The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) recently held its annual expo in Las Vegas. Every year, this conference provides advice on promotional marketing and also showcases new ideas that are making waves in the promotional products industry.
Several awards were given out to industry professionals by the PPAI, but the main focus was on identifying promotional marketing trends. One exciting idea this year was the inclusion of quick response codes onto promotional items. QR codes can be read by many mobile devices and offer better storage capabilities than a traditional UPC barcode. Since QR codes are only black and white, they can easily be incorporated on anything from a personalized mug to a custom wall calendar. Although not directly projecting a company logo or brand image, the QR pattern can spark the curiosity of potential clients and draw them into deciphering the code.
A small business must always look for new ways to make promotional products stand out from the competition, and sometimes ideas can be hard to come by. The PPAI is a great place to look for the newest technology in the promotional products industry, and QR codes seem to be all the rage in 2012.