We are all aware of the various repercussions continued indulgence in a lifestyle bad for the environment will have. The question is, do we care? Do we want companies to lead the revolution into a sustainable, eco friendly society?

There has clearly been a noticeable shift from many companies, from a stance that was once nonchalant to one where they actively market their brand through their green credentials. We have seen a massive shift in green advertising where brands outline their good deeds for our environment and provide convincing arguments as to why their brand is more economically vied than their competitors.

However, many companies have been found to exaggerate green credentials in a bid to look good, but act the same; a phenomenon known as “greenwash”.

I propose that companies wrongly claiming that they are good for the environment have 3 negative impacts. Firstly, they ruin their own reputation and brand trust takes a knock, secondly consumers will end up assuming that all claims are exaggerated and thus this will devalue the efforts of companies that actually make a difference. Thirdly, with too much media coverage of green marketing, we face the risk of consumers becoming blasé about such matters and loosing interest.

Therefore there needs to be tighter restrictions on companies claiming green credentials. The green card should not be used as gorilla marketing; to pull people in on an exaggeration of the truth. Companies that work hard to improve the stability of our environment should be rewarded and their work celebrated. Hopefully, if legitimate green companies see a soar in profit due to consumer favourability, more companies will opt for green policies. This would be a fantastic development. Corporations hold both the power and the funds to make a difference, let’s hope they use it wisely.

To view a great way to start your eco friendly work, please see our range of recycled promotional products.

One aspect of consumerism that is paramount to the end user these days is consumer experience, How do they feel when they are buying that product? Was it a pleasurable experience? Were the shop assistants nice to them? What was the ambience of the store like?  

In marketing theory the key formula that used to work for marketing was the 4Ps of product, price, place and promotion. These days, it is seen as more apt to follow the 7P formula; further including:

1) People: Interaction and relationships that are made through the consumption process

2) Processes: How the consumer gets from being a potential customer to a consumer, whether there was a seamless flow between A and B.

3)  Physical Evidence: What the surroundings are like, and how other consumers create an impression of the service experienced.

Building relationships with your customers is the key to beating your competitors. Studies have shown time and time again that consumers are less sensitive to price and convenience if, and only if, they feel a connection with their existing supplier. Nine times out of ten it would make no sense for a consumer to switch companies to save a small amount of money, if they are already happy with their existing company of choice. They would have to risk the fact that things could go wrong, and they also have to fight against inertia which is extremely powerful in today’s modern and busy lifestyle culture. 

Key ingredients in a commercial relationship are trust and loyalty. Customers like to be treated as individuals and they appreciate every little detail of their customer experience. John Lewis is the perfect model. The commercial giants have just recently topped the consumer satisfaction polls. Everyone I know, who has shopped at John Lewis raves on about their customer experience!! How there were always staff on hand to help, who were really informative if asked, but kept their distance if they weren’t. They also comment on how the store was very easy to navigate around, and how they managed to get really good quality products at reasonable prices.

 So take a leaf out of John Lewis’s book! It doesn’t matter how good your product is, if you don’t relate to your customers and go that extra mile to serve and impress them as individuals; your marketing strategy is very misguided and outdated! Consumers want relationships with companies, as long as they are relevant!  

We hear a lot in commercial jargon about ‘brands’, ‘brand loyalty’ and ‘brand awareness’ but where does this phenomenon arise from and what is a brand? Well, let’s firstly look at the history of a brand. In the English language, to ‘brand’ historically was painful and involved burning an impression into the flesh with a hot poker or iron. The impression held great symbolism and was used as an identity system.

A commercial brand is similar but less painful! Consumers buy into brands and own certain branded goods as they hold symbolism and say a great deal about them as people. They become an identity system and purport values that the consumer wishes to portray about themselves to others.  

In comparison with traditional branding procedures, where a brand was burning an impression into the flesh, corporations now strive to burn impressions into the memory. They aim to make sure that their brand is recalled first against their competitors and maintains prominent positioning in the human memory cells.

Brands have become really powerful and generate millions of pounds within the industry. They have become so iconic that the big players in the field obtain a mass following and create deep, underlying meanings that can be used as identity systems.  

The status of brands does not stop at products and companies. Celebrities have even become brands and very powerful marketing tools. Think of Brand Beckham and how just associating a brand with David Beckham greatly enhances its sales figures and prestige.

Alongside the age of celebrity branding, is also the notion that countries and places have become like brands. Consumers are given a clear idea of what it is like to visit a place before they’ve even been there. This is known as place branding. London is currently working on its image as a city in order to promote the London 2012 games.  

So is there anything that is not susceptible to branding these days, and just how powerful are brands set to be in the future? In a sense brands help compile the contemporary day make up of consumers. They hold great symbolism, hold importance and appeal in the consumer’s mind and generate a huge amount of money in the business.

Are brands a good thing, or do people place too much emphasis on brand identity and symbolism? 

Don’t forget, you can get into the branding game by branding your company logo on our promotional products!

This excerpt poses the question as to whether advertising authorities are becoming too stringent with TV advertising regulations. Currently there are calls within the industry to ban all junk food advertising pre watershed in order to combat the rising concern society has with obesity amongst children. In this move all food categorised as High Fat Salt Sugar content (HFSS) will no longer appear in ad breaks between kids TV programmes.

