As the great advertising man David Ogilvy once said, "80% of advertising is wasted. The problem is I don't know which 80%". This dictum applies in all forms of business and is manifests in the famous 80/20 rule which seems to apply to most areas of human endeavour. In promotional marketing as in other forms of business communication the secret to success is targeting the right potential consumers so that the amount of waste in your marketing exposure is minimised. One of the great advantages of promotional marketing is the ability to target specific market segments more accurately and easily by tailoring the right product offering to both attract and hold their attention. Part of this is working out which industries and the people who work in them are most likely to respond well to an appropriately delivered promotional marketing offering.
Recent research from the USA confirms that there are five main industries which are main consumers of promotional marketing products. Education, Finance, Not for Profit, Healthcare and Construction. This is much the same as anecdotal evidence suggests is the case in Australia. Further analysis of these industries and the way in which they do business highlights the effectiveness of promotional products in building personal relationships and highlighting the advantages of doing business with particular organisations when services rather than products are involved. It makes sense when you think about that companies which are offering services are more likely to need to enhance their relationships with clients using something tangible like promotional merchandise gifts.
Consider for a moment that your company is involved in the not for profit sector. You are relying largely on the goodwill of people and are regularly looking for fundraising opportunities or donations from supporters and members of the general public. This is made more difficult because much of the good work you do may not be obvious to people and indeed it is somewhat up in the air what value and achievements most not for profit organisations are able to rack up on the score board as the people they are assisting and the work which is completed is largely unnoticed by general society. While your organisation may be able to produce a long list of worthwhile achievements, making the people who fund your organisation aware of this is a difficult marketing problem. By offering the right promotional product to people the intangible suddenly becomes real to supporters and their donations and good wishes are given a real focus. The other advantage is that the right promotional product offered as a gift to supporters, something like a lapel pin or a badge which shows that your involvement is appreciated is a cost effective way of offering an exclusive gift which can only be obtained by offering support and is therefore a valuable gift which acknowledges the generosity of the organisation supporters.
The same principles apply in the worlds of finance and education. If your organisation is involved in any of these theatres of operation it is most likely that promotional marketing gifts will have value beyond what would be the case for other companies. Ask your preferred promotional company to recommend products which would work for you and you will see that in industries which encourage philanthropy and promote education and financial security the right promotional products is a perfect way to enhance your brand awareness amongst consumers.