Every year, the Advertising Specialties Institute’s “Ad Impressions Study” provides a fascinating look into the power and effectiveness of branded promotional products. The study is always a must-read, from how many impressions a product receives to which ones are kept the longest. What are some of the highlights from the 2023 study?

1. Consumers love branded swag. First and most importantly, consumers prefer branded promotional products over all other forms of advertising. Whether men or women, young or old, or whether they live in the Midwest, the South, or one of the coasts, consumers universally prefer branded promotional products over radio, newspaper, magazine, mobile, television, and Internet advertising.
2. Made in the USA wins again. More than half of men (52%) and half of women (56%) say they would feel more favorably toward an advertiser who gave them swag made in the USA. Of the different age groups, the older the consumer, the more preference they gave to such products.
3. Consumers want branded products that are environmentally friendly. Nearly half (46%) of consumers say they would feel more favorably toward an advertiser that gave them an environmentally friendly product. This rises to 49% of women. Of the different age groups? Those 55-65 and 65+ were most likely to say they would feel more favorably toward such advertisers — 49% for both groups. This is somewhat of a surprise since we associate the most significant environmental concern with younger buyers. Yet among those aged 25-34, only 39% gave this answer!
4. Drinkware has the most staying power. Which branded promotional product are consumers likely to keep and use the longest? Drinkware! Nearly two-thirds (63%) of consumers would keep and use promotional drinkware for one year or longer. Promotional calendars and polo shirts came in second, with 62% saying they would keep and use them for one year or longer.
5. Outerwear is the top show-off. Which promotional products get the most impressions? Outerwear/fleeces, with 7,856 impressions. This is followed by headwear at 3,380 impressions.

Want to learn more about the value of promotional products and which products to choose for your target audience? Give us a call, and let’s talk about it!

When it comes to using color, many people tend to think exclusively in terms of images. However, marketers increasingly recognize the value of color in text and other messaging areas. For instance, color can highlight phone numbers, payment information, discounts, and critical points in marketing materials that make them more impactful and actionable. Let’s look at five practical ways to add color to your text and messaging areas to improve your marketing.

1. Improved Recall

Studies have consistently shown that using color in messaging and images can significantly increase recall. One study found that people are 40% more likely to read and select materials that are presented in color. Another found that using color increases recall rates by up to 80%. Use color in your sales letters to highlight important details you don’t want readers to miss.

2. Greater comprehension

Using colored text and backgrounds can increase readers’ understanding and retention of information. Add colorful images, graphics, and charts to your next sales presentation.

3. Ease of Locating Key Information

Using color can help readers locate information more easily. This is particularly useful in lengthy documents like insurance policies and contracts.

4. Reduces Errors

Highlighting important information, such as instructions or account details, reduces errors and helps readers get things right the first time.

5. Reduces payment time

Because using color helps readers better understand their statements and invoices, this can lead to faster payments and better cash flow for you. Try highlighting the amount owed and the due date with color, and watch your invoices get paid faster!

Ultimately, color is a critical aspect of marketing materials that are beautiful and highly practical. But don’t just throw color around anywhere. It should be utilized strategically to maximize its effectiveness. If you’re unsure where to start, ask for suggestions on incorporating color into your direct mail efforts.

According to a recent survey, 73% of marketers see difficult or uncertain economic times as an opportunity to grow their businesses.[1] Why? During times of uncertainty, competitors pull back on their marketing. This creates a vacuum that you can exploit. When competitors show weakness, you show strength. When competitors are silent, get in their customers’ ears! This can have huge payoffs in the immediate term and down the road.

Here are three ways to invest in your print, digital, and cross-media marketing right now.

1. Think “growth.” The easiest time to build your market share is when your competitors pull back. Think of it as like buying stocks in a down market. You buy down-market stocks cheaply, and their value grows exponentially when the market bounces back. That’s true of market share, too. Don’t just think about selling more products. Think about going after new customers. Where are your competitors weak? Where are they missing the mark? Create a plan to go after the customers your competitors are ignoring.

