"Winter-Related Products: Chill Out!"

By Mindy Toran
Advantages: 2004AUGUST

Although we're in the midst of the dog days of summer, it's never too early to start thinking about winter promotions. From calendars to candles, snow scrapers to shovels, hats to holiday gifts, there's a wide variety of products available to warm clients' hearts on a cold day.

While it may be 90 degrees outside, it's the perfect time to start thinking about items your clients may be looking for in November and beyond. These products may complement a special event, such as a holiday gathering; support outdoor, weather-related events such as skiing and snowboarding; promote warm weather vacations to get away from the cold; or serve as hand-outs at trade shows and conferences.

An ice scraper or a hat can work well with themed promotions such as "don't get left out in the cold," "be prepared," or "safety first." While winter-related products sometimes work best in colder climates, you can get creative by sending a snow globe to a client in a warmer destination to promote a special winter sale or product promotion. Timeless items such as calendars or the annual Farmer's Almanac also serve as popular staples for winter-related promotions.

Holiday-oriented items work well for winter-related promotions (see also, our Holiday showcase). Calendars are particularly useful as clients begin planning for the coming year and to say thanks for making our year a success (see Calendar showcase). The Farmer's Almanac is a popular promotional item to help people plan for the future as well, such as timing special events with the weather predicted for that time of year. Winter is also a popular time for trade shows and corporate travel promotions. Resort and cruisewear can serve as fun promotional items in the midst of winter as an incentive for corporate trips.

Looking For Fun

"People are looking for items they can have fun with," says Mike DeNero, president of California Sunsations Inc. (asi/43528). "Items that focus on recreation, fitness and family, such as our blow-up snow tubes, are great for winter promotions. They're usable, have a large imprint area and encourage people to get outside and play, get some exercise and have fun."

While people tend to focus on obvious products like ice scrapers, snow brushes and shovels, hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets for winter-related promotions, non-traditional items can work as well. For example, says Mike Moore, national sales manager at Bay State Specialty Co. (asi/38980), "we see a lot of requests for kitchen products in the winter. Many companies have holiday parties in the winter. They are great get-togethers, but are quickly forgotten once the food is gone. If you think about it, where does everyone congregate at a party? In the kitchen - which makes products you can use there such a great idea."

Moore points out one example of a great winter promotion: A large hotel chain gives ice scrapers out to all of its guests. "The message they want to send is that when the guest is finished traveling, he or she may be headed into nasty weather, and the hotel wants to make certain they make it home safely. It's a usable promotional item that really builds goodwill among guests," he says.

Another item growing in popularity for seasonal promotions is music CDs. These products work particularly well for clients looking for a holiday gift at Christmastime, but not a Christmas-specific gift, notes Lorelei Capell, vice president of marketing at Promotion Music Specialties (asi/79917). Nearly everyone, regardless of age, occupation or demographic area, listens to music, which makes for a huge target audience.

"CDs work particularly well as thank-you gifts and themed promotions," says Capell. "We offer winter-related CDs such as 'By the Fire,' 'Winter Solstice,' 'Music for a Winter's Eve,' and 'First Snow.' We had a large chain of fireplace shops use the 'By the Fire' CD as a giveaway item, and 'Music for a Winter's Eve' was used by a client for a corporate holiday party."

Let's Be Practical

On the practical side, snow brushes and shovels, winter emergency kits and the like make for useful promotional items with a high perceived value. "These items can be used by practically any industry for any type of promotion," says Michael Gisser, vice president at Superex (asi/90231). "Since most people drive in today's society, these products are something people can appreciate, that they're likely to use over and over and not simply throw away. Products like our winter emergency kit can provide a great way to say 'we care about you' or 'be safe' to customers, and your client's name stays in front of the recipient for a long time."

When it comes to having fun and looking stylish, hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets work great as winter-related promotional items. "Fleece and fine-gauge knits are popular choices in this arena," says Peter Goldman, COO of Philadelphia Rapid Transit (asi/77945). "These items work great for special events, and can be used by practically any industry. They provide a great way to show client logos and help the recipient stand out above the crowd."

Other suppliers have also got you covered, so to speak. "Our most popular winter-related items are custom-embroidered ear bands and hats," says Holly Patterson, vice president at Ski Lift Inc. (asi/87605). "The winter market has become very fashion-conscious. Buying the styles and colors that people are looking for is just as important as the product itself. The best way to mount a successful ad campaign is to make sure you're offering something that's hip and that people want to wear."

It's In The Details

Patterson notes the growing trend in the use of specific products to support special events and sports-related promotions. For example, she says, "The Quick Leash has become a great inexpensive snowboard accessory that is a no-brainer for any snowboard promotion. The leash secures the board to the rider so the board will not 'run away' down the hill and hurt someone. It's ideal because it is required by every resort in order to snowboard, so you know it will be used and it serves as a constant advertisement not only for the snowboarder, but for everyone who is at the resort. The leash can be imprinted with any name and logo and can easily be seen at the lift lines and in the snow."

The more specific the product is to the promotion, the more likely it is to be successful, stresses Patterson. "In the past, companies may have just given away a hat for both skiing and snowboarding promotions. Unfortunately, the hat a skier would wear is completely different from the hat a snowboarder would wear, so the promotion would likely backfire. Today, customers are looking for sport-specific branded products. As a result, we now produce snowboards and snowboard-related accessories, including inexpensive leashes, stomp pads, snowboard bags, waxes, etc., to cater specifically to that demographic. The benefit is a more successful promotional campaign; the product is more likely to be used by the recipient and, therefore, the client's name is always in view of the end-user."

No matter what type of product you choose, it's important to think ahead - now - and be creative. Consider when and where these products are most likely to be used, and talk to clients about what they're looking to accomplish with the promotion because when it's cold outside, it's the perfect time for your sales to heat up!

Mindy Toran is a contributing writer for Advantages.

Used with permission of The Advertising Specialty Institute copyright 2005