The 10 essential criteria to consider before you order your business promotional merchandise.

1. Cost
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The simplest way to filter your product search is of course the cost you pay for it. There is a product to suit any budget, so business promotional items can be used by companies of any size, quite literally with any budget.

Cost of product vs Cost as value over life of product.

Tread carefully - any judgement of the true cost should always go hand in hand with consideration of “Durability” of the product and how long its' lifecycle is. A product that is durable and likely to last for 12 months like a drink bottle or quality notebook that may cost $15, compares favourably to a $3 item that has a lifecycle of 2 - 4 weeks.

2. Image

It’s the name of the game - by definition anything you add your logo to becomes part of your brand building story. The feelings associated with the promotional items you select will reflect directly on your brand in both positive and negative ways. Select a product that has synergy with your brand or campaign goals.
Example 1:  Eco Friendly products align your brand with being earth friendly and  a social citizen that supports sustainability.
Example 2: Selecting products that support an active lifestyle, reflects your brand image as aligned with promotion of healthy and active lifestyles.
In reverse, selecting products that are low quality, non sustainable,  tacky or considered more a "fad" can damage your brand, or make it end up in the garbage bin.

3. Durability

How long is the lifecycle of your product and does it align and contribute with the goals  of your long term marketing plans?

How does the product age over time?

A short lifecycle product is attractive to even the largest and biggest brands and companies, if it suits the goals of the marketing campaign. For example many  companies wanting awareness for a new product or campaign will  use a disposable  “giveaway” product to reach large audiences like at a sporting event.

For many small business, with limited budgets, who may produce maybe less than a few promotional campaigns a year to promote their business to their clients, the issue of product lifecycle and durability is a major consideration.

“More Bang for your Buck”
The Longer lifecycle products in general are highly desirable, as they reduce the “overall” cost over time, in theory making a better ROI ( Return on Investment) more likely, essentially giving your brand more time in the eye of your target market. 
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Service based Companies
​Longer lifecycle products that score high on durability are attractive to service based business where clients contact your company a few times a year to make purchases as it enhances your chances of being front of mind when the need for your services arise, think plumbers, electricians and pest controllers,  but also B2B services companies in many industries that sell niche or specialised services.

Long Lifecycle products include Stainless Steel Drink Bottles, Quality Pens, Notebooks, Umbrellas, Chairs, Backpacks.

4. Useful
When we pick gifts for our loved ones or co-workers, generally we will pick gifts we think they will  like and will actually use. Of course you say! Well that is no different to promotional products , which are exactly the same thing - a Gift to your clients, prospect or employees.

Note - 77% of Consumers  selected “Usefulness” as the number 1 reason to keep a promotional item.

Health & Safety, Computer & Tech Products like Custom USB Drives,  Writing Instruments and Notebooks are ranked as the “most useful”​   
( Source https://www.ppai.org/ )

Aligning your brand with drinkware is very effective on its own, selecting an Eco friendly option provides additional advantages for your brand. Associating your brand with re -usable coffee cups for example, tells the world your brand is conscious of its social responsibility by contributing to the reduction in use of disposable coffee cups, of which over 1 billion a year end up in landfill within Australia and New Zealand alone.
​Here are my picks of the best 10 eco custom drinkware options you should consider to align your brand with, along with helpful price guides which show “Eco” doesn’t mean more expensive.

Choice Cup  
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300ML Double wall reusable coffee cup. Choice Cup is made from a 50/50 blend of natural rice husk fibre and polypropylene which is shatterproof, odour-resistant and BPA-free. With a trendy look available in a natural, light blue and a bright green colour.
Branding: Print logos  in 1 to 4 colours, while a cost saving tip would be to print your logo as a 1 colour.
Price Guide: You will pay between $5 - $9   

Double Wall Glass Set 

​Exquisite set of two 410ml double wall glasses which are presented in a black gift box. Made from borosilicate glass which is incredibly light and very strong. The double wall construction keeps drinks hot for longer while the outside of the glass remains comfortable to hold and it keeps drinks cold without messy condensation. They are ideal for use as
on-trend coffee cups or for serving icy cold beverages.
Branding: Laser Engrave glass and also print on the gift box available.
Price Guide: $30 - $45, includes printed gift box.

