Looking to rack up some serious grocery bills with your biggest clients? Check out these great edible promotions, complete with tips and ideas for use from the suppliers who sell them. (That’s like getting cooking tips straight from the chef, if the chef was also telling you how to get rich or how he’s going to start charging you for all those “samples” you keep ordering.)
Quotes from Mike Shulkin, president of A La Carte, Chicago.
Why They’re Great: “Besides the low price point, the flexibility is enormous. The custom message inside can be changed to cover different aspects of a promotion, the wrapper can be printed to make a more complete presentation, and the cookies are available chocolate-dipped for a higher-end piece. The cookies can also be packed in carryout containers or other packaging to create a complete custom package.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “Because the message is hidden, the cookies can be used in contests with one or more winning messages. Additionally, several messages can be combined in a package of cookies to cover many advertising points for the client.”
Advertising Mint/Candy/Gum Box—Admints & Zagabor
Quotes from Glen Hersh, vice president of sales for Admints & Zagabor, Bellmawr, N.J.
Why It’s Great: “This product is the number-one value in the edibles category of our industry. It offers more value and ROI than any other edible product in the marketplace.”
What to Know Before Ordering: “This is an exclusive item from Admints & Zagabor and offers five full sides of advertising. Clients can design five sides of the box with magazine-quality, four-color process artwork, and each box lasts an average of one week and gets viewed an average of 20 times. At a cost of only $0.192 net, this works out to be less than $0.01 per impression.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “This product is so functional that it can be used for any type of advertisement. It is great for trade shows, salesperson leave-behinds, new product introduction, driving traffic to a website or physical location. We can also put coupons and scratch-off options on the box as well.”
Nouveau Gift Box Filled with Nine Belgian Chocolate Vanilla Ganache Truffles—Astor Chocolate
Quotes from Yngrid Bravo, marketing manager for Astor Chocolate Corporate Sales Div., Lakewood, N.J.
Why It’s Great: This item combines our innovative new process of using a four-color process edible imprint directly on our delicious truffles, which have a rich, decadent taste and soft, creamy centers. Each recipe is created by our in-house French master chocolatier, who combines Belgian chocolate and fresh ingredients to enhance the richness of the chocolate.
What to Know Before Ordering: “Astor Chocolate is a family-owned company, in business since 1950. We run a certified-Kosher facility (OUD) and are certified by the FDA. We go through rigorous food safety audits by AIB International, a globally recognized organization in the food industry and have a superior rating. We offer state-of-the-art packaging capabilities, with in-house printing and hot stamping presses. All of this translates into a quality product with short turnaround times and low minimums. In addition, Astor Chocolate is one of the few plants in New Jersey equipped with state-of-the-art solar panels, which provide 100 percent of the electricity we consume.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “Great chocolate creates an extremely positive sensory perception and personal experience for your customer. Giving quality chocolate with a custom edible imprint will create a fond recollection every time you speak to your client. It can be used as a thank-you gift during the holiday season or as a party favor at your next company event.”
Energy Drinks—BamBams LLC
Quotes from Katharina Pieper, marketing manager for BamBams LLC, Woodbridge, Va.
What Makes Them Great: “It is a fantastic giveaway for any type of event to keep people awake and entertained. The customized artwork wraps nicely around the can or bottle and has great effect, so that people still keep the bottle even after the drink is finished.”
What to Know Before Ordering: “It is a domestic item and therefore [has a] fast turnaround time. It can be ordered sugar-free as well.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “Energy drinks are simply very popular for any type of occasion. Whether it is for a good cause or used as a giveaway item [for] any type of event, people will always crave energy drinks, just like coffee. A good way to use it would be, for example, for an outdoor event. It serves cold as a nice, refreshing drink and gets the message across, as anyone that holds the drink will see the print on it.”
Medium Custom Chocolate Delights Gift Box—Chocolate Inn/Taylor & Grant
Quotes from David Miller, president of Chocolate Inn/Taylor & Grant, Freeport, N.Y.
What Makes It Great: “It can be shared, the inner row of chocolate can be chosen from a variety of different industry-specific and themed shapes for more of a memorable impact, and the window lid allows the logo to be seen through the lid of the box.”
What to Know Before Ordering: “We use premium Swiss chocolate and always recommend taste tests so that the customers can see how mouthwatering our chocolate is.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “We are entering the fourth quarter. Food is the number-one business gift for the holidays.”
Faux Leather Gift Box Collection—Gifted Expressions
Quotes from Sheila Shechtman, CEO, Gifted Expressions, Shrewsbury, Mass.
