. It’s how people recognize your brand. If your company’s logo is inconsistent, it can throw consumers off and confuse them. The color used in a logo can also be very important. For example, take UNICEF’s iconic blue logo, which is referred to as UNICEF Blue in its brand book. No matter where you see it, it’s always recognizable and evokes a certain feeling.

In order to ensure this consistency, some companies issue strict corporate branding guidelines that dictate such things as the proper color to be used in the logo or the correct spacing for letters in the logo. They can also provide instructions how to use the branding for promotional items. This can be very helpful when it comes time to make decisions about what promotional products the company wants to select and how it wants the branding to appear on them.

Some companies use the Pantone Matching System (PMS) to make sure they get the right color every time. So if UNICEF were a new customer of ours and they were to place an order for promotional t-shirts printed with their logo, for example, we would ask them for the PMS code of their logo, along with a file for their vector format. Or, they might supply us with a brand kit or set a brand guide that provides details on proper use of the brand elements including their logo, colors, and other brand elements. This would allow us to get a full sense of how to match their colors on promotional products. This type of preparation helps ensure that we are using the correct color.

Pantone ColorsAlthough PMS color codes themselves are exact, there’s a wrinkle—the product on which the color is printed may affect the way it appears. The color may also look different depending on whether you’re looking at it outside in daylight as opposed to indoors under fluorescent or incandescent lighting. Many printers know that they must make an adjustment to control for this factor, but some do not. This is where we can help.

If you need your promotional items printed with a specific shade of blue, for example, it we’ll ask you for a specific Pantone® code. But if you don’t know it, we’re here to help. In some cases where our clients consider color very important and require an exact match, it may be best to order a pre-production physical sample for review prior to placing a full order. While a printed sample adds a little time to the process, it’s a great help if exact matching is a priority.

There are two types of these printed samples available. One is a pre-production sample, or pre-pro. We recommend this if you know you are definitely ordering 5,000 t-shirts, to give an example, and want to see how they look before going to final press. There’s usually a small cost to create this sample. The second type is a spec proof. This type of proof is ideal if you really like the idea of a certain product but, before making the commitment to order 5,000 of them, you want to see if your logo looks good on it. In that case, you would just order one spec. If you like it, you can go ahead and put in the order, if not, you don’t have to and only pay for the spec sample.

We’re here to help you get the color that’s best for you, whether it’s color matching or finding the right product color. If you have a designer on staff and already know the exact color you want, great. If you are brand new to the process, that’s fine too. We’ll work with you to find out exactly what you need to know. With deep experience and careful attention to detail, we can help you find the right solution.

Looking for custom branded promotional products that can make a difference for your brand? We’d be happy to share some recommendations and creative ideas with you. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 and we’ll be glad to advise you on branding ideas that can represent your company with style and grace.

7 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Business Stand Out at a Trade Show

 

When it comes to trade shows, businesses are always looking for smart and novel ways to get the word out about their products and services. In a crowded exhibition hall full of competitors and distractions, it can be tricky to stand out and make a strong impression. At times like these, social media can be a great asset for getting yourself on people’s radar. It can help you reach potential customers before, during, and after the event. Here are seven tips for marketing your business on social media at trade show time:

