Games People Play

Friendly competition while engaging one’s intellect – and tickling the funny bone at the same time – is not an invention of recent times. According to archaeologists, one the oldest known board games was called Senet; Senet board games must have been very popular because they were found in predynastic and first dynasty Egyptian tombs, dating back to approximately 3,500 BC.

There are many solid reasons for adults (and children) of all ages to play games – meaning, great incentives for your clients to create a fun promotion with you. There are four positive points to playing games:

1. Encourages bonding with friends or family. Putting the phones/tablets/earbuds away and playing with a three-dimensional game involves sharing and engenders a warm feeling of being truly social, and in the moment.

2. Playing a game creates laughter. Laughter is known to increase those feel-good biochemicals, endorphins. It also promotes empathy, compassion, and trust. This can work well in a corporate setting; for example, before a meeting, break out the logo’ed pegboard to see who can wind up with the fewest pegs on the triangle. Friendly competition and laughter – a winning combination.

3. Promotes cognitive acuity and better memory function. Playing board games benefits the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, responsible for complex thought and formation of memory. It also helps reduce the risk of cognitive decline as we age.

4. Reducing stress is another benefit of playing games. A recipient, such as an employee, who can feel reduced stress, makes for a more effective co-worker on projects and in task performance.

Compact games can be toted around for instant play when a waiting situation happens. Some waiting rooms (lawyers, medical) have puzzles and wooden board games for clients and patients to pass time with (and de-stress them as well).

And printed board games and toys can be used as part of unique trade or consumer show promotions in myriad ways.

Andrew Reichlin of The Proinnovative Line asserts that toys and games “create strong engagement with consumers and are particularly good at building those positives. A toy will deliver a lighter emotional reaction than a serious product like a pen or bag, which can be a critical advantage depending on the specific message or program a company is working to deliver.”  

According to Reichlin, a recent report noted that more than half of marketers are turning to experiential marketing to enhance customer engagement. At events like tradeshows and pop-up appearances, unique promotional products like toys and games are a natural fit for resonance and recall.

“The toy category is an obvious first choice when children are the marketing target, or when the family decision maker is the target because enhancing their children’s happiness is a way to build the relationship with the business or brand,” he added.

There are some trends in this category. Carrie Lewis, trade marketing communications specialist for BIC Graphic, observes that the hot “retro” market resonates in the promo sector, as retro/vintage toys and games spark a feel-good nostalgia. They remind adults of the good times they had in their youth and like the idea of introducing some of their faves to their own children and grandchildren. “Unique twists on tried-and-true toys and games can help a business be memorable while taking a fun promo to the next level,” she comments.

Additionally, the popularity of gaming is at all all-time high, she says. Between video game systems, computers, tablets and phones people can play anytime, anywhere. Promotional tech accessories can get a client’s message in front of end users every time they use their device for gaming.

In 2018, according to Reichlin, the top trends in the toy industry involved cooperative/team toys and creative packaging. “The international Trend Committee of the Spielwarenmesse (the world’s biggest toy fair) predicts that the three biggest trends for 2019 will be those that promote physical health, those that fascinate players with surprises, sounds, and mechanics; and toys for ‘kidults,’” he reports. Another association predicts that nostalgic toys for the millennial generation will be strong.

However, unlike other sectors in the promotional industry, Reichlin notes that trends in toys and games tend to have a slower flow into the promotional industry. Often a toy and game trend will peak and die before it can be adapted to or adopted by promotional suppliers -- and suppliers are typically and understandably hesitant to invest in fads.

Some Ideas to Play With

A toy that creates instant giggle fits or downright guffaws is always a mood-lifter. Getting silly has no age limit!  For instance, check out Jornik’s slingshot-action cow, pig, egg, football, baseball and basketball, all made of squeezable stress ball material with elastic, easy-launch band can fly up to 20 feet. To add a humorous noise element, Jornik also offers the Flying Oinking Pig, Flying Croaking Frog, Flying Crowing Rooster, Flying Mooing Cow, Flying Quacking Duck, and Flying Shrieking Monkey with logo-fiable capes.

Puzzles are fun, as they can be a solitary delight or a project with a couple of people. Beacon Promotions, for example, offers its 13 Block Jumbo (#PBJUMBO). A Lego®-esque building toy, each of the 13 blocks can be imprinted (blocks come in seven colors). You can have a photo or messages. It also serves as a conversation piece, guaranteeing discussion or mention of your client.

Some games are timeless, such as checkers and chess. PCNA offers a luxurious combination of games in its 7-in-1 Desktop Game Set (#1400-56) Set includes game boards (on both sides of the lid) and game pieces for checkers, chess and backgammon, 28 dominoes, cribbage board and pegs, a standard deck of cards, four dice, and an instruction booklet. All components store neatly in a wooden case.

VITRONIC Promotional Group provides Wood Teasers (#VOUT011), three popular wood puzzles with golf tees in a non-woven polypropylene bag. Recipients can play =Tic Tac Toe, Peg Board, and Insanity. Boards are made of natural pine and instructions are printed on each.

The supplier also offers the Giant Tumble Tower Game (#VOUT001) with 54 solid pine wood blocks to create a 27-inch tall tower in zippered enclosure; and the (#VOUT013) On-the-go Checkers with 15 black and 15 natural wood checker pieces in a non-woven polypropylene bag with game board printed on one side and your client’s logo and message on the other.

Whether in the home office or the “office office,” desktop table games are whimsical and promote instant fun and camaraderie, lessening tension and clearing the mind. Sport Products provides several Table Top games: Football, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Cornhole, Prize Drop, Tic Tac Toe, Checkers, and Bowling.

BIC Graphic provides several fun promo products. “The Light-Up Yoyo (#26078) invokes a sense of nostalgia with a modern, trendy twist,” Lewis describes. Companies see their logo spinning continually on the translucent background while red flashing lights draw extra attention.”

She describes the 3D Arm Ring Spinner (#32274) as “the next generation of “fidget spinning.” The ring expands while moving arms up and down to create interesting shapes, and it comes in an imprinted pouch.

BIC Graphic’s Mobile Joystick (#32199) can transform a phone into a traditional gaming controller to maneuver through games. The joystick clips directly to the front of Apple or Android devices and doesn’t require batteries, Bluetooth® or wires.

The Proinnovative Line features numerous inexpensive traditional toys like bubbles and crayons that are suitable for when younger children are the target audience, and these are popular in company stores, says Reichlin.  “We also sell toys that are a lot of fun and can help control stress in a corporate environment.,” he adds. For example, the Jellyfish Yo Yo is used in a wide variety of industries for purposes including college recruitment, trade show traffic building and desktop stress relief. More niche-oriented toys like the Puzzle Robot fit well into STEM programs and engineering-oriented companies.  

Scott Denny, vice president of sales and marketing for Garyline, summarizes, “Happy people are better prospects. Any event promotion where people are having fun and enjoying themselves is a great opportunity for advertisers. Toys like plastic flyers and yo-yos (Garyline offers four Yo-yo varieties) are fun and interactive, so they have been among the best advertising values for generations.”

No matter the time of year, having fun and enjoying the company of others while playing games is always in season.