PPB July 2018

A while back, I read a Seth Godin blog that examined effective messaging and how the more personal the message, the more relevant it was. Godin, a bestselling author and marketing savant, gave examples of large corporations that were using a one-size-fits-all approach to communication, and he explained why it didn’t work. Conversely, he also shared examples of spot-on messages sent to targeted audiences that were highly effective. That blog post got me thinking about how promotional products are an advertising/messaging medium and how, in the past, I had been guilty of helping clients, in essence, spam their customers and prospects. A common promotional- products-as-spam application is the trade-show giveaway: “Look! We have pens in a bowl and we don’t care who you are. Grab as many as you can carry.” After becoming anti-spam “enlightened,” I came up with some pretty cool ideas for clients that turned into very nice orders. Here’s a sample that may help inspire you. Mugged A client called me up: “Joe, I can get 1,000 four-color process coffee mugs for 99 cents each. I want to give you the business. Can you match that price?” Had I been in my Joe-The- Mug-Guy phase, I would have hopped on SAGE Online, found some 99-cent mugs and sold them to my client. Fortunately, I drank PPAI’s promotional- products-are-an-advertising- medium Kool-Aid and came up with this response instead: Joe: “Sounds interesting. To whom will you be giving those mugs?” Client: “My best customers.” Joe: “On average, how much do your best customers buy from you each year?” Client: “Around $7,000.” Joe: “If youwere one of your best customers and got a 99-cent coffeemug, what would you think?” Spamming with promotional products puts us at risk of competing on price alone. To stand out, try these techniques instead. by Joe Scott Spam Alternatives 52 | JULY 2018 | GROW