Promotional Products are a great way to market your business, brand or event – everyone loves getting something for free for a start. And you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are giving your customers or clients a useful, long-lasting branded product that will constantly remind them of your company or organization. But today’s market expects more.
As more and more people become more aware and concerned about environmental issues and the need to live their lives more sustainably, they are increasingly ready to respond to businesses and organizations who share their concerns, offer genuine solutions and use appropriate green means to communicate with them. (See the later section What do Eco-Aware consumers want and expect?)
If you want to be taken seriously by this ever increasing group, then the medium must fit the message: the promotional product you give your customer or client has to be green. Thankfully there’s now a wide range of eco promotional products which allow you to promote your business or message or to educate/inform your market while letting your customers know that you share their environmental concerns and values.
By switching to eco friendly promotional products your business can:
- Save resources and lessen your impact on the environment
- Reduce your carbon footprint
- Promote your business as environmentally responsible and aware
- Increase awareness of, and respect for your brand
- Educate and inform your market of new products or services
- Reach new customers who are looking for genuine green solutions or businesses to deal with
What are the benefits of using eco promotional products?
Promotional products are generally printed with a logo or message and given away to customers/prospective customers/clients or the general public. They range from very inexpensive mass produced items such as pens, bags, caps etc to short-run expensive high quality items for valued customers or staff.
As a marketing strategy, eco promotional products can be used alone, or integrated with other media, such as advertising, public relations and events. Popular uses include generating new customers or new accounts; non-profit fundraising; public awareness campaigns by public authorities, Councils or education; for promotion of brand awareness and brand loyalty; as business gifts; as staff gifts or incentives; orientation programs; marketing research; corporate communications; and at trade shows, events and conferences.
Eco Promotional product strategies are:
- Cost Effective – they fit into almost any marketing budget
- Easy to Integrate – they complement other marketing/advertising media
- Easy to Target – they can be directed to targeted/selected audiences
- Cost-Free Repetition of your message – the eco product continues to repeat the advertising message every time it is used, without extra cost per exposure
- Valued – People like to receive them and research shows that they are valued
- Effective as Incentives and Motivators – since the items are useful, functional, green and appealing
- Easily measured – the success of using eco promotional products in your marketing campaigns is easily measured, with clear results every time
- Flexible – With so many cost-effective eco promotional products now available, there is a lot of flexibility possible in planning a successful promotion or campaign
What research says about the effectiveness of using promotional products
Source: Australian Promotional Products Association (APPA)
Reach:
71% of business travelers surveyed at an international airport received a promotional product in the last 12 months.
33.7% of this group had the item on their person.
56% of people kept their promotional product for more than one year.
76.4% said they kept their promotional product because it was useful.
Recall:
76.1% of the respondents could recall the advertisers name on the product they have received in the last 12 months
In comparison, 80% of participants answered yes to reading a newspaper or magazine in the last week but only 53.5% of them could recall the name of a single advertiser
What do Eco-Aware consumers want and expect?
Research from Australian group Nielsen found the following:
Despite a very challenging economic environment, where consumers were looking everywhere to cut back, environmentally friendly products remain in vogue.
Nielsen identified a core and sizable group of consumers who place great importance on concerns for the planet, the environment, and the future. This segment represents well over 4.6 million consumers, or 26 per cent of all people 14+, a discerning group of consumers with big purchasing power, who (Nielsen) Panorama labeled “EcoAussies”
Increasingly, even in these tight economic times, consumer attitudes are not just confined to the products they buy; they extend to the companies that make or market those products. Among EcoAussies, over 67 per cent say that when buying products it is important they show a high level of social/environmental responsibility. And 75 per cent think more highly of these companies.
A significant number of EcoAussies (68 per cent) are willing to pay more for products from responsible companies who support worthy causes concerned with the environment.
For less environmentally attuned companies, almost two-thirds say they purposefully avoid specific companies because of concerns about their impact on people or society.
Over 63 per cent would like companies to explain more about the difference they are making in order to support them.
Source: Nielsen Panorama, May 2009
