What happens when we give negative feedback.  Today I had a meeting, where I was in a position to tell an organisation exactly what I thought about it.  Constructive discussion was defiantly required!  It was about the cost of the service provided, the quality of products and services and the general outcomes.

While it was a great opportunity, I also felt enormous responsibility as I was passing on anecdotal information, general chit chat, community feeling, and probably even comments resulting from gossip and people feeling disappointed with services and outcomes.

At what point do we feel the need to do this?  Why do we engage is these discussions?  Is it beneficial to anyone?  It does not matter what the industry or the service being provided.  I imagine most of us only initiate these discussions because we feel aggrieved about something.  Feel we have not be treated fairly or have had bad service or have received inferior products.  We want someone to listen, to be recompensed or justified for how we feel.

I came to the conclusion that you need to consider the audience.  Who are you talking to?  Are they going to listen to everything or do we need to be discerning in what we say and how much we say.  Should you, where truthful, also discuss positives.  Definitely.

Then, when reflecting on our business, Promotional Product Advertising, I started to wonder what feedback people might give us.  As business owners we all think we do a pretty good job.  Great or even fantastic, but this meeting made me realise that it is so important to reflect on the products and services we are providing.  Are we polite?  Are we transparent in our policies?  Do we provide timely information?  Are our products or services top quality?

At PPA we believe our service is great.  We believe we offer terrific products at a fair price - not always the cheapest, but top quality.  We can deliver anywhere and we can meet tight deadlines (within reason of course, what is humanly possible!)  We always try to be friendly and helpful. 

Have you thought about your next promotion?  What will it look like?  Do you need to consider corporate colours?  Is the product for a particular audience?  Do you need lots or just a few items?  Have you got a tight budget?  Do you need some ideas?  Have you got existing artwork?  What are your PMS colours?  Do you know what PMS colours are?  See, we are helpful!!!

Despite me taking the opportunity to be, perhaps a bit cheeky, I really am keen to hear what you think.  Do you have any ideas or suggestions as to how we can improve and be better?   I would really like to hear about it.  Perhaps you have a business and your customers have provided you some constructive feedback that might help me and others...let us know.

Promotional Products - PPA

Quality Drink Bottles

There is always potential to create new business and markets using smarter marketing ideas. Among one of those is spending a part of your advertising budget on concrete gift items like business shirts, hats, sun glasses and towels. In this article, we will look specifically at drink bottles as part of your promotional campaign. 

There is perhaps no substitute for giving your prospective customers something useful like pens and bags which they will directly use or consume. This is something which other promotional measures like well-written and colourful brochures cannot do. Popular gift categories under which you can base your choice include anti-stress items, bags, business shirts, caps, coffee mugs & glassware, conference items, drink bottles, fridge magnets, hats, IT products, jackets, key tags, lanyards, pens, sticki notes, stubby holders, sunglasses, t-shirts, thongs, towels, umbrellas, vests, watches and sunscreen. Traditionally, firms allocate a part of their yearly advertising budget on such gift items. 

Drink bottles have been a popular item for building corporate identity for a long time.   Important things to look for when incorporating drink bottles into your promotional campaign is the uniqueness that is brought to the table by customising colours, size, style and lid. 

What makes a difference between a smart campaign and ordinary ones are small, small things added together that makes a big impact. The way your business logo appears on the drink bottle can make or break the brand image that you are seeking to create. Faults like mismatch in terms of colour selection of drink bottles can alter the tone of your promotional campaign and may even bring negative return on an investment (heaven forbid!). If your products have blue-coloured wrappers, it makes sense to have blue colour displayed significantly on drinking bottles as well. It is, therefore, important that you place orders of gift items with a credible agency that has the expertise to take care of such nuances. 

While variables like colour cost you nothing extra, their impact on creating brand awareness for your campaign can be significant. You need to have a say on lid colour and bottle colour when ordering drink bottles. Alaskan white, cosmic yellow, rocket red, ballistic blue, or cactus green: all have a different story to tell depending on the nature of the campaign that you are seeking to promote. Green is popular for promoting eco-friendly items while white can be associated with recuperating patients and so healthcare products. 

Promotional Product Advertising (PPA) is specialised in delivering quality promotional products that are customised at a very affordable cost. We have the technology to manufacture the best price drink bottles and distribute across Australia. Feel free to write us your needs by clicking contact us or call 1300-737-021, and we will be glad to assist you.

Branding...

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Branding is not just a logo or even a slogan.  So what is a brand?  How do you develop one?  How do you keep it?

A Brand is what is recognised, the thing that gives a sense of knowing a business or product.  Your brand will have a personality much like a person or even your dog!  Your brand tells people what you stand for, your values; it is reflected in your price, your behaviour and through the geographical roots or positioning of your business or product.

Let's break it down into the various components so you can truly brand your business or product.

Values

Standing for something specific helps your company distinguish itself from the competition.  It can be communicated in many ways - Slogans, advertising symbols, signage or a regular newsletter.

Personality

If your business were a movie character - who would you be?  What sort of fruit is your product?  Is the personality of your business or product - sincere and friendly, adventurous or artistic, strong or silent, or brash and even slightly annoying?  It can be not only confronting but also very revealing to think about your business or product in this way.

Behaviour

How do you act towards your customers, answer the phone, greet your shoppers, resolve problems?

Price

Make sure your pricing fits the other components of your image.  If you are a down to earth, grass roots community based business don't have fancy flashy stationary, equally if you are located in the top business district of town make sure your promotional material reflects that.  Consistency for your business or product is the key.

Range

Your customers need to understand the full spectrum of products and services you offer.  Quite often a potential customer will go elsewhere simply because they did not know you could help them.  Verbally tell your customers, use printed material or reinforce it through regular newsletters.

Geographical Roots

Where did your company come from?  Are you an old family business, perhaps you can use this to help create your image.  Does your product come from a picturesque region?  Can these factors help with your visual image?

Longevity

Have you been around for a long time, or are you the new kid on the block.  Either way this can be used to your advantage.  Celebrate business or product anniversaries, or push the new fresh positive status of your business.

Slogan

If it is good, people will remember it for a long time, perhaps even when a company may have moved onto a new one.  It is advisable however to use a slogan for quite some years to get mileage out of it.  Radio and TV are great for conveying your slogan with a catchy jingle, but reinforcement is they key.  And don't forget to keep it short!

Benefits

What will buyers, your valued customers get from dealing with you.  It may be intangible or tangible, emotional or practical - A mix of both is best.  So a food outlet may want the customer to feel warm and relaxed, but leave raving about the delicious meal they have eaten.  A jeans retailer may want the customer to wear their jeans and get a sense of feeling comfortable but also know they look stylish.

Whatever you want to convey Promotional Products can help you do it. 

We look forward to working with you again soon.

Source: Marcia Yudkin-Named At Last, which affordably brainstorms creative product names and tag lines for organisations all over the world.