What Makes It Great: “[It] looks more like genuine leather than the real thing! Made with a padded lid, they are truly handsome and have been featured in Oprah’s magazine as well as our Neiman Marcus collection. The larger 12“ and 16“ boxes are designed to store CDs and DVDs, making them great keepsake containers for after use, and the smaller desktop knob box is a perfect accessory for home or office as well.”
What to Know Before Ordering: “They should know that there are containers that are labeled ‘faux leather,’ but that they are made of cardboard with a paper faux leather surface. Our boxes are made with a synthetic material that truly looks like premium leather. This gives a very classy and distinctive feel and lasting impression.
A Tasty Way to Use: “We have started debossing on the ‘interior’ lids so that the recipients can enjoy the packaging in their homes or offices, without the logo being a bit too commercial or dominant, especially for their home or office décor. It becomes a gift, as well as a marketing item. As well, we include logo items inside these boxes, such as CDs or travel mugs, thus enhancing the branding experience.”
Hot Sauce—Hot Sauce Harry’s
Quotes from Lauren Smith, vice president of sales for Hot Sauce Harry’s, North Port, Fla.
What Makes It Great: “[It] can be used on just about anything to add heat and enhance flavor.”
What to Know Before Ordering: “Distributors are looking for promotional items that have staying power with the recipient. A bottle of hot sauce with a client’s logo is right there every time they open the fridge. The client will literally have your name on the tip of their tongue. Our distributors routinely report that their clients get calls just to get more hot sauce, which is the perfect opportunity.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “Hot sauce is a fast, easy and affordable way to promote a hot new product or a hot new service for any client. Our 3 oz. hot sauce is the perfect trade show giveaway to drive traffic and is airport-friendly.”
Fresh Lobster Rolls Gift Pack—Lobster Gram
Quotes from Sam Radom, administrative manager of special markets for Lobster Gram, Chicago.
What Makes It Great: “This is one of our easiest treats. All you need do is toast the rolls before you go to the beach or other picnic area and add your favorite bottle of wine.”
What to Know Before Ordering: “This item has to ship overnight, as it is fresh from the ocean.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “Fresh Lobster Rolls are a delicious and special treat that is great for meetings, incentives, and as always, a thank-you. This could be used simply to impress your clients as they decide on what gifts they are choosing for the holiday season.”
Belgian Milk Chocolate Covered Oreo Gift Boxes—Mid-Nite Snax
Quotes from Margaret Dengler, marketing director for Mid-Nite Snax, Long Island, N.Y.
What Makes Them Great: “Besides tasting delicious, our chocolate-covered Oreos are my favorite because there [are] so many different options to personalize them for your needs. Besides the customization on the packaging that holds the Oreos, we offer sprinkles and foil wrappers in an assortment of colors, enabling you to decorate the Oreos to match your corporate colors or theme.
What to Know Before Ordering: “Distributors should know that our chocolate-covered Oreos are enrobed right here in our FDA-approved factory, and made fresh for each order.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “Because we offer corporate color foil wrappers and sprinkles, plus the ability to imprint directly on the foil wrappers, this item is great for promoting brand recognition with your corporate colors. In the sample shown, this company was able to personalize this item in three ways—first with the four-color process sleeve that goes around the box, then with the foil wrappers to match their corporate colors, and last with their logo printed on the foil wrapper.”
Chocolate Covered Peanuts—SnugZ USA
Quotes from Sydra Newell, vice president of sales for SnugZ USA, Salt Lake City.
What Makes Them Great: “I love the combination of a sweet treat and a healthy snack. We have an assortment of styles available from a small 2×3“ bag to more gift-style containers.”
What to Know Before Ordering: “Feeding people is a great way to show others you care about them. Peanuts are a great source of protein and fiber. Although peanuts are higher in calories and fat, they are also the good fats, like omega 3. These good fats have been shown to lower cholesterol and heart disease. At the same time, you get the sweetness of chocolate. Not only is chocolate satisfying to your taste buds, but the caffeine in chocolate gives you energy and helps you focus.”
A Tasty Way to Use: “With chocolate-covered peanuts, clients can show their customers and employees they care about them. But these sweet treats also help provide energy to keep people engaged. Because of the positive result of this snack, this is a useful treat at training seminars and all-day, off-site meetings. When companies are providing their employees with a large amount of training information, an afternoon snack is a great way to recognize their time and help provide them with energy to learn at their best.”
