Boost Your Brand Visibility with Engaging Promotional Products

Once upon a time, in a busy trade show, there was a little branded pen named Penny. She sat on the display table, surrounded by countless brochures and business cards. At first, Penny felt small and insignificant among the towering booths of big companies with elaborate displays.

But soon, curious attendees started picking her up, jotting down notes. With each person she met, Penny proudly represented her company, showcasing its logo subtly, yet impactfully.

What are the benefits of purchasing promotional items?

Promo items are an excellent way for businesses to stand out and present themselves in a unique and fun way while increasing your overall brand awareness. Nearly 85% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a company after receiving a promo item, a prime example of a foot-in-the-door persuasive method. This is when a small request is initially made to get a person to later agree to a more extensive request.

Accepting the promotional item will encourage your target audience to make a purchase. By selecting an item that your customers will use regularly, you increase the likelihood that they will think of your company each time they use it.

How do I pick out the best promo items for my business?

To find something your audience finds helpful, ask yourself a few questions. 

  1. What are you promoting?

This question may seem pointless, but it helps to know the goal. Are you just promoting your business as a whole, or do you have something more specific in mind, like a product, service, or event?

2. Why do you need to promote it?

Is there a specific reason behind your planned promotion? Your business could always use more exposure, but is there a particular message you want to relay? The answer will help guide you in finding the best product that meets your needs.

     3. Who are you trying to reach?

Understanding your ideal customer is essential. You should choose your item with their lifestyle in mind and develop a message that resonates with them.

     4. Where do you want your brand message to be seen?

Consider where your audience will use these items. Is this a seasonal effort? Give a baseball cap or a heavy stadium blanket. If you want your item kept in an office, you’ll want to find something we always use, like Post-it Notes, pens, or chargers.

Promotional items should be designed with your audience in mind, thoughtfully planned, strategically placed, and with motivation. Our very own promotional consultant, Sasha Hecker, can help you achieve this.

Sasha is resourceful, organized, experienced, and a pleasure to have as part of our team! She will help you find the correct promotional items for your business and will also help you order them with plenty of time for your event.

We decided to gain more insight by asking Sasha a few questions.

What is the average time from order to delivery?

VIA Marketing is  an ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute) member, and our partner vendors are based locally and worldwide. 

When picking the best item for your company, timing is one of the top things to consider. If you need it sooner than later, we will ensure your item is expedited, produced and shipped locally to save you time. Please allow plenty of time before your event to ensure you have the best options available.

Can I get a sample product before ordering?

Most likely, but it depends on the vendor and the amount of time before your event. If the vendor doesn’t provide samples or you don’t have enough time, you can see a virtual sample on the website before ordering.

What company do I get Promotional items from?

To procure the best of the best products for you, VIA has a network of partner suppliers who offer a wide array of promo items, so you are sure to find any customized item you may need. From full-color mugs to Stanleys, or submarine pens and color-changing pencils, there are times available specific to your brand and the customers you want to attract. You can find these under the promo items tab on our website.

What factors account for the pricing of these items?

Every product has different price options depending on the manufacturer. Be careful because shipping costs a pretty penny, and the two dollars you save on getting an item from overseas might be more expensive than you think. 

Look through your options to get the best price. It’s also important to note that the more you order of each item at a time the cheaper the price per unit will become. 

What if I want to order some promotional items?

Knowing what items to choose from and at the best price can take time and effort. That’s why our promotional consultant, Sasha, here at VIA, can ensure your promo is ready!

AI in Marketing: Balancing Efficiency with Authenticity

Artificial Intelligence? What’s That?

We’ve all probably heard of Artificial Intelligence; it has really taken off recently. The fact is that AI has been in the groundwork since the early 1900s. It all started with a group of scientists questioning if it would be possible to create an artificial brain, which, as we know, is highly complex.

Even with years of development, we can see so many AI mistakes, such as Tesla’s autopilot feature and even Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales’ Photoshop fail. AI has come a long way but has lots of room for improvement.


What Can Your Business Use AI For?

Every job has those super repetitive tasks that can be almost mind-numbing. With the help of AI, you can eliminate some of those tasks from your daily routine, saving time, maximizing productivity, and driving employee engagement. Depending on the task, a wide variety of tools are available for you to explore, from chatbots to payroll platforms.

What are some of the tasks AI is Good for?

  • Helping brainstorm ideas
  • Formatting simple emails
  • Translating languages
  • Automating correspondence
  • Rewording messages/emails
  • Checking for grammatical errors
  • Summarizing lengthy briefs

How has VIA used AI Generation?

Our team has used Generative AI in various ways such as:

  • We used an AI image generator to create Woldhul’s 404 page.
  • Our web developer utilized AI to generate code scripts, converting Excel lists into HTML format for their website. This significantly increased our efficiency in list transfers, thereby saving time and money for our client.
  • When using AI for copywriting, the process begins with generating ideas and then tailoring them to match your brand’s tone and wording, creating a seamless and customized message.

Generative AI isn’t Perfect. What are some of AI’s limitations?

