Are Promotional Bags a Worthwhile Investment?

[JonV6]

Hello all,

I've been tasked with putting together a promotional marketing campaign starting next year in prep for the holiday season. My company wants to offer a luxury travel set with the aim of increasing brand awareness. We'll be running an on and offline campaign that will target succesful professionals, male and female, 30 - 50 with disposable income. Seeing as there are probably a few of you here I wanted to ask what you thought of the idea?

Also, this is the best bag I can find: Bags of Ideas | Elegance Travel Bag | Supply UK (http://www.bagsofideas.com/Details.asp?ProductID=94). What do people think of this as a prize? Would it, combined with some other smaller travel items, be enough for you to part ways with some basic contact information such as email address and postcode? If we're going to do this I want to do it properly and get some data collection out of it.

Overall, has anyone had considerable success with promotional items and do you think this campaign is a good idea or is it destined to fail?

Thank you everyone.

Also, Merry Christmas! (It is Christmas Eve after all!) :o

[Freelancier]

I think you're wasting money that could be better spent on something else. Here's a question: could you do a raffle instead for something really nice for 1/10th the cost and still get the same number of confirmed contacts? So instead of giving away 100 bags for 100 contacts, you give away 1 or 2 somethings for 100 contacts. If you offer to give away 10 or 20 of those somethings, could you increase your response rate? How exactly will you be collecting this info... via web site or trade show or what?

[David Hunter]

So, your company wants to offer a luxury travel set in exchange for contact info. What is it that your company is selling??

[Harold Mansfield]

I'll be honest with you, I only enter contests for things I really want. For me that's usually tech related. I, like most business people...especially in the target market that you want to attract, have a ton of bags. Messenger bags, laptop bags, carry ons, and so on. I wouldn't enter a contest for one when I can buy better pretty easily and affordable with the click of the mouse.

I would however enter a contest for a new high end gaming laptop..something I want, but wouldn't necessarily buy because I don't really need it. It also depends on who's running it.

But I have no idea what your business is. If you are a travel company, give away a trip. If you make bags, give away your best or a set of them.

Everyone wants "succesful professionals, male and female, 30 - 50 with disposable income.". It's the most coveted market. So you need to attract them with something that they actually want.

The bag is nothing special. But if you offered (for instance) a nice name brand laptop bag filled with a new Surface Pro 3 with all of the accessories, keyboards, additional memory, docking station, subscription to a industry magazine, $100 XBOX Music gift card, and a free year of MS Office I'd probably enter. That's something that would attract a business traveler...something cool to travel with.

Bags are a dime a dozen. These days if you want my info you need to make think you're doing me a favor, not the other way around.

But it really depends on what it is that you do. What kind of business are you in and why do I want a bag from you? Also, why are you offering schwag instead of a recognized, brand name bag that your target market would actually want?

[ryantc]

Found this article on the benefits of offering promotional bags.. You might find it helpful. How to Use Promotional Tote Bags to Advertise Your Business (http://heidithorne.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Use-Promotional-Tote-Bags-to-Advertise-Your-Business)