One of the most tried-and-true promotional products, imprinted drinkware is almost an accepted ubiquity in life at this point. This is great news if you’re a distributor looking for a reliable promotion, because chances are any venue or event you can think of offers an opportunity to sell imprinted drinkware. At the bar, on the sports field, in the office, at the mall or even in the car, if a beverage goes in it, there is probably a logo on it.
Of course, the downside of near-infinite choices is the risk of option paralysis. Not a bad problem to have in this economy, but all the same, it would probably be nice to have your choices pared down a bit. To help you focus and brainstorm, here are a few examples of drinkware markets along with advice on how to best succeed in them.
Commuting and the office
Whether driving to work or sitting at a desk, it’s hard to overestimate the value of a good tumbler. “Literally everyone I know has a favorite tumbler, and most of them were promotional gifts,” said Damian Want, chief operating officer for 99CentPromos.com, Tustin, Calif. He reminded that tumblers are meant to be used on the go, so a good item should be durable and sized appropriately to fit into car cup holders. “Never forget that style plays an important role too,” Want added. “A beautifully designed tumbler that connects with an individual’s sense of style casts a warm glow on the brand imprinted on it.”
He also recommended distributors use the oft-cited success of the promotional tumbler to their advantage, particularly for self promotion. “A great idea that has been proven effective many times over is to use tumblers as a self promo,” he said. “Decorate it with a creative, but understated, logo and pack inside the tumbler another item such as a bottle opener.” He also suggested including a business card and a punchy, short note that will both explain your services and grab the recipient’s attention.
BARS AND RESTAURANTS
Promotional glassware dominates bar and restaurant drinkware promotions due to the high turnover of this fragile commodity and the popularity of items that promote beer and liquor sales. Kristina Fredericks, vice president of sales and marketing for Aliquippa, Pennsylvania-based Moderne Glass Co., shared some of her expertise on how to select and implement glassware promotions.
“A good barware pattern should have a wide range of sizes (ounce capacities) to accommodate various types of drinks,” she said. “The piece should be designed with durability in mind to withstand the rigors of use in all settings.”
As for brainstorming material, Fredericks detailed a strategy she’s seen some of Moderne Glass Co.’s clients undertake. “An interesting concept we have seen distributors do for restaurants is the selling of ‘advertising’ on a piece of drinkware,” she said. “The distributor may sell six ads to six different companies for $40.00 per ad, and those six ads, which are sold on the basis of time of 90 days, will be placed as a wraparound imprint on a piece of barware,” she explained. “The distributor ‘donates’ the order to the restaurant/pub and then picks them up at the end of the advertising period. He then donates the wares to a local charitable cause and uses [them] as a charitable deduction. The cycle then begins again for the next 90 days.”
Sports and Fitness
When considering drinkware for a sports- or exercise-themed promotion, Melissa Hoffman, sales manager for Huffermen, Phoenix, stressed understanding the needs of the end-buyers and users as much as possible. “Not every product would be perfect for every event, end-user or requirement,” she said. “If the end-buyer is a youth sports organization, you will most likely want to pick a bottle based on size first (smaller bottles for smaller hands),” explained Hoffman. “Most youth sports organizations work on a very small budget so you will also need to consider a less expensive product for this type of setting.”
She had similar budgetary advice for fundraisers. “You need to consider the event type,” said Hoffman. “If the bottle is going to be used for a walk-a-thon, you may want to choose a bottle that is both functional and inexpensive. A less expensive product will allow the event to sell at a higher cost to help maximum profits to benefit the designated cause.” She recommended using higher price-point items for something like a golf event, where item attractiveness is more important.
As for getting your foot in the door with drinkware buyers, be they local sports leagues, fundraising groups or otherwise, Hoffman emphasized networking at the community level. She named PTAs, recreation centers and the youth camps of professional sports teams all as places that were likely to offer networking or exhibition opportunities.
Concessions
Whether at the food court, corporate party or even trade show, there is always a place for promotional drinkware in the concessions area. Paula Piano, sales director for Las Vegas-based Visstun, noted that mealtimes can be an excellent opportunity to get your client’s logo in front of the end-user. She was also careful to point out that just because the cups are served in a concession setting, does not mean they have to be disposable. Piano explained that often the more durable “souvenir” cups will be taken home by the end-user and reused again and again, indefinitely prolonging logo exposure.
Disposable or not, she was emphatic that imprint quality was the most important part of a cup promotion. “Without a doubt, the image quality and the ability of the imprint to communicate the advertiser’s message is the key to making a cup promotion excel,” she said. She also described an interesting way to keep costs down on a cup promotion through creative use of the imprint space.
“One great idea we can offer distributors is to gather community sponsors to help subsidize the cost of the cup by allowing their sponsor’s logo to be added to the cup art,” said Piano. “This works great for events on a tight budget and helps unite the community.”