Whilst the general promotion of a company is a top priority for almost any business owner, the promotion of a new service or product usually requires a separate marketing plan which takes a fresh approach. This can be challenging, to say the least. This is where promotional pens can be particularly useful. By using a pen which perfectly reflects the new campaign’s brand colours, style and message, a promotional pen can help in familiarising customers with the company’s new product or service in a subtle but highly effective way. Because a pen is something used on a daily basis, it is a great item...

The Institute of Sales Promotion has now officially been re-launched at the Institute of Promotional Marketing, with the organisation’s new corporate identity being unveiled at the last ever ISP Awards at the end of May and was designed by integration agency Forth Generation. Clive Mishon, the Institute’s chairman, says that the new name “far better reflects the breadth of promotional marketing activity now being created – it is more than just about sales, though that is important too”. Mishon stresses that the decision to change the name was not entered into lightly;...

We love experimental marketing here, with my favourite of recent times being Pot Noodles travelling Kebab Shop. Lucozade, despite being at the other end of the health spectrum, is targeting students in a similar way, by travelling around fourteen universities across the UK, with students being eligible to take part in the promotion by buying a bottle of Lucozade Alert Plus.   The game, devised by RPM gives students the opportunity to have ‘One Shot’ to bounce a ping pong ball along a series of obstacles into a final target to win prizes of up to £250. GlaxoSmithKline unveiled Lucozade...

  Larger louts, not normally known for their eco friendly stance may be becoming more green then they first realised.   Over the Christmas period the upmarket beer Stella Artois hopes to save one million rainforest trees through a digital ‘Send a Card, Save a Tree’ campaign, which invites their fans everywhere to send a free, augmented reality cards. For every digital card sent, Stella Artois will saved a tree in the threatened Atlantic Rainforest in Argentina’s Misiones Province.   If you live in London you may have seen a sustainably-sourced Christmas tree in the ‘Winter Wonderland’ in...

Browsing over the ever informative marketingmagazine.co.uk, I now know that branded-goods manufacturers spend £25.6 billion annually on sales promotion activity within retailers, according to the Institute of Sales Promotion.   It’s not just promotional products that businesses use to increase sales. Over 50% percent of that total, £14.4 billion, was spent on retailer promotions such as BOGOFs n the 2007/8 financial year. That compares with £18.6 billion spent on above-the-line ad spend in 2008. The research is the first project overseen by retail industry researcher Colin Harper, who was...

South African brand Savanna Cider is launching its biggest ever UK on-trade promotion, focused around the world of Facebook. The online competition invites drinkers to “Win your own Savanna party” for you and 99 of your closest friends. The quirky alcoholic drink, is marketed along the lines of; “its dry but you can drink it”.   Their Facebook app allows users to enter 100 friends for their preferred party list. This is then circulated virally to encourage more people to enter, with other links on sites like Bebo and Twitter.   The DJ hosted bash, worth £10k will be held at the Big Chill...

Now here’s some promotional products that really take the biscuit (sorry). United Biscuits UK is set to launch a £2m marketing campaign across; McVitie’s Digestives, Jaffa Cakes, HobNobs and Penguin themed around the search for the UK’s favourite biscuit.   Their new marketing campaign kicks off in August, and is inspired by the good old British public’s love of biscuits. Their novel plan is entitled ‘Bonkers about Biscuits’, it comprises an eight-week daily giveaway of £5,000 backed by a TV ad campaign and targeted radio.   The promotional packs will be available from 16...

Hoola Hoops are launching a fun new competition, for any would be film directors with too much time on their hands.   Starting today, the popular crisp makers want you all to make a two minute film, with you larking about with Hoola Hoops on your fingers. If you’re interested in winning a family holiday to Hollywood, or just £50, then films can be uploaded via their micro-site. Helen Warren-Piper, marketing director of bagged snacks at UBUK, says: “Hula Hoops is a well established brand with a loyal following. This new TV advertising campaign, along with the on-pack promotion will drive...