Building Blocks to Success
The sum of a trademark equals a whole lot more than just its legal implications. By today’s standards, it’s what makes someone or something unique. Think golden arches, the swoosh or the doughboy. The corresponding brands shouldn’t be too far behind.
In the case of commercial printing, such talk of “differentiation” has grown proportionately with each new-and-shiny improvement in technology. As in-house production becomes more a reality than ever before, print brokers have been looking for a way to diversify their offerings to maintain brand equity in a turbulent business environment.
In growing numbers, manufacturers have been adding promotional products to their lines as the long-awaited solution to a general leveling off of form sales. Plus, according to Tim Bayne, marketing analyst at New Century, Kansas-based Stouse, there’s yet another benefit: differentiation. Ad specialty items not only provide a unique selling proposition today, but they also help a company secure a niche for the future.
Theories of Evolution
When describing the addition of promotional products as a viable upsell, Bayne said, “It is not necessarily due to diminishing markets as seen with the forms industry, but as an expansion of current business, or due to a fear of business loss to competitors. The thought being: ‘If I can’t provide it, someone else will.’” And perhaps it isn’t such a stretch for printers to consider bringing promotional products into the fold. The items aren’t that different, after all.
Since forms manufacturers already are selling printed products, advertising specialties seem to be the next logical step in the process. Regardless of what the “vehicle” is, the purpose of virtually anything with a company’s logo and branding is to promote an image. “Is there a similarity to selling a high-end paper versus economy paper, [or] a high-end mug or cheaper giveaway,” Bayne asked. At the end of the day, both the printed product and the promotional item carry the same message. “There are businesses already using the promotional industry to complement their existing products or to pick up additional sales. … It adds value and revenue,” he continued.
Right Here, Right Now
Clearly, the inclusion of a promotional product or two can help with the sale of printed products, but what product(s) to choose? Though Bayne answered that question with one of his own—“What wouldn’t work?”—there are some items that seem to be pulling better than others.
• Promotional apparel. Sales Manager Rex Young from Genoa Business Forms, Sycamore, Ill., considers promotional apparel “a natural addition to distributors’ product lines.” Young’s company not only supplies these items, it recently has undertaken an in-house embroidery program, as well. He added, “The purchase of letterhead/envelope[s] ... includes stock selection, getting copy for the company logo and determining the order quantity. Embroidered products have the same steps in the ordering process.”
Traditional apparel promotions include polos, caps and T-shirts, and for a company just starting to add promotional products to the lineup, these items can serve as a solid jumping-off point. Plus, “Often the buyer of promotional products is the same person or department that purchases traditional printed products,” Young noted. “This allows the trust that is built up with successful printed product sales to be leveraged into new embroidered product sales.”
• Office supplies. This option should be easy for commercial printers, as it is a reasonable offshoot of the forms, labels and letterheads that make up the rest of their business. “We have offered a large 22x17" desk calendar for a number of years,” Young related. Furthermore, Bayne identified business-card magnets, OSHA signs, stickers and identity labels as possibilities.
Making it Work
Like matching the right printed piece to a client’s needs, promotional products will not do well if they’re not sold with discretion. By learning information about the inner workings of a company, a distributor can properly bundle an offer. To leverage the sell, Bayne recommended asking, among other things, the types of giveaways the company treats its customers to, how it promotes itself in the community and whether or not it sponsors local/national charities. “Ask about the next company picnic, awards ceremony or what [is done for] employee appreciation,” he suggested.
In 2008, the state of promotional products in the printed products industry is an area of opportunity for commercial printers. “The products used for promotions and in advertising have been powerful [tools] ever since the first calendars came out with a company name on them,” Bayne maintained.
And who knows? If chosen wisely and marketed correctly, advertising specialties just might propel branding into the general lexicon, à la McDonald’s, Nike and Pillsbury. Universal recognition—now, that’s differentiation.
Related story: Behind the Scenes: In-House Embroidery
- Companies:
- Genoa Business Forms
- Stouse LLC