Promotional products are extremely effective tools in the marketing of companies and brands. Research by the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) found that 84% of respondents said that receiving a branded promotional item increased their awareness of that brand.

Promotional Products Week

Promotional Products Week is a nationwide campaign aimed at celebrating and promoting branded merchandise. It seeks to raise the profile of promotional products while demonstrating their value in propagating brand awareness. It was launched by industry body the BPMA in 2013 and has increased in scope and popularity each subsequent year.

Promotional Products Week 2017 has the theme of “Thank You”. It takes place between 2^nd and 6^th October 2017.

To tie in with this year’s theme, we look at the ways you can say “Thanks!” with promotional merchandise and personalised gifts.

Thank Your Colleagues and Staff

Your workmates will appreciate being recognised for their recent promotion, continued hard work or years of loyal service to the company. A personalised gift is a great way to show they are valued.

A multitude of studies has found that staff are more motivated when they feel valued by their manager. Show your team you appreciate them with a branded gift they can keep and use every day. If you can include the company logo alongside your message of thanks, then all the better.

Thank them with: an aluminium ballpen with a beautifully engraved message.

Thank Your Customers

Giving your customers appealing and practical promotional products is a great way to reward them for their loyalty. At the same time you will be reminding them of your brand, of course, so it really is a win-win situation.

Research shows that customers respond well to receiving printed or engraved gifts. According to the BPMA’s findings, recipients are more likely to respond to promotional products than any other form of advertising.

Why not thank customers for placing a recent order, for referring you to a new client or for stopping by your stand at a trade show? They’ll love getting a branded freebie and you’ll promote your business, initiative or special offer at the same time.

Thank them with: an inexpensive plastic pen with full colour print.

Thank Your Friends and Family

Printed and laser engraved products are not just for promotional use. They also make thoughtful personalised gifts for friends, loved ones and family members. Web-to-print platform No-Minimum.co.uk offers all products from just a single piece with no setup charges. You can select from a huge range of digitally printed or engraved products that might otherwise not be viable as one-off customised gifts.

Thank your friends for house-sitting, your kids for good behaviour, or simply show your partner you care. Whoever you wish to thank and whichever item you choose, just visit No-Minimum.co.uk to create the perfect personalised gift quickly and easily.

Thank them with: a premium Pierre Cardin-branded rollerball with a personalised message

 

As well as raising the profile of branded and personalised merchandise, this year’s Promotional Products Week is also raising money for Alzheimer’s Society, so there has never been a better time to get involved.

To find out more, visit bpma.co.uk or www.promotionalproductsweek.co.uk, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #ThankYouPPW on social media.

Go to www.pens.co.uk for Europe’s most comprehensive range of printed and engraved pens.

Many studies have sought to measure the influence of colour on our emotions and responses. The psychology of colour choice in branding is a much-debated topic and numerous infographics on the subject can be found in all corners of the internet. However, the link between colour and response to a brand or marketing message is not as simple as such infographics might lead you to believe. It is likely that factors such as personal experiences, subjective preference, context and cultural upbringing have a considerable impact on how we respond to a colour.

However, it is clear that colours do have a degree of emotional impact on us, and that companies spend a lot of money and effort choosing the colours they want to represent their brand.

How might some of the most popular colour choices impact our responses?

 

Symbolises trust and strength. It conveys a sense of dependability and trustworthiness. Blue is most often used by conservative and corporate brands.

Example brands – IBM, Facebook, Volkswagon, NASA

 

Associated with excitement and youthfulness. Red can be seen as bold and confident. It can also be used to create a sense of urgency, such as with a call to action, and this is why it’s often used for sales and special offers.

Example brands – Coca-Cola, Lego, Virgin, Nintendo

 

Associated with warmth and optimism. Yellow is used by brands who want to convey cheerfulness and happiness, although some argue that too much yellow can cause feelings of anxiety. Commonly used in shop windows to attract impulse buyers.

Example brands – McDonalds, Ikea, Yellow Pages, Chupa Chups

 

This is a friendly and confident colour. It can be thought of as combining the happiness of yellow with the impact of red. Orange is the choice of brands wanting to be seen as fun and energetic and it is likely to instil a sense of positivity and warmth.

Example brands – Fanta, Amazon, Firefox, Harley Davidson

 

Conveys an impression of wisdom, creativity and imagination. Brands also use purple to represent luxury or mystery. Some claim it stimulates the creative and problem-solving parts of the brain.

Example brands – Cadburys, Hallmark, Yahoo, FedEx

 

Associated with nature and health. It can convey a sense of peace and tranquillity. Green is favoured by brands who want to be seen as eco-friendly or aligned with nature.

Example brands – BP, Tropicana, Land Rover, Starbucks

 

Symbolises power, strength and authority. It can also be used by brands to convey sophistication and formality. Black is a good choice for high contrast and legibility, although overuse of black can lead to feelings of negativity.

Example Brands – Telegraph, Puma, Gillette, Wikipedia

 

At The Pen Warehouse, we Pantone match your colours for screen or pad printing, while our high-quality digital printing will recreate your colours beautifully.

You might also notice that we’ve chosen blue and purple for our logo. We hope this conveys our dependability and wisdom!