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SOURCE is the first Promo Item Agency to obtain an ISO-Certificate from TÜV Rheinland. The evaluation and rework of SOURCE’s quality management lasted a total of 6 months.  The result is visible:  SOURCE is the first and only Promo Item Specialist to receive an ISO-Certificate. Thus customers and business partners are guaranteed quality that is constant and verifiable.

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognized standard used to examine and optimize a company’s quality management. The aim is to create uniform quality according to customer requirements.  In order to achieve this, current company processes and quality standards are examined in order to discover and utilize possibilities for improvement and rationalization.   In obtaining its certification, SOURCE was aiming at creating even more efficient and transparent processes, to sensitize its employees to the „Quality Management“ idea, and in any case to increase customer satisfaction. „The ISO-Certificate distinguishes our optimized processes. Our customers should feel completely certain that they are able to find in us a competent partner for their promo items activities.“, said Eric Fritz, the Quality Process Manager. After the first evaluation of process documentation, the reengineering of current process and the introduction of new process and norms was achieved.  In this context, business areas such as order processing, quality of items, and logistics could be optimized with lasting effects.  Our SOURCE Online-Shop was also subjected to a reworking based on ISO requirements. Quality and process manuals were created in order to communicate the developed standards within the company and to maintain them for the long term.  Following an intensive restructuring and standardization phase, SOURCE finally obtained its ISO-Certificate on November 22, 2006.  The ISO-Certificate is a reliable indicator of quality and transparency through efficient work processes and high customer orientation.  As the trailblazer that it is, SOURCE yet again sets new standards in advertising.

SOURCE expands its wide assortment of advertising products by including fair trade products and thus supports fair trade with developing nations. Among newly offered products, we now include an attractive gift set which offers beautiful coffee mugs holding fair trade pralines or fair trade coffee, as well as textiles for women and men made exclusively from fair trade cotton.

The fair trade seal distinguishes products that are traded according to predetermined and fair selling conditions. Fair trade supports male and female producers in developing countries to permit them a dignified existence created through their own effort. The aim is to improve conditions for survival among Southern peoples through fairer trade relations, to strengthen domestic economies, and to dismantle long-term, unjust, global economic structures. Fixed minimum prices and clearly defined margins secure minimum human existence requirements.

For this reason woven fair trade soccer balls were sold at showings of the German movie „Wilde Kerle“ (Wild Guys).

What’s so special about this?: The soccer balls were traded fairly and ensured that seamsters and seamstresses in their country of origin, Pakistan, could earn a decent wage. “Thus children don’t have to work to support their family but can attend school and even play some soccer in their free time!” explained TransFair e.V.’s Dieter Overath.

Your company could also benefit from using fair trade advertising products. Upon your request and subject to a licensing fee paid to Transfair, your fair trade products can also be stamped with the fair trade seal. The result is an image transfer from fair trade products, which represent sustainability and social commitment.

SOURCE foresees a huge potential for fair trade products in advertising. As a trading organization that has relationships with numerous international production sites, SOURCE views it as its duty to also assume responsibility for the social and living conditions of individuals in producing countries. The distribution of products that are marked with the fair trade seal is thus a signal characteristic of promo items in advertising.

In some cases, horrific amounts of money are spent on marketing every year. This part of the advertising budget is divided among the individual advertising media. Classical advertising such as print advertisements and TV spots are still the top-selling elements of the marketing mix. However, the downright inflationary development of daily advertising messages inevitably leads to a loss of impact. The advertising breaks in movies, for example, are now perceived as real breaks and used accordingly for channel-hopping. Quotation from Johann Lindenberg, former head of Unilever: “These days, 70 percent of TV spots sink without trace.” The promotional product is still underrated as a marketing instrument. It can contribute positively to the marketing mix in various ways, thus influencing the customer’s perception. Hans-Joachim Evers, first chairman of the Gesamtverband der Werbeartikel-Wirtschaft (GWW, German promotional product business association), agrees with this: “As a multisensory advertising medium, the promotional product can make valuable contributions to the marketing mix.”

Advantages of promotional products

One form of advertising which still has great potential and shows possible ways out of the “advertising inflation crisis” is the promotional product. This kind of advertising, understood rather to be a gift, has numerous advantages over the classical media. Direct value added for the customer – normally a publicity deployment will offer the addressee no immediate value added, though promo items are quite different. While TV spots steal valuable time, items add lingering value. Users like to be emotionally spoken to. This is much more difficult to accomplish through print advertising or television spots, than it is with promo items which can have effects on touch, hearing, smell, taste, and sight.  The effect of a multi-sensory advertisement should be ranked potentially higher.

Lingering Effect



The optimal promo item pleases the customer through its functionality and design.  Whether it’s a writing set or a USB-mouse, the repeated use of the article by the addressee creates a certain value.  With this method advertising Euros just don’t fizzle away sight unseen.  In times of mass communication, and given the fact that the classical advertising domain elicits a recognition response only after eight placements, the advantage of promo items and their lingering effect becomes clearer and clearer.  Corporate writings and internet addresses applied on the items ideally allow even more customers to be lured to ones web site.

Better recall with promo articles



A representative study by the GWW Gesamtverband der Werbeartikel-Wirtschaft e.V. (GWW, German promotional product business association) participants were asked about the penetration of the advertising medium application – the so-called unsupported awareness.  Here one asks them, without naming the company, whether they can remember a particular advertisement.  On average tested marks on promo items generated an unsupported awareness of 72%.  The print medium engaged advertising group barely achieves 24% awareness while the TV group still achieves 49%.

This makes it clear that advertising recall for promo items is significantly higher than for TV and print advertising.  The first and most important level of the chain of advertising effects, the perception of the message, is thus best captured with the promo item.

The potential for noise, which calls into question the communicative success of the advertising message, is lower with promo items.  Less noise – higher penetration.



Wide acceptance – positive rating



Walter Müller is on the mark when he says: „Better to hold a promo item in one’s hand than a spot on TV“. It’s no wonder that promo items offer especially high acceptance.  That acceptance is far ahead of classical advertising forms.  78% of the participants in the mentioned study thought it irritating to find advertisements in their mailboxes. 66% preferred not to watch TV spots. Yet only 21% found promo items to be a nuisance. Thus the promo item itself sets the foundation for fashioning advertising in such a way that it comes to be accepted by the addressee.  After all, acceptance of the advertising medium is one of the greatest challenges in marketing.

This advantage is unambiguous and particularly significant – a positive recognition of the advertising medium that yet is essential for a completely positive acceptance of the advertised product or service.  Thus 70% of the participants viewed positively companies that used appropriate advertising items. The goal of each marketing expert is – to master the two cornerstones of classical communication instruments:  acceptance and message recognition. A small side effect is also not to be underestimated:  By using promo items, the person advertised to becomes automatically the advertiser.  A fortunate chain reaction for the company which utilizes promo items!

Limited Dispersion Loss



A large problem with advertising media is the unavoidable dispersion loss.  The Cross Rating Point or contact frequency (Sum of gross contacts with a medium per 100 target persons) is the important indicator at this juncture.  No instrument other than the promo item achieves values that are this good.  After all, the target audience can be spoken to with penetrating accuracy.

Limited Contact Price



The advertising lands literally into the hands of the addressee.  The contact price, an additional informative assessment for achieving advertising goals, is comparatively limited in  promo items.  An advertisement through Google Adwords under the Keyword „detektei essen“ cost in September 2006 on average, per click (a single click on the advertisement!), €46.43. Even the word „privatkrankenversicherung“ resulted in an average €10.45 due per click.



