brandor™

Employees have a wide range of preferences. Some want to work from home, others want to be in the office. Some want more pay, others want a 4-day work week. But one thing that 𝗮𝗹𝗹 employees have in common? They love gifts. When in doubt? Send a gift. When not in doubt? Still send a gift.

Few marketing words are more overused in America than “premium.” You hear “premium this,” “premium that…” But in a world where this word has come to mean nothing, one way to make our usage of it believable is in the branded merchandise we give. If we say we're a premium software vendor or premium consulting service or a premium recruiting agency… And we back it up with better gifts than our competition? Our clients just might start to believe us again.

Great branded merchandise question: If someone saw only your most recent employee care package… What would they say? Would they say you invest in your people generously? Or that you’re just checking a box? It’s a tough question, but humans in 2024 often give pretty tough answers. It’s worth asking.

Not all impressions are created equal. It’s easy to look at the fact that your LinkedIn post got 1,300 impressions… And think that this is infinitely more valuable than 13 people getting a water bottle from you… But if those 13 gifts break through the noise and build brand affinity? Depth often beats scale.

There is something about gifts engendering loyalty that is deeply embedded in human nature. Professor Robert Cialdini at Arizona State University has famously researched this… And shown that the principle of reciprocity is real. We are more likely to trust and work with people who give things to us. While of course, gift-giving should always be sincere and ethical… It’s also a great tool to build a powerful relational dynamic that is absolutely advantageous for business. And we’re proud to be helping some of the greatest companies in the world with this.

If you’re going to spend $20k to have a booth at a trade show… You might want to spend more than $2 per item to get the delegates to actually COME to your booth. This is something we talk to clients a lot about: How to break through the noise at trade shows without breaking the bank. If you’d like to connect on some of our most-winning strategies from the last 12 months, we’d love to talk.

SeQuel Response recently reported that 61% of marketers are spending more on direct mail than 12 months ago… We’re so glad to see this. We’ve seen this is an untapped channel for many brands that often gets underfunded due to the (sometimes out-of-control) emphasis on digital advertising. We’re all for seeing brands come back to this channel… Because we’re confident it can produce results.

Common question from brand marketers: Can I afford to spend on branded merchandise in a tougher economy? Our answer: Yes. Find a way. There is no better time than a tough market to build meaningful relationships and create connections with people that are feeling more strain than normal. Where there’s a will? There’s almost always a way.

We’re so grateful for our strategic partnership with Polar Beverages. They trusted us with end to end management of point-of-sale and all marketing material… And we developed an online portal that provided real time inventory and an easy to use experience for their 200+ distributors. Behind the scenes, our team handles everything from production to warehousing to cycle counting and extensive custom reporting. So crack open a refreshing Polar beverage and join us in saying “cheers” to one of our favorite partners!

Wishing everyone a joyful and safe holiday filled with family, friends, and fireworks. Here's to the land of the free and the home of the brave! #IndependenceDay #July4th #Freedom #USA #Brandor