Modern promotions
are a combination of information and hard sell. The object is to make direct
contact with the target client base and provide value and create interest in
the promotion. Best practice in any promotional environment is to use a
combination of promotional items, information and
promotional
bags to provide a full package approach to these objectives.
This really is packaging, and there are some lessons to be
learned from this combination of elements in promotions.
The typical promotional package includes:
- A strongly
branded, highly visual promotional bag, tailored to take all materials
- Promotional
gifts
- Promotional
information and call to action materials
- In most cases, additional information
about related brand products
Obviously, there’s a lot of presentation involved in this
package. The idea is to provide a positive image for the brand and provide
useful sales materials.
The “efficiency
factor”
Anyone familiar with the “assembly line” process of
packaging promotional materials will tell you that the handling process is also
a cost factor. The amount of handling involved in assembling 10 different items
and sending them to customers or giving them out at promotional events is
incredible. Putting these things in a bag isn’t just a packaging exercise- It’s also the most efficient way to manage
the materials.
If you’re working in a mall, exhibition or other venues like
a street giveaway, the bags more than pay for themselves in reduced handling.
They’re extremely efficient, particularly if you’re dealing with high volumes
of people and promotional materials.
Simply transporting and distributing promotional materials
in these environments is a real exercise in logistics:
·
You can’t
distribute separate individual items one at a time efficiently- It simply
can’t be done well, and it’s extremely inefficient in terms of distribution.
·
Onsite
restocking is a real nuisance- People are away from their station in the
promotion getting more promo materials, meaning reduced contact with customers and making them wait, which is usually
not very popular.
·
People
really don't appreciate being given lots of handouts without containers- If
you’re at a major industry expo, for example, you could get a hernia with the
amount of materials given out. The tendency is to dump things that can’t be
easily carried. It’s also lousy presentation to give materials out without
carriers, instantly devaluing the product, particularly in comparison with
others.
The bags/ information/
promotional
gifts combination turns the distribution process into a
simple two-step process- “This is our product and here’s our information”. The
promotional staff can focus on talking to customers and answering questions,
not a mindless shuffling of materials.
Putting
together your package
The easy way to manage assembly of
promotional packages in any environment is a numbers game:
- Number of
items per bag
- Number of
units to distribute
- Number of
hours or days in the promotion
- 1 Number of
people involved in distribution
For
example-
- You’ve got 5
items per package
- You have 5000
packages to distribute in this environment
- Your
promotion runs for 3 days
- You need 5000
bags, and have to distribute about 1700 per day.
- You need 5-8
people for that period (preferably on a weekend to maximize exposure)
Imagine trying to do that without the packaging approach.
That’s why promotional gifts and bags are so useful.
Article written by Sachin for Creative Promotions.
