Advertising souvenir products

It is traditionally believed that the first advertising souvenir was a commemorative badge issued in 1789 to mark the election of George Washington as the first president of the newly formed United States of America . At the beginning of the 19th century, advertising calendars, rulers, and various souvenirs made of wood were produced, but until the end of the 19th century it was impossible to talk about the existence of an industry for creating and distributing promotional gifts.

The founder of the promotion industry is Jasper Mick, a newspaperman from Ohio , who in 1886 figured out how to make his printing press not stand idle - he invited the owner of a local shoe store to print his advertisement on canvas bags. ^[one]

The success of Jasper Mick gave rise to competition - Henry Beach soon picked up Mick's idea, which, thanks to the emergence of competition, contributed to the development of the market for promotional products. Mick and Beach printed advertisements on everything that could be put under the print press: hats, aprons, calendars, fans, different bags and sacks. Over time, promotional gifts became more diverse, and there were more and more companies offering them to their customers.

In 1904, representatives of 12 American manufacturers of promotional products decided to create an industry trade association. ^[2] So there was the existing to this day, the International Association of Promotional Products (Promotional Products Association International, PPAI), which by the end of 2016 had more than 14,000 members. ^[3]

The promotional product industry in the UK and Ireland formally emerged in the late 1950s, when corporate marketing became more and more thoughtful. Of course, companies gave gifts before that, but as such, the advertising and souvenir industry did not exist. A real explosion of industry growth occurred in the 1970s. At this time, more and more companies realized the benefits that brand and product promotion brings with gifts that showcase their logo. Initially, the range of available products was limited, but in the early 1980s, distributors increased demand for catalogs of universal promotional products that could be branded and then presented to corporate customers. In the future, these catalogs could be “re-branded” to reflect the corporate identity of distributors who could offer them to their end customers as their own. In those years, catalogs of promotional souvenirs were the main selling tool.

Until the 1990s, the peak season could be clearly distinguished in the industry of promotional gifts, when most of the promotional products were sold - it happened on Christmas and other holidays, for which everyone traditionally exchanges gifts. The changes were due to the fact that in a multicultural UK gifts for a religious holiday were no longer perceived as appropriate. In addition, brands became more inventive in their marketing campaigns, advertising souvenirs were used throughout the year to promote brands, products and events. At the beginning of the 21st century, the role of promotional catalogs began to change, since they could no longer fully reflect the widest selection of souvenirs on the market. By 2007, catalogs began to be distributed to target client bases , and not to everyone, as before. Catalogs began to be perceived as “business cards,” demonstrating the concept of what a particular company is doing, and not exclusively as a sales tool. A gradual decrease in the use of printed catalogs began, which began to be posted on online catalogs.

Industrial goods came to the territory of Russia after the collapse of the USSR . The market for promotional souvenirs developed gradually. Today, Russian companies are included in the global system for the production and distribution of promotional souvenirs. However, the local market for industrial goods is significantly inferior to similar markets in Europe and especially the USA.

The volume of the promotion industry market in Russia in 2015 amounted to 20.5 billion rubles. The purchases through catalogs account for 5,400 million rubles, and the volume of purchases of the 15 largest importing companies amounted to approximately 3,500 million rubles (taking into account the correction factor - 4,200 million). ^[four]

Promotion products all over the world are used to promote brands , products and popularize corporate identity. They are also presented at events, exhibitions or presentations of goods and services. Non-profit organizations can also use promotional products to draw attention to specific topics or fundraising events for charity.

Almost any item can be branded and used in a promotion campaign. The largest share of the American market for promotional products, according to 2015, is clothing, which accounts for 32% of total sales. ^[5] The most popular items in the USA are t-shirts, drinking utensils, flash drives, bags, writing instruments, outerwear, etc. (according to ASI). ^[6] Most advertising souvenirs are relatively small and inexpensive, but there are also high-class expensive items that can be presented, for example, to managers of large enterprises, as well as to stars at film festivals and award ceremonies - expensive perfumes, leather accessories and electronic gadgets.

Brand recognition is the main goal of promotional souvenirs. Other purposes for which promotional products are used are building relationships between employees and holding corporate events, increasing customer flow at exhibitions, public relations , attracting new customers, dealer and distribution programs, presenting new products, employee awards and prizes, non-profit programs, internal incentive programs etc. Promotional gifts and how to present them differ from country to country and from culture to culture, and the types of products themselves change depending on the place.

Promotional goods are rarely bought directly by customer companies from manufacturers of promotional goods. The manufacturer's prerogative is the selection and control of the production of souvenirs. But delivering it to potential customers requires completely different skills and is a complex process. Distributors are companies that sell promotional products to end customers (end customers mean a company or organization buying promotional products for their own use). These distribution companies have experience not only in order to bring the product to the market, but also in order to help the client choose the best solution.

In the UK, the promotional gift industry is represented by the BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association), an industry association founded in 1965. This association represents the industry and serves both manufacturers and distributors of promotional gifts. BPMA offers a wide variety of services, including market research for the UK promotional product industry. ^[7]

In the USA, PPAI (Promotional Products Association International) is a nonprofit organization hosting the largest industry exhibition (PPAI Expo), providing training and offering legal support to its members. ^[8] Another organization, the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), positions itself as the largest media and marketing organization serving the advertising and souvenir industry. ^[9]

Since 2013, there has been a National Association of the Advertising and Souvenir Industry (NARSI) in Russia - a professional association whose main task is to build, develop and strengthen the promotion industry in Russia, create favorable market conditions for improving the quality of service in the industry, providing the most complete and reliable information to the end users. consumers about the product and market players, and the support of professional companies working in the industry to grow their business. By the end of 2016, NARSI includes 39 members. The association holds educational events, contests, participates in exhibitions. ^[10] .