PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS A festival of creativity
Reporter Stuart Derrick delves into the wonderful world of promotional merchandise with his take on what could be the next big thing...
T
he festival season kicked off properly in June with the annual Middle England hoedown that Glastonbury Festival has become. From my vantage point of the sofa, there seemed to be more sun that mud, which augurs well for the rest of the year I reckon.
Festivals are now a massive business in their own right, with around three million people a year attending events such as Latitude, V-Festival and T in the Park. The BBCʼs excellent Festivals Britannica documentary showed how events once mired in hippy idealism have now become commercial affairs where the emphasis is on showing up and showing off, rather than tuning in, turning off and dropping out. Nowhere was this more apparent than during the vaunted demonstration at U2ʼs tax affairs during Glastonbury. If protest group Art Uncut had really wanted to make an impact, perhaps they should have opted for something a little less obvious than an inflatable banner. This was promptly spotted and trampled on by the security guards. Compare it with Bavaria beerʼs guerrilla marketing during last
yearʼs FIFA World Cup when a bevy of blondes turned up to a group game dressed in Dutch Orange mini dresses. Despite being ejected from the ground, the action ended up being shown around the world, clocking up huge amounts of free advertising for the brand.
Let’s hear it for the Bodyflag!
The message seems to be, if you want to express yourself, then do something different. And things donʼt come much more different than the Bodyflag. In last monthʼs column I pondered what next yearʼs equivalent of the vuvuzela might be. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have a winner. The ever so slightly bonkers garments resemble ponchos with sleeves that turn you into a human flag when you lift your arms.
Kandinsky Group has taken over the production and the exclusive European distribution rights of the patented item. The back of the wearer automatically becomes a large and
prominent advertising space, which can be designed completely individually. Due to the high-quality polyester material the flags are water resistant and they can be used all year. Well, you wouldnʼt want to take yours off would you? In the UK and Ireland, The Merchandise Factory is handling queries. The Bodyflags are ideal for all kinds of sport and events such as music festivals or parades. The company predicts that theyʼll be big at the European Championship 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine. Well, quite possibly, but Iʼm sure that mullets and snow wash are still pretty de rigueur there as well. Only joking TMF. I think theyʼll be a big hit.
Spread the word
Another wearable item that has self-expression written all over it is the Spreadshirt, a customisable T shirt that allows the customer to choose the style, colour and trim of the garment,
| 20 | August 2011
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
and add their own personalised message. The company works with Shop Partners, including The Sun and conference company Barcamp, providing a seamless extension to the partnerʼs own website. Customers go to the site and customise their own garment which is then delivered within three to five days. It can also be used to produce bulk orders quickly to link into viral campaigns that need to be capitalised on quickly.
It’s a beautiful noise
A new product from Listawood is a pair of pyramid speakers, decorated with a full colour print. These are ideal for light packers who want to make a big noise on holiday, or at a festival, without humping along a ghetto blaster as hand luggage. The innovative design means you just fold the speakers flat to pack them away in their own carry case. No batteries are required, as they simply plug into your iPod or MP3 player. Listawood has also launched magnetic Word Games, as a novel giveaway that helps you get your message across to the more literate consumer. Clients can choose various templates and then insert the words of their choice, which recipients can them reassemble to create fun, and no doubt slightly rude, phrases. And when they arenʼt expressing themselves with naughty wordplay, people can enjoy all the fun of Wobble Heads. These stress toys, from R&JP International, are weighted at the bottom, so that they keep popping up no matter how much you put them down – unlike the UK economy.
Simples!
Finally this month, a big hand for a great example of merchandise being used in a brand building capacity. Comparison website
Comparethemarket.com has brought humour and differentiation to its sector with the on-going adventures of Aleksandr (sic) Meerkat and friends. Now the company has extended the link with a selection of cuddly meerkat characters that you can claim by buying a policy through
Comparethemarket.com. Six characters are available and itʼs easy to see how some customers will look to collect them all. If they become any more popular, itʼs quite possible that they could have a festival of their own next year. Iʼll see you on the sofa for highlights of Meerkatstock. Simples!
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