Incentive - February 2009 - (Page 47)

AWARDS The Economy’s Down; You Don’t Have To Be Why using promotional products and incentive merchandise are smart moves in a down economy By Sherri Lennarson, MAS, PPAI Chair of the Board R eality has hit us square in the face—we are living in deeply troubled times. As inflation rises and hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs, consumers and companies are feeling the squeeze. The changing economic climate is pressuring corporate buyers to show returnon-investment for their marketing dollars. Senior management is cutting budgets. On top of this—due to heightened competition in the marketplace—many are challenged to find more effective ways to advertise with less money. Today, advertising messages are delivered through a dizzying kaleidoscope of visual stimuli: search engine results pages, free e-mail accounts, Web site pages, mobile phones, network and cable TV, radio, direct mail, print media and outdoor billboards to name a few. We are so overwhelmed and overstimulated by this cacophony of visual impressions that we have learned to tune them out, or better yet, just avoid them altogether. Nevertheless, corporate buyers have to get their messages out somehow and are increasingly spending their marketing dollars more wisely by taking advantage of what cost effective, viral promotional products and incentives have to offer. The Appeal Of Promotional Products The shifting sand of traditional media in our weak economy has opened a window of opportunity for the promotional products industry. While it is true many companies are decreasing their marketing budgets, if they switch to an engaging medium such as promotional products, studies show they often get the same—or better—results. To reach today’s consumers, you need to deliver a multisensory advertising experience that is best achieved through the use of promotional products. While traditional advertising tends to overwhelm consumers by solely engaging the visual and auditory senses, promotional products reach people by engaging all five. For instance, you might mail prospects a small box of chocolate-chip cookies with a call-to-action card attached. The box is imprinted with your company’s name and so is the call-to-action card, which tells recipients to “call/email/visit” for an even sweeter deal. Recipients open the box, and an electronic auditory greeting plays automatically (sense of sound); the smell of fresh chocolate-chip cookies wafts through the air (sense of smell); and the sight of the gift and its presentation delights them (sense of sight). They reach for a cookie and instantly feel the softness (sense of touch). Finally, they bite into a cookie, incentivemag.com | February 2009 | Incentive | 47 http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - February 2009

Incentive - February 2009
Contents
Editor's Note
Headlines
The Incentive Survival Guide to 2009
Strategies: Nature vs. Nurture
Strategies: Thank God for the Recession
Research: Industry Trends 2009
Travel News: Where To Go and What To Do
Travel Strategies: Make It Work
Las Vegas: Changing Fortunes
Potentials Here and Now
Merchandise Strategies: Success in Small Steps
The Economy's Down; You Don't Have to Be
Gift Cards Strategies: Flexibility Is the Word
Advertiser Index
On the Web

Incentive - February 2009