It may not fit with the idealistic view that some fans have but football is big business these days and branding is essential for most clubs. Most clubs take the traditional route to appease their existing fan base but it seems as though the new owners of Cardiff City were keen on a complete branding overhaul for the club.

Since 1908, the home kit colours for the club have been blue. The side wore blue when they won the FA Cup in 1927 and when they experienced some massive nights in Europe in the 60s and 70s. The club nickname of the Bluebirds suggests how strongly the colour is associated with the club but the new Malaysian owners, and a promise of a £100m investment wanted to change all that. The Bluebirds could have been the red dragons from next season but as you would expect, the fans were up in arms over the proposed changes.

Red is viewed as a traditionally lucky and popular colour in Asia and this ties in with the marketing strategies the new owners had lined up. If this was a new club setting up with the aim of wooing the Asian market, a red kit would be a sensible option. However, with the club relying on the support of local fans for season books, kit sales and merchandise, this branding move didn’t sit favourably with those fans who are the core supporters of the club. It may have been easy to give away a lot of red Cardiff City business gifts but would the fans have snapped up red merchandise? That is unlikely.

In the end, fan power has triumphed again as the owners have seemingly backed down from the red plan. Branding is integral to every business but it needs to come before marketing strategies are developed as opposed to shoehorning branding into a current situation. There would have been benefits of the red branding process but it could have lost Cardiff City more than they could have afforded to.

Posted by Alan Grainger

The key to effective marketing is to throw money at it, right? Doesn’t it always cost a fortune to reach your target audience? Won’t your marketing budget always spiral out of control when on a new customer drive?

The pen is a mighty marketing tool

Well, the answer to all of those questions is ‘not necessarily’. You can have an effective marketing strategy by throwing money at it; you can spend a fortune reaching your target audience; and your marketing budget can spiral out of control on a new customer drive.

But wait - there’s no reason why you should spend a fortune when there are many low-cost alternatives that can be equally, if not more, effective.

Amateur marketers think that spending big equals success and so their first instinct is to empty their wallet into a black hole. Savvy marketers, even those with money to spare, look for strategies that work on a budget.

For example, think about your strategy for promotional gifts. Thanks in part to a booming economy, the first few years of this millennium saw a shift towards high-end gifting with a focus on gadgets, toys and technological promotional gifts.

However, studies have shown that people are more likely to reuse gifts that are useful and practical. While an expensive desk toy might help fritter away a couple of hours, it is often little more than a novelty item, soon to be ignored.

Think about any office that you have ever worked in and chances are you will remember the eternal scrabble for pens. Using the humble pen as a promotional gift is a sure way to increase brand awareness in a low cost and practical manner.

You can also add calculators, mugs, key rings, calendars and coasters, as all are examples of over-looked but essential workplace items that can be a hit in your target market without costing you a fortune. Who knows, pens might even help you make your fortune!

Posted by Alan Grainger

News that Glasgow outperformed London for confirmed conferences in the financial year just past has come as quite a shock to many. The Glasgow City Marketing Bureau announced that £120m in conferences outstripped the £103m that London raked in for the same time period. Perhaps the location is not the all-important issue for hosting a good conference? There are some things which venues and stall holders can do to make events more comfortable for attendees; it may sound like a small matter, providing good conference bags to guests can certainly make a difference.

If you’re anything like us here at Promotional Gifts, you know how hard it can be to get people to agree on things, but these are five aspects that can go a long way to providing people with perfect conference bags, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Zip Pockets

A zip pocket is always essential for conference bags to ensure that any valuable or important belongings stay safe. An open top bag may pose a risk as it will make it easier for items to be stolen or to fall out of the bag, so having a reliable zipper is always going to put delegates’ minds at ease.

Durable

Conference bags can come in for a lot of abuse as they are ferried about from room to room, conference to meeting. Getting it back to the hotel or office can be an even harder task and a bag that can’t stand up to the challenge will leave a very bad impression on those unfortunate enough to have used it.

Pen Holder

There will always be a time when you need a pen in an instant and this is where having a pen holder in a conference bag can save time. If there is a need to quickly pass details or write down an estimate, make sure you know where your pens are at all times.

Eco-Friendly

In the current climate, being seen to be green is vital in business. Providing environmentally friendly bags can make all the difference in attracting customers to your business.

