Branded Matters

The Advertising Specialty Institute: from monolith to maverick

ASI is brilliant.

I didn't always think so.

If you have been in the promotional products industry for sometime, you have had opportunities to experience both ups and downs with ASI, (as with any long term client/vendor relationship). Several years ago, the perception of ASI was that it was the immovable rock, the sprawling monopoly over the multi-billion dollar promotional products enterprise. This was the perception. Even it's towering title, "Institute", sounded like cold cracked marble that reeked of musty museum hallways.

Today, ASI is a different company. The "institute" is reinventing itself; they resemble more bohemian nonconformists, harnessing tools and resources that other organizations have been unable or unwilling to embrace. Recognizing that the industry has been at a crossroads, (lacking in both education and technological prowess), ASI has assumed a major leadership role in communication and education. In the past few years I've seen more brilliant marketing and technological improvements out of ASI than in any other advertising specialties association or organization. From social networking, increased user interaction, improvements on major products, and lots of (dare I say it) hip, hot articles, radio shows and videos, they've stolen the show from any other industry leader and deservedly bear the mantle of "maverick".

For example, ten years ago, I would have loved to have the advice I needed to learn this business at my fingertips. Now, thanks to the immediacy and availability of the internet, I can not only catch up, (at anytime, day or night), on the latest product trends or reports about the advertising specialties industry, I can forward these to new reps or provide additional information to support members on our team. ASI has consistently produced a steady supply of resources and fresh content that is available to any and all who seek it.

Though the promotional products industry has splintered through the years and ASI's competitors abound, ASI has continued to become the faster, sharper, keener and more insightful industry giant. I have many friendly competitors who read my blog, if you haven't been tuning in to ASI Central or attending an ASI Show, do yourself, (and your staff), a favor and check them out.

The ASI Show
The Advertising Specialties Institute
Videos and other training resources (very cool!)

Full disclosure: I proudly speak at the ASI Shows. Come join us in Dallas this week, Chicago in July or visit the brand new Holiday and Incentives Expo this September!

Pharmaceutical freebies: free enterprise meets central planning

The Advanced Medical Technology Association recently joined PHRMA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in denouncing the giving of promotional products to physicians to advertise drugs or other medical related services.  While AdvaMed and PHRMA have revised their code of ethics to discourage the use of promotional products, the new law banning the distribution of promo products in Massachusetts is already beginning to cost the state millions of dollars. 

There are two glaring problems with the new attempts to outlaw promotional products in a physican's office and they are:

• the gross misunderstanding about what these products do and
• the exaggeration that something significant is being done to reduce escalating health care costs

For example, in AdvaMed's new Code of Ethics, "a Company may not give Health Care Professionals any type of non-educational branded promotional items, (emphasis mine), even if the item is of minimal value and related to the Health Care Professional’s work or for the benefit of patients. Examples of non-educational branded promotional items include pens, notepads, mugs, and other items that have a Company’s name, logo, or the name or logo of one of its Medical Technologies."

Promotional products, at the very least, are extremely effective at reminder advertising. A doctor's mind is far more crowded than his office space, teeming with branded merchandise. Advertising specialties can play a critical role in communication, particularly in a business environment, these products remind us, "don't forget about this drug - it's extremely effective!". I'm not presuming that pens save lives, I am, however, linking promo items to this critical process of education. Your doctor is assailed by a barrage of advances in medical drugs, technology and services, this overabundance of information can be difficult to manage and therefore difficult to remember.

More importantly, the exaggeration that a prohibition on branded products will eventually lead us to lowered medical costs is preposterous. Organizations who join the ban are fighting alongside the state of Massachusetts and in doing so are attacking a raging fire with a squirt gun. Besides, the ban is not merely an intrusion into private enterprise by government, it is an insult to intelligent, caring doctors. My experience (unfortunately, considerable) has been that most physicians treat a patient as best as humanly possible. Are they impacted by advertising? Of course. Do they recommend drugs because of gifts? Yes. Can they be influenced to suggest certain drugs over others? Yes. Do most reasonable doctors still consider whether the actual benefits of the drug will benefit the patient? Absolutely.

I love what John Kamp, executive director at the Coalition for Healthcare Communication said last year on this subject, "the idea that using a Pfizer pen could bring criminal charges – means good sense is flying out the window.”

Message to Big Pharma: come to Oklahoma City; we've experienced a renaissance in our city, heralded by the New York Times as "booming with a new exuberance", we're ranked as one of the most recession proof cities in the United States by Forbes magazine, plus, our favorite word in the phrase "free enterprise" is the word: FREE.

For more information:

Advanced Medical Technology Association

Advanced Medical Technology Association Code of Ethics

PhRMA's Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals (pdf download)

PhRMA's Press Release

From Forbes: Drug Makers Agree to Voluntary Ban on Doctor Freebies

Full disclosure: I work (obviously) for a promotional company. The opinions expressed above are my own, they do not represent my employer's opinion. I do not have any pharmaceutical clients nor does the company I work for, unfortunately. 

What is the newest, coolest promotional product for a tradeshow?

I was asked this question during a luncheon today. This might surprise you: it's not about the latest and hottest product, it's about putting your message in a place where your client will be when they need your services the most.

David Blaise has a very popular Promotional Products training kit for our industry (I'm a seventeen year veteran in this business and I found it immensely helpful). One of the questions he asks is, "Where is the end-user most likely to be when he/she is in most need of my client’s products and services?".

If you are giving away promotional products at a tradeshow, you must make sure your products don't become part of a loot bag that merely gets distributed to the kids when your audience gets home. Ask yourself, "where will my audience be when they need my services the most?" and then provide a promotional product right in the middle of that piece of real estate. For some it's a car, for some it's the fridge, for others (like us), it's the desktop, but whatever we give away must be a trigger of some sort. This means that sometimes it might be a boring product. It might feel good at the show to have all that attention by handing out a new whiz-bang product but it's only helpful if that attention results in (ultimately) accomplishing your objectives (which for many is the purchasing of your products and/or services).

The question is not, "what is hot", the question is, "what will work"?

The Permanence of Promotional Products

"How Walt Disney Would Market in 2009?", an article in BusinessWeek, really got my attention, particularly this quote:

"When you leave Disneyland you stroll down a Main Street populated with dolls, and shirts, and hats, and media that all are linked to the wonderful experiences you just had. In today's fragmented world, executives must reinforce key messages by having multiple, consistent, coordinated touch points for the same idea." (emphasis mine)

If you are out there marketing to other businesses it is imperative that you remember how cluttered the landscape is when it comes to gaining mindshare with your clients. In a recent study by ASI, they found that 84% of people remember advertisers on products they receive. When promotional products are used in any campaign, in particular, a multi-part campaign, the magnitude of that impact is huge.

Permanence is not a word we use frequently in this world because everything is transient, from our news to our entertainment. The permanent part of promotional products is what is left behind: the message. When 84% of your audience remembers who you are then you must consider promotional products in any marketing or advertising campaign, to ignore that type of a return on your investment would be foolish.