While there is no doubt that technology is a huge part of everyday life, with consumers relying heavily on their smartphones, there is still a need for items such as planners and journals to keep increasingly busy lives on track and maintain a record of upcoming events and appointments. Fortunately, promotional product suppliers are adding vibrant colors and personal touches to keep these items in high demand.
Most industry experts agree that this demand is at an all-time high, with a wide range of businesses requesting large quantities—such as technology companies, financial advisers, accountants, attorneys, architects, insurance companies, universities, and healthcare companies. According to Amberlea Barnes of Drum-Line, people still have a strong desire to put pen to paper. “Studies have shown hand writing notes leads to better retention,” she emphasizes. “This applies not only to students, but anyone with expanding interests.”
According to Jerome Hoxton of Tru Art Advertising Calendars, the latest trend in planner and journal products is for custom, full-color covers to enhance the business message. “Using full-color, advertisers are able to boldly display and enhance their brand recognition,” he notes. “Many marketers are expanding their value message by utilizing space inside the front and back covers—plus the outside back cover as well.”
In line with other items in the promotional market, fashion and digital printing are impacting journals and planners, Tom Donlin of ADG Promotional Products reports. “The covers are becoming far more fashion-forward in their looks and types of material they are made of. Digital printing allows for far more unique full-color creative and personal designs on the journals and planners both inside and out. With the capability to individually personalize a name for just $0.40(g) it’s not only a full color journal/planner, it’s THEIR journal/planner!”
Retail influences are also leaving a mark on this market segment. “Journals and planners have become huge sellers at retail in recent years because they are now seen as a fashion accessory rather than an office supply,” explains Missy Kilpatrick of The Book Company. “The demand has virtually disappeared for the basic, dull journal styles of the past; instead end-users are seeking colors that pop, stylish designs, unique cover textures, and more.”
Customization is another major trend, Kilpatrick continues. “Journals offer space for several pages of full-color artwork and high-end cover branding unavailable with most other promotional products,” she says. “Event itineraries, new product advertisements, personal letters and other marketing materials can be included in any journal, along with an ample amount of lined pages for note taking.”
Metallic journals are rising in popularity at Drum-Line Inc., notes Barnes. “Whether it’s gold, silver, or graphite, metallic covers paired with metallic foil imprints are hot,” she comments. “Tech companies, churches, banks, and everything in between are integrating metallic accents with their brand colors. We are also seeing more minimalist tone-on-tone imprints. For example, gloss black foil on a matte black cover. Place the logo in a unique position such as down the side of the journal for unexpected impact. Retail designs inspire promotional trends.”
To that end, Drum-Line’s Field Journals in metallic or bright colors are performing well. They are available in four sizes, ranging from 3” x 5” up to a full size 8” x 10”, and have a unique square back binding with no wire, Barnes says. Sheets are perforated and available printed with lines, graph, or trendy Euro dots.
Over at ADG Promotional Products, several new cover styles and products have been added that combine planners and 3M Post It ™ products. Donlin reports the company’s best sellers remain the tried and true planner styles it has had for years, but the growth has come from custom journals and planners.
Journal gift sets are faring well at The Book Company. “These sets combine our bestselling journals together with color-matched, branded pens in a high quality, black gift box that can also be branded on the box top,” Kirkpatrick relates. “From our latest journal collection, the new hardcover INDIE journals have been generating considerable buzz. They feature an innovative clear window on the cover that allows a branded bookmark to show through for an extra promotional punch.”
Hoxton at Tru Art says that the most popular new products at the company have been the ‘deluxe’ hard cover Journal Books (#9112 and #9116). “The books are elegant and substantial to be used and kept for years to come,” he says. Also popular is the new Birthday/Anniversary Journal (#7060), which Hoxton says becomes a family keepsake recording and keeping the most important dates and events to remember for generations: births, anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, etc.
The consensus amongst promotional product suppliers is that clients need to see items such as journals and planners. “There is no question that samples and virtuals help sell products,” The Book Company’s Kilpatrick asserts. “For example, use virtuals when working remotely and follow up with a sample to show the quality of the journal selected. Virtuals, in particular, help represent what’s possible and create meaningful stories to share with your clients.”
Hoxton at Tru Art strongly agrees. “One of the most effective sales and presentation tools is the ‘virtual spec sample,’” he states. “We will create virtual specs for qualified leads at no charge.”
Be creative and customer-specific, Donlin at ADG Promotional Products recommends. “Wrap pages and inserts allow you to design a customized journal or planner that is unique to your customer and their specific needs,” he says.
Barnes, Drum-Line wants to remind distributors that their clients are also using paper products. “They are likely buying journals, note pads, and calendars for internal use,” she comments. “They should also promote their business with branded paper products! A bonus for distributors is excellent reorder rates. Paper is consumable. Your customers will be back for more!”
Case Studies
Tom Donlin, ADG Promotional Products
A college was looking for an inexpensive useful tool to provide information to incoming freshmen that they would need throughout the year at orientation. They chose our HDI full color 7x10 academic planner…this $2 item allowed for a full-color custom cover both inside and out. On the front cover they put a picture of the iconic “Old Main” building and the college logo. On the inside front cover, they put contacts, phone numbers, and websites for all the important information they need like housing, financial aid, etc. On the inside back cover, they put frequently misspelled words and on the back cover a map of the campus. I don’t have results, but from what I heard, there was a 15 percent decline in misspelled words and 72 less freshmen got lost on the first day of class!
Amberlea Barnes, Drum-Line Inc.
A tech service company chose full-size silver Radiant Journals for their sales team to give prospective customers. They split the order between journals with graph paper and journals with lined paper. Graph appeals to engineers, while lines are more useful for office staff. A co-branded pen was inserted into the journal pen loop. The tech company had a budget of $12 per journal/pen set. The company orders quarterly for sales presentations, training seminars, and internal staff use.