Branding

Keeping your name and logo in mind is essential after the event and properly branded conference bags will ensure you are not forgotten.

Posted by Alan Grainger

If this is the case for your business, have you put any thought into employing a specialist events manager to ensure that things run as smoothly as possible? It is important to ensure there is cohesion and uniformity between different events to ensure that the corporate image is consistent and having everything co-ordinated by one person can make this an easier process.

However, event management is not just about the brand image or corporate identity, it is about a million small tasks that can ruin an event before it begins. The planning and organisation for an event has to begin long before the actual event and the event should live long in the minds of people who attended well after the event has finished.

What Can You Expect from an Events Manager?

Even after the event, the right sort of promotional gifts handed to guests will go a long way to helping people to remember what a great time they had at the event and what a reputable company you are. The team here at Promotional Gifts love these gifts and we think they really can make a difference to marketing campaigns.

Not only will an events manager stay on top of ordering these gifts in plenty of time for the event, they will ensure that any gifts are suitable for the event and the attendees. Stationery like diaries or calendars will be perfect for some corporate guests, whereas other attendees may benefit from a gift that is more fun.

Promotional mugs, money boxes, glass and coaster sets and even puzzles can ensure there are promotional gifts for all who attend, regardless of age and interests. The right events manager will pick the right gift to provide guests with a memorable memento of their day.

Posted by Alan Grainger

Picture the fitness buff getting ready for the gym. They have everything they need – sports drink, iPod, sweat bands and 20p for the locker. All they are missing is the gym shirt they forgot to wash; hanging up fresh and clean in the wardrobe is the promotional t-shirt they had to wear for that event last week.Promotional clothes are designed to be worn at promotional events, at work or when out in public, but these durable, washable, comfortable and stylish (OK, maybe not stylish) garments are often the first thing people grab when they need something quick and easy to wear.

Increased Visibility

Consider the dog walker who whistles for her dog, grabs the lead and heads out into the chilly night. It’s a bit cold to be going out in just a t-shirt; of course, they do have that fleece jacket they were given at work.

Then there is the teenager, tired and emotional after a night out. All they want to do is crawl into bed and sleep until tomorrow afternoon. The first thing they grab is the logo embroidered sweatshirt they wore to work that morning.

Finally we have the previous employee who offers to help their friend with a bit of DIY. They don’t want to get their own clothes dirty but they do still have those work trousers from their old job. Nothing wrong with a bit of free advertising from an ex-employee!

There are countless situations where your workforce are promoting you without you even knowing it – festivals, sports events, fun runs and gardening – you’ll be surprised how versatile promotional clothing can be.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I always behaved on my way to and from school!

Posted by Alan Grainger

But social networks aren’t just useful to raise brand awareness; correct use of online social media can be the making of a promotional campaign for an event. It is possible to harness the power of both business to business and business to customer networks to really get your event off the ground.

LinkedIn is the world’s most well-known and successful professional social network. By posting details of the event on your profile, you will instantaneously have shared and promoted the event with your entire online circle. You can encourage people to sign up to the event with offers of promotional gifts for joining.

Creating a Facebook event takes only a few minutes and allows you to create an invitation that can be sent to your clients in seconds. The event page should contain the full lowdown such as time, place and blurb. You can encourage attendees to write on the event’s wall and to introduce themselves; this will make your event a networking hub before it has even taken place.

Share and Share Alike

If you are promoting your event in other places around the web you can include social share buttons with your content. These buttons allow the user to share the event on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit and Digg with just one click. Perhaps you could take the promotional pen idea further by offering readers a gift for sharing information about the event?

Once the event has taken place you can update your social networks with commentary and photos of what took place. Next time you hold an event you should include links back to the previous event, which will allow you to capture all of the contacts you gained the first time around.

Posted by Alan Grainger

Unfortunately, this bank holiday was no different, and with the rain pouring it meant that picnics were cancelled and trips to the beach put on ice. Fortunately we don't have long to wait until the next two bank holidays, which are scheduled for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee on the 4th & 5th of June, but if the last bank holiday is anything to go by, are you prepared for the now inevitable downpour?

Branded umbrellas make a great brand platform, especially on bank holidays.

We at Promotional Gifts hate being caught out in the rain without an umbrella and we know we’re not alone! This is why branded umbrellas in the right place at the right time may be the perfect way for a company to create a bond between themselves and a customer.

