A promotional giveaway with a corporate logo always reflects the brand’s print identity, but is the campaign it’s tied to something the audience perceives as engaging, worthwhile, and, possibly even fun?!  Those campaigns are intended to increase sales, community awareness, employee productivity or client appreciation, among other things.  But do the promotional products carry the message in a way that entices the recipient to respond?

Consider the idea of building a new internal corporate message with targeted products selected to support the theme.  Those products, chosen to excite and encourage specific behavior, could be distributed once every quarter for 12 months in order to keep the audience engaged.

For instance, with continual focus on rising healthcare costs, a corporate HR department may choose to launch an employee wellness initiative.  A path to employee buy-in could include:

• Launch the campaign at the end of the calendar year when many healthcare programs roll over.  Every employee receives a healthy eating calendar with recipes and make-it-healthy tips featured each month.
• 3 months later, when spring is approaching, give every employee a new pair of custom imprinted shoelaces inserted into a logo color zip bag with a printed reminder of the benefits of walking at least 20 minutes every day.
• In July, with summer activities in full swing, everyone receives a CamelBak™ sport bottle imprinted with the corporate logo (yes, it should be a bottle brand everyone recognizes and appreciates) with sun screen, SPF lip balm and insect repellent spray pen inserted inside, along with the reinforced printed message of healthy habits like staying hydrated.
• Finally, as fall arrives along with all the accompanying problems of weather changes and germ control, each employee is given a desk-size bottle of hand sanitizer with clever graphics printed on the front label, and (do I need to say it?), another printed reminder of the importance of healthy habits attached with a hang tag to the bottle.

Giveaways, regardless of how high or low the cost, should always be given with the intention of sending a positive message, even if the message is strictly to reinforce the corporate brand.  And if that item is tied into a broader feel-good campaign that is meant to influence behavior and incent actions, all the better.  When exploring your promotional merchandise options, remember, if you think it’s fun, it’s likely the recipient will agree!

(Image:  Uglydoll ad campaign)