Brand-name Motivation By Dale Kirby Two years ago Bill Prickett picked up one of thousands of incentive products offered for his inspection and was puzzled. I don't get it, he asked. Where do you put the logo? It's a question Prickett, the public relations manager for Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), would be expected to ask. If there's one thing that defines the promotional products industry, it's the ability to put a logo or message on just about anything. At the time, he was in Chicago attending his first Motivation Show, touted as the world's largest tradeshow for motivational products and services, featuring nearly 2,000 incentive and recognition program exhibitors. In the past, a clear line of demarcation stood between the promotional and incentive markets. Promotional products is a 'please and thank-you' industry, explains Prickett. The incentive market is a motivational and appreciation industry.
But today that line is blurring. This year, the non-profit PPAI is a major sponsor of the Motivation Show. Why? To educate, remarks Prickett. That is what we do. Understanding the similarities and sometimes subtle differences between promotions and incentives, as well as being able to make informed choices, is a skill any professional in the meeting industry can use. Would you like that with one logo or two? The line between promotions and incentives used to be defined by price point, volume and retail name brands. Promotional products tended to be generic, purchased in large quantities at low cost and imprinted with only a company's logo and/or message. Typical examples would include coffee mugs and inexpensive pens. Incentive products were higher-quality, higher cost items purchased in smaller quantities and imprinted with only the manufacturer's logo. Montblanc pens, Orrefors crystal and Hartmann briefcases come to mind. Top retail manufacturers sold to the incentive market only through a select group of premium distributors and thus kept control of brand perception. In the past, if an employee selected a Coleman grill as an incentive reward, the program manager would place an order with an incentive house and the item would arrive straight off the manufacturer's shelf. Today, if you want to award a grill made by Coleman (or a George Foreman, a Weber, a Chef Master, etc.), you can have the employee's company logo branded on the product alongside the manufacturer's name, crossing the invisible line between incentive and promotional programs. Retail companies have entered the incentive/promotional product industry, realizing that orders of 1,000 watches, 5,000 key fobs, or 10,000 golf balls are good business and all the company has to do is add someone else's logo on its product. The emotional connection of brand extension Branding how a company is perceived by its employees and the consumer in the marketplace is a priority of any incentive plan. When a company sponsors a golf tournament, it wants something more than visibility for its investment. Awarding a Nike golf bag as a prize reflects well on the sponsoring company and reinforces the emotional connection with its vendors, clients and even competitors. Some manufacturers have recently changed policies on adding logos to their products. Nike now allows sponsors' logos to be embroidered alongside the swoosh. At an award ceremony, both the sponsoring company's logo and Nike's are exposed in a strongly positive emotional context. Any advertiser knows the formula: strong emotion = memory. Organizations are discovering the benefits of associating their brand with other images, icons and especially other brands, writes Duane E. Knapp in The Brand Mindset: Five Essential Strategies for Building Brand Advantage Throughout Your Company. Starbucks is associated with Marriott, Nike with Michael Jordan, and McDonald's with Disney to help consumers relate to their brands' products and services. This co-branding plays an important part in the motivation equation. Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole and Movado are just a few retail companies that have recognized the power of brand association. When a company co-logos with a respected manufacturer, the motivational value of the incentive rises over generic products. The affiliation is a two-way street; both companies benefit, and it doesn't hurt the manufacturer that the promotional products market promises volume that the incentive product market traditionally could not. Layering the promotional concerto Even when promotional products are not the focus of an incentive program, they can play a powerful role in orchestrating an integrated marketing mix. As Andrew Cohen, editor of the Advertising Specialty Institute's magazine, Counselor, puts it, Promotional products don't necessarily motivate, but they work in concert with incentive programs. If the prize for a company's sales competition is a Caribbean cruise, for example, it might distribute reminder merchandise throughout the contest period. Products such as suntan lotion packaged with the company's logo and a catch phrase such as, Are you burnin' up the pavement? promote the incentive program. A CD of island music keeps the employees mindful of the reward they're working toward. The prize itself presents opportunities to build an emotional connection for the company. Polo shirts branded with the contest theme await the winners in their cruise cabins. Next to their dinner plates sit logo-ed cameras ready to record all those special memories associated with the employees' company. A multi-layered approach enhances the program and perhaps enthusiasm for next year's contest. Motivation is in the eyes of the beholder Throwing money at an incentive program does not guarantee success, however. Understanding what motivates employees is vital in creating a winning incentive program. For some groups, trendy electronics such as iPods and USB flash drives may be just the thing for long-lasting motivation. Tickets to sporting events provide not only immediate rewards, but also Monday morning quarterbacking around the water cooler, building company camaraderie as an added bonus. Myron Wong, customer service supervisor of Norm Thompson in Beaverton, Oregon, found that his company's employees preferred a wide choice of rewards. We are initiating a revised incentive program. Based on feedback from participants, employees can now purchase gift cards from Fred Meyer, Starbucks and Visa. The cards offer a wider selection to purchase from, using their earned reward points. The art of the proposal When you've decided on a range of incentive products for your program, narrow the field of suppliers to a few promotion/incentive providers, then request proposals based on the parameters of your program. Take note of the care, detail and manner in which suppliers present their proposals to you. - Are proposals written in clear language that you understand?
- Are they tailored to your specifications?
- Are pricing and lead times realistic?
How well a distributor performs will reflect directly on you. Put at least as much time and effort into understanding the distributors and the individuals you will be working with as you do analyzing the programs they propose. Asking for testimonials from other customers and checking out the supplier's reputation in the industry may provide information you need to make the final choice in an important partnership. The brand plays on With retailers embracing co-branding, and the incentive and promotional products worlds morphing into each other, it doesn't really matter where you go for incentive products as long as you find a distributor that can meet your requirements, delivering high-quality products on time. According to Mark Shinn, president of Incentives West in Newcastle, Washington, a multi-line supplier representative that services both the promotional products and incentive markets, the meeting and event planners are relying more and more on the promotional product companies to provide both incentive and traditional promotional products. If Shinn is right, then Bill Prickett has found his answer. Where do you put the logo? Anywhere you like. Dale Kirby is a member of the Oregon chapter of MPI, a columnist, consultant, former brand manager for Jewel and current director of marketing for Promopeddler.com. She can be reached at
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