Why do you require branded promotional items during events?
An event is an important occurrence in a corporate company calendar because it helps advance companies visibility agenda during and after the event with the merchandise.
It is one of the many ways to promote a business image to the target audience niche. Whenever a company sets out to engage the customer at a personal level, it must brainstorm on ways to actively engage with the audience.
Many companies have outsourced these services from Below the line activations companies whereas others have internal marketing teams that plan, organize, and implement the activities. One of the important questions that come to mind is how the customers will benefit as they introduce the products or services on the ground.
It is at this point that branded visibility giveaways come to play. Branded visibility materials are items that the company chooses to be branded for promotional activities. Among them includes; Pens, Caps, Mugs, Umbrellas, T-shirts, Masks, Polo-shirts, Water bottles, Keyholders, Notebooks, Calendars, Bags, Gift sets, Diaries, Jute bags, Flash drives among others.
What is required to Brand promotional items?
First and foremost the company must schedule an event that will prompt the budget committee to plan on resources to be spent before and during the event. After the date is set and a budget is put into place, a branding company is engaged to provide all the required branded merchandise on time.
Among the requirements needed to enable the branding process are the company logo, tagline, and hashtag for charity events. These elements can be branded in a single color, 2 colors, or in full color. It is important to note that the more colors, the more expensive it becomes. Also, the more the quantities the cheaper it becomes.
How long does it take to brand promotional merchandise?
I know this is the first question activations companies in Kenya ask when they call to enquire about branding services. In fact, almost all companies engage a branding firm a week before the event mounting pressure on the branding team to the point of burning the midnight oil and fixing the short-notice contract. However, this is manageable when working with a branding consulting firm because huge orders can easily result in a crisis.
At Designhub ltd, besides having a branding shop, we work with other partners to deliver efficiently and effectively without any disappointments on quality, quantity, and beating deadlines. Over time, we have created a quality-proof guarantee that whatever is approved at the sample submission stage, is delivered without cutting corners due to delivery pressures. We also advise on what is possible and by when to expect the branded giveaways.
What should I do to ensure the timely delivery of Branded Merchandise?
When planning the event, ensure to notify the branding company of an upcoming event so that they keep track of the stage that they should plug in to provide branding services. I usually advise event planners to onboard a branding company team member to the committee so that they can provide branding expertise that the rest of the team lacks.
Secondly, the branding budget should be released in good time to avert a possible crisis in a scenario whereby a down payment is required. Remember, events budgets are utilized prior to the event not after the event. This is because every event supplier needs money to sort out all the costs planned in preparation for the event.
Lastly, the company should provide all the required support asked for by the suppliers. For instance, a branding company may experience delays in artwork submissions such as logos, print artwork, drawings, etc. This may affect the delivery timelines that in return derail the event outcomes.
In conclusion, it is important for the marketing department, finance department, and event planner to ensure all the artworks are ready, event timelines are well set and finances are also available before engaging a branding agency for a smooth branding process.