Discover the way to anchor your brand and be memorable.
Three years ago I was introduced to a group of advertising students at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario, as their guest speaker, the chief inspiration officer of a promotional marketing firm. The students weren’t at all prepared for what I was going to talk about, nor did I realize the turning point that would happen as a result of that presentation.
After my presentation the students told me that in their two-year advertising program, they spent only two days discussing promotional products. None of what I covered in my presentation was part of their curriculum.
The Concept Of Sensory Media
I’ve shared my take on this industry with audiences ranging from business professionals to marketing students and the response continues to be the same. They’ve never heard the industry presented this way, a way in which promotional products are reframed as “sensory media.” I now begin my presentations by asking, “Who are the chocolate lovers in the crowd?” I choose to walk toward the person whose hand is highest and offer them a bar of decadent chocolate, custom molded with my brand and message. They inevitably thank me for the gift and dive into their treat. I bring to the audience’s attention two things that just happened. First, that the chocolate lover thanked me for my advertising. (When was the last time you thanked YouTube for inserting yet another ad?) Second, that my brand and advertising message awakened many senses at one time, creating great impact.
The shift from thinking “giveaways” to the recognition that this “sensory media” is a human-to-human approach that naturally inspires action is an “aha” moment.
Daniel Pink, author of Drive, says most people experience “functional fixedness”—they’re used to doing things the same way. Doing things the same way has positioned promotional products as giveaways. The consensus is that they’re next week’s landfill yet a necessary expense to brand and create awareness.
The missing link I discovered is, in part, understanding who we are as people, how we think, what our mental faculties are and how to break conditioning. After all, we’re not companies dealing with companies; we’re people dealing with people. The connection between that realization and the brilliance of promotional products as interactive media repositions them as highly effective communication tools.
Every single thing produced is either used as an incentive, reward or gift. It’s a powerful form of media that inspires behaviour through one-to-one tangible communication. It’s personal. It’s not the giveaway industry—it’s the give-for industry. Give for a job well done. Give for increased sales. Give for thanks. And to date the promotional products sector is a $23 billion force of giving in North America.
This book is designed for business professionals who not only want more from their marketing budgets, but who are looking for that edge. With a deeper understanding of how to be more successful with promotional communication tools, they can have both.
The book was deliberately written so that the first letter of the chapters creates the phrase FROM PANIC TO PROFIT; the reason being that many promotional products are purchased last-minute as quick giveaways with not enough attention given to their capabilities. As we emerge from one of the most difficult global economies in our history, we notice that when times are tough, fear often paralyzes our creativity and element of risk. When we understand the brilliance of sensory media, both fear and risk diminish. We can take a more strategic approach and create consistent memorable experiences to anchor our brand.
We Think In Pictures
Allow me to elaborate. When I say the word “dog” what flashes on the screen of your mind, the word DOG or an image of a dog? Perhaps the image is your dog. He could be a six month-old German shepherd with his oversized paws anxious for his walk, or she could be the three-year-old stray you found wandering on the side of the road near your home. The image could be a dog guide, the neighbour’s dog or a scene from the leash-free park. The picture in your mind is as unique as the dog itself and the experience that brought you together.
We think in pictures. When you’re speaking on the phone with someone with whom you haven’t yet met, you often will create an image of what that person looks like. When you’re describing your holiday you might choose specific images to convey the experience in such detail that the person with whom you’re sharing it will see what you see. Van Gogh said, “I dream my painting then I paint my dream.”
We think in pictures. We create images in our minds as snapshots for things and experiences then frame them in our minds. Once the framing is done the image is cast in our mind and tucked away.
We frame concepts as well. We create judgments, opinions and biases based on our experiences, and once we frame those concepts we’re unlikely to change them. Sometimes single experiences or stereotypes will harden those opinions and make it difficult to shatter and recreate them. What’s your opinion about lawyers, multi-level marketing companies and airports? What images come to mind? If you’ve created a negative framework, then sharing with you my great experiences with lawyers, multi-level marketing companies and airports might not resonate.
