The kitchen is hotter than ever. This is the age of "celebrity chefs" and the Food Channel, which teaches Americans "how to" make memorable meals. Further, morning and evening news shows are featuring cooking segments, and local farmers and producers are growing, making and selling more than ever.
Cooking for one's self, family and friends is a creative endeavor that results in immediate gratification.
There's also an economic factor at play. Gwen Brey of Beacon Promotions observes that many families are trying to cut expenses and are eating at home more frequently. "American adults spend an average of three to five hours a day in the kitchen," she says. "It's the room where the family lives."
Ray Pokorny of Polyconcept NA, says that the growing demand for promotional kitchen and household items can be attributed to the desire for everyday items that can be used in the home. "Kitchen and household promotional products are useful, stylish items that can be reused and will fit in with any kitchen or household décor," he says.
Your customer base, whether local businesses and corporate marketing departments, wants to choose items that are what people will use, emphasizes Sarah Sumner of Bay State Specialty Co. "Everyone has a kitchen and can use handy items related to the kitchen and the general household. "'Fun' and 'eye catching' products may grab attention, but are most likely to be tossed out after a short time," she comments. "However, household items like measuring cups, and bamboo utensils will be used in the kitchen and therefore, kept for longer periods of time because of their utility value."
Sumner adds that one of Bay State's most popular items are jar openers, which are inexpensive and provide a large imprint area. "People constantly tell us that they were given a jar opener decades ago, and still have it! How's that for ROI?"
"Consumers are better informed on being in charge of their own health and wellness. To this end, we offer our BPA-free branded water hydration lines," says Stan W. A. Dohan, MAS, MASI, The Allen Company.
There are many items to choose from. According to Pokorny, Leed's offers a wide array of wine and cheese, food storage, as well as tabletop and serving items in its housewares category. "We offer everything from multi-piece wine sets, like the Executive Wine Collectors Set, and the Laguiole 6-Piece Steak Knife Set to bamboo cutting boards and reusable plastic food storage containers," he describes.
An example of a creative sales idea, he adds, would be using a food container, like the 1031-46 Punch Food Container, and filling it with items like candy and chocolate or any other small promotional item. These would make great handouts for many applications from employee gifts to realtors gifting to home buyers," he suggests.
Speaking of realtors, says Sumner, they promote quite a bit with Bay State's household items. Jar openers are very popular with this market group. Bay State makes a jar opener in the shape of a house, upon which Realtors imprint their contact info and sometimes use their photos for use in mass mailings. Sumner reports that the company now offers the option to print full color on jar openers.
"Many businesses like to use a memorable phrase or play on words with items like our Top This ice cream scoops, multi-use measuring spoons, and measuring cups. As examples, banks have used tag lines such as 'Get the scoop on lower interest rates' and 'Our service measures up.'" Bay State's oven mitt bamboo combo set, she adds, is a popular promo item for the holiday season as employee gifts and for top customers as a "thank you."
Beacon Promotions, says Brey, carries many different products: frizzy dusters, measuring cups, utensils, cutting boards, fry/sauce pans and oven mitts/pot holders.
At the Allen Company, Dohan notes that end-users will appreciate stainless and acrylic bottle topper openers, stemware, cooking tiles, trivets and more.
Beyond realtors, there are many markets that would prefer a kitchen implement as part of a promotional program. Cooking schools would certainly welcome kitchen tools for use by staff and students, as well as for thank-you gifts to top vendors. Those same vendors (kitchen equipment) would likely feel that this category is much more appropriate than mugs or measuring tapes. Oh, and more and more restaurants are offering cooking classes as well.
Check for any consumer home shows, where local/regional kitchen designers, etc. would participate. Kitchen designers and installers would also be a perfect match, as would stone suppliers for countertops (tiles and trivets, anyone?). And don't forget wineries and wine-making schools, for which stoppers, bottle openers, etc. make great sense.
Faves
As Sumner pointed out, everyone has a kitchen, and the majority of people who enjoy cooking or baking gravitate towards their favorite utensils and aids time and time again.
Pokorny relates that his personal favorite housewares item from Leed's is the Silicone Bottle Hugger (3861-01). The lightweight silicone tote expands and stretches around a bottle and lays completely flat when not in use and it also offers the customer a large area for decoration.
Sumner's favorite kitchen products are Bay State's bamboo cutting boards (sized 6" x 9" and 8 1/2" x 11"). "These are easy to clean and bamboo is resistant to bacteria heat, which makes for an awesome kitchen item," she describes. "Bagged with a couple utensils, this is a great thank-you gift."
Brey's go-to Beacon Promotions kitchen item is the HW60K 3" Ceramic Paring Knife. "This item is extremely sharp and great for cutting boneless meat, vegetables and fruit," she offers. "Fruit does not oxidize as quickly when cut with a ceramic blade. I also have multiple HW14SS Silicone Spatulas in my utensil container. These are great at cleaning out jars and pans."
CASE STUDIES:
Ray Pokorny, Polyconcept NA: "An example of a creative case study for the real estate market was a bundle set of housewares given to first-time home buyers. These packages included entertaining sets, food storage containers, and other necessities that are often overlooked. This care package was not just limited to items from the housewares category but also includes items from the safety, tools, tech, and flashlight categories as well."
Sarah Sumner, Bay State Specialty Co.: "A hotel restaurant, partnering with a catering company, used the cutting boards as serving plates for appetizers at each table . The boards were left on the tables throughout the beginning of each meal. The catering company had its name and logo printed on each cutting board handle. For this type of promotion, suggest taglines such as 'A cut above the rest.'
***
"A distributor in Wisconsin was working with a hospital to find products to give to its nursing staff. The hospital was trying to build awareness of a new nutrition program being introduced at the facility. Because their nurses tend to bring lunch with them to work, they were interested in a product that the nurses could use daily. The K330 EZ-Freeze Storage Container was selected for several reasons. First, it has a large imprint area for their logo and additional copy specific to the program. Second, the product has a gel filled lid to keep food fresh during long shifts. And third, the hospital had an insert card that fit easily into the container. The hospital ordered 2,000 pieces and they were thrilled with the results.
Gwen Brey of Beacon Promotions: "A local apple orchard wanted to attract more customers (old and new) and advertise that they have the largest apple selection in the area. They decided to give away the HW29AS apple slicer free to the first 200 customers. The slogan, 'We offer the largest variety of apples - No matter how you slice it' was printed along with its logo on the slicer."
***
"A credit union was holding its annual meeting. Attendance had been declining, so the goal was to try to bring more people in with a gift. The union chose the HW60K 3" Ceramic Paring Knife, printed with the slogan, 'We are a cut above the rest,' and its logo.