Learn, explore and unleash your inner chef.

“Many CMOs are not putting enough thought or strategy into what branded promotional gifts they give out to customers. When they desire a specific outcome, a generic pen with the brand name on it will not hit the mark. The gift needs to add value to the marketing campaign, and help bridge the gap between marketing and sales,” says Aaron Musgrove, Key Account Director, The Brand Makers.  

The Brand Makers is a sponsor company at the marcus evans CMO Summit 2023.

What is missing in the way most companies plan promotional gift campaigns?

When onboarding customers, it is common to see simple everyday products being gifted, rather than items that are truly aligned to the target audience and that benefit the business. The company’s objective might be to convert more leads into paying customers, but a generic pen is being offered. This is lazy advice on behalf of the promotional supplier. We try to understand who their target audience is, what levers they can push to get customers to behave in a certain way, and then we come up with a story, a product and design to achieve those goals.

What does the marketing activity want to achieve? Get more leads into the business? Convert leads into orders? Get referrals? Make the top 20 percent of customers feel special? We need to understand what makes their customers tick. When used correctly, when the product complements the campaign, it is a great tool to convert sales, get repeat business, create excitement, and increase brand awareness.

What education is required to achieve that? 

Many companies buy a range of merchandise with no real clue on how they will be used. They put together almost a treasure trove of products to distribute throughout the year, so they select generic products with no specific purpose, just items that carry their brand name. That is partly the issue. They should be thinking about what they want to achieve, have an events-based approach almost, with a problem to solve or the goal to make the sales team more effective.

Is there usually a disconnect in what is expected of CMOs?

The challenge is that the CEO or senior management wants marketing to deliver new customers but that is not the sole responsibility of marketing. Marketing should generate interest and demand, with sales teams charged to convert to customers. That is why it is so difficult for CMOs because they are often expected to perform the sales team’s job. Marketing is enough of a job in itself.

Can giving away promotional products be more effective than other marketing strategies?

We usually see a lot of attention on creating new demand, digital marketing or brand awareness marketing to create as big a funnel at the top as possible, whereas it is actually possible to create more success, more demand, from existing customers and within the existing pipeline. Attention spent on better conversion and retention is generally time and money spent very effectively.

What trends and future should CMOs prepare their business for?

There are a few key steps to creating the right kind of customer incentive, one of which is the product selection itself. The first rule is to create a product that your customers want, not what you like. They can be two different things. If a company targets very senior roles, what item will appeal to that audience? Step two, what message do you actually want to convey? That is not just about the item but also the packaging. The way it is delivered. Sometimes the packaging holds as much weight as the item inside.

As the market approaches a recession, CMOs need to make sure that current clients are all happy, secure, raving fans. That can help mitigate potential leaks or loss. In a difficult economic environment, people are more open to switching to cheaper suppliers or service providers. If your market is shrinking, your sales pitch to someone who has never tried your product needs to be different. In a shrinking market, your success will come at the expense of your competitors, therefore the marketing message needs to be more focused on why your product or offer is better than what they currently use.

What promotional products add excitement to a campaign? What are people looking for?

The “wow” moment is important, but short-lived. If a product is useful, has longevity, that is where repeat brand power will come from. With finite resources, it’s important for every dollar of marketing spend to work hard and complement other marketing activities.