2. Invest in your “growth engine.” Highly effective marketing is data-driven marketing, so invest in what will give you the biggest bang for your buck: your database. Dig in and get to know your customers—really get to know them. Who buys most frequently? Who buys the most at once? Who buys the most over time? What are the common characteristics of each group? Use this information to refine and better target your messaging. Like market share, this research will pay off both now and in the long term.

3. Market from a position of positivity. When things are uncertain, positive messaging (“we are here to help”) will often have longer-term benefits than the messaging of fear. If you are a fashion retailer, offer ways to put together new looks with items your customers already have. If you’re a coffee shop, suggest easy-to-make cookies or breakfast bakes that pair perfectly with your gourmet coffee blends. Be a thought leader, a partner, and a trusted vendor who isn’t just looking to make a sale but who has their best interest in mind.

Down markets can be challenging, but they don’t last forever. Use this time to invest in your business and your customers for the long haul. You will be better positioned when the market rebounds, with a higher market share and even more loyal customers.

[1] “The Optichannel Opportunity” (RRD, 2023)

If you’re a designer, chances are you’re familiar with the Pantone Color Libraries. These libraries have been included as part of Adobe applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for years. But now, Pantone and Adobe have agreed to part ways, and Adobe is removing many of the standardized pre-loaded color libraries from its Creative Cloud apps. What does this mean for designers?

First, it’s essential to understand that this is not necessarily bad. The Pantone colors included with Adobe Creative Cloud haven’t been updated since 2019. Pantone points designers to options that use the most recent and updated colors by removing the old libraries. Second, removing the Pantone Color Libraries doesn’t mean you can no longer use your favorite Pantone colors. It means you’ll have to put in a bit more effort to do so.

Ultimately, designers have three primary options:

1. Pay for the Pantone Color Connect extension.

Pantone color libraries will still be accessible through Pantone’s Color Connect extension. There is both a free and a paid version. If you want all of the Pantone color libraries accessible from within your applications, you can use the paid version for $7.99 per month. This gives you access to the Pantone colors, both now and in the future.

2. Create your libraries based on screen grabs.

The second option is to create your own custom libraries using a workaround. Open the free version of Pantone Color Connect. Choose your desired color, take a screen grab, then paste it onto your clipboard. Create a new swatch and save it as a spot color. Rename it with the Pantone color.

These swatches will be approximations. Since every screen shows the color a little differently, the swatches will be based on the colors showing on your screen. In your printed project, however, the color will be the official Pantone color since the printer will match it based on the Pantone book.

This does not violate Pantone’s license as long as the color in your swatch book is not represented to others as the actual Pantone color.

If you want all the colors in your favorite Pantone libraries, not just some of them, you can select the entire library (by holding the shift key) and choose “add to swatches.” This might slow your computer down slightly because of the volume, but it adds the entire library to your swatch panel. Then you can save that swatch library as “ASE” and add it to your Adobe swatches folder on your computer.

3. Use Pantone’s free “approximation” version.

The third option is to use Pantone’s free version of Connect, which lets users download color swatches based on Pantone’s sRGB approximations.

Ultimately, removing the Pantone Color Libraries from Adobe Creative Cloud apps sounds scarier than it is. Designers will have to do a little more legwork, but with the extra effort, you can still access and use your favorite Pantone colors just fine.

As a brick-and-mortar location, you know how important it is to engage your customers in every way possible. Even if you are already sending direct mail, blasting emails, and advertising on social media, there may be a channel you have overlooked—your location. Your store, office, or café can be the perfect place to advertise and grab attention using wide-format graphics. Let’s look at just a few ways wide-format graphics can be used to market and differentiate your business.

Retail: Besides bright, attention-getting signage and displays, consider advertising your next in-store promotion with custom murals or giant window graphics. Use floor graphics to create a trail of leaves that helps customers navigate to the latest fashion arrivals or a path of dollar signs that help them find the clearance section.