  1. Use the event hashtag – Find out what the event hashtag is and see who’s using it prior to the show. Attendees are likely using or monitoring that hashtag on Twitter, looking to connect with others who are also planning to go, but depending on your industry or how the show organizers are using social media, this hashtag may also be in use on Instagram as well. Conversations may already be underway on the trade show’s Facebook page. Join in. It’ll get the word out about your business and show your enthusiasm for the event.
  2. Connect before the trade show – If there are people you know you’ll especially want to talk to at the trade show, whether they’re prospective clients, business partners, or journalists, reach out to them on social media before the big event. Connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter, or wherever they appear to be most active on social and start a conversation. Let them know you’d love to grab a coffee if possible at the event. People are often pressed for time at trade shows, so be sure to let them know the specific business opportunity or topic you’d like to discuss.
  3. Share video and photos – People are more likely to respond to your social media posts and share them with others if they include video clips or photos. Consider taking snapshots or quick video clips of the scene at the trade show and sharing them on social media during the event. You can occasionally post snapshots of your booth, which will make it easier for people to find in the exhibition hall. Some companies even get started early, snapping pictures of their trip as they’re en route to the show. It gives their followers, and even people who can’t make it to the show but wish they could, a glimpse into what the event looks like behind the scenes.
  4. Run giveaways and contests – Everyone likes a good contest or trade show giveaway featuring cool and useful swag like USB drives and power banks. Running such a contest or giveaway on social media is a great way to draw an even bigger crowd to your booth. You can encourage people to participate by tweeting using a special contest hashtag or by posting a photo of themselves at your booth and sharing it with their followers, for example, which gets the word out about your business to even more people. There are many different ways you can run a contest during a trade show, and incorporating social media into the mix can give it a turbocharged boost.
  5. Advertise your social media campaign with promotional products – Handing out promotional products that feature a social media campaign is a great way to do to let potential clients and business partners know that you’re active on social. You could print a campaign hashtag on pencils that you give out, for example. Another great idea is to choose a promotional product that ties into the concept of the campaign itself. For example, an advocacy group promoting the health benefits of vaccinations might choose a syringe pen or a syringe highlighter and print the hashtag #VaccinationsSaveLives on it to reinforce the messaging in a meaningful, memorable way. Whatever the campaign you are running or the message you want to send, there are a variety of creative ways to amplify it by syncing promotional products with social media.
  6. Get video testimonials – Customer testimonials are among the most powerful forms of marketing out there. If you know that some of your most loyal customers will be at the trade show, see if you can get them to record video testimonials for later use on social media as well as your website, YouTube channel, and email newsletter.
  7. Blog about the show afterward – Share a recap of the trade show and the highlights from your perspective after the big event is over. Include photos, details on the giveaway if you offered one (don’t forget to thank everyone who participated), and any other interesting things that you think are worth mentioning. This gives folks who couldn’t be at the show a look at what it was like from your perspective, and it also presents your business as an active member of the industry community. Just as with the video testimonial, this blog post is perfect for sharing on social media as well as in a company email newsletter.

Do you have a trade show on the horizon? We can help advise you on custom branded promotional products that can make a difference for your brand. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 for creative and innovative branding ideas to help your company stand out and make a great impression.

Eco-Friendly Trade Show Giveaway Ideas

9d449033b5083b8de3cd3be2554aa459It’s trade show season, and if your business has plans to exhibit at an upcoming event, you may be wondering what kinds of giveaways will resonate most with the people who visit your booth or receive your swag bag. It can be a challenge to stand out from the crowd and make a lasting impression, but fortunately there are a number of creative ways to do just that.

One way to make an impact is by giving away promotional products that meet a need the trade show attendees may have—sunglasses are popular in summer-like conditions while lip balm might do well in colder locales, for example. But another thoughtful way to be responsive to trade show attendees’ needs and concerns is by selecting eco-friendly trade show giveaways that will have a minimal impact on the environment. Here are four examples of eco-friendly swag that can help your brand reach attendees while making a positive difference:

  • Eco-friendly notepads – At major industry events, it’s often useful to have a notepad handy for jotting down notes from sessions or quick to-dos. Quality eco-friendly notepads are a great gift for trade show attendees and can make a great, lasting impression.
  • Eco-friendly pens – Pens are a perennially popular trade show gift, and eco-friendly pens take the thoughtfulness factor to a new level by presenting visitors to your booth with an option with a reduced environmental impact. Along with the popular ballpoint pens that you often see at conferences and major events, there are elegant bamboo pens available as well.
  • Eco-friendly tote bags – Tote bags are also a hot trade show giveaway option, particularly since they can be used to complete thoughtful care packages that attendees can sling on their shoulders and keep with them throughout the day. Eco-friendly tote bags give your brand an environmentally friendly option for reaching out to potential customers at the show.
  • Eco-friendly t-shirts – T-shirts are an incredibly popular giveaway item at trade shows. Everybody could use a new t-shirt, and when they wear one—particularly at the event—it provides free advertising for your brand. Now there are eco-friendly organic t-shirts available to help you spread brand awareness in an environmentally friendly way.

If your company is thinking of offering eco-friendly trade show giveaways, there is a broadening range of options available for you to do so in a unique way that will provide value both to the attendees and to your brand. Not everyone is giving away environmentally friendly swag yet, so doing so can also help you distinguish yourself from the competition. It can also send the message that you want to make a positive difference. That’s a sentiment everybody can get behind.

