People have their brand allegiances when it comes to beverages. They have their preferred brand of coffee, their favorite soda, and their go-to drink at the bar. Helping a beverage brand build awareness and customer loyalty has a lot do with its promotional advertising. This means products like drinkware, apparel and barware are crucial to the success of the brand. Distributors also need to be mindful about where and how these products will be used, and whether or not they promote the particular client’s brand identity.
Promo Marketing spoke to Jeff Lee, president of STOPNGO Line, Industry, Calif.; and Scott Schwebel, vice president of marketing for Milwaukee-based Colectivo Coffee, about how distributors can use promotional products to assist beverage brands.
Know the mission
Schwebel said that Colectivo doesn’t limit itself to traditional, beverage-related products, although items like mugs and cups are popular among consumers. For distributors looking to work with a beverage brand, knowing what the prospective client’s brand identity is, and how it wishes to convey its message is crucial for providing an appropriate solution. “For us, we are a creative-driven company, any surface is an opportunity to make an impression, and we try to cover as many surfaces as we can,” Schwebel said. “We utilize full coverage illustration to communicate our brand’s identity—even more than our logo. Frankly, you have to look for our logo on the cups, it’s one of the smallest elements.”
Lee said that distributors need to tailor their pitch to different clients they’re working with, be it a coffee roaster, brewery, winery, etc. “Each company has a unique image of how they want their brand projected onto products,” he said. “Understanding the needs of the client and company will help [distributors] understand which products would best suit the image they want to project.”
Select useful products
Having an understanding of the message the brand wants to convey is only part of the process, however. Schwebel said the items end-users want the most are the ones that they can use repeatedly. Items that customers get excited about or serve a function have the highest value to consumers. “We have an opportunity to offer [customers] functional items that can enhance or support these products, like coffee mugs, travel mugs, filters, [and] brewing devices,” he said. “Then we have an opportunity to offer them brand extension items, like T-shirts, hats and accessories.”
Determining where the products will be used can help distributors select products to fulfill the client’s need, Lee said. “If they are being handed out to bartenders, they will need to consider certain products versus others,” he added. “If they are being passed out for an event to consumers, they can go with a different shape/size.”
Lee said that having a solid understanding of the products they want to sell can help them tailor the sale. “For example, our paddle style speed opener is the most popular style of opener that bartenders use,” he said.
Look for long-lasting solutions
Items that can be used for a long period of time extend brand awareness. Mugs, cups, and other drinkware can be used on a daily basis, but Schwebel pointed to another successful advertising item. “Stickers are one of the greatest, low-fi, high-impact marketing tools out there,” he said. “It’s old-school, simple, under-appreciated and very effective. They end up on all sorts of valuable, visible, personal products that spend a lot of time in plain view—laptops, water bottles, bike helmets … and of course cars too.”
Lee agreed that reusable products are cost-effective and efficient advertising methods. “I believe most clients nowadays are trying to stretch their dollar as far as possible,” he said. “Reusability is extremely important, as is getting the most bang for their buck.” He added that if a company is looking toward single-use products, however, affordable options like coasters are popular among beverage brands. “But, if they are looking for a product they can offer longer marketing impact, they can consider a range of other available products, such as stainless steel or bamboo [coasters,]” he said.
Help them stand out
Because the beverage industry has so many different brands, clients will look to advertising to stand apart from the competition and build customer loyalty. By understanding the client’s particular brand and message it wishes to convey, you can deliver an advertising solution that promotes its ideals, aligns with its personal goals, and provides monetary growth. After all, a consumer wouldn’t want to wear a T-shirt or use a mug that advertises a company they don’t believe in on a personal level.
“Your brand is what builds competitive advantage and destination value,” Schwebel said. “Everybody has your product, but how you handle that product within your brand and how you fulfill that promise of your brand through that product is where equity lives. Equity is your strongest form of competitive advantage.”
And with so many different product categories to choose from—drinkware, coasters, barware, and much more—distributors shouldn’t be afraid to ask suppliers for their input. “Beverage brands are engaged in a very competitive industry,” he said. “They’re always looking for ways to shine against their competitors, so don’t be afraid to pitch them new ideas and products. Don’t be afraid to ask suppliers to see what’s possible as well.”
