Promotional Pens - A Very Effective Advertising Vehicle

In this edition, I'd like to champion the cause of promotional pens. And when I say 'promotional', I'm referring to the classic plastic pen that costs less than $.50. Sure, some will say 'People get a million of those' or 'You give out a pen and it goes right in the drawer'.....And while there may be some validity to those concerns, the ‘upside’ of promotional pens is too valuable to dismiss.

Cost Per Ad Impression- The Advertising Specialty Institute recently completed a study on actual cost per ad impression of the most popular promotional products...and it found that plastic pens actually have the LOWEST cost per ad impression of any promo item at $.002 per view. That's $.001 lower than even calendars.

And There’s More - Consider that the average plastic pen has 8 different owners in its lifetime. Pens are also the most remembered promo item (54% of owners, according to the study recall owning a specific pen and a whopping 84% recall the advertiser on the pen they currently own. And the study adds that the average pen gets used at least twice a day.

People Still Write- Yes, we’re in the age of Laptops, PC's, I-Phones and now I-Pad’s, but we all still need pens. Whether you’re jotting down notes, taking a message from someone calling the house or making out a grocery list, we all still use a ton of pens.

Puts logo in places other media can't reach- Do newspapers, the internet or billboards put your ad literally at a person's fingertips? Pens do. Branding Advantage- The pen itself can deliver a subtle message about your brand - i.e. is your company or product edgy, reliable, consistent, inexpensive, etc.....? Whatever your major selling point, here's usually a promotional pen available to match it.

3 of My Favorites-




Javalina- This pen from industry supplier, Hub Pen, burst on the scene a couple of years ago and has been so popular that it's spawned several different varieties, and tons of knock offs that frankly aren't as good. The real Javalina features a unique compressed ink delivery system that allows it to write far more smoothly than most pens - including many that cost a lot more than the Javalina. This year Hub introduced new 'Splash' color trims: Lime Green, Orange, Pink, Purple and Sky Blue. Cost with Geiger through June 30 - 250 @ $.40 each.




Rita Writer- This under the radar stick pen features the same compressed ink system as the Javalina, so it writes just as well. It also has a much larger imprint area than the Javalina or most other pens in the category. Available in white with a choice of 4 trim colors, the best feature of the Rite Writer is its $.25 cost.

Bic Clic Stic- This old standby makes the list because Bic’s graphic capability is the best in the industry. The vast majority of low end pens can still only be imprinted with one color – Javalina and Rita Writer included. Not so with the Clic Stic. Multiple imprint colors, tight registration – no problem. They also have a bunch of barrel and trim colors to choose from and there's even room for a web address or phone number on the clip (for additional cost). Bic has also introduced a new Easy Glide ink technology that’s similar to Hub’s compressed ink.

Cost @ minimum qty: $.48 ea.

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Back from the Geiger Galleria

What's a Geiger Galleria? It's Geiger's annual education conference for its Sales and Production Partners. It's a four day event, held this year in Phoenix, Arizona.

You don't have much, if any downtime, because the time there is crammed full of presentations, educational seminars, networking, socializing and a massive Trade Show. The time spent there was incredibly worthwhile, both from a practical and motivational standpoint. I picked up a TON of new ideas which I know will help my clients get better returns from their promotional product dollars spent with Geiger and myself.

One terrific presentation that I attended was a talk by Author and Speaker, Tony Rubleski on the subject of Mind Capture, which is the process of rising above the clutter of all the marketing messages that are thrown at us daily. In other words, to reach out and capture the minds of our intended targets -- the prospective and existing customers that we're all trying to reach.

Tony's presentation resonated with me because his concept of Mind Capture, to me is what promotional products are all about. Our everyday useful items like pens and magnets have the ability to carry a sales message into places that most other forms of media have a lot of trouble reaching...like your kitchen or office for example. If there ever was a tool made for Mind Capture, it's promotional products....which is probably why the Geiger folks booked Tony to begin with...but I have to say it was a great call. This guy is good.

My immediate goal is to take some of Tony's ideas and utilize them to help you use promotional products more effectively. Stay tuned......

More on the Galleria in my next post....

Promotional Products Banned in MA

On July 8, a Massachusetts law took effect that bans pharmaceutical companies and medical-device makers from giving doctors gifts such as vacation trips and tickets to concerts and sporting events. A similar law is taking effect in Vermont and several variations of this legislation are being considered in other states across the US.

The reason is our lawmakers believe that doctors are being unduly influenced to prescribe certain drugs to their patients based not on what's best for them, but what delivers better perks for the doctor's own benefit. Now one can certainly argue the merits of this one. Personally I would hope my doctor, who I very much like and respect, wouldn't stoop to being 'on the take' and prescribe something I don't need because he's eyeing box seats at next week's Sox/Blue Jays game.

But what's interesting about this -- and impacts me directly and you, the reader, in a way that I'm about to explain -- is that this ban also includes promotional products. This means the next time you visit your doctor, you won't be seeing anymore of those pens, post it notes, or pads of paper touting Ritalin or the latest high blood pressure medication lying around the office.

Let's ignore for a moment the fact that this ban will very likely result in job losses for a promotional products industry that like every other industry in this country is struggling with the worst recession of our lifetime. In fact the dollar estimate for projected losses due to this and similar legislation in other states could run as high as $1 billion this year according to one industry source. This is something that the powers that be in our industry are now dealing with.

But lets instead focus on the what this says about the medium of promotional products and what this means to you as a user of this medium.

It's proof that they work!

And all too well, in the opinion of a group of people that's one of our industry's biggest customers -- politicians. Yes, those state reps and senators, most of whom are veteran pols who have come up through the ranks, winning elections at various levels of government to reach their current positions, realize that those imprinted buttons, sponges, bumper stickers and yes, pens that they handed out at 4th of July parades and and Town Days work their magic.... and do it so well that they're afraid that our doctors are going to be influenced to prescribe certain drugs over others to their patients -- the drugs who's brand names have achieved top of mind awareness in the doctor's heads.

Talk about a ringing endorsement.....our pols know all too well that promotional products are an extremely cost effective way to market products and services. They know that they can be easily targeted with little waste, are very functional, and deliver terrific value in terms of cost per impression -- in fact they're so effective that they'll unfairly taint your doctor's judgment to the point where he or she may well be tempted compromise their professional ethics.

Just imagine what they'll do for your organization's sales message....