Customer-Driven Promotions

Consumer Trend Watch 2008 by Information Resources Inc was just released this week.  The IRI is the leading provider of insights for consumer packaged goods.  When I read it, I thought how helpful this information will be to help me direct my clients into powerful logo giveaway ideas. I'll get into that a bit later. Here is a quick run down on the report:

• Sustainability-Driven Consumers: Growing consumer awareness of the environmental and social impact of their purchases will drive “green,” organic, fair trade, and eco-friendly packaged product innovations and assortment options. (Oh good!...AbsolutePromo is on the right track)
• Multi-Tasking Products: With the mass expansion of product choices, consumers will be on the look out for items that cross categories and “do it all,” such as multiple ailment-treating medications and all-purpose household cleaning products.
• Redefining Fresh: Consumers are broadening their definition of fresh at both ends of the spectrum, with some placing heavier restrictions on fresh to include only local produce and others considering frozen foods “as good as fresh” in taste and nutrition due to new steam-cooking technology and premium ingredients.
• Natural Beauty: Cosmetic and skincare innovations will expand further into all-natural ingredients, offering chemical-wary consumers non-synthetic alternatives across multiple product lines.

Some people categorize promotional products with the negative title of "tchochke's".  Which, if my research is correct, is a Yiddish term meaning object that collects dust.  But they are so much more, as we all know.  They can drive business by keeping your brand top of mind.  The marketing money that stays around and keeps giving and giving and giving.  Using the information from this report, after identifying our target audience, we can figure out what style consumer we're after.  Locate a corporate promotional gift that is before it's time and would delight our client. 

Our niche is to find products that aren't offered traditionally in the promotional products industry.  Just because they are not a commodity ~ doesn't mean they can't be branded with your logo.  For example yesterday I located a manufacturer that can create custom socks made from bamboo. Which is a natural plant based fiber, completely renewable resource, naturally anti-bacterial, durable and luxusiously soft. Our logo bamboo socks would fit into a few categories above:   They would hit the heart strings of the Sustainability-Driven Consumer who buys with environmental awareness and we'd get the Natural Beauty Consumer with the all natural ingredients then we'd enfold the Multi-Tasking Product buyer who is happy to to wear something that accomplishes three desirables!  Choosing this type of eco-promotional giveaway would depend on your event and target audience of course.

There are a lot of cool branding ideas out there that are unique.  It is so important to stay on top of trends.  It can make the difference between a tchochke and a promotional homerun for your company's brand.