Promo Items With no Competition

Currently, handing out promo items is without competition, while other advertising media regularly are placed in the sphere of competition.  Several advertisements are placed on a single advertising sheet.  And, TV ads are placed within a single block.

Creating Purchase Incentives



Once a product has grabbed the attention of a customer, the decisive moment arrives:  Will the customer take, or not?  After becoming aware of and evaluating the price, it’s up to decision and reaction.  Whether a consumer decides positively, is a razor thin question. If a stimulus – the advertising point in the form of a supplementary product – is added to existing external stimuli within marketing instruments, consumer behavior can be nudged in the right direction.

Bottom Line

Various studies have proven the advantages of promo items that have been explained here.  Naturally one can and should not refrain from utilizing other marketing resources.  Yet a much greater effect can be achieved through the interplay of existing advertising efforts and the advertised product together with a fitting advertising strategy.

As a result the promo item is an effective resource in improving company recognition and culling the market.

As the term “promotional product” indicates, these products are used to promote or advertise something. Promotional products are the advertising media mostly used before the conclusion of a deal.

An advertising gift is also a type of promotional product. Advertising gifts are usually given as rewards or expressions of gratitude after the conclusion of a deal, i.e. they are intended for existing customers or personnel. Inevitably, promotional products are the advertising medium with the lowest coverage waste; even so, promotional product campaigns could in many cases be organised more effectively. The following article will show you how to minimise or even prevent coverage waste in your promotional product campaigns. Moreover, it will show you how to increase the impact of your advertising, enabling you to use your promotional products more selectively and successfully.

What target have you set for your promotional product campaign?

Buying inducement: This can mostly be created by so-called bonus articles in the form of on-packs, in-packs and so-called bundles, thus securing a crucial competitive advantage over your competitors. They draw people’s attention to the product and motivate them to make test purchases. Bonus articles do not necessarily have to be connected with the actual product. It is more important that they are in line with contemporary taste and your customers’ preferences. In this context, it is essential that the articles inside the packaging can easily be traded and fall into the lower price category, as the price has to be deducted from the profit margin of the actual product.

Customer care: The best way to cultivate customer relations is by small or greater courtesies as a token of gratitude and to show your customers that “You are important to us” or “We are thinking of you”.

The promotional product or advertising gift does not have to be directly connected to your own company. In this case, the use and value of the articles are more important.

Gift sets of all kinds are particularly popular for cultivating customer relations.

Level of awareness: Promotional products increase awareness of your products and company. Here care should be taken that the advertising space is of a suitable size for this purpose. Umbrellas, for example, which present your company’s logo and possibly also its slogan on a generous scale are ideal. In this way, the recipient of the gift / your customer also becomes an advertising medium. So-called giveaways such as ballpoint pens or disposable lighters are most suited to mass distribution because of their low prices. However, here it is necessary to strike an exact balance between quality and quantity.

Brand presence: Do you want your company and/or your brand to have a universal presence?

Here too, we recommend promotional products with large advertising areas, such as umbrellas, tents or kites. Promotional textiles such as T-shirts or caps featuring your logo are particularly effective.

These are especially popular, in some cases even much in demand because of their user value and the positive association with your brand.

Image improvement: If you are looking for a promotional product to improve your image, you should decide on an article which expresses your corporate philosophy and makes your company’s core statement tangible. If this is defined by quality, for example, branded products are just the thing. These radiate both value and quality, which ultimately also reflects on your company.

Information carriers: Promotional products can also be used to carry advertising information, e.g. company addresses or websites. If you have these printed on a ballpoint pen, your customer will always have your information to hand – literally.

Draw trade fair visitors: You can achieve this most effectively by sending or giving an incomplete article together with an invitation during the run-up to the trade fair. The customer can collect the 2nd part from your stand to complete the item. Such an article could for example be a watch. Your customer receives a watch strap and can collect the watch itself from your stand.

