Outdoor activities and events are cool reasons for hot summer promotions.
The radio is cranking out fun-in-the-sun tunes and vacation plans are being finalized from coast to coast. Summer months represent promotional products sales opportunities like no other season as businesses take more of a light-hearted approach to customer and employee relations.
"Summer is a great time for companies to reward employees with picnics, getaways at amusement parks and team-building excursions away from the office," said Tim Bohmer, vice president of sales at Webb Company, Rosemount, Minn.
Such corporate activities mean lots of promotional goodies to hand out to hard-working employees. Colorful T-shirts, golf shirts and hats are very popular items that foster a sense of team unity. Uniforms for a company athletic team or league might also be on tap, Bohmer said. "Distributors should ask their contacts what activities the company participates in during the summer months," he suggested.
Bohmer said that distributors can offer team uniforms, picnic-related items (such as plastic dishes and tumblers, water bottles and barbecue accessories), and "to-go" kits—which might include a cooler packed with utensils, an FM radio, an umbrella and a fleece blanket—that would be a welcome companion to any summer event.
Noting an important trend, Bohmer said, "At the winter trade shows, I noticed that many distributors said that clients were opening their wallets for 2005, and promotional budgets are increasing as companies downsize. Companies are using promotional products as a form of motivation and recognition for their newly slimmed-down and often overworked staff."
Garden tool sets—four hand-tools with wood handles—and barbecue tool sets do well in summer, according to Marc Puglisi of Points of Light, Fairfield, N.J. The supplier, which also sells George Foreman grills, barware, Stanley tools and Mag-Lite flashlights, is currently offering a new gift tin with its Mag-Lites featuring a see-through window. "We sell Mag-Lites to everyone," Puglisi noted. "Poker sets are also hot right now, and in a price range—$6.00 to $25.00—to sell," he said. "But, poker's only strong in a few industries because some people may not want to be associated with gambling."
Even so, Puglisi said that a lot of credit unions buy the cards to imprint with the slogan "Don't gamble with your future" and the institution's name. Realtors also use this item to remind customers not to gamble with their next home purchase.
It's Fair Game
"Summer means outside, fair-type events where banks, realtors and local small businesses give out inexpensive items to get people to the booth," Puglisi said.
Bohmer agreed that the real estate and mortgage industries are increasing their purchase of promotional items. "Our candy and mint products have continued to increase in popularity, and our polycarbonate water bottles are a big seller," he said.
The success of the Lance Armstrong Foundation's LIVESTRONG silicone bracelets "has had a profound 'follow-me' effect with non-profits and charitable organizations," Bohmer said. "We have experienced a major increase in sales of silicone bracelets to these organizations."
Puglisi noted that health-care organizations and hospitals will often host health fairs during the summer months, providing tons of giveaway promotional items to entice visitors to get their blood pressure checked, experience a five-minute massage, learn about chiropractic care, do a body-fat analysis or talk with a nutritionist.
Hospitals may also hold a Nurses' Day, for instance, to salute these indispensable health-care providers, and need a variety of recognition products.
During the summer months, inexpensive pens, whistles and flying discs are ubiquitous giveaways, and Points of Light also sells a lot of cha-cha items.
Although Cinquo de Mayo is past, Latino street festivals abound during the summer months, and Puglisi urged distributors not to overlook the ethnic market. A sister company, 24/7, markets to Latinos and the African-American market for street fairs, and music and film festivals. Many African-American communities host summer heritage parades and festivals, as well as an event around Juneteenth, the June 19 date which celebrates the Emancipation Proclamation.
Contacting the local chamber of commerce or the mayor's office in large cities can put distributors in touch with a summer-long roster of festivals where organizers may need trinkets to toss to parade spectators; sports bottles for participants; and T-shirts, hats, pens, fans and totes to sell. Promotional items will also be in demand from local merchants sponsoring events or manning booths at fairs and festivals.
Avoid Boredom Day
Distributors may want to check reference books or search the Internet for dates designated for the commemoration of events or awareness of issues, both local and national.
For instance, June is the month for recycling, candy, zoos, aquariums and promoting skin cancer awareness, and features weeks highlighting Little League baseball, the U.S. flag and fishing with kids.
July promotes tennis and ice cream, and features I Forgot Day on July 2. Promote sending gifts to customers to say that they haven't been forgotten. One July week is set aside to avoid boredom—a natural for promotional products.
August is National Inventors Month, as well as National Golf Month, and features days to promote a night out (great for giving out theater tickets or restaurant certificates) and relaxation—promote with bubble bath, eye masks and foot massagers.
Bohmer noted that consistent sellers during the summer months include outdoor recreational items, such as beverage holders, flying discs, water bottles and barbecue grilling accessories. "People now seem willing to pay for a better-quality product, not just the lowest-priced product," he said. "This can be seen in the popularity of polycarbonate water bottles vs. lower-priced plastic water bottle."
Webb Company offers polycarbonate water bottles in several different shapes and many different colors, Bohmer said, reflecting the summer trend for bright colors and new, unique shapes for old standards.
Goofy is also big for summer, and no—we're not talking about Mickey Mouse's sidekick. Points of Light started its Funkyline "to be different from other suppliers," Puglisi said, and the oddball products are especially popular in the warmer months.
Their newest item is called the Goofy Pen. "It's funny-looking, with different faces, rubber hair and feather hair, but it's a best-seller," Puglisi said. The pens stand upright on the desk, rather than getting flung in the drawer like so many others, he noted. "It's a goofy-looking billboard for your customer," he said.
Regardless of whether your customer is looking for fun summer products, outdoor living accessories, or promotional items to recognize and reward employees and customers, summer represents great opportunities for the smart distributor.
By Janet R. Gross