Mirage Drink Bottle Range 
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​Trendy double wall, vacuum insulated stainless steel drink bottle range, all  with a timeless design. Key feature being it will keep drinks cold for 24 hours or hot for up to 12 hours. Comes with a standard lid or  a secure, spring activated push button lid with a carry handle and an ergonomically designed spout for pouring drinks.
Branding: Laser engrave to a shiny steel finish except for the silver bottle, which engraves to a natural etch. Alternatively you can print your logo. 
Price Guide:  $12 to $25 depending on branding option chosen.

What are you waiting for,  can you picture your logo on one of my top 10 drinkware ideas ?

Getting started on your custom branded drink bottle project is easy, simply ​​get in touch with us for a chat.
You can also view the full range of custom drink bottles.

Download a copy of this article below.

Lets look at why drinkware should be top of your list of products to consider for your next branding merchandise campaign:

Mobile Branding: Unlike many promotional products, the custom printed drink bottle is a "mobile" branding solutions, your logo travels with the recipient literally as they move around, be it for a morning walk or jog, commute to work or in the car, be it a hot or cold drink. A literal mobile billboard for your brand as the user interacts with people during the day, ideal for building and maintaining brand or logo awareness.

Positive Brand Image - Brand image is critical to every business, the drink bottle branding campaign gives your brand the opportunity to align with being healthy and also  socially responsible by promoting  the  use of re usable drink bottles, hence reducing the use of single user water bottles. 

Eco Friendly:  The vast majority of Drinkware options are Eco Friendly! Made from either recycled, sustainable, recyclable or biodegradable materials like Stainless Steel, Glass, Wood, Cork and even trendy Rice Husk / Wheat Straw Biodegradable plastic options.  By promoting these materials, your brand sends a message you do care for the environment and the future.
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Durability - Long lasting and highly  durable drinkware options give your brand a  long life cycle and return on investment. Vacuum insulated drink bottles, can be used for hot and cold liquid thus further increasing their effectiveness as they can be used by more people more often.

Cost: Affordable to even the smallest marketing budget. The variety of materials you can use starting from plastic and moving to higher features like vacuum insulated bottles, and premium bottles. In addition the high durability mentioned above affords your campaign  a good relative cost over life cycle of product. 

Perceived Value: Most drink bottle styles have a mid to high perceived value, as they are re usable products. Also higher end options made from wood, glass, stainless steel and vacuum insulated score well for perceived value  vs cost of purchase.

Integrated into Daily Life: Drink bottles, coffee cups, sports shakers, all are products we use every day of the week, be it at work, after work activities like exercise, gym, kids sports etc. By seamlessly integrating into people lifestyles  your marketing tool increases the ability of your brand to be seen, and ultimately assists you getting "bang for your buck".

Employee Gift:  The new working norm is here to stay, with people like Bill Gates predicting over 30% of workers will work from home even in the predicted years post Covid. So what part does a humble coffee cup with your logo play in employee motivation you ask ?
Some stats on this to note:

• 72% of marketing and HR managers said that promotional products are very effective in motivation and retention of staff. 
• In fact, the kitchen is the #1 place people use and keep their promotional products.
• (People spend on average 3-5 hours a day in their kitchens)

* Source: promotionalproductswork.com.au

By using custom branded coffee mugs, travel cups or drink bottles that allow your employees to use while working at home allows your company branding to extend to meet the reach of all your employees, not just the ones who who work "in the office" and see the sign on the door ! Thus giving your employees a positive sense of belonging, increased motivation and attachment to the company they work for.

Summary:

Irrespective of the size of your marketing budget, and size of company, the use of a custom branded drinkware in its many forms provides great benefits in achieving many goals from your branded marketing campaign. In addition, it is an ideal vehicle as an employee gift, even more so in the new normal working landscape with an increasing proportion of work from home workforce.


​Getting started on your branded drinkware campaign is easy, ​​view the range and get in touch with us on how we can help your brand benefit from branded drinkware.