Buttons and lapel pins are not just for political elections. They are a means of self-expression, and in this modern age where “likes” exist to validate one’s self identity, buttons and pins are more sought after than ever. People love to support their favorite brands, businesses, products, and events, by wearing logoed items. And wearing buttons and pins has a pretty enduring history.
Mary Jo Brunell of Knobby Krafters Inc. (which has been manufacturing lapel pins for 94 years), explains that the company’s original stick pins were used as costume and emblematic jewelry, and evolved into plastic lapel pins used as ad specialties. “In the earlier days, wearing a lapel pin was a way to show membership of a group or a club, a thank you for a service, or for a monetary donation,” she says.
She lists a wide variety of ways in which lapel pins have recently been used by many to promote events, a new product or a milestone anniversary etc.: festivals and fairs which usually require yearly design changes, colleges for admission or alumni events, manufacturers that promote new items at trade shows or sales events, as rewards for years of service, and for health and wellness events.
Lapel pin collecting and trading is a popular activity and there are even conventions for pin and emblem collectors, according to Tom Farrell of EMTeasy. “I love seeing clients incorporate the hobby into their promotional or fundraising efforts by creating fun and unique designs that keep their audience engaged in the program, and always on the hunt for the next pin,” he relates. “It could be an annual event pin or a collectible brand pin series, but adding the trading component can give the program a fun, game-like feel, that even non-collectors will participate in.”
Buttons, meanwhile, “tell a story much like a billboard,” describes Joe Durand of Larlu. Beyond typical circular buttons, custom shaped buttons, shiny Mylar® and cloth-faced buttons can pique more immediate interest.
Sales Advice
Unlike anything with a larger surface, buttons and pins are small surfaces for messaging – and this may be an objection. However, you can counter that buttons and pins are very eye-catching, especially with today’s options as mentioned. When the eye encounters something of interest (a color, light, shape), it is immediately arrested and remains on the object to explore it. Buttons and pins are perfect – because they are worn as personal adornments, others who encounter the wearer will tend to notice the message on the button or pin more easily than other products.
For example, Harvey Mackler of Gempire explains that his company can add “bling” such as synthetic or genuine stones, blinking lights, glitter in colors, and moving parts like a soccer player kicking a ball, a roulette wheel spinning, or, for the grand opening of a new sports facility, the pin can be produced with the roof opening.
But because the messaging real estate on a button or pin is rather small, Brunell advises to work with the client to create a quick, concise message that conveys an immediate need, or engenders questions. For example, she offers, during the winter flu season, many pharmacies tend to promote flu shots. Employees and pharmacists wearing buttons with “Get Your Flu Shot” remind customers to do just that. A manufacturer of a dietary supplement ingredient had its employees wear buttons proclaiming how its trademarked ingredient “can change the world” at a
tradeshow.
But clients do not need to be big fish, so to speak. Dave Ten Eyck of Fields Mfg. adds that any business can get involved in any of the monthly health awareness campaigns, such as Breast Cancer Awareness, Colon Cancer Awareness, Go Red for Women, etc. Most of these foundations have local chapters that work with local businesses; when these businesses get involved, they generate goodwill and positive reactions in their communities. Buttons are the perfect and budget-friendly health awareness campaign product for local establishments to use as part of their awareness participation program.
Lapel pins, points out Farrell, make a tangible impact as part of employee or service recognition programs. For a relatively low cost, you can create a completely custom piece of emblematic jewelry that the recipient will likely wear for years. “Our memories are tied to our emotions, so if you can make an emotional connection through something as simple as giving an employee a pin to recognize years of service or milestone, or make someone laugh with a funny message or design, they’ll never forget it,” he comments.
The most important input deals with the buyer’s expectations, Mackler believes. Questions he advises distributors to ask should include: What are their expectations? Have they purchased this pin in the past? Are there very specific brand style guidelines that must be followed or can they be modified in any way? (a pin or button is typically smaller than many other items.) Does their art fit into a pin size they want or would wear? Do they have an example of an item that they like? What is their budget? How about their event date? Have they considered how they will distribute the item?
“Without this critical information, all of us run the risk of spinning wheels, wasting valuable time, and eventually losing opportunities, orders, and ultimately revenue,” he warns. “All too often we are told ‘It is the wrong size,’ or ‘We wanted a different type of pin,’ or ‘The colors are not our colors.’” Deep investigative questions should reduce the risk of delivering an unsatisfying order.
Ten Eyck reminds, “There are few markets that have not used buttons or pins to promote their businesses or message. The sky really is the limit here.”
CASE STUDIES
Joe Durand of Larlu: “A hospital was trying to reduce the spread of germs inside its facilities. Anyone in the building was the target of their simple and effective message, ‘Got Hands? Wash Them.’”
Tom Farrell of EMTeasy: “One of the more memorable lapel pin programs we participated in was for a distributor whose large client was running a company-wide training and outreach event around the time of the last Olympic games. Lapel pin collecting is a big part of the Olympics, so to capture some of that excitement, they set up learning and activity stations around the event where employees could go to collect different pins. It was a really successful way to engage their team members to learn and participate in the events, and promote company initiatives.”