2. PRODUCTS
Stay Active
Don’t let claims of “this will be worth a million dollars if it’s in mint condition” fool you, toys are meant to be played with. That’s why interactive promotional toys are favored. “All of our wind-ups do very well, but our most popular item is our Boogie Bot,” Anderson said. “It’s interactive: You wind it up and place it down to see it boogie and dance from side to side. The client’s logo, on the circular middle plate, spins as the bot moves. It’s a likeable, contagious, desktop piece with staying power,” she explained. “Plus, it’s impossible not to smile when you see it dance.”
Be Hot Stuff
Interactive is great, but sometimes all you need something to cuddle. That’s why stuffed animals work as toys for children and collectibles for adults. “Plush is a lovable, powerful messenger of a brand,” said Jenny Straub, director of marketing for Vitronic Promotional Group, Mason, Ohio. “There have been many examples of companies who have handed out Plush animals as a good-will gesture to promote a launch of a product or as an employee appreciation gift,” she said.
Stuffed animals can also be outfitted to match a promotion’s target market. “Plush allows various options with accessories that can personify your brand and bring it to life,” Straub said. “We have everything from a cap and gown for graduates, a fireman outfit, scrubs or nurse’s outfit, and even a cheerleader outfit to cheer on your favorite team,” she listed.
Straub added that some of Vitronic’s plush items offer room for not only logos, but also catchphrases. So, don’t be afraid to get quippy. “Our CT802 Mascots, CT803 Wild Bunch Animals and CT806 Bean Bag Buddies are great to use as tag lines,” she said. “For example, we have a distributor who sold our duck with a saying on the T-shirt that says, ‘Any quacks in your foundation?’ to a foundation repair company.”
3. MARKETS
Sell to Educators
Selling to child-focused establishments like elementary schools and daycares is a given, but other education-oriented industries are good markets too, such as universities. Anderson gave an example of a college promotion. “Boogie Bots [were used] as a ride-along in an invite to a Community College science fair,” Anderson said. Straub offered another example. “Schools purchase mascots to build school spirit,” she said.
Send Congratulations
If your client is not looking to educate new consumers, but instead trying to maintain current relationships, try sending toys. Straub described a celebratory promotion a marketing company did for new moms. “A large company that specializes in email marketing approached a distributor who wanted to give their customers that have become new moms a congratulatory gift,” she said. “They designed a one-of-a kind box that inside comes with a bib, pacifier and our adorable Baxter teddy bear.” The program was successful. “The program is so popular that they have had to reorder more than once,” Straub said.
Remember Big Kids Like Toys Too
Anderson noted that surprisingly most of the promotions that use CleggPromo Inc.’s products are for adults, not children. “The toys we have in our line are actually geared towards adults first, children second,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or how serious the industry you’re in, the fact is that everyone loves fun, light-up or wind-up toys.”
More adult-focused industries like law offices and auto dealerships can use toys to gather new business. Anderson gave an example of a legal office’s use of toys. “A law firm used [Light Up Balls] as tradeshow giveaways/attention getters,” she said. Straub offered an automotive market example. “We have seen car dealerships place a teddy bear as the first passenger in a new car,” she said. Anderson also mentioned that the Light Up Wands have been sold retail at trade shows and concerts.
Other more adult markets Anderson listed are health care, finance and nonprofits. Straub agreed, especially on health care. “Hospitals use plush as a way to comfort a patient of any age,” she said. Anderson offered a more specific example. “Wind Up Robots were mailed out by a medical center to create buzz for their grand opening of a new robotic surgery center,” she said.
