RoSPA said, “…we are delighted to have organisations like yourselves in association”, and, “Overall, the seminar was very successful and we are delighted with the positive response we recieved from delegates.”

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The Team.

Commissioned by Britain for Events, the annual marketing campaign promoting the value of event tourism to the British economy, the report shows that the UK events industry could provide a much-needed boost to Britain’s economy over the next decade. As well as the industry’s economic value, the report highlights the benefits of positioning the UK at the centre of international business and the role that events play in bringing together world leaders. The report also outlines ways in which the events industry can work with national and local government to make Britain more competitive internationally.

Phil Mist of the Event Industry Forum commented, “With the countdown to the London 2012 Games and the Queen’s Jubilee well underway, the UK events industry will undoubtedly again show the world that organising major outdoor and sporting events is one of our specialities, and because of our expertise, the UK economy as a whole will benefit.”

According to Michael Hirst, Chairman of the Business Visits & Events Partnership, the report comes at a crucial time for the British economy: “The UK events sector is well set to play a pivotal role in facilitating economic growth and added employment by showcasing Britain as a world class destination for international conferences and trade shows, as well as staging its great sporting and cultural events and festivals.”

New statistics show conclusive link between promotional merchandise, branding and sales.

Key findings:

• Promotional merchandise can deliver a higher or equal ROI than most forms of advertising

• 66% of respondents said they could remember the brand on the promotional product they received during the last year

• 79% said they were likely to do business with the company in the future

• 8 out of 10 (84 per cent) respondents said that a branded promotional gift increases brand awareness

• Over three quarters (87 per cent) of recipients said they kept a promotional gift for longer than 12 months

• Over half (56 per cent) of respondents said their opinion of the brand/company was more favourable after receiving the promotional product

The first ever in-depth independent national survey into the power of promotional merchandise in the UK questioned businessmen and women about their behavioural trends and preferences for different promotional gifts.

One of the most significant findings of the survey is that promotional merchandise can deliver a higher ROI than radio and outdoor advertising and a ROI that is equal to TV and print advertising. The cost per impression for a mug is £0.001, a mid-range pen £0.001, a calendar £0.004, a USB stick £0.005 and an umbrella £0.003. With an average cost per impression of £0.003, these figures compare extremely favourably with the cost per impression of other media with TV coming in at £0.008, radio at £0.003 and advertising hoardings at £0.003.

Stephen Barker, BPMA board director, said: “These figures show that promotional merchandise is a highly cost-effective form of promotion which gives a ROI that is higher or equal to all other forms of media. While radio and advertising hoardings have a relatively comparable cost per impression, they have a higher cost of entry than promotional items, requiring far larger sums to be spent to achieve this cost per impression. With an average cost per impression of £0.003 promotional items achieve a comparable ROI to media requiring a much larger outlay and it enables companies with a modest marketing budget to punch above their weight in terms of the level of exposure achieved.”
The survey also examined how much the respondents opinion changed after receiving a promotional item, giving a measure of how such products can affect feelings, perceptions and buying activity. Over half (56 per cent) of respondents said they felt more favourable towards the brand/company. When asked how much more or less likely they were to do business with the company in the future after receiving the promotional item over three-quarters (79 per cent) said they were more likely.

Stephen Barker commented: “This is further evidence of the link between promotional merchandise, branding and sales. Promotional merchandise influences purchases and repeat exposure to a brand has a positive effect on how business people react to that brand.”

While over four-fifths (84 per cent) of respondents stated that a branded promotional gift increases awareness of the brand, 63 per cent of respondents said they preferred to receive a promotional gift with logo branding on and 37 per cent indicated that they prefer to receive an unbranded gift.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of people surveyed would most like to receive a USB stick, while 39 per cent would like a pen, 39 per cent an electrical item and 36 per cent a mug.

The reasons for these choices are clear, as when asked what types of promotional gift they found most useful 21% stated a USB stick, 11 per cent an electrical item and 10% a writing instrument.

