I found this definition of the word art - the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. That is certainly a good way of looking at this little word with such an enormous impact on our lives. We may think of artists as those that paint or sculpt but virtually everyone that creates is in fact an artist. The writer, poet, 5 year old finger painter or photographer is in fact an artist.
If you have had any success in the specialty advertising business, then you are likely an artist too. While we get involved in lots of items from insulated drinkware to tiny little flashlights on a key ring - our real business is message delivery. The better you are at doing that, the more successful you will be at earning a great living.
40 years ago the typical TV commercial was a full minute long. Some brands would run two full one minute ads in a single half hour program. Ads had the time to create complete stories that built desire for the brand/product. But there were problems with these ads. At a time before it was possible to ‘pause’ the TV show, the long commercials gave people time to break away from the program, grab a snack or take care of other things without missing any of the program. Many ads played to an empty room. At the same time, the cost for airtime was increasing and research showed that people lost interest in the ads in far less than one minute.
Today TV and web ads of 5 and 10 seconds are common and surprisingly effective. But it takes real ‘art’ to design a message to be delivered in such a tiny window. That is exactly the task we have creating the message to be imprinted on a promotional item. The first thing to determine is whether you will be crafting advertising or marketing for your client. Following the four word definition I wrote several decades ago, Advertising Informs, Marketing Motovates, you and your client can easily decide. For example an ice scraper that says “Bob’s Towing Service - 800 123-4567” is advertising. If it says “Bob’s Towing Service - 800 123-4567 No Extra Charge for After Hours Service”, it’s marketing. Marketing generally needs a bit more space.
Obviously the item that will carry the message will determine the space a message will be presented in. Considering the message first will allow you to help a client select an item that will provide the space needed. Trying to get too much information into too small a space is not an effective way to deliver messages.
If the task is brand support, basically displaying a well known logo or a logo that identifies the product or service (a logo with an image of a tree and ‘Don’s Tree Service 123 456-7891) you can accommodate that message on almost any promotional item. For other objectives however you might need to craft the message to concisely convey a desired message in as little space as possible.
Many forms of art have limits or specifications imposed. This and all the other articles I write for this blog are required to be about a specific number of words, I have to collect all my research notes, plan on the information I want to include, and construct the work to meet the standard my publisher established. Painters have the limit of the canvas they selected. Popular music has to be in the 240 seconds range or it will not get the air or streaming time the artist wants. The constraints however will improve your “art” of message creation.
In cases where there is just too much information to artistically include it in an imprint, a companion piece - the long message - can go along with the specialty - the short message - and get the job done. Custom packaging, insert cards, information letter, instruction sheet, etc. can enhance the overall impression of the marketing message and the promotional item will remind and amplify the longer message. Many great items with universal appeal can easily accommodate adding a longer message.
The whole process begins by understanding what your client wants to accomplish with the investment they are making to do advertising or marketing. If they don’t know why they are doing it - you are there to help them get the most out of their spend. Next is to create a message that will (has the potential to) get the desired response from a person in the group the ad is intended for. Then select an item that will accommodate the message and be interesting, useful or fun for the target person to own. Finally, suggest a practical distribution method for the marketing/advertising item you have designed.
One point on distribution, if the only method is a third party service (USPS, UPS, etc.) the cost has to be considered in the budget and the physical size of the item has to be a balance between message space and delivery costs. Distribution at retail, trade shows, events and the like provide opportunities for greater message space and stronger budget for the items.
A final thought gaining in importance is that online discount sellers of “promotional products” are NOT in the message delivery business - they simply sell stuff! Since the value to the client is completely based on message delivery, you have a huge advantage as long as you are not trying to compete selling stuff!
Gregg Emmer is chief marketing officer and vice president at Kaeser & Blair, Inc. He has more than 40 years experience in marketing and the promotional products industry. His outside consultancy provides marketing, public relations and business planning consulting to a wide range of other businesses and has been a useful knowledge base for K&B Dealers. Contact Gregg at gemmer@kaeser-blair.com.