A new service or product launch requires a means to generate interest and excitement to get the ball rolling. You need to educate your target market about what it is you are launching, but you also need to fuel their sense of anticipation.
In marketing, finding a way of reaching your intended audience that will differentiate you, and your product or service, is vital. At the same time, there are pitfalls if you get the tone wrong, or if you are too persistent.
“Promotional gifts are a non-intrusive marketing solution,” explains Chris Rigby, MD of Invogue Incentives. “They don’t disrupt your other activities or pop-up in your field of vision. However, they do generate interest, and intrigue, if you include them in your marketing strategy.”
Match Your Brand
At a product launch event, you can enhance the atmosphere with promotional gifts, but for this to work, you need to get the best out of them. One key thing is that the gifts match your brand.
“Brand consistency is paramount, so when you choose what gifts and promotional items to give away, they should always be in line with what your brand represents”
“Quality should be a consideration, otherwise you risk cheapening your brand,” warns Chris. “Alongside quality is appropriateness.”
Say, for example, a brand has a certain luxury and style, then the gifts should reflect this.
“If you’re an IT or tech company it makes sense to look at things like branded USB drives and mouse mats,” Chris suggests. “What you give away can leave a lasting impression, so you want it to hit the right note.”
There are reputational risks to giving the wrong kind of gifts. The media jumps on a brand that goes wrong, and launching a product with the wrong kind of gift might be read as a sign of a brand in trouble”
It is also vital that the gift does not overshadow whatever it is promoting.
“The gift is there to persuade people to act, not to simply reward them for turning up at the launch event,” says Chris.
Plan Your Gift Giving
Using promotional gifts as part of a launch should be strategically planned, from choosing the gift itself, to ordering quantities.
“Even if the gift is well-chosen to resonate with your audience, if you suddenly find yourself running out of stock half-way through the launch event, the effect will be wholly negative”
“The concept is to create a buzz about what you’re launching,” Chris concludes, “but it has to be the right kind of buzz, that’s positive and that ultimately focuses attention on the brand, not the gift.”
To ensure that you create a buzz for your next service or product launch, please call Invogue Incentives on 01772 751175 or visit invogue.co.uk/for-your-launch.
