When times get tough, people appreciate little pick-me-ups like cookies and chocolate. Small wonder that promotional industry sales of custom-branded food and candy actually rose in 2009, a year that saw declining sales in all other categories of swag. Individually custom-packaged candies and snacks are versatile and inexpensive marketing items with wide appeal. Unlike any other giveaway item you can buy to promote your brand, giveaways of food or candy engage ALL five of your recipient's senses and subconsiously tie your brand to the positive (and highly personal) experience of enjoying a tasty treat.
The most important things you need to be aware of when buying edible swag items are quality, storage and shelf life. Quality and taste are of prime importance - you should insist on trying samples of any food gifts you're considering before you buy them. The last thing you want is to associate your brand image with waxy, cheap chocolate or stale popcorn!
Along those same lines, when dealing with food you have to think about storage and distribution. Never buy edible swag without a game plan for how it will be distributed - within 1-2 weeks if possible. These are not items to sit in the storage room waiting for the next event!
When considering chocolate, temperatures must be taken into account. In summer months you'll pay extra for special packaging and expedited shipping on promotional chocolate orders so they don't melt in transit. Therefore, in warm climates or summer weather you may want to consider granola bars, pretzels or other healthy, non-chocolate alternatives.
Here are four new items in the healthy, edible swag category we've recently added to Ecoswag.com:
CUSTOM LABEL GRANOLA BARS
We love these natural Oat & Honey Granola Bars as a healthy alternative to candy bars. They make an excellent giveaway for tradeshows and conferences, especially in warm climates or during summer months when, unlike chocolate bars, they won't melt. Priced as low as $1.10/ea, these custom label, USA- made granola bars are a natural and healthy choice for your next promotion.
I can think of a lot of creative ways to design these custom wrappers to have some fun with your messaging. "Crunch Time? Call Us!" would be great for staffing agencies... or document delivery services. "Happy Trails to You" works for RV dealers or footwear companies. You could even tie in the idea of natural energy (like wind or solar) to granola bars. No matter what type of business or non-profit you are promoting, custom label granola bars are a swag idea you can sink your teeth into with creative messaging!
Another favorite comfort food? Freshly-baked cookies (I'm partial to chocolate chip). The ultimate way to draw visitors to your tradeshow booth is to bring a small oven and actually bake cookies on site. I've seen this done and it's amazing how people "follow their noses" right to your booth!
When that's not possible or practical, individually wrapped, custom labeled cookies are the next best thing. Ours are shipped within 24 hours of baking and are made with fresh, natural ingredients. They come in yummy flavors like chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and double chocolate, with a custom label you design. For under $2, this is a swag idea that's versatile enough to be used to promote companies in nearly any industry in a tasteful way!
Next up on my list are our new Custom Chocolate Coins, which bring back fond childhood memories for me. These cute little coins are custom-molded with your logo or message right in the chocolate.
Made with creamy, natural Swiss formula milk chocolate, these cute little coins are a versatile swag idea you can have a lot of fun with. Whether you put them in a coffee mug or a candy dish to give as business gift, or simply hand them out to your customers (an especially fun idea for banks and credit unions) they're sure to be a hit with kids and grown-ups alike. Coins are just one of the many delicious custom-molded chocolate items we can source for you - just contact us for more ideas in this category.
Last but not least, if you have golf-themed events coming up check out our Tee-Zels, which are natural, golf-tee-shaped pretzels in a customized recyclable bag. These salty little treats taste great with a cold beer after the game and won't melt in warm temperatures. The bag is cleverly customized with your company logo superimposed on the golf ball featured on the front of the bag (as shown). Priced at under $2.00, with a minimum order of just 128 bags, these fun tee-shaped pretzel treats are a great choice for hole sponsors looking for inexpensive ways to promote their companies at local golf tournaments.
We will continue to add more edible, customized food and snack choices to our site over time, so please visit Ecoswag.com to see what's new in this category.
I also want to mention that we have a MUCH WIDER selection of products available than what you'll find on our website. With our connections to thousands of promotional industry suppliers we're experts at sourcing hard-to-find items for our clients or finding items they've seen on competitor's websites. We can even help our clients develop their own unique & completely customized promotional products in large quantities.
If you aren't finding exactly what you're looking for, or if you're pressed for time and need help with good ideas for your creative marketing, please give me a call (877-432-6792) or email me directly: diane@ecoswag.com.
I love hearing from my blog readers (many of whom become clients). Don't be shy... and please keep coming back for more swag ideas!