Stephen Barker continues: “Usefulness is one of the core reasons for people retaining promotional merchandise and is a key factor in it being used time and time again, providing an ongoing reminder of the brand that gave it.”

18 per cent of respondents stated that they had kept a mug for the longest period of time, 15 per cent a USB stick and 12 per cent a pen, with around one-third (33 per cent) indicating they had kept an item for between one and two years and 30 per cent between three and four years, highlighting that around 87 per cent of recipients had kept a promotional item for longer than 12 months.

The impact of promotional merchandise on the recipient is shown by the items that respondents remember receiving in the last 12 months, with 44 per cent recalling receiving a pen, 34 per cent a mug and 31 per cent a calendar, with USB sticks and stationery coming in at 22 per cent and 18 per cent respectively.

Stephen Barker concludes: “The results of the survey unequivocally demonstrate the value that should be placed on promotional products as a key part of the marketing mix. Not only do promotional products make positive impressions on all those who see them, but the message is reinforced every time the product is used and contributes to the user’s needs and wellbeing. No other form of media can give the advertiser such a close tie between the benefits to the user and the brand and message. The findings also provide information that can help marketers tailor their promotional products even more specifically in order to make their promotional spend still more effective.”

-ends-

Notes to readers:

• The promotional merchandise market is worth an estimated £715million (BPMA)
• The online survey was commissioned by the BPMA and was carried out in Summer 2011 by ActionPoint Marketing Solutions Ltd.
• A UK wide study was conducted of a randomly selected set of 14,728 adults, who were screened on receiving promotional items at either work or home. Students and people under 21 were excluded.
• Of the 517 responses received there were 254 female respondents and 263 male respondents from across a range of sectors including manufacturing, retail, IT/ Communications, media, finance and education. Job titles included Chairman/MD, manager, director, executive pa, administrator.

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Promote your business with products from Heartlands Business Gifts.

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“These results are really not surprising. With consumers’ incomes being squeezed from many quarters, sales volumes are declining. Shop food prices are now hovering at 5 percent higher than a year ago, reflecting the impact of commodity price pressures. For retailers this generates the ‘double whammy’ of challenging sales growth as well as margin pressure.”

“Food retailers, along with the rest of the sector, are doing all they can to respond.

“Consumers increased desire to purchase promotional products looks set to continue and they are also seeking to reduce the inflationary impact of their weekly shop by changing the mix of products purchased.”

Following on from the success of last year’s Road Safety Week competition, Recognition Express Hull and East Riding, specialists in promotional gifts, personalised clothing and school uniform, has once again joined forces with Brake, the national road safety charity.

The two are running a ‘Design a Road Safety Banner’ competition, which last year was won by Amy Clappison from Beverley St Mary’s school.

Amy saw her banner design turned into the real thing hung outside the school to encourage traffic to slow down.

This year’s Road Safety Week takes place between November 21 and 27 and Recognition Express is inviting local school children aged between 4 and 11 to design a banner to display outside their school to raise awareness about road safety and encourage traffic to slow down to 20mph. The children can use Brake’s ‘Kids Say Slow Down’ or ‘20’s Plenty’ slogans for their designs.

The winning school will receive a banner printed with their winning design plus 300 high-visibility drawstring bags. The student who creates the winning design will receive a special Star Award for their achievement.

Every school that takes part this year will also automatically receive 200 ‘Star Writer’ pencils plus affiliate membership to Brake. Jan Chidley, of Recognition Express said: “Every 30 seconds someone, somewhere in the world, is killed in a road crash. Brake does a fantastic job of campaigning about road safety and supporting victims. Running this competition gives us the opportunity to raise awareness amongst children and hopefully help to keep them safe. We had so many entries last year and the creativity shown by the children was superb. We hope even more schools will take part this year.”

Article source – http://www.beverleyguardian.co.uk/community/kids_drive_home_safety_message_1_3757978

A proposed overhaul of Missouri’s job-creation incentives could make it easier for many businesses to qualify for state incentives. Some also could receive more aid than under Missouri’s existing programs. And for a lucky few, the new program could be like winning the lottery — they could choose to take the cash up front, instead of getting incremental payments over the coming years.

