These days, people spend so much time analyzing brilliant online marketing strategies that they often forget about the “real world.” With so much talk of social media presence, engagement campaigns and crowd engagement, product promotions are all but forgotten about.
Call me old school, but there are few things more effective than seeing a brand name pop out at you from a T-shirt or a folder. Many professionals often underestimate or discount the influence of subtle, yet traditional, marketing techniques, but companies like Chicago-based iPromo challenge that notion.
iPromo, a promotional goods company, specializes in personalized USB flash drives. A USB drives may not sound like much at first, but iPromo’s designs take these seemingly mundane objects and can transform them into something else completely. (A USB drive shaped like a Starbucks cup? Yep, it’s for real.) What’s more, this tactic is a great example of the success brands see when they consider every detail.
Competitors include companies like Branders and 4imprint, neither of which are local businesses. But homefront advantage isn't iPromo's only edge. It is also a marketing agency that helps clients find the best promotional products, primarily custom USB flash drives, to achieve the set goals.
It’s not often that a merchandise company does market research to help a client reach the desired audience, and that extra mile makes all the difference in the end. Marketing is a fascinating field -- and not one that exists solely on the Internet. Companies that focus their energy online and forget that life exists offline and away from the computer may be doing themselves a great disservice, but seriously helping their more savvy counterparts.
Adam Fridman is the founder of MeetAdvisors.com, a social network for entrepreneurs. MeetAdvisors allows for professionals to give free advice to those seeking help with their business ventures. Forbes has coined MeetAdvisors "Yelp for entrepreneurs." Armed with a Master of Science in Finance and experience in corporate finance and investment banking, Adam spent the past 10 years tackling a number of ventures with a focus on business development and strategy.