Staff motivation: Ideally, promotional products for staff motivation convey both your corporate philosophy and the ties with your company. Selectively chosen promotional products appeal to your personnel on an emotional level. A young, dynamic company could for example give its staff track suits with the company logo. These give a feeling of team spirit and reflect the company’s dynamism. While a sum of money would be spent relatively quickly and forgotten, the recipients of the gift would be happily reminded of the token of appreciation every time they wore it. Moreover, the personnel would be proud to advertise their company in public by wearing these track suits.

Special occasions: Probably the key occasion for giving presents is Christmas, also in the promotional product sector. One very reasonably priced and popular option is a tasteful Advent calendar, with which your customers will be reminded of your presence throughout the advent period. Christmas presents are usually more personal in character, which is why high-quality products should be given; after all, in such cases the company usually wants to express its gratitude for a successful business year. However, when giving Christmas presents, you should consider that your customer will be virtually buried in gifts at this time, and your small courtesy may quickly disappear in the crowd. Anti-cyclical present-giving therefore usually has more impact.

Promotional products are of course normally also useful as “objects”, which is not least a reason for their unsurpassed acceptance as advertising media. Another advantage is the continual presence of your company or brand in your customer’s daily or business life, often at a subconscious level.

What is your target group?



Here we would like to quote Dale Carnegie: “Bait the hook to suit the fish, not the fisherman.” This statement can be developed even further: “A fish can only be caught with its own kind of bait.” It is obvious how this can be applied to promotional products. It is vital to know and investigate your target group as exactly as possible in order to find the right “bait”. Remember that the better you know and adapt to your target group, the less coverage waste you will suffer and the more effectively you will be able to use your promotional products.

Your target group can be defined most easily if you consider the follow aspects and address them purposefully.



Sector: While ice scrapers, key cases and license plate frames are always well received in the automobile sector, these would not be directly relevant to an architect, for example. These are usually given technical promotional products. Writing utensils and accessories such as pencils, rulers, protractors etc. are especially popular in this context.

Age:

→Babies: A product intended for babies cannot be marketed to them directly. In this case, a bridge must be built via the mother/parents responsible for buying products for the baby. The promotional products should therefore address exactly this group.

→Children: Children are especially fond of so-called eye-catchers, i.e. articles with a striking external appearance or feature.

→Young people: For young people more than for any other target group, it is important to keep up to date with current trends and fashions and to transfer these to your promotional product campaign.

→Adults up to 35: This is probably the group with the highest disposable income, which means that everybody is competing for its custom, resulting not only in the strongest competition but frequently also in “advertising saturation”. The diversity of this group makes it difficult to stereotype, which means that almost any article can be considered.

→Adults over 35: This consumer group is targeted equally intensively. Adults over 35 have the second highest purchasing power in Germany. They particularly appreciate quality, value and reliability.

→Seniors: Marketing to this group is difficult. Older people are frequently bound by tradition as regards their opinions and purchasing decisions, and it is difficult to persuade them to try new things. However, this too is an opportunity for the advertising industry, as this market is frequently neglected and is therefore still very unbiased.

Sex: Most promotional products appeal to both sexes. However, in the case of promotional products intended to appeal at a personal level, this differentiation becomes more detailed. Experience has shown that women are less pleased by high-quality writing utensils than by high-quality kitchen gift sets or wellness items, for example.



Position: The rule of thumb here is that a rank-and-file worker may not be impressed or addressed by the same promotional products or possible gifts as the chairman of a management board. The latter is usually accustomed to exclusive goods, and this must be taken into consideration. High-quality writing sets or elegant watches are usually appropriate. However, you should also consider that the more valuable the article, the more it is necessary to keep your logo and/or advertising message discreet so as not to spoil the recipient’s enjoyment of the article.

Communication behaviour: Communication behaviour is not totally independent of the age of the corresponding target group. People up to the age of 25 grew up with computers, for example. Therefore they mainly communicate and obtain information via the Internet. If this generation is your target group, it would make little sense to mark promotional products for your company with a telephone or even fax number. In the age of Internet and e-mail, it is enough to have a web address giving all further company and contact information.



However, take note! If you want your promotional product campaign to reach the general public or a wide range of target groups, you will have to choose a product which appeals to the general public. This is certainly not an ideal solution, as you cannot target any specific type. The impact of your advertising will therefore be limited.

You are advised to divide up your promotional product campaign and address each target group specifically. In this way, your promotional product campaign will achieve greater impact while your budget remains the same.

What message must your promotional products convey?

What is the gift idea behind them?

It is important that promotional products convey the right message. The object given must be appropriate to the company and its philosophy.

You should therefore ask yourself what your target group is supposed to associate with the promotional product, and consider what your advertising is meant to communicate! The goal of a promotional product campaign should be perfect image transfer from your promotional product to your company.

Quality: The appearance and quality of the promotional product reflect the values of the promoting company. These quality aspects are frequently neglected in favour of the price. The use of problematic cheap articles to promote quality German goods is nothing exceptional. In the end, this results in a loss of image for the promoting company. “Pleasure in a cheap article does not last as long as annoyance about its poor quality” – quotation by Walter Müller.

Creativity: Ultimately, promotional products are perfectly normal goods, and such goods do not automatically constitute promotional ideas with any degree of creativity! Only the right creative design, the occasion and the synergy effect demonstrate the creativity which your customer is meant to associate with your company.

The right slogan for boosting the success of your promotional product campaign!

Many companies underestimate or forget how effective the right advertising slogan for your promotional products can be. This can either be printed directly and conspicuously on the article or featured as the visible motto of your promotional campaign. In this context, the focus is usually not so much on the article itself as on the ingenious idea which is to impress the customers and make you stand out from the masses. It is not the price of a promotional product or the item as such which determines its success, but the idea of which it is a part.

Umbrella: “I’m waiting for better weather … and the new collection from …”

Ventilator: “We bring you a breath of fresh air.” Advertising agencies can demonstrate their creativity with this slogan. This slogan would certainly also be right for a corporate consultant, but a ventilator would not give the impression of integrity and merit essential in this sector. This is a different target group from the advertising agency’s.

Mug: “Come and have a cup of coffee with us.” This slogan is a guarantee of success for many visitors to your trade fair stand, for example. Just send a mug with the slogan and the location of your stand to your potential visitors in advance.

Glucose sweets: “We give you energy.” As a mailing for an energy concern, this campaign would probably be unbeatable. Promotional product, company and slogan are perfectly linked. Moreover, the size and price of glucose sweets make them ideal for mass distribution.

Cultural considerations for promotional products

If cultural considerations are ignored when giving away promotional products, the consequences may be disastrous. The valuable writing set with fountain pen, ballpoint pen, pencil and eraser may be ideal for a business associate in the same country. In Japan, however, the number 4 is a symbol of bad luck. When dealing with Japanese business partners, you should also avoid wrapping the gift meant as a token of gratitude in white, as this is the colour of death in Japan.

Presenting promotional products



When presenting your promotional products or advertising gifts, you have the chance to put them in the spotlight, thus positively supporting and strengthening your promotional product or advertising gift campaign. However, the wrong form of presentation can quickly lead to unpleasant situations or even completely cancel out the advertising impact.



In person: At Christmas in particular, your customers are likely to be almost flooded with advertising gifts. Your own gift will then make little impression, or the recipient will no longer be able to associate it with the sender. Moreover, in some companies, advertising gifts received at Christmas are pooled and then distributed among the staff. In the worst case, the desired advertising impact will not kick in. If you have the opportunity to hand over your promotional product in person, you should definitely make use of it. In this way, you can be sure that the promotional product will reach the correct recipient and that the recipient will consciously be able to “associate” it with you.

The accompanying words are another factor crucial to the success of your promotional product. In order to avoid embarrassing or unsafe situations, it is best to give some thought beforehand to the words you will use to hand over the advertising gift.



Post: You should certainly not dispense with a few written words, preferably personal, when sending your promotional products or advertising gifts. After all, the recipient should be aware of what he did to deserve this small attention and not suspect you unjustly of bribing him.



Packaging: Ultimately the packaging shows how much effort the giver, or to be more accurate, the advertiser has made. In the case of personal advertising gifts, the packaging should therefore be just as well thought out as the advertising gift itself. In these instances, you should also set store by attractive wrapping paper, for example. Wooden chests are recommended for elegant wine sets, for example, as these set off the choice vintages to perfection.

Affixing the advertising to the promotional product



When choosing your promotional product, your should ensure that it has sufficient space to present your logo in a way which shows it to its best advantage.

Too many details and colour progressions can only be reproduced inadequately or not at all in miniature, and blur into a spot of colour. Focus on the recipient and not on the sender when designing your promotional product. After all, the recipient’s pleasure in the promotional product should outweigh everything else. Do not overload your promotional product with unnecessary information such as telephone numbers, fax numbers, street, town, postcode or house number. As already mentioned, in the Internet age it is usually enough to give the company’s name and web address. Your customer will quickly obtain further information from the Internet. Insofar as your target group is not familiar with the Internet, it should be easy for them to find further contact information in the telephone directory. If not already known, the sectors should by all means also be visible.

Articles oriented purely on the giver are rejected more frequently, thus failing to achieve their objective.

Communication through promotional products



Promotional products are also a method of communication; after all, an exchange of information between sender and recipient also takes place in such cases. These products make use of certain symbols, including both written and spoken language, gesture and facial expression as well as colour and of course the promotional product itself. In the worst case, these symbols could be interpreted and understood by the recipient to mean something completely different from what the sender intended. Consider whether you want to use your promotional product to communicate on a rational or rather on an emotional level.

For example:

Rational message: If you give your customers ballpoint pens with your company address, this is a rational message to your customers.

Emotional message: If you give your staff track suits in your corporate design, you are addressing them emotionally with the message: “You belong to us”.

According to Friedemann Schulz von Thun’s communication model, each communication contains four messages: the factual content, the relationship, the self-revelation and the appeal. These messages can be expressed explicitly or contained implicitly in the communication.

Factual content: The factual content comprises the data and facts in the communication; these are conveyed explicitly. The company logo including the address and information concerning the company, for example, may constitute the factual content of the promotional product. Moreover, the relevance of the content of the promotional product to the company should also be made clear.

Relationship: The relationship aspect of the communication tells the recipient what the sender of the communication thinks of him. A company can make it clear that it values the customer even in the way a promotional product is presented and through its value, thus making a positive impression. If you cultivate personal contact to your customer, you should pay attention to his personal interests when giving him a present, and keep well away from standard articles. In this way, you show how well you know your customer, his interests and requirements.

Self-revelation: The sender of a communication also invariably reveals something of himself. This self-revelation gives the recipient a picture of the sender and his company. A particularly up-to-date, unusual promotional product reveals that the company is modern and creative, and even an elegant ballpoint pen can convey the message that the company giving it has class.

Appeal: Ultimately the appeal is one of the promotional product’s most important functions. With this, the sender wants to motivate the recipient to do something, whereby an appeal which is too explicit may also be counterproductive. However, more implicit appeals can be very beneficial. A telephone number on a promotional product, for example, appeals to the customer to call the company.

We recommend you plan your advertising article campaign well in advance!

A planned promotional product campaign usually falls through not because of the price, but because of the scheduling. Do not forget that early order placement can cut costs considerably.

Some calendar publishers, for example, grant early order discounts on calendars ordered before August 31.

Moreover, if orders are placed 10-12 weeks in advance, the goods may be imported directly from Asia. In some cases, up to 30% may be saved in this way.