Do you have a trade show on the horizon? We can help advise you on custom branded promotional products that can make a difference for your brand. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 for creative and innovative branding ideas to help your company stand out and make a great impression.

5 Terrific Trade Show Giveaways That Will Boost Your Brand

Bluetooth speakers are a popular trade show giveaway item

Bluetooth speakers are a popular trade show giveaway item

Exhibiting at a trade show can be an exciting opportunity for your business to connect with potential customers and clients. But how can you make sure you stay top of mind with them after they’ve left your booth? Promotional giveaways are often a great way to create lasting and effective brand awareness. Here are five ideas for great swag that will boost your brand at these events:

  • Tech gadgets – Particularly if you’re in the tech sector, tech gadgets are always a hot item. USB drives come in handy at conference time, as do power banks, earbuds, and styluses. You could also consider offering a raffle or a contest for a higher-value item, such as Bluetooth speakers.
  • Pens and notebooks – If you’re late for a breakout session but just ran into that potential client or business partner you don’t want to miss, you don’t want to be caught without a pen or a piece of paper for exchanging contact information or taking a quick note. We’ve all been there. That’s why pens and notebooks, while seemingly simple, can make thoughtful and effective gifts.
  • Branded care packages – Trade shows can be exhausting and physically draining. The people who come up to your booth may look like they’re doing fine, but they may be privately grappling with a headache, a rumbling stomach, or a blister from all that walking throughout the exhibitors’ hall. Branded care packages including a little TLC such as water, breath mints, aspirin, snacks, and even band-aids can make a lasting, positive impression.
  • Eco-friendly giveaways – As we all know, trade show attendees get lots of swag—so much so that they can begin to wonder about its impact on the environment. A lot of the most popular trade show swag, including tote bags, notebooks, and even eco-friendly USB drives, are among the many environmentally friendly promotional items you can give away.
  • T-shirts – Long the ubiquitous staple at trade shows, t-shirts are still an enormously popular item for giveaways. They double as free advertising for your company; they get worn on-site during the conference or event, spreading the word about your products and services.

Do you have a trade show on the horizon? We can help advise you on custom branded promotional products that can make a difference for your brand. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 for creative and innovative branding ideas to help your company stand out and make a great impression.

Improve Your Business in 2016 with These 5 New Year Resolutions

When a new year arrives, it’s a natural opportunity for business leaders to reflect on what they hope to achieve in the future. Just as people find it helpful to set personal New Year resolutions to help them track progress toward long-held dreams or aspirations, it can be effective for businesses to define their own goals for the year. Here are five New Year resolutions that can help take your company to the next level in 2016:

Start the New Year right!

Start the New Year right!

  1. Prioritize business planning. If you want to improve your business in 2016, setting aside dedicated time for business planning—as a regular part of your schedule—is a great way to make that happen. Business plans have a way of gathering dust, but an ongoing time commitment toward spotting your company’s best opportunities and overcoming its trickiest challenges can make a real difference.
  2. Set goals for growth. Goals are a powerful motivator, and they can keep you on track as the bustle of a hectic workday returns. If you plan to grow your business in 2016, set specific, realistic targets and deadlines for achieving that growth. Some business leaders find the SMART model helpful for defining goals. Budget time in your calendar to review your progress against your goals on a monthly or quarterly basis.
  3. Promote your business. If you want to grow your existing customer base or reach a new market, dedicate some time toward creating a marketing plan for the coming year. There’s a wealth of marketing tips for businesses to be found on the Internet. If you don’t have the time to do the research yourself or if you have specific needs, consider hiring a consultant who can give you some strategic guidance or spot consultation in a certain area.
  4. Hire expert help if you need it. If a certain area of your business is causing you stress, consuming too much of your staff time or generating repeated problems, consider hiring someone with the expertise—whether it’s an employee or a consultant—to help you get back on track. In doing so, you can free up your capacity and mental space to focus on what’s most important rather than what’s most urgent.
  5. Take care of yourself. Burnout is a very real problem that many business leaders and staff face in today’s workplace. Self-care, and tending to work-life balance, isn’t just a luxury. It’s a key to business success. Depending on what gives you satisfaction and meaning in life, this can take different forms. Take the time to figure out what work-life balance looks like for you and your company; create a plan for making it a reality at your workplace.