The proposal is called Compete Missouri. It’s backed by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon and passed the Missouri Senate last week on a bipartisan vote.

But it faces an uncertain future in the Missouri House as a special legislative session continues this week. Republican House leaders are skeptical about scrapping Missouri’s current way of doing things and giving Nixon’s administration greater flexibility over the state’s business enticements.

Article source http://www.chron.com/news/article/Analysis-Mo-proposal-revamps-business-incentives-2176769.php

According to reports, the LSE has already taken delivery of two beehives which will receive their 100,000 residents in a fortnight. The Exchange is working on plans to give honey as corporate gifts.

Even though the move pertaining to hives of honey bees at the LSE is being seen as eccentric by many people, both inside the City as well as outside it, Xavier Rolet – the CEO of the Exchange, and an avid beekeeper – is all excited at the prospects of welcoming the swarms of bees next month.

It is being hoped that the workers of the Exchange will also get involved in the effort, with a spokesman saying that local people and communities – including underprivileged children – will be able to help in looking after the hives, and employees will also get the opportunity to extend a helping hand.

Meanwhile, noting that “urban bees have a wide range of forage, as the gardens and green spaces in cities contain a rich variety of trees and flowers,” the London Beekeepers Association is optimistic that the warmer central London location of the LSE, overlooking St Paul’s, will help new colonies of honey bees to survive the winter.

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Article sourced from: http://topnews.net.nz/content/218116-london-stock-exchange-receive-thousands-honey-bees-next-month

Even as adults we’re far from immune from the appeal of a giveaway – who doesn’t like a freebie? Small wonder, then, that promotional products remain an immensely popular form of marketing. Anyone who’s been to an exhibition or similar event can vouch for that.

You can harness this cost-effective form of marketing with http://www.ideasbynet.com, which will print your logo and other information – contact details perhaps – on a plethora of different items, from mugs and coasters to umbrellas and conference bags.

So why, even in the age of the internet where new vistas of cost-effective marketing opportunities have opened up, does promotional marketing remain a common marketing tool? Put simply, it gets your brand prolonged and widespread visibility for a relatively modest outlay.

A TV or radio ad is comparably expensive and will get you exposure for a fixed period, say a month-long run. Get your logo on a thousand mugs and give them away in a nation of tea fanatics, and your getting your logo visible on a daily basis for months, even years, in countless households.

Promotional marketing is harnessed by big and small companies alike. For SMEs it’s an extremely cost-effective alternative to print, radio or TV advertising; large organisations, meanwhile, can afford to buy goods in such bulk they enjoy huge economies of scale.

The classic promotional items are key rings and pens, not least because they’re cheap to manufacture. Moreover, they’re the sort of thing used frequently.

Key rings are in and out of your pocket pretty much most days.

We all need a pen every now and again. Of course, they’re easy to lose, but they always surface again – if not in your own house but in someone else’s or in another place.

While you may lose pens, you also acquire them. They’re always floating around, as people drop them in a bank or post office, or lend them to people and forget them to get them back.

You could call it a form of unintentional referral marketing. It’s annoying for the person mislaying the pen – but great for the dissemination of your brand.

Remember, your company could offer the best products or services around but if it isn’t marketed properly this won’t count for much and your business could suffer as a result.

Larger businesses usually have the resources to employ orchestrated marketing campaigns, however, small businesses don’t always have the finance to do the same.

Despite this, there are ways small businesses can get around this with come creative strategies to build a brand without breaking the bank.

Here are some ideas to get those creative juices flowing:

Use branded goods

This strategy can be very effective but make sure that you don’t go overboard and spend too much time and money in this area.

Customer service

Excellent customer service is perhaps the most effective way of leaving your mark as a business and getting people to spread the word – and has the added benefit of being cost-free.

Set up a twitter account to give people a platform upon which to discuss your products and services. This way, you can also engage with your customers and let them know of any deals you are offering at the time.