 Also, in a bid to help the government with their crackdown on binge drinking, alcohol companies are also coming under fire. Many have repositioned their adverts to promote sensible drinking, i.e. opting to encourage consumers to buy their drinks, but providing with it often quite a graphic depiction of what could happen if they drink too much. 

So my question is: are companies being penalised and held back under this wave of ethical advertising? What is abundantly clear is that there has been a shift from a time where advertisers could stretch the truth and use persuasive marketing spin to sell on nothing more than ideals. They are now been held back by a call for sensible, honest marketing.

Is this a good thing?

Every successful business in the world relies on a strong marketing strategy. That strategy usually includes the use of promotional goods. Promotional goods still remain one of the most effective advertising tools. The principle of rewarding customers for loyalty, or attracting new ones by sending them an attractive promotional good, works.

Some small companies do not have a large marketing budget, but that doesn’t mean they have to lose out, on this valuable marketing opportunity. Why should they? 

One of the most popular promotional advertising gifts are promotional sweets. Why? Because they are colourful, taste nice, and are very affordable. Promotional sweets can be in the form of chocolate bars, chocolate hearts, scrumptious boiled sweeties, and brightly coloured jelly beans just to name a few. You can even order a chocolate CD! The most important factor is they will be covered or wrapped with your company logo.

Promotional sweets are a lovely treat to send out to your customers, and you can also reward your staff members, for all their hard work. People will always respond positively to kindness and appreciation. By using the right promotional goods your business will really benefit, improving customer relations and helping you acquire new business.  

All you have to do if find a reputable promotional goods company that produces the promotional sweets of the highest quality, and has a customer service second to none. www.argonpromo.co.uk.

However, care must be taken to choose the right gifts to suit the level of business contact. Spend too much and it could look a bribe; too little and it may appear that you don’t care enough. Categorising contacts will help you decide how to choose the appropriate level of promotional gifts:

Existing customers Existing customers are where the majority of your business comes from, with the least effort. Keeping these customers happy is of utmost importance so that the relationship can develop and you can make sure you don’t lose the customer to a competitor. Gift type: reward. Gift level: top range.Referrers Generally they won’t use your services but they are prolific recommendation makers. A referral is hundreds of times more effective than any advertisement. Referrers should therefore be rewarded every time they refer a good quality lead. Gift type: reward. Gift level: high.Prospective customers and referrers Not yet a part of your customer or referrer base, but you want them to be. You want to entice them to recommend or buy from you. If they are the type of prospect that would make a lucrative customer or referrer, then good quality, medium range promotional gifts should be chosen, although care should be taken to ensure it doesn’t appear you are bribing them to do business with you. Gift type: incentive. Gift level: medium.Using promotional gifts is an effective way to gain and maintain business contacts, develop and nurture relationships and encourage more business and referrals. However, care should be taken when choosing gifts so that they don’t over or understate your message.

Everyday people can use promotional gifts to boost the character of a special celebration or fun event. And it doesn’t have to be the typical gifts that spring to mind like pens or mugs! There are so many different products to choose from that can add an innovative touch to a party.

From birthdays to Bar Mitzvahs; Christmas parties to New Year dos; Weddings to Christenings and school reunions to retirement parties, there is a perfect gift to pep up every occasion.

Stuck for an original idea for your wedding favours? Why not use a light-hearted promotional gift like a love heart stress reliever? Looking to add sparkle to a Christmas party? How about personalised light-up Santa hats for all, and gorgeous snow-globes as take-away goodies for guests?

For a coming of age party like a Bar Mitzvah or milestone birthday, hand out personalised keyrings to denote being awarded the key of the door; and for school reunions, you could imprint your school crest onto any number of promotional gifts. 

Using promotional gifts offers vast scope for giving a bit of zing to a special occasion – the only limit is your imagination! Gifts are inexpensive, fun and really easy to arrange, which is why businesses love them!

Providing a campaign is well managed and a clever selection of promotional gifts is chosen, brand awareness could be excelled far beyond any media advertising campaign could achieve because these items have a habit of trickling into homes, workplaces and everyday lives.

In the home: A mug in the kitchen, a pen by the phone, a mouse mat in the study, a torch in the garage. Notepads and calendars; paperweights and corkscrews; things that are used every day will promote your message and display your brand to an entire family, as well as having that ‘handy’ appeal that makes everyone appreciate you even more.

In the workplace: A desktop is a haven for gifts like memo holders, clocks, coasters and USB drives; but the promotional gift collection doesn’t stop at the desk; take a walk through to the staff room or canteen and you’ll see branded mugs and glasses, wall clocks and decorative gifts like vases and picture frames.

On the move: Gifts in the car like key rings, air fresheners and tax disc holders promote your brand to drivers and their passengers; gifts for the bag or briefcase, like a promotional umbrella, pen, notepad or calculator are useful and appreciated; travel gifts like passport holders and luggage tags will make your brand take flight.

Filter your brand into homes and workplaces, and see it take off by personalising something practical with your logo and sales message. Promotional gifts are all around!