WHY RETAIL PRODUCTS CANNOT BE DECORATED - SWAG Series

Usually get this type of request as we near the holidays:  "I would like to give out (fill in latest super gadget name here) to my clients for Christmas." And, usually, I have to tell them "No" or the item is very expensive to purchase as a decorated promotional product. Then the response is, "But I can get them at Wal-Mart for $4. Why can't I get them from you for that price? I'm buying 15 of them."

Before I get my dander up, I have to remember that to someone who is not in the business of providing these products, the prospect of not being able to do this seems insane. Do not think I do not sympathize.

So some explanation would be in order...

Retail Buys in Bulk. You may think that your quantity of 25 pieces might be huge, especially if it is an expensive item. But that quantity is minuscule compared to the 25 truckloads that retail outlets might buy. When you buy a product as a promotional product, it is a separate small batch order that has to be hand-picked and processed. Thus, the higher price.

Manufacturers Protect Their Brands. Makers of brand name merchandise fiercely protect their names, logos, and reputations. Think of how disastrous it would be if a competitor or unethical company put their name on your product! How would you react? A manufacturer can sue you for putting your logo on a product that they have not authorized for promotional use. When a brand name product is made available for promotional use, the wholesaler has paid for the brand licensing rights—which also adds to the cost of the product.

Retail Products May Not Withstand Imprinting Processes. My favorite example is one my client gave me. One of their former suppliers had purchased some vinyl businesses folios in retail and then imprinted using a hot stamp process. The vinyl is puckered from the heat and the imprint can almost be rubbed off because the ink could not properly adhere to the surface. I keep this real life "show and tell" to illustrate why not to dabble in retail for promotional products.

Your Brand is at Stake (and So is Your Money). What if the retail-cum-promotional-product turns out very badly if imprinted? Is that a good selling tool for you? You will look like you are competing on Amateur Hour. You look too cheap to do it right, too sloppy to pay attention to details, and too unprofessional to hire. Alternatively, if your imprinted retail product is too bad to use and has to be trashed, you've wasted your money. You do not even want to donate it because it has your name on it, and you do not want that falling into potential customers' hands.

Thorne, Heidi. SWAG: How to Choose and Use Promotional Products for Marketing Your Business (p. 31). UNKNOWN. Kindle Edition.