With so many worthy causes to support and raise awareness for – from social issues and environmental concerns to the multitude of illnesses and U.S. veteran support – it's not surprising that there are numerous opportunities to provide your customers with the appropriate products to tap into this market and assist clients in championing these causes. Lapel pins, apparel, ribbons, bumper stickers, decals, magnets and bracelets are just a few of the items that people sport during cause/awareness events.
According to Steve Weinstein of EMT, the cause/awareness market means sending a message, attracting attention, and getting people to talk about an issue, usually related to a health or social condition. "As a segment of the promotional products market, it represents the merchandise used to attract that attention," he states.
Grethe Adams at Southern Plus relates that spending is up in this market. "But with that, there is an increasing number of charities vying for these donations, and it’s important to stay relevant with your target donor pool," she explains. "Spring and summer are busy seasons for the arts- and health-related charities with the height of tourism and outdoor events like walk/runs and concerts driving the interest. The fall season is dominated by breast cancer awareness in October; but various humanitarian causes also peak this time of year."
Jennifer Hoyt of Stouse observes that this market is broad and far-reaching. "It's more than just nonprofit organizations," she explains. "It is any business willing to support a cause, either nonprofit or grass roots. Businesses of all types get behind causes for many reasons – both directly when planning an event – and indirectly as a sponsor or contributor. And, it seems like more people than ever before are willing to take action for a cause they hold near and dear to their hearts."
In agreement with Hoyt is Gempire's Karen Barkevich, who adds, "Many corporations want to show their commitment. It is a do-good, feel-good type of marketing."
As far as trends in this market go, there seems to be no shortage of activities such as runs, walks, and activities (think Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS). Weinstein finds that all of these activities are on the rise. "The tangible nature of the participant's effort and ability to tie fundraising donations to actions has increased participation and multiplied financial results," Weinstein emphasizes.
Dan McCarty of BizPins points out that product-wise, buyers are looking for items that are new and on trend, but also have imprinting or styling that communicates their particular cause. "Their constituents are interested in getting something that they don't already have," he comments.
Hub Pen’s Andy Arruda expands on these sentiments, pointing out that color is always a driving product feature. "Most awareness and cause markets are tied to a particular color," he states. "It is very important to tie a cause to a color."
According to EMT’s Weinstein, the company offers many products that are used to draw attention to causes and to reward participants for their involvement in fundraising. Over at BizPins, McCarty says that the company will work directly with its distributor partners in developing new and custom products. “Those [distributors] that have unique, new, attractive, and quality items do well,” he emphasizes.
Lapel pins are best sellers at Gempire and EMT. Gempire makes a PVC sneaker lapel pin with real shoelaces – great for walks and fitness events, and Barkevich notes that anything creative or unusual is selling well. EMT’s Weinstein adds that in addition to lapel pins, embroidered appliques and silicone wrist bands are also best sellers due to their visibility and low cost. "In the rewards area our purse hangers are well received in causes and events with a primarily female census of participants," he states.
New for 2015 from Stouse are water bottle labels. "These have been used for larger fundraising events to reinforce the cause/message," Hoyt explains. "Our best-selling items for this market is still the oval 6" x 4" euro style decal, generally for run/walk events and fundraisers. However, we see a lot of static clings, magnets, and roll labels come through the plant as well." Typically, these products are used frequently in direct mail campaigns either thanking contributors for their donation or providing some sort of membership documentation, Hoyt maintains.
Hybrid ink pens, which are available in many cause/awareness colors, are hot at Hub Pen. Arruda notes that the ink is a hybrid mix of gel and ballpoint inks, which allow them to be "smear resistant almost to the point of smear proof." Top sellers at Biz Pins include cell phone accessories, unique jewelry, and new fabric items.
At Southern Plus, the new Menali tote has become a top seller, according to Adams. "This rugged, raw jute tote lends itself well to eco-friendly causes," she comments. "Its roll-up-your-sleeves appeal resonates with the younger demographics whose charitable spending tends to go toward humanitarian and eco-conscious causes." Other best sellers include the Woodstock Tote as well as the perennial best seller for breast cancer awareness month, the 7035 Pink Heart Morph Sac. This is a shopper tote that folds down into a heart shape, which Adams says is, "affordable, memorable, and practical – a combination that has made it a hit year after year.” Another popular item for breast cancer awareness is the Pink Ribbon umbrella with an all-over ribbon pattern that appears only after the umbrella gets wet.
It is also important to make sure the gift fits the general demographics of the event attendees or intended donor pool.
Stouse's Hoyt urges distributors to inform end users that items like bumper stickers, magnets, and roll labels offer a low-cost alternative and many people are proud to display their support. “When displayed, the item becomes a moving billboard at just fractions of a penny per impression,” she states. “In addition, most of the items will fit nicely in a standard envelope and are easy to distribute via direct mail.” McCarty at Biz Pins recommends meeting with the end user to brainstorm and find out what their objectives are.
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Case Study, Steve Weinstein, EMT
Objective: Display support for breast cancer awareness in a big-scale way.
Strategy: The football league decided for their breast cancer awareness month, they needed something to make their gloves special. The Pink ribbon applique was the perfect lightweight options to seal onto all football gloves for the month. After ordering thousands, every player in the league was proudly displaying them on their gloves.
Results: The gloves became a very popular awareness item, as they were seen over and over again for the month on TV and in person. After the month, they were donated to different groups and people who suffered from breast cancer. They not only raised awareness, but they became special memorabilia.