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.

 

Has Scrooge got hold of your boss...

Everyone loves to receive a gift

We all remember the Vacation movies...how could we forget them...Chevy Chase captures his character so well...Below I look at how Clark was impacted by the perhaps 'Scrooge' like approach towards him at Christmas time.

...For 17 years, Griswold had received a holiday bonus, so puts a $7500 deposit on a family swimming pool based on an anticipated Christmas bonus.  

When Griswold receives a membership to the Jelly-of-the-Month Club instead, he snaps, and calls on Cousin Eddie to kidnap boss Frank Shirley for retribution. When the boss is brought to Griswold's home and sees how the suspension of the company bonus has affected the Griswolds, Shirley tells him, "Whatever you got last year, add 20%." 

The boss's wife learns of the goings on, and she contemptibly exclaims to her husband, "Of all the cheap lousy ways to save a buck!"

What is happening in Australia this year...Are you headed for disappointment like poor Clark or is your employer being creative and thinking of a way to show you are valued?  Or are you a business who is not going to thank your customers/clients this year?  Is the economic climate so grim that we can't think of ways to say thank you?  Have businesses, big and small considered the long term fall out?

Would love to hear your thoughts to help get a grip on the mood out there.

A new look...

Every now and again we all need a new look...maybe a new hair do, perhaps you rearrange the furniture in your house or maybe every few years you treat yourself to a new car!  Whatever it is that you do, it revitalises the way you look at things, it usually gets people to notice you.

Well this is our hope, a new look to revitalise our business and give you the customer a a brand new fresh look at PPA.

This is our new logo...what do you think...take a look at our website  and facebook page to see more.

www.ppapromo.com.au
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Promotional-Product-Advertising-PPA/140378896030701?sk=wall

Thinking Big

While Promotional Product Advertising is not a huge multi national business, it is encouraging when reading about the successful, big boys of any industry, to hear them talk about their beginnings and their tips for continuing to be successful. So when I read this article by Richard Branson I felt pleased that we are on the right track.

Whether we are selling to big corporate companies or the local footy club our aim is the same.  To provide good quality promotional products, to the specified budget and on time.  But as important we hope our customers find us approachable and easy to deal with.  We believe our customer services is high quality and always work with the customer to work through any queries or problems that may arise.

Feel confident next time you need to purchase some promotional merchandise that if you deal with Promotional Product Advertising you will not be disappointed.

This article is well worth a read.  Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Richard Branson on Thinking Big
Source: entrepreneur.com

The celebrated entrepreneur shares advice on shaping company culture as you expand your business.    

Let's be frank...give us a call today!

Short and sweet today.  People are still buying Promotional Products.  Marketing Merchandise is a huge part of companies marketing budget.  But what I want to know is what are you buying?  Is there something you really want but can't find.  There really are no rules when buying promotional merchandise and there really is a product for every industry and occasion.

So this week just a bit of unashamed self promotion.  Promotional Product Advertising can assist you with your next promotion.  Whether you are a local footy team wanting some drink bottles or a big corporate wanting a whole strategy.  PPA will work with you to get you where you want to be.  We will work with your time lines, your budget and even help source the perfect product.

So go on don't waste another minute, give us a call, 03 9708 8366. 

All purpose pens

Lollies - Allsorts!

Even something green...

Promotional Merchandise for Marketing your Company

Have you ever wondered where the pen you picked up in a hotel came from, or the drink bottle from the gym, maybe you had a coca cola yo yo when you were a kid.  All these items are promotional products and are supplied by people just like us. 

Promotional items come in all shapes and sizes and can be customised to your exact requirements.  You may be a small company just starting out wanting to promote yourself to your clients and beyond...that's ok...we can assist, or if you are a big budget corporate we can help coordinate you next marketing promotion.

We recently had 20,000 beanies embroidered for a client brought in from China, and in the same week organised a top end pen as a staff reward for another.  So you can see no matter what the scale of your project it can be done.  One time and on budget.

Promotional Product Advertising has "age" on it's side, bringing you a wealth of experience from over the past 20 or so years.

Go on give us a call or send us an email.  Check out our website, you won't be disappointed.

Is business tough?

Economic down turn, recession, the GFC, higher priced petrol, lower priced milk...what a mix of messages for us as consumers to grapple with. 

