Making your promotional item stand out

I’m sorry to mention Christmas again but I thought I’d tell you a story that concerns the festive season and its aftermath. Depending on your point of view, my tale may encourage you to think differently about why and when you send out Promotional Gifts.

A few days before Christmas I was putting up our cards and realised that we hadn’t received greetings from one of my particularly close chums. Knowing that he is always busy I didn’t worry too much about it but when Christmas had come and gone I must admit to feeling a little sorry.

However, on New Year’s Eve a card from him finally arrived. Instead of its being covered with tinsel and snow it was a plain affair with a simple abstract design on the front and his handwritten best wishes for 2006 on the inside.

Come Twelfth Night and while all the other cards were taken down, this one remained.

Cut to the 4-5 February and my friend came to stay for the weekend. He was delighted to see his New Year card still on the mantelpiece!

The explanation is pretty straightforward. All the Christmas cards had a shelf life, they had to be taken down on the 6 January. Forgetting the superstition of bad luck, the fact is that most people have had enough by then and are glad to see the back of them.

Because this card was different, it was not subjected to the same fate as the others and therefore outlived the rest by well over a month. Indeed, it is still there in my living room and I think of my friend every time I see it.

Before sentimentality totally takes over, I think it is worth pointing out that this is surely the way in which people should be approaching their promotional work. You are all wanting your message to stand out from your competitors so why not try doing something different?

A few years ago when I was in a previous editorial role, a major London conference venue sent out a bauble at Christmas. Nothing unusual in that. However, another one arrived on Valentine’s Day, another on St Patrick’s Day and various others on special days in the year. It was an excellent ‘gimmick’ and one that kept the profile of the venue in our minds all through the year, not just a couple of weeks in December. One of my colleagues had the full set on her desk and we looked forward to each public holiday or other annual event to see if a little parcel came through the post.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you abandon Christmas cards totally or overlook obvious opportunities such as the World Cup or Olympic Games. However, there seem to me to be compelling reasons not to follow the herd. If you are wanting to demonstrate the individuality of your company or service, it may be a good idea to do this in as individual a manner as possible.

By the way, this year I’m going to send out ‘Merry Michaelmas’ cards at the end of September!

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