I’ve decided to write this article in pen to prove a point. Currently, I’m writing with a BIC Bu2 Grip retractable ballpoint pen. It’s a simple, black pen. The experiment or goal is to see if I remember the name of this pen by the time I’m done.
I should apologize for my penmanship (pun intended) off the bat. It’s my lefty curse. But hey, Obama is a lefty, so maybe it’s not a curse after all.
People think branding is just what the name says, put your logo everywhere and you’ll be effective. While it’s good to think in the terms of being universally visible, that does not mean you should take the term so literally.
Some clients justify this expenditure as “office supplies,” thinking that paying the $50 extra for 500 pens is worth it. Here in Fargo, North Dakota, you could tell everyone listening to a local radio station about your company benefits for 30 seconds rather than telling 500 your name once.
I realize a pen has a longer shelf life than 30 seconds, but with media placement, you can more accurately pinpoint potential customers. (I was gong to say “penpoint,” but I think I’ve hit my pun quota for the day.) Pens may start out reaching a valuable customer base, but there’s no guarantee they will stay in front of them. I’m in my mid 20’s, so using a pen for Crestor, Levitra or Viagra is wasted marketing investment. It’s in my hands, it’s not furthering the brand.
I realize I’m being particularly critical of the ink industry, but it was the easiest experiment I could muster at my desk. To be truthful, there are far worse and more expensive specialty advertising offenders than those who pay for pens. They are:
Calendars – Frankly, I don’t use a paper calendar. I haven’t since my days at Agassiz Middle School. All but one of our staff members uses something other than a paper calendar. We use Google Calendars or Outlook Express. More to point, only one calendar is used. Our office received 4 (four) calendars for the holiday. One made the cut. The others were money better emptied in a recycle bin.
Coffee Mugs – “Who stole my Dukakis/Bensten ’88 coffee mug?! I cannot jump-start my day without my prized Dukakis/Bensten ’88 coffee mug! How dare you ask me to switch to a World’s Greatest Dad or area chamber mug? I need Dukakis!” That doesn’t happen. Germs, not the message, maintain mug loyalty.
Archaic Items – Letter openers, CD wallets or even key chains aren’t use by anyone anymore. If they are, they, the user, are so old they won’t be able to grow with your company because they’ll be dead.
Do yourself a favor and toss out those catalogs of novelty nonsense. Instead, invest in innovation, relationships and marketing with a defined strategy. If you do that and keep your apparel budgets to uniforms, you’ll be glad you can watch your old company pens dry up before your business does.
… And about the pen? All I know is it’s a BIC and my hand is sore.