Promo Products (sometimes called ad specialties) are designed to be used as gifts or handouts, with logos or info to stay front-of-mind for consumers. Pens, clothing, frisbees, glass wear, umbrellas, snowboards… you name it, almost any product can be branded with a logo. There are over a million different promotional products but what is the best promotional product and give away items?
custom bumper stickers and other types of promotional stickers are certainly included on this list. But, I would argue that custom vinyl stickers are very different in terms of their promotional purpose and potential.
Most promo products are a PtoC (product to consumer) reminder of a brand. The best promotional products usually have some useful value so they are hard to throw away. Thus they live on in front of the consumer as a pen, a coffee mug, a calendar, etc. with ongoing reminders of a brand or product. A vinyl promotional sticker is different. Why? Well, the good ones, instead of being designed to stay in front of a specific client or prospect, are designed to be broadcast to a larger audience.
Let’s call promotional stickers a Pass-Along Promotional Product – They are still definitely a promo product but they become something more when applied to a car or visible location. Instead of front of mind for the client they become front of mind for the public – PtoP (product to public). When publicly displayed they also become endorsements of a brand not advertisments for a brand. There is a big difference. Targeting a consumer with useful product that has obviously been supplied by the company for advertising purposes – Or, broadcasting to the public with an eye catching sticker that is viewed as an endorsement, not an ad. I would posit that the best promotional product items reflect endorsements not advertising.
I am not advocating that one method or promotional product is better than another. Every individual company will have a different product that best fits their needs or creatively strengthens relationships with existing customers and may attract new prospects or encourage word of mouth as well. There will also be gray area as t-shirts, hats and other wearables also do some broadcasting and are often considered an endorsement. And, some “stickers” may be applied (or not applied at all) in places that are seen by very few people.
My point, as is usually the point with any marketing method or tool, is to plan accordingly before designing and buying any promotional product.
Questions to Ask for Best Promotional Product…
Who are you trying to reach?
Are you focused on individuals or a larger audience?
What is creatively the best way to deliver a product to that audience?
What is the best promotional product to accomplish your goals?
What is the best design to put on the chosen product to stay connected to customers and maximize impressions?
Not sure of the answers to these questions? Get consultations and design help from the people selling the products. If they can’t provide answers and creative ideas, turn to a different promotional product designer, distributor or supplier. The best promotional product give away items are products that best fit your goals, your market, and have designs that proud recipients will want to display.
If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact Websticker
Other Relevant Blog Posts:
Do Promotional Stickers and Products Work?
Business Logo Stickers – 5 Design Tips
Why do people put custom bumper stickers on cars?
Jeff Nicholson is the founder and Creative Director at 
One Response
Good thought about how a promotional sticker on a car can be seen by many but I know that I have been in some different places and have seen a pen with the logo on it that we got at
http://www.brandables.biz/ . Knowing just how to get “noticed” is what it is all about.