Big Frey Promotional Products

The recent response to the effects humans have on the sustainability of Earth is apparent and people are finding ways to make eco-friendly choices, even in the promotional products industry. The interest in eco-friendly branded products is rising and it is a popular product area for many clients.

We recently exhibited at the National Association of College Employers conference. Our trade show booth “giveaway” was a branded seeded download card and the recipient was given the gift of planting a tree in a country that is part of a global reforestation project. People coming to the booth were thrilled to receive such a gift. Why? The number one response from recipients was that it truly meant something to them. Their immediate reactions were, “Wow!” “Really?” “That is so cool.” “Can I take another one?” They were excited to go online, plant a tree in one of a dozen countries listed and even more excited to plant the card and watch the seeds grow into flowers.

Eco-Friendly Promotional Products Have many Benefits!

Eco-friendly products are either made of recyclable or biodegradable materials and/or they can be reused many times over. The benefits of eco-friendly promotional product are endless but here are our top three:

1. Brand Building – immediately an eco product establishes a company wanting to do more than just promote their brand.

2. Repeated Exposure – certain promotional products will be used over and over again giving more brand impressions per user and a lesser life in a landfill.

3. Sustainability - eco-friendly products benefit the environment!

There are a variety of eco-friendly promotional products available, the key is to pick the products that are most useful, producing the maximum value for everyone involved! If you are interested in receiving one of our branded seeded download cards call, email, twitter or contact us in your most eco-friendly way!

Recently, we had a conversation with a law firm recruiting coordinator. She told us that she was interested in ordering 500 seeded download cards to be used as branded giveaways to compliment marketing materials she was handing out.  When we put together pricing for her, we included the 1000 piece price so she could see the price break.  She was very intrigued with the savings associated with the higher quantity so we discussed the option of her committing to purchase another 500 at a later date. With this option, she will not be charged for the second 500 until they are delivered, but by committing, she still enjoys the economies of scale.

Commit to Savings!

Often times, if we have a written commitment from the customer, we can negotiate similar “deals” for a customer.  Such deals are extremely beneficial for our clients when they are trying to manage budgets and marketing plans.  This is another creative way Big Frey Promotional Products works with clients to help save money and manage their promotional products spending.

In an earlier video post, we stressed the importance of understanding that it is not about what YOU like, it’s about what your RECIPIENT likes. We set up a focus group with college kids to gauge their reaction to creative promotional products to find out what products REALLY build brand.

And the Survey Says…….

For an hour and a half, we had college students touch, feel and react to an abundance of promotional products in every major category – from tech to eco-friendly, apparel to food, office supplies and more. Without discussing the products amongst themselves, the students were allowed to ask the focus group leaders any questions about the products to better understand the products.

The Promotional Products College Kids Want

The data was recorded and then the results were compiled. In this blog, we are reporting on the students most favorite promotional products.

Focus Group Results

The graph above shows the items the students put in their “top ten favorite promotional products” most often. As illustrated in the graph, USB Drives ranked among the most popular item tied with the seeded download cards.

Creative Products also Build Brand on Campus

In related questioning, students responded that they like receiving creative products and they believe promotional products definitely help companies build brand when they are recruiting talent on college campuses.

In future posts, we will cover specific products that peaked their interest, so stay tuned!

As seen in an earlier post, some companies are concerned about the actual return on investment associated with building brand with promotional products. Can a company actually calculate ROI on promotional products or is it too difficult to track the response to a promotional product after it is given away?

Taking the Science out of calculating Promotional ROI

There are certainly unscientific ways to calculate ROI such as reading the recipient’s immediate reaction to the product when it is given or, eyeballing the traffic to your booth because the tradeshow audience has seen or heard about the tradeshow giveaway. At a tradeshow in 2008, Big Frey was giving away text message cards at the booth. We had people coming to the booth this year asking for the text message card again! It was that popular and attracted a lot of attention at the conference where we were exhibiting. This promotion clearly achieved the goals of attracting traffic to the booth and customer retention.

