This is a test...this is a test of an advertising medium...this is only a test. You will need five items to complete this test: a calendar, the keys from your pocket or purse, your favorite mug or glass to drink out of, a t-shirt someone gave you, and a pen. Ready? Here we go...

In the last newspaper you read...what business advertised on page 3? What is the date and day of the week, 18 days after February 20th this year? When you were in a vehicle yesterday, what merchandise was "on sale" on the radio? What color is your house key? What business advertised during the last news program you watched? What was the last thing you drank out of your favorite mug or glass? What product did you buy when you last redeemed a coupon? What does the t-shirt say? During your last road trip outside Vermont, what billboard signs did you see? Ok, get your pen ready to score...oh, I almost forgot the last question...of the five things you needed to complete this test, who gave you any of the items you didn’t purchase yourself?

Unless you still don’t have power after "The Ice Storm of ’98," you are the target of messages from various marketing media virtually non-stop from the time you wake up in the morning until you go to bed at night. Daily Newspapers, Television, Direct Mail, Trade Shows, Point-of-Purchase Advertising, Radio, Yellow Pages, Consumer Magazines, Coupons, Telemarketing, and Internet Marketing all vie for your attention (and marketing budgets) daily.

There’s another medium out there that has had your attention for years...chances are you don’t know what it’s called...or how it integrates with other media to drive marketing messages home. The medium is called Promotional Products, and the industry is comprised of functional products, bearing marketing messages from businesses and other organizations.

The first known promotional product in the United States was commemorative buttons, used during 1789 when George Washington was elected president. Since that first button, the industry has grown to include over 350,000 products that make up the industry today. Until recently the medium was referred to as"Advertising Specialties"..you may even have heard the pejorative term "trinkets and trash," representative of the lowest ranks and darkest days of our industry.

There are a number of things promotional products do better than other marketing mediums. According to the Promotional Products Association International (PPA), the main strengths of promotional products marketing are:  targetability, exposure longevity, creative impact, good-will, and applications flexibility. Promotional products work best when the target audience is well defined. Through direct marketing and trade show promotions, promotional products can be given directly to members of an identified target market, thus avoiding the waste often associated with other advertising methods.

Unlike most other media, promotional products tend to stay around and be viewed again and again, making promotional products arguably the least expensive advertising medium on cost-per-exposure basis. In addition, promotional products marketing is the only advertising medium that has appreciation built in. The word "free" is one of the most powerful words in advertising copy writing and no where is that more obvious than in seeing how much people like receiving gifts.

PPA developed a list of 17 typical marketing and motivational opportunities which can be enhanced by using promotional products. They are: Promoting branch openings, Introducing products, Motivating salespeople, Opening new accounts, Stimulating sales meetings, Developing trade show traffic, Romancing improper product mix, Activating inactive accounts, Changing names of products/companies, Using sales aids as door openers, Motivating consumers through premiums, Moving products at dealer level, Improving client or customer relations, Introducing new salespeople, Motivating employees, Promoting new facilities, and Building an Image.

When you want information about radio or television time, you check the Arbitron ratings, call the station (or your advertising agency), and maybe look at Advertising Age or other mass media publications. If you’ve ever had problems finding a promotional product (maybe an imprinted calendar, pen, key tag , mug, t-shirt or other item), check the "promotional products" section of Vermont Business Magazine’s Media Guide or your local yellow pages for Vermont based vendors. You may also want to visit the web site of the Promotional Products Association on the Internet at: www.ppa.org/index.html. There is a wealth of industry information online, plus you can reach for a reputable distributor in your area.

Your supplier of promotional products should be more than an order taker.

The complexity of the medium requires a true professional to appropriately integrate the use of promotional products with the other media an organization chooses to use.

The following: "8 TIPS FOR SELECTING A PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT CONSULTANT" should help maximize your results from the use of promotional products.

1) Resources. Does the consultant rely on information that is updated annually, monthly, or continuously? With more than 350,000 products currently available, and new items and marketing opportunities emerging everyday, there is no substitute for current information.

2) Media knowledge. Your consultant should be able to integrate promotional products with the other marketing media you use. A good test: See how well they cross-promote their own company through a variety of media such a print ads, radio and television, and the Internet.

3) Creativity. Look at the promotional products your consultant uses to attract and retain customers. How effective and unusual are those items? Make sure your consultant’s choices reflect a flair for creative marketing.

4) Quality control. Only a consultant who’s involved in the entire selection, ordering, and inspection process can ensure high quality. If you receive your merchandise directly from the manufacturer, you may be forced to handle any quality problems yourself.

5) References. A well-established consultant can provide you with current and past references. Contact one or more current clients, as well as some from five years ago and from one to two years ago, Ask about timeliness, communication, costs, and creativity.

6) Responsiveness. If you wait two weeks and get nothing but a generic catalog in a brown envelope, you may find yourself waiting even longer to receive your order. And find out whether you’ll receive samples of the items you’re considering. If not, think of the financial risk if you invest your marketing dollars in an item you’ve seen only in a photo.

7) Availability. Can you communicate with the consultant 24 hours a day? Do they have a Website, Email, and voice mail that allow you to make your needs known at a time that’s convenient for you, not just them?

8) Credentials. Find out whether your consultant is certified, or working toward certification, as a professional within the promotional products industry. Also, what classes, trade shows, and seminars do they attend to update their knowledge?

Darrell Marriott is Chief Elephant Trainer (CET) & President, Purple Elephant Promotions . He can be reached at

Darrell@PurpleElephantPromotions.com.

The ‘Hidden’ Medium That’s Right In Front Of You,” by Darrell W. Marriott, MAS, July 1998, Vermont Business Magazine, Reprinted with Permission.