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HAT T-SHIRT WITH THE tongue-in-cheek slogan
earned a rightful place in your closet when you won the
chili contest; the neon shot glasses on your shelf con-
jure a fond, if somewhat hazy, memory of the best
spring break ever. And neither of these treasured sou-
venirs might have made their way into your hands without the aid
of a creative promotional consultant.
Bars and restaurants fight for loyal patrons with every happy
hour, holiday promotion and grand opening. Promotional products
are an ideal way to keep customers coming back, but getting the
right products into the right hands is the first step to serving up
success.
“The biggest area of concern is making sure you have the deci-
sion maker in front of you,” says Brad Bartlett, vice president of
supplier Optigraphics (UPIC: OPTI2000) in Dallas, Texas. “You
must ask, ‘Who makes the final decision on promotional items for
your restaurant?’”
Once the person in charge has given you their full attention,
Bartlett says the key to keeping it is to offer something singular and
uniquely suited to the client’s business. “The challenge is always
what you can bring to the table that is unique,” Bartlett says. “Make
sure you really know the business; you do that by being a customer
there—even just once.”
Kelly Bird, account manager at distributor Quality Logo
Products (UPIC: qualityl) in Aurora, Illinois, says, “The best thing I
can advise to a client in any industry who isn’t sure what to buy is,
‘Buy something you would want to use yourself. Make sure you
choose an item that is pertinent to your business and use a clever
imprint that will help the recipient remember your brand.’ Do your
best to make the item really practical and unique.”
Bartlett says his customers are always seeking unusual items,
such as his company’s OPTIchrome signs, Magic Motion lenticular
coasters and Water Reveal placemats—and even high-end options.
“[Give them] things they can’t get anywhere else,” he says. “They
GROW
38 •
PPB
• FEBRUARY 2016
GROW
MARKET TO MARKET
T
DISHING OUT
SUCCESSFUL
PROMOTIONS
CREATIVE PRODUCTS AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS
WILL HAVE RESTAURANT AND BAR CLIENTS
COMING BACK FOR SECONDS.
By Jen Alexander