>> The Promo Corner
Drinking Up Profits
Selling promotional drinkware
BY CYNDI STOUT
About the author: Cyndi
Stout is the owner of Promoz, Promoz.com and Team
Promoz, an authorized dealer for Kaeser & Blair. She has
been in the promotional-products industry for more
than 17 years, previously as
a District Manager for Colorado and Utah responsible for hiring and training of new salespeople in the
promotional industry. Contact her at 888-549-5419
or Cyndi@promoz.com.
It is estimated that the
average number of impressions a travel mug
can make over the
course of a year is
500. (All images
courtesy Starline)
94 • PRINTWEAR • JUNE 2010
Promotional drinkware is one of the most useful items in our industry. For the everyday commuter, it is
estimated that a travel mug will provide an
average of 500 impressions a year. The vast
new selection of materials and imprinting
methods that have been introduced in the
past few years has increased this category’s
popularity even more.
For one example, the heightened awareness of the eco-friendly category has unleashed a new dynamic in sports bottle
designs, lids, materials and, again, personalizing capabilities. The new BPA-free
materials are replacing traditional materials
as stock is depleted. These eco-friendly
options are imperative to offer customers
to stay competitive. With this variety of
offerings, promotional drinkware can be
used to build many a successful advertising program.
Case in point
Help your clients understand how to get
the most of drinkware promotions. Suggest they send a hand-written note to prospective clients tucked inside a cup. For
one example, I built such a program for a
dentist who bought into a drinkware promotion. On subsequent jobs, I suggested
he put his logo on a flower vase—who
doesn’t love receiving fresh flowers, even
if they’re from your dentist? This client of
mine replaced his phone book advertising
completely with this type of program.
In another clever promotion, a client
provided stainless-steel water bottles at a
large conference in lieu of having bottled
water on hand. The hotel set up water
stations for refilling. Not only did this
promote brand awareness, but conference
attendees also appreciated the progressive
green approach. The committee ended up
saving money on the bottled water for this
three-day event. Plus, attendees had a
take-home reminder of the conference
and its sponsoring company.
Another powerful program; an
auto body repair shop places two
stainless tumblers in the car af-
ter completion of repairs. This
special touch brought not only
compliments for the repair busi-
ness, but repeat business as well.
And here’s a program that really
gets outside the box: A chiropractor
was giving away a free treatment with
a referral. While he thought this was a
fabulous idea, I had him query some
past recipients to see if they recalled
the gift, the cost for which was a $65
value per referral. Only one of 20
could remember the free treatment. I
suggested he consider a simple water
bottle, not only due to its low cost,
but because he is always encourag-
o
d
take-home reminder of the conference
and its sponsoring company.
Another powerful program; an
auto body repair shop places two
stainless tumblers in the car af-
ness, but repeat business as well.
And here’s a program that really
l
e
but because he is always encourag-