  1. AI can’t explain its decisions: When using AI for data-based predictions, AI users want to know where that information comes from and how it reached that conclusion. AI is only as bright as the humans feeding it information or data; that’s how the technology forms its decisions. So, if the information isn’t correct in the first place, neither will the outcome.
  2. It has creative limits: When it comes to marketing strategies, creativity is essential to making your company stand out. Unfortunately, AI is not at the point where it can spontaneously solve competitive solutions like a human being.
  3. AI can’t Feel Empathy, Sympathy, or Anything: The lack of this ability makes AI not the best tool for  several different tasks, but especially not customer service, since AI isn’t genuinely sorry and doesn’t understand emotions. This is one of many reasons that people prefer talking to a person instead of a robot.
  4. AI can’t read your mind: Asking the right question is essential. You need the background knowledge to formulate questions that lead to accurate answers.

Pros and Cons

When incorporating AI into any marketing strategy, there’s a risk of losing the authentic voice or tone of your brand. Consumers will easily detect when content isn’t genuine, particularly with AI-generated material. In today’s landscape, establishing a genuine connection with your audience is extremely important. This begins with a clearly defined mission and brand authenticity that sets you apart from competitors.

Even though AI can be an excellent tool for simple tasks in the office, it cannot replace humans, especially in marketing. Here at VIA Marketing, we excel in handcrafting your voice and visuals to ensure your customers feel connected and engaged with your company. Let us help you stand out and connect more deeply with your audience. Our team is here to help you with all your marketing needs.

VIA Idea #37

Rebrand For a New You!

Southwest, Gordon Food Service Store and Pizza Hut all rebranded in 2014, each for their own reasons. Let’s take a look at what makes a good reason for change.

Southwest®’s new brand has a clever three-colored heart and bolder colors. Rebranding came about because of their new international flights, their purchase of AirTran and the fact that Dallas’ travel restrictions are being lifted, giving them more opportunities. Forbes criticized the move saying it’s too soon, and Southwest should have waiting until their performance matches their new excitement. “Southwest became a great brand by adopting a fun, low-cost, friendly brand position. These days it doesn’t seem to be any of these.” Forbes 9/17/2014

Gordon® Food Service introduced a new logo, tagline and name, saying in a press release this is “part of the evolution of our corporate brand.” They took away the GFS acronym, and are leading with the name Gordon as a way to emphasize they are a family business. We like their new tagline: Always at Your Table. They sent a postcard to customers and created a landing page to fully explain the story.

The new Pizza Hut® features ten new crust flavors, six new sauces, five new toppings, and four new flavor-pack drizzles. You can choose from “over 2 billion combinations of pizza.” All of those changes demanded a new look!

January is a time for reassessments, and the New Year turns our attention to what we can do better. Has your company gone through changes that would make it a good candidate for rebranding?

A brand is so much more than a logo.
Your logo expresses the essence of your brand, and it should be meaningful and powerful. Most of the time companies rebrand to build lost market share. You should rebrand when:

  1. You are not telling your full brand story. You’ve grown and evolved since the original identity was created, and you need to communicate the new direction.
  2. Your audience has changed, and their needs have changed. Some brands need to change in order to stay relevant to new generations.
  3. Competition forces you to set yourself apart in a more meaningful way. Companies use rebranding as a way to make people take a fresh look at themselves.
  4. Your current identity has been damaged. Your reputation may have been hurt by bankruptcy or some other kind of crisis. Some use rebranding to hide malpractices of the past.

RadioShack®’s and Hershey’s Rebrand Were Total Failures.

Radio Shack switched its name to The Shack, but didn’t change the product or philosophy along with it. The lesson is to make sure you have a good reason to rebrand.

Hershey wanted to create a “fresh and modern interpretation of the beloved Kisses icon.” The company replaced a photograph of a silver Hershey’s Kiss with an animated, solid brown version. Sadly, the new Kisses looks just a bit too similar to a certain online emoticon, often used on social media to depict feces.

Why does rebranding fail?

  1. There is a lack of true change. Just changing the name will disappointcustomers who will be looking for a good reason to give you a try.
  2. If you rebrand based on an aspiration, you may be biting off more than you can manage. Keep the change reasonable and attainable.
  3. Your brand statement is not plainly stated. Vague brand positioning or one that is hard for customers to understand will cause problems. State your claim clearly and deliver on that promise.
  4. The entire staff must all be on the same page and know what is expected at every touch point. A brand is something you do. The CEO must lead and be an example. If the charge doesn’t start at the top, the effort will fail.

Final tips
It’s vital to estimate the cost of rebranding before you get started. Larger companies will have a large list including a multitude of signage. Smaller companies are more flexible and will use rebranding as a growth maneuver. Both will need to change mission statements and create a marketing plan for the roll out. A name change will require papers submitted to the secretary of state. This great infographic from Entrepreneur Magazine has more examples.

VIA Case Studies

Simple and clean, inspiring and inviting, the new logo represents the IBT’s merge to the Classical Arts Centre.

By using strong graphics and a bold typeface the updated Smith Animal logo will stay relevant for generations.

Capstone’s updated logo and name combines the original typeface with a vivid color scheme and more. Adding “Design and Renovation” expresses more clearly who they are.

Buzz Packaging needed an identity. They relied on an inconsistent typeface. The new look is bold, defining, and impactful.

Contact VIA if you’d like a free consultation about rebranding your company.