What are your 2016 resolutions for your business? How do you hope to grow in the coming year, and what opportunities or challenges do you see on the road ahead? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

Looking to start your New Year right with custom branded promotional products that can make a difference for your brand? We’d be happy to share some recommendations and creative ideas with you. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 and we’ll be glad to advise you on branding ideas that can represent your company with style and grace.

The Top 5 Brand Stories of 2015

Google Logo

Google’s New Logo

With the arrival of a new year, it’s a perfect moment to reflect on the major trends and developments that made a mark in our world in 2015. Several compelling brand stories made headlines, some for their creativity and others for the controversy they inspired. Here are the top 5 brand stories that caught our attention:

What brand stories captivated you in 2015? Feel free to share your thoughts and reflections in the comments section below. As we welcome 2016, best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Looking to start your New Year right with custom branded promotional products that can make a difference for your brand? We’d be happy to share some recommendations and creative ideas with you. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook or call us at 877-881-6845 and we’ll be glad to advise you on branding ideas that can represent your company with style and grace.

What Is Up with This New Campaign Swag?

If you’ve been following the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections lately, no doubt by now you’ve heard all about Donald DTC-ODTRH-RD-2Trump and his famous “Make America Great Again” trucker hat. The Donald’s hat has even become a meme on social media! But he’s not alone—the other candidates, both fellow GOP members and Democrats alike, have come out with some pretty unique and funny campaign swag in recent months. Hillary Clinton is selling pantsuit t-shirts, Rand Paul is selling Hillary hard drives, Marco Rubio is proffering onesies for babies, and popular humor site Funny or Die has even posted a parody imagining some of the most oddball campaign swag imaginable.

 

So what’s going on here? Why are politicians suddenly rolling out complete online stores full of branded promotional items that seem so specifically tailored to certain demographic groups? Although campaign swag itself is certainly nothing new—branded goodies intended for political supporters have been around since the days of John Adams—it certainly appears to have taken on a bigger role in the presidential campaign than it ever has before. You would think that the campaigns themselves would not necessarily want to be jumping full-on into the retail business, with all of the management concerns and logistics that involves. It turns out, however, that they have a very clear strategy behind the rollout of these expansive online campaign stores featuring all this quirky swag.

 

jeb-bush-guacamole-bowl-w724-1When you buy an item from a campaign store, it’s not actually counted as a sale of a product. Rather, your purchase of campaign swag is considered the “premium” you receive in return for your donation. This means that, by launching robust online shops, candidates can boost their volume of small donations. The Obama 2008 campaign was particularly successful in doing this. Beyond the money, however, what the campaigns are really interested in is the data that these purchases reveal about personal preferences along a variety of demographic groups.

 

Feel the Bern hot sauceAs a recent New York Times article on campaign swag explained, “the choice of a product can reveal whether you are a beer drinker, a sports fan or what cellphone you use. It can suggest that there are a lot of joggers headquartered in a specific region of the country, indicating that a campaign may want to direct its health communications to that state; or that you really, really hate the other guy.” By identifying trends and building demographic profiles, the campaigns can better target their communications with particular groups or tap into a greater reservoir of funding they had not previously known about. Interestingly, according to the Times piece, this careful and very sophisticated segmenting of consumer data “would track very closely to what exists in a large or midsize fashion chain.”

 

trucker-hats-and-pom-poms-the-2016-candidates-are-selling-lots-of-swag-body-image-1443644051So clearly, campaign swag is about more than the coffee cup or the t-shirt or even the money associated with those purchases. For the campaigns themselves, it’s about really knowing their customers and their preferences, designing branded products that speak to their unique identities, then using the knowledge they gain from the data that comes in to better segment and target their communications even more perfectly to the groups that they want to reach. It’s a fascinating exercise in both branding and sales, and a trend that will be worth keeping an eye on as Election Day approaches.

 

Are you looking for creative ideas or strategy to get your message across with an upcoming company campaign, special project, or an event that you may have on the horizon? If so, reach out to us on social media—we’re on Twitter and Facebook—or call us at 877-881-6845 and we’ll be happy to provide expert advice on how you can achieve your branding goals.