Bankers Advertising

Soon October and Breast Cancer Awareness month will be upon us. Many of you will be planning a promotion to support and promote breast cancer awareness month with pink products. We know what pink symbolizes, but do you know what all the other awareness colors are? Did you know there are lot of opportunities all year long for you to promote awareness/cause events?

With 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the United States, according to the National

Center for Charitable Statistics, corporations can choose from a big list of causes to support.

Teaming up with a good cause can benefit any business. It enables co-workers to unite for a greater good, and it provides valuable funding and resources to a cause in need.

Cause-related marketing is on the rise with charitable corporate giving amounting to $18.6 billion in 2015, a 3.9 percent increase, according to NP Trust. High profile corporate sponsorships are in the spotlight. For example, the Macy’s “Go Red” Campaign in partnership with the American Heart Association has raised more than $55 million.

If you are feeling inspired to support a good cause, we can help you promote internally and externally with the right promotional products. Events like walk-a-thons, 5Ks, Color-Runs, pledge drives and fundraiser dinners need promotional products to thank participants, garner attention and make the memory last. Plus, your employees will be excited to don promotional items like T-shirts and ribbons for a good cause.

We carry a large assortment of products to promote any cause. With Breast Cancer Awareness Month sneaking up on us, now is the time to plan your marketing efforts for the causes/events you plan to support. We can help them with ideas and products. We have a calendar of events that can provide you with assistance, just ask your Bankers Advertising Consultant or search here.

What can we learn from RAGBRAI? A lot about marketing and branding… that’s for sure!

shot 07/29/10 along RAGBRAI, IA. Christopher Gannon/The Register — RAGBRAI Thursday — Riders make their way out of Charles City Thursday morning on RAGBRAI. (Christopher Gannon/The Des Moines Register)

The Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa has begun. First held in 1973, the ride starts in Western Iowa by dipping the bike back tires in the Missouri River, crossing Iowa to the East side and dipping their front tires in the Mississippi River. It draws in recreational riders from across the U.S. and beyond.

The event is a seven-day bicycle ride across Iowa, and it is the oldest, largest and longest week-long bicycle touring event in the world. More than 10,000 riders are expected this year.

RAGRBRAI has their own shop of promotional merchandise that is promoted online prior to the event as well a tent at each host city. Registration gifts include a t-shirt, water bottle and DVD. Riders will also receive a jersey, shorts or bibs and armbands.

In addition, there are hundreds of teams that ride together, most have their own fanfare of merchandise including logoed apparel, drinkware, lanyards, stickers, etc. You see team buses with signs and people going crazy supporting their favorite team along with a variety of imprinted items to promote their group.

Another thing that makes RAGBRAI unique is that each host city has their own theme which means each town has its own promotional merchandise to foster interest in their towns, creating souvenirs and memorabilia including t-shirts, coffee mugs, can coolies, caps, etc. There are vendors set up at each city selling an assortment of products – many of which include even more promotional products.

The exciting part of this event – it engages so many people and products throughout the state and country. I was on vacation a couple of years ago on a cruise in the Caribbean and at one of the ports I saw a gentleman wearing a RAGBRAI t-shirt. I asked if he was from Iowa. He said he was from Oregon, but went to Iowa to ride in the big ride. He told me he had a t-shirt from every town he stopped in, and every time he wears them he remembers something specific about the ride and the events in the host cities.

Not only is RAGBRAI great for the state of Iowa, it’s also a testimonial of how promotional products can travel around the world telling stories, creating memories and showcasing events. Promotional products are the “Advertising that lives on.”

The Olympics provide marketing lessons that we can use when you plan your next event.

Tap into Emotions

Few sporting events can boast the emotional diversity created by the Olympics. In every Olympic Games, there are emotional stories of athletes that have conquered huge challenges to have a shot

at the gold medal. Emotional connections are also the strongest and most important that your client can create. Giving a promotional product that ties into the emotions and messaging of the event will create memories for years to come.

Sponsorships

Big retail brand names pay a lot of money to be an Olympic sponsor. Your event may not be able to attract the big Fortune 100 companies, but by putting together a sponsorship program, possibly with levels, you will offset some of your upfront costs in exchange for marketing packages. In addition, landing local big sponsors can boost the perception of the event through brand association. The premise being that if Big Important Business Brand thinks this is worthwhile; it must be worthwhile.

Think About Apparel

Each country that will enter the Olympic stadium during the opening ceremonies will wear a specific outfit that clearly identifies what country they are from. If you are having an event, staff or volunteers should be clearly identifiable. First, it makes them easy to find and second, it’s an additional branding mechanism. Also, t-shirts make great keepsakes to sell to attendees and have plenty of room for sponsor logos.

Make it a Memorable Event

The opening ceremonies of this year’s Olympics will be one watched by billions and usually have some type of big hoopla event within the ceremony. If you want your event to be a big deal, plan pre-event, at-event and post-event brand builders to generate excitement and exposure for the main event. Promotional products build memory value by giving attendees something more to reminisce and talk about long after the event.

Use Promotional Products to make your next event or promotion one of Olympic proportions!