Medical offices: Any medical treatment can be scary, especially for kids. Transform your waiting room into a tropical jungle or undersea adventure that will make kids laugh and giggle as they wait. You can also use wide-format graphics for essential communications, such as blood drive announcements, disease prevention and treatment illustrations, floor plans, and evacuation route maps.

Salons and cafés: Say you’re a small salon competing with larger retail chains. Imagine having your shop’s interior filled with branded graphics and unique artwork. Suddenly, you look like a wildly successful high-end boutique.

Restaurants: What makes a passerby hungrier than a giant window graphic of a mouth-watering sandwich or piece of pizza? Don’t just say, “We have great food!” Show it. Get the customers’ mouths watering from across the street.

Mobile graphics: Take your advertising on the road. Wrap your company vehicles in branded graphics that tell your story every time you pull your car out of the parking lot. Gain exposure to people who might not have known about you any other way.

Your best customers are current customers, so get your messages in front of them where they are most connected to you — on-site with you.

Ever wondered why that beautifully printed holiday direct mail piece or creatively designed email blast didn’t work as well as you’d hoped? Was it the messaging? The list? The headline or subject line? Maybe it wasn’t any of these, or you’re just starting too late.

According to ShopKick, consumers are shopping for the holiday season earlier than ever. Nearly one-quarter (22%) say they plan to shop earlier this year than last, with 25% expecting to do most of their shopping before Thanksgiving. Ten percent plan to do their shopping before Halloween.

But this is nothing new. The trend toward increasingly early holiday shopping has been around for a while. In 2020, for example, 59% of holiday shoppers had started making holiday purchases in early November, a 21% increase from one decade ago. Now that trend continues.

With more and more holiday sales coming earlier in the year, you need to get your holiday mailings out earlier, too. This doesn’t necessarily mean starting your deals and discounts early, but you should start investing in brand building, introducing new products, and beginning to plant ideas in your shoppers’ heads. For example, if you sell children’s toys, start positioning your new game as the must-have toy of the year in October. This way, when Christmas shopping comes, you’re already in shoppers’ minds, long before the frenzied shopping starts.

If you’re used to getting your marketing cranked up later in the year, you might want to start a whole month earlier than usual. Come up with a variety of messaging for each stage of the shopping season, from early brand-building to frantic final days. Build your messaging over time to build anticipation, then excitement, and finally a sense of urgency, so shoppers are afraid to miss out.

Need help? Talk to us about setting a realistic marketing schedule for your holiday promotions. You might need to give yourself more time than you think.

What is your best strategy for managing your marketing budget in times of economic uncertainty? Is it to put your mailings on hold until things get better, or is it to get creative and take advantage of existing opportunities?

Our experience is that, even when the economy tightens, businesses get creative with their marketing and still get great results. Here are some easy ways to save money and grow your business simultaneously.

1. Use lighter-weight paper. Paper supplies are fluctuating these days, but if you can find a comparable stock that is lighter in weight, you’ll not only pay less, but you’ll save money on postage, too.

2. Take advantage of USPS postal discounts. Every year, the USPS comes out with an Emerging and Advanced Technology promotion. By incorporating technologies such as QR Codes and augmented reality (AR), the USPS allows you to send mailings for a fraction of the cost of traditional mailings.

3. Use house paper. If you want a specific stock — and only that stock — for a particular campaign, we’ll do everything we can to find it for you. But if a good, all-purpose stock will do, most printers (like us) keep a house stock handy that will be a highly economical choice.

4. Send Every Door Direct Mail. The USPS Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) program lets mailers target their mailings by ZIP Code. You mail to addresses only, but you can select ZIP codes by various demographics, such as average household income, percentage of homeowners recipients, and so on. This gives you a targeted mailing at a fraction of the cost of other mailings.

5. Narrow your focus. Instead of mailing to your entire list, try mailing smaller, more targeted runs. Pick a segment that you want to focus on, then develop messaging and offers just for that group. You will mail less but get better results by making that messaging more relevant each time.

Even when times are tough, you can save money and still get great marketing results. Contact us to learn more about each of these options.