An example of ‘the right place’ would be a shopping centre. Normally, a promotional stall should be at the heart of the shopping experience; however, just inside or outside the door is the ideal place to be the hero with free branded umbrellas when a sudden downpour strikes. Stepping in to keep people dry is one great way to develop a positive reputation.

This logic can also be carried into the business sector as well. Positioning yourself outside a train station in the morning or in the heart of the financial sector in the early evening could see your branded umbrellas help everyone get to their intended destination in a presentable condition. Branded umbrellas keep people dry – but they also advertise your company wherever the brolly-bearer goes in the rain.

Posted by Alan Grainger

Although we mostly think of beer mats as a place to rest our drinks, or something to pull to pieces when the local is a bit boring, the very first British company to produce beer mats actually made them as promotional coasters. In 1920, Watney Brewery introduced cardboard beer mats into the UK to advertise their pale ale. The brewery may have disappeared in 1958 but their clever adoption of a coaster goes on and on.

The Power of the Beer Mat

Outside of your local, beer mats are used at social clubs, sports clubs, restaurants, hotels and conference centres. Beyond even that it is not uncommon to see the mats in village halls, at arenas and in many people’s homes. And therein lies the power of the beer mat.

Think of it not as the cardboard mediator between glass and table; think of a beer mat as a mini, portable billboard. Brand names, logos and slogans can easily be printed onto the mats and they are very cost effective to make. As a promotional gift it hits that sweet spot which only the best do; cost effective to the producer and practical to the user.

While you may be dubious that a promotional coaster that sits underneath a glass and is constantly obscured can be considered an effective advertising tool, studies have shown that subtle suggestion and repetition are psychologically efficient methods of communication.

One last thing, if you want to convince your friends of the power of a beer mat, put a little tear in one and place it on your nose; turn to your friends and say “who threw that?”

Become an expert in your field.

In some ways, traditional networking methods are being usurped in favour of modern approaches. Consider social networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn. These online communities act as multi-national meeting posts for businesses and individuals seeking to advance themselves. The downside to this modern approach is that it has become harder than ever to stand out and avoid simply being another face in the crowd.

There remains, however, one person that everybody wants to get involved with – the industry expert. If you can set yourself up as an expert you will find that people will seek you out for advice rather than the other way around. As you help others and gain a reputation for doing so, doors will open for you and opportunities will increase.

Make Yourself an Expert

It can difficult and time consuming becoming an expert and then promoting yourself as such, but if it was easy, everybody would do it. Be assured that every extra minute spent on research and development will reap its own reward further down the line.

As an industry expert, people will flock to you because of your specialist knowledge, they will introduce others to you and, more importantly, they will introduce you to others. Furthermore, when the time comes that you need help, or a leg-up, you will find no shortage of offers from people willing to return the favours that you have done for them.

This approach to networking requires patience, but when done correctly will take you to a whole other level.

Posted by Alan Grainger

Thoughtful promotional gifting should be a key part of your strategy

Target Market

If you have a huge marketing budget then you can afford the scatter gun approach to promotional activity; after all, hit enough golf balls and you’ll eventually get a hole-in-one. But with a stringent and sensible budget it is vital that you identify your target market and consider carefully how to appeal to them.

Business Size

You promotional campaign should be pertinent to the size of your business. Sure, you want to get bigger but if you build a campaign on the basis that you already are a larger company, you will get a reputation for dishonesty if you cannot deliver on promises.

The Correct Tools

You should also spend your budget in the right places. For example, national newspaper advertising does reach a large audience but the cost will prohibit this from being a long term solution. Instead, thoughtful and targeted promotional gifts can create a long lasting brand presence with a smaller, but more relevant, audience.

The Competition

The worst thing that you could do is to ignore your competitors. The only way you will achieve success is to do what they do, but better. This includes marketing strategy. So take some time to look at their campaigns and see where they have made mistakes or where you would do things differently.

Engagement

Engaging with your potential client base is a vital tool in raising your brand awareness. This could come in the form of networking but is more effective with promotional gifting. For example, if your clients have many offices, provide them with office gifts such as mouse mats or USB drives; if they have a lot of outdoor workers, provide them with hi-visibility wear or work trousers.

Posted by Alan Grainger

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