Putting the Science INTO calculating ROI for promotional products

We found that the best promotional product an organization can use to truly track marketing ROI is through the branded download cards. To redeem the gift promoted on the card, the recipient must go to the website listed on the back of the card and follow the instructions to redeem the gift. Almost immediately, the number of visitors to that site is calculated and sent to the gift giver. The organization can then analyze this data to help calculate the user rate and, hence, the return on investment for the campaign.

Giving two gifts in one

The download cards are very dynamic. There is a choice in card stock and a laundry list of gifts. And, as companies try to look for eco-friendly ways to promote their brand, the download cards can be printed on seeded paper. After the gift is redeemed, the recipient follows the directions on the card, is instructed on how to plant the card and nourish it until the seedlings are well established! Watch for more blogs on seeding the future!

It is often the case that customers in the market for promotional products need the assistance and expertise of people in the field, but they also want the control and visibility offered by online services. In the past, a customer had to choose between the two.

Technology + People = Success

As you know, several weeks ago we introduced our partnership with Boundless Network to you. Through this relationship, Big Frey Promotional Products has the power to offer customers a new technology platform that can be found nowhere else in the industry, while continuing to provide the benefits of the Big Frey team.

Technology plus people is an extremely powerful tool for an organization. The power of our technology offers visibility in promotional product spending, brand control, and incredible savings on branded products.  Buyers also want fast and easy access to their orders and now buyers can track orders in real time, track past orders, recommend products to fellow colleagues, and utilize many more valuable online tools. And customer service has not been left behind – we will pick up the phone, respond to email, provide creative services, and develop creative promotional products ideas that address targeted branding goals.

A great recipe is critical for a spectacular end result!

 In today’s market, it is important for management to be able to control the costs associated with promotional items and gift giving without micromanaging.

Recently, we met with a legal finance company. This organization acquires new customers through referrals from law firms, and in turn thanks them with gifts. Currently, their gift giving process is unorganized because there is no central reporting and no way to track the costs associated with the program. They are looking for a solution to this problem. This is where the Boundless Portal comes in.

Through Boundless, this client will be able to use the “group buy” option so its different sales reps can place orders, and management will have the power to monitor and track spending in the Boundless Portal. This advantage will give them the power to create accurate budgets and use less resources to manage the gift giving process.

Big Frey Promotional Products is pleased to announce a new partnership with Boundless Network (www.boundlessnetwork.com). In addition to leveraging Big Frey’s professional branding and merchandising expertise to make your programs, events, products and services a success, this partnership means we can provide greater resources to give you an extra edge, including:

- Competitive pricing on top quality branded merchandise that supports the goals of your sales, marketing and HR programs;
- A personalized web portal that enables you to search for product ideas, receive automatic order status updates via e-mail, and even review your order history 24/7;
- Bi-monthly product suggestions that are customized to your needs and sent via e-mail;
- An exciting customer rewards program that allows you to earn premium rewards for referring new business to me.

Furthermore, we developed a short, 2-question profile to ensure that we provide you with product suggestions that are timely and targeted to your business objectives. Please fill out a two-question profile that will let us know which programs you are likely to purchase branded merchandise for this year.

We hope you will join us in celebrating the start of a long relationship with Boundless Network and our continued success in reaching your goals.

You want your logo to stand out. You want your logo to be remembered. You want your logo to POP…….. & STICK!

If you build it, they will come
No matter how great your goods or services, if no one notices your company, no one will buy. There are so many opportunities to impress your brand on your established audience. However, it is really important to make your brand stand out on all of the “first time” introductions to your brand. These “firsts” include your business card, website, brochures, and, of course, promotional products. It is these instances that you should add some extra effort and creative thinking into the cost-effective solutions that carry your brand.

Here are several ways we recommend adding POP! to branded merchandise:
1. Find product that has dynamic color
2. Use contrasting colors to highlight the logo
3. Use complimentary accent colors to highlight the logo.
4. If 4-color processing is included in the cost of the printing, then use it!
5. Use reversing out to bring the background color of the product through the white/ empty spaces in your logo.
6. If multiple location printing is included in the cost of printing, then use it! Adding more locations on a product will double, or triple the total impressions throughout the lifetime of the product.
7. Here are some examples using a basic pen: