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Inside
Incentives |
| Few incentive product
categories offer as many possibilities as apparel. You can find
wearables at any price level, and the move toward higher quality has
enriched the variety of offerings. Beyond having an impact on the apparel market in general, the rise of casual dress in the workplace has created new opportunities in incentives. For one thing, employers find that outfitting employees in stylish sportswear can contribute to corporate identity and team-building. For another, companies where dress-down policies have lapsed into sloppiness, are seeking ways to induce workers to look more professional. Often, the solution is to make logoed merchandise the standard for corporate dress. Using apparel also helps firms alleviate a problem that emerged with the trend toward corporate casual. Employees accustomed to traditional office garb are now faced with making more choices about what to wear, and assembling a new wardrobe from scratch may strain their budgets. Yet another element that should enter into your planning is the move toward higher quality promotional apparel. Employees are used to finding fashionable casualwear at reasonable prices in the consumer market, and this affects their response to incentive merchandise. If you want “trophy value” in logoed apparel, remember that the bar has been raised; it pays to use brand-name merchandise or look into wearables with quality equal to name brands (but at lower prices). Pros And Cons Broadly speaking, promotional apparel is used two ways: 1) as a premium for consumer, business-to-business and employee programs, and 2) as an incentive to employees. As incentive programs have become more complex, offering more choices than ever before, wearables have become a key part of many programs. However apparel is used, one of the biggest pluses is the wide assortment available, from simple T-shirts to fashionable, high-quality outerwear. Traditional favorites like sweatshirts and caps have been joined by upscale golf shirts, parkas, varsity jackets, and much more. At any price point, apparel offers enormous perceived value and the ability to create a walking billboard. It’s the top-selling category of imprinted products, accounting for 29.3% of the market, nearly double that of its nearest competitor. The downside? Wearables do wear out, so there’s a limit to the time your logo will be around (however, this makes a case for warehousing products). Also, the personal connection people make with what they wear can be a plus or a minus. Folks are picky about apparel, so questions of taste and fashion come into play to a much greater degree. In addition, there are the inevitable complications that come with ensuring each person gets the right size. Applications Some of the typical uses of promotional apparel include: Consumer premiums. On-pack, in-pack and redemptions promos have used apparel for years. A typical offer involves the return of a proof-of-purchase and (sometimes) some cash for products. In the past few years, some firms have used special packaging to contain the product/gift. One memorable effort was the Marlboro Miles program from Philip Morris USA, where apparel ranging from caps to denim jackets augmented a line of western-themed merchandise. Consumers clipped coupons from cigarette packs, collecting them to reach certain award levels. The program was promoted with customized POP displays, glossy catalogs and Marlboro vans. Equally successful was PepsiCo’s similar “Pepsi Stuff” program. Business-to-business. Logoed apparel is used extensively to promote new products and programs to customers and distributors. This often occurs at trade shows, where clothing is among the most sought-after giveaways. Apparel is also a popular dealer-loader, to encourage distributors, dealers, and other channel participants to buy into a new marketing campaign. When the items are worn in-store, they deliver an extra advertising hit at the point of purchase. As a supplement to a standard press kit – or even a stand-alone gift – you can involve an entire team at a company by sending a quantity of shirts or caps to the manager. Employee programs. Many firms use apparel in recognition programs, both for performance awards and team-building. Customized wearables are also used as corporate dress, particularly in situations where employees are in direct contact with customers. At trade shows, for instance, booth staff may forgo jackets and ties in favor of casual golf shirts with the company logo. The result is a uniform look that makes employees more approachable yet still conveys a professional image. Key Points With the diversity of apparel choices, it’s no surprise that pricing is all over the place. You’ll find a lot in the $2 to $10 range, which is where the majority of logoed wearables fall (assuming you buy in quantity). For higher-quality items, a more typical range is $15 to $35. That’s the logical starting point for a gift program. In this range, you’ll find good quality golf shirts, polo shirts and even trousers and ties. The price spread in outerwear is much greater, ranging from $15 windbreakers to $350 leather jackets. Let’s talk about the cost of imprinting and embroidery. The two biggest methods of imprinting apparel are embroidery and silkscreening. Both involve set-up fees. This can run the gamut in price, the general rule being that the more complex the job, the higher the fee. For embroidery, there’s usually a set-up fee as well as a per-garment fee for applying the embroidered lettering or design. With silkscreening, you pay a per-screen charge (one screen for each color) that varies depending on the size of the screen and quality of printing, as well as a cost per item. Your counselor can advise you of all fees and turnaround times. Should you buy brands? While brand-name clothing does carry a certain cachet, remember that you’re likely paying a premium – sometimes a hefty one – for that name on the label. Unless it’s an absolute necessity to use a famous brand, ask your counselor about some not-so-well-known brands that offer the exact same quality at far more reasonable prices. Chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Other points to consider when using imprinted apparel include:
Theory In Practice Tired of having its sales reps blend
in with the booth at trade shows, Radio Flyer decided on a new look
at a recent Toy Fair: a colorful knit shirt embroidered with the
company logo. Executive vice president Robert Pasin says the
makeover “loosened everyone up. I think it made our sales force
more effective.” |
