So... Does Swag really work?

Look around your desk - I'm quite positive you will find a branded item somewhere near you.  Be it a pen, coaster, mousepad, USB drive, Coffee Mug, water bottle, sticky note - these dern things are everywhere!

So what!  I have some company's logo on my stuff, that doesn't mean anything to me!  I just like the thing they gave me.  I hear that all the time in what I do - it's just trinkets and trash/Swag/Tchotchkies/junk...

Au contraire my friend!  A recent study shows that branded items do in fact impact a targeted audience in a tangible way!  More importantly, it left favorable, long-lasting impressions upon recipients.  Here's the figures:

PPAI research shows:

• 88 percent recall the advertiser on promotional products
• 85 percent have done business with the advertiser after receiving a promotional item
• 83 percent like promotional products
• 81 percent keep them because they are useful
• 53 percent use promotional products once a week
• 47 percent keep them for more than a year

For you Marketeers - that's good stats!  Promo items may not be glitzy, but they work.  for more info on the study, read here

Brand Integrity in a knock-off Marketplace

When in doubt, knock it off!  Yes, it's an easy thing to do in our industry, with 1000's of factories overseas ready - and willing - to knock off anything at any time with no real fear of consequences.  Unfortunately, what we as distributors don't necessarily think about is the fallout associated with knocking off a product, or putting a client's logo on a pre-made knock-off import.

Before this year's Super Bowl, $13.6 millon dollars worth of fake NFL merchandise was confiscated by federal authorities.  You might think that's a big haul, but really it's a drop in the bucket when compared to the unlicensed merchandise that is sold via the internet and retail outlets.  It's a big business, and the counterfeiters have sped up the production process to such an extent that they outrace the Federal authorities to the dollars, and undersell the licensed properties by more than 50%!

John Q. Public gets cheaper goods with their team/college/brand's name on it, however the brand receives no royalties - and John Q. Public is the one who is potentially on the hook if authorities want to go after him for damages.  The only winner is the retailer, and the chances of them being caught is minimal.

So, what is the harm?  Well the main thing is that it tarnishes your brand, aside from dropping your royalty rates considerably.  It's not relegated to the Sports Franchises, brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Google, etc have all been knocked off at one time or another - and still have that done today.  Worse still, if you have a specific patent, God help you if unscrupulous foreign manufacturers get a hold of your product, you will see cheaper replicas of your stuff on the internet faster than you can Google it.  Ever bought one of those Green-wrist Rolexes in NYC?

How can a Brand protect itself?  One, work with suppliers who are reputable and, more importantly, work with ISO9001 factories overseas who have social compliance audits on hand. Secondly, license your brand with a recognized Brand Licensing company.  Thirdly, trademark, patent and register your brands or products correctly, if you haven't done so already.  That way, in the event of a knock-off - which will come - you have legal retribution available to you.

What is that thing with the numbers on your desk?

I read an interesting blog post today that really made an impact on how technology has changed us - some might say for the worse!  Email, Facebook, Twitter, Text, etc. - we've forgotten as a society that we have a new "old school" form of communication - the telephone.

Yes, it's really easy to simply email or text someone, or even show that YOU ARE PISSED OFF!!!! in worded diatribe, but whatever happened to simple conversation?  Is the written word easier in problem solving, showing emotion, or conveying urgency?  I struggle with that at times, and I'd like to hear from you - by phone preferably - what you think.

If you don't know my phone number, text me...

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