Are You Tired of Being the Rodney Dangerfield?

The comedian and actor Rodney Dangerfield (real name Jack Roy) made a very successful career by claiming “I don’t get no respect”. This self exclaimed lack of respect afforded him a handsome income and millions of fans. 

Your lack of respect in the promotional media industry won’t work out as well! For all of recent history, advertising agency types looked down on promotional media and demeaned the marketing channel whenever they had the opportunity. The fact that many of the advertising campaigns they developed included using promotional products, the media (our media) never was given credit for success. Basically, if you don’t bill for creativity it has no value.

We did it to ourselves. This industry (promotional products media) was started in 1853 as an extension of a printing company. I know this because I work for that company today! By 1894 the promotional products part of the business was spun off and many additional items including calendars and business necessities were added. Just as a business puts their name on their letterhead, imprinting other items was for identification, not marketing. 

The early 1900s saw some changes. Two years before the spinoff of the promotional part of the business another business was established called Coca Cola. That company embraced the use of promotional products as advertising and marketing and produced many items from signage and serving trays to ornate fountain serving displays. There were other earlier examples of products carrying “brands” but that again was all about identification of who made the product, not to influence others to buy.

There is record of printed advertising posters going back more than a thousand years and painted signs were used more than 4,000 years ago. But adding a brand support message to a useful item that would stay around for a while was the birth of this industry. 

It was however an industry of selling things that a business consumed (Letterhead, business cards, etc.) or were needed to conduct business (quill pens in banks for example). The people that sold these things were seen as sales agents, peddlers and merchants. They were not seen as “professionals” like doctors, lawyers and accountants. Little or nothing was done to elevate our industry to a professional level and many within our industry added to the poor image - lack of respect.

Enough of the history lesson. The reality on the street today is that less than half the people in the promotional products media industry present themselves as professional marketers that build businesses. The majority simply sells stuff and competes largely on price. This has provided great income for many years, but just like the ancient history you read above, things are changing - fast!

You can reposition yourself and start developing some respect even if as an industry we still do not generally bill for creating programs. Start with easy things. If your business name has the words “promotional products” in it, change to “promotional products media specialists” or anything else that takes the focus away from the products we use and places it on the purpose those products are for - purpose not products. 

Whenever a client asks for a quote for items they already have decided to buy (they are shopping) and when clients want to do a reorder - always, 100% of the time, ask how they are using or planning to use the items. Find out what the client is hoping to accomplish with the business investment. With that information you may be able to make suggestions, utilizing the same budget, that will be more effective and may even have better margins. Or you might be able to save the client some money if you are aware of specials suppliers are offering.

Also keep in mind that for most of your clients and potential clients the idea of “do it yourself” advertising/marketing is a really bad idea. Many trade skills can be successfully done by DIY inclined individuals. Some basic carpentry, a little plumbing, fixing a broken window. But just beyond the basics you will encounter building codes, permits, material specifications and inspections! Going along with the examples of tradesmen, a plumber that does his own marketing will most likely come up with ideas only other plumbers will pay attention to. You however can bring a consumer’s perspective. You will have knowledge of other successful concepts you have put together and will be able to guide the businessmen to a better outcome.

While Rodney cashed in on the supposed lack of respect and always added to the impression with the words and stories he used, set your sights on doing the opposite. Change your lexicon from handouts, giveaways, trinkets, swag, price, etc. to investment, employee recognition, brand support, traffic builder, loyalty program, safety & health program support, fundraising and dozens of other areas promotional products media is amazing at targeting. And if a client takes your creative and buys online, send them an invoice for the creative and let me know what happens!