When You Hold A Promotional Product, You Hold The Brand
When I say “promotional product” what image comes to mind? A pen? A pen salesman? A trunk full of giveaways? Our industry has been unfairly framed and trivialized. The challenge with the old frame is that it limits how the industry can effectively serve you. You’re missing its social brilliance by minimizing its ability to effectively communicate your brand message.
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what’s the worth of the real thing? I’m going to suggest its image to the power of five—five representing our five senses.
Here’s why: When you hold a promotional product you hold the brand. It’s different than seeing a billboard or watching a commercial. A promotional product is an interactive, multi-sensory communication tool that can create or recreate a brand experience. Each time you pick up that pen, wear that t-shirt, drink from that water bottle, or write on that sticky note, you’re reminded of where it came from and are, in some way, interacting with the brand imprinted on the product.
Sensory media can educate, inspire, motivate, reward, appreciate, draw, build, align and so much more. In fact each time the promotional product is in play it serves to replay that experience and be the physical extension of a brand or experience. It’s powerful simply—and most importantly—because we’re sensory beings.
As we shatter the old “promotional product” frame and build a new, more relevant image of “sensory media,” we open ourselves to infinite possibilities of effectively communicating our brand.
Excerpted with permission from Sensory Media by Jae M. Rang, MAS. Rang, chief inspiring officer of Oakville, Ontario-based distributor JAE Associates Ltd. (UPIC: J561178), has captured years of study on the mind and human behavior relating to promotional material in her book available for purchase at http://sensorymedia.ca. Born as a direct-mail house in 1980, JAE Associates Ltd. is now a full-service promotional marketing agency helping business leaders around the globe build relationships. Rang has won a number of national Image awards for creative campaigns, is past chair of the Promotional Product Professionals of Canada (PPPC), chair of the PPPC Scholarship program, 2011 inductee in the PPPC Hall of Fame, 2014 recipient of the PPPC Humanitarian Award and a 2015 judge for Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF) and, most importantly, William’s mom.
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PPB editor Tina Berres Filipski recently spoke with author and distributor principal Jae M. Rang, MAS, to learn more about the story behind Sensory Media.
PPB: Where did the idea for the book come from?
Rang: I have been speaking about the concept of promotional products as “sensory media” for a few years. Each time I make the presentation, whether it’s to a group of students at a college or university, or to business professionals, they always comment that they have never heard our industry presented in this way. It causes them to take a second, more serious look at the opportunities this sensory media affords them in anchoring their brand and being memorable.
PPB: What does the book teach?
Rang: The book is more of a “why” delving into the reasons behind why this human media is so effective. It teaches some principles like developing promotional programs around a defined purpose, the Law of Reciprocity, and building relationships to name a few. The book really is a platform to educate buyers, students and new members of our industry about opportunities but leaves the real work to the professionals—the providers of promotional products.
PPB: How will the book be used and what do you hope it will accomplish?
I expect this book will be an aha. In fact, in the foreword, Bob Proctor comments, “For years, Jae has observed the effect sensory media has on individuals. The unfortunate thing about being ahead of your time is that when people finally realize you were right, they will say it was obvious all along.” I am hoping this will be a tool for everyone in our industry to use to educate their teams as well as their buyers on how, as manufacturers and consultants, we can build powerful brands. I am also sharing this book with professors and students I know in advertising and marketing programs to help create a stronger awareness for the power of our industry. I look forward to continue to share this message personally and build additional online content to support the community.
PPB: Is this your first book? What was the process like to get these ideas on paper?
Rang: This is the first of three books I expect to create this year. The three are not related but are ones I have wanted to write. The first is always the most difficult. My biggest regret is that I didn’t keep a journal over the years. ‘Remembering’ was the most difficult part and held me up for some time. I decided that since the book is meant as a tool, not a textbook, I kept it simple and conversational, stated some important principles, told some stories, and I hope it contributes to enhancing our industry.