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THINK
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PPB
• DECEMBER 2014
FAST FORWARD
A HEALTHY START
THINK
WHAT THE INDUSTRY CAN EXPECT FROM THIS YEAR’S COLD AND FLU SEASON
BY TAMA UNDERWOOD
ALES OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE hand sanitizer increased eight percent in September after
what had been a sluggish period, according to retail researcher IRI. The growth came on the heels of news
that the Ebola virus and a new strain of enterovirus were present in the U.S.
Though sales are currently rising at retail, promotional products distributors say demand for hand sanitizer has
been trending upward for some time, and that cold and flu season routinely sees increased sales of healthcare-related products.
“With the increased concern over the flu during the last two years, most of my clients increased the access to sanitizer
within their facilities with a larger dispenser-type display so access was visible to those who enter their buildings. This
change was quietly made and still remains in their facilities today,” says Jeff Fleck, CEO of Castle Rock, Colorado-based
distributor Xperience Promotions (UPIC: Creat2).
It’s important to note that hand sanitizer kills most bacteria and some viruses. “They are helpful in a viral outbreak
because they somewhat create an inhospitable environment for the virus to thrive,”
says Gerry Barker, president of Cheshire, Connecticut-based distributor Barker
Specialty Company (UPIC: BARKER). “Thus, the uptick in health-related product
sales is more related to a desire to provide a useful item, regardless of whether the
item is effective against Ebola or any other viral outbreak.”
Cold and flu season typically brings in more sales of healthcare-related
products such as sanitizers, tissues, hand wipes and lip balms for Kimberly
Beaudin, MAS, group vendor relations manager for Lewiston, Maine-based
distributor Geiger (UPIC: geiger). But this year, Beaudin says, the spike came
early. “This early start may be due to the viral outbreaks, but I cannot say for
certain,” she says.
End buyers’ responses to health-related news often depends on their com-
panies’ structures. Fleck points out that unless marketers and public relations
executives collaborate, the latter is more likely to address sudden disease out-
breaks. “The PR person would be more of the decision maker and would more
likely take the approach of providing awareness and education of the situa-
tion,” he says. In his experience, this education typically comes from signage
and print materials that help people understand the situation and reduce
unnecessary fear.
“The primary concern of most of my clients in this sector (as a whole) is
that they are connected to their immediate communities. If there is a health
scare within that immediate community, then this priority becomes higher and
is handled quite differently,” Fleck says.
HEALTH PRODUCTS
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