As I balance my home budget between groceries, school shoes and petrol I am more and more aware of the cost of everything and making different choices.  Not necessarily choices that significantly change my lifestyle but certainly help keep the budget in line!

Is business doing the same, can we compare the household budget to the business world? Is business looking closer at some of the smaller outlays where in the past they didn't need to?

Love to hear your thoughts.  Are you the decision maker?  Are you cutting back?  Or on the flip side is business booming for you?

http://www.theage.com.au/business/in-this-new-era-the-customer-is-always-tight-20110602-1fit6.html

Winter is going to be cold?

Whatever your view on global warming and carbon trading, I think everyone will agree with me that the last week or so we have been getting a real taste of Winter 2011. I live in the hills on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria and I can tell you, it's cold!  My predictions, for what it's worth is that we will see records of all sorts, and a bumper ski season. If we are to follow the Northern Hemisphere I will be proved right.  Here is a link explaining just what has been happening to our northern neighbours.

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/winters_are_sure_colder_than_they_predicted/

This really has nothing to do with promotional products, except that you might like to think about some merchandise to help your staff or clients through the Winter - Umbrellas, travel mugs, beanies or even a warm jacket.

What do people want, What do people like, What do people remember?

This week I stumbled across  logo blog, a site offering an article with useful predictions in design trends for 2011.  While it is largely looking at the American market I think it is universal in what it is suggesting.  Have a look at some of the logos, they are spot on.  Think about some of the logos you see locally and I am pretty sure they will fit one of the categories in this article.

http://www.logoblog.org/logo-design-trends-2011/

It's not easy being green...or is it?

It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that
It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
But green's the color of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like an ocean, or important
Like a mountain, or tall like a tree
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be

He is so spot on by the end of the song...it is important to be green, and it can be friendly and beautiful too.  When thinking about your next promotion consider some of our environmentally aware products.

So why do people still buy promotional pens?

Promotional Products have been in Australia now for about 30 years, but interestingly it has only been in the last few that people in business are starting to give them the credit they deserve. No longer are they cheap throw away items but now with such diverse ranges of items to choose from they have become not only useful for the receiver but a fantastic marketing tool for the giver! 

Let’s ponder some stats…

• 71% of business travelers surveyed at international airports had received a promotional product in the last year
• 33% had the product on them
• 55% had kept the item for more than one year
• 75% had kept the product because it was useful
• 76% could recall the advertiser’s name on the product they had received in the last 12 months

Perhaps it's time to give real thought to this area of advertising. Radio, TV and the Print Media have their place, but have a think about how else you can reach you potential clients and keep the clients you have. 

What does this survey tell you about promotional products? They are no longer throw-away items. Promotional Merchandise Products are a valuable marketing tool that advertise your business.

In the same survey of international travelers only 53.5% of them could recall the name of a single advertiser in a magazine or newspaper they had read in the last week!!!

Of course there is a place for magazine, newspaper and radio advertising but more than ever I think companies big and small are thinking about sharing the budget to include Promotional Merchandise Products.

Marketing is the package of how companies promote themselves.  Within that banner fall the many tools.  Advertising is one of them.  Don’t be afraid to advertise, it is how you get the word out about your business and attract the customers you want.  Promotional Products can be very specific in targeting an audience and they only go to whom you choose.  

 

Twitters, Blogs and Flickers...

It seems that in today's age we have to keep up with all the mod cons and in business that means websites and optimization, Facebook and Twitter, Blogs and Flickers….I thought flicker was a horse and tweeting was something birds did…and so for me the real question is, is social media making business better, are you getting more sales or is it a huge distraction costing companies money employing extra advertising and marketing staff.

I understand that since the introduction of mobile phones and emails our ability to engage anytime anywhere has become greater and more and more instant and more and more enticing.  And so with the introduction of other outlets for this communication I am not surprised by the excitement.

It provides us opportunity to engage with our customers and clients on many levels, it might give them our corporate information, details of staff and their qualifications.  We can inform of events or new products.  But still I’m not sure if it is increasing the bottom line of business.

I have been googling to try to find out.  This is what I have found so far…plenty of sites telling me how to use social media and how they can help me develop a social media strategy for me, but not a lot of anecdotal information from small business to tell me how beneficial it has been.  Let me know…