Students of every age have to carry a lot of stuff to class and back on a daily basis, making backpacks a staple for every back-to-school shopping list. Having colorful characters and stylized designs makes them more popular and eye-catching, so companies are always on the lookout for the next big trend in kids’ and young adults’ lives to make the backpacks as appealing as possible.
Businesses can also use these as a handy tool for promotional giveaways when it comes to back-to-school shopping, but other industries as well have seen how popular these items are. Backpacks aren’t just limited to office supply retailers and the like – other companies can see the same sort of consumer appreciation by giving away a custom logo bag.
Take me out to the promo
Baseball teams are notorious for giving away promotional items and holding special event nights. They have to fill as many seats as possible each night in order to make a profit, so handing out inexpensive promotional items encourages more people to come out to the ballgame than they would otherwise. Minor and major league teams alike employ this tactic, pulling in much higher attendance to their benefit, with bags and backpacks being a hugely popular item.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently holding a second round of promotional bag giveaways after the huge success of their first free backpack night. Partnered with Hello Kitty, these bags feature both Dodgers and Hello Kitty logos, adding collectibility to functionality. They also raise awareness of the team in a unique way each time the item is worn, and since a backpack gets daily use, the likelihood of increasing popularity for the team is that much more impressive.
By creating a promo giveaway that targets an unlikely audience, the club could also stand to fill a lot more seats than it usually does. Hello Kitty will appeal to more young girls, bringing higher attendance from an audience that may not share the enthusiasm for baseball that boys their age might. That means a proportionally higher number of seats filled, better sales, and free advertising visibility in a sector that baseball promos usually can’t reach.
Fun and funky
Promotional bags and custom totes are popular because they’re so highly functional. People can fill them up, carry them around and reuse them over and over again. There’s always a time when a person will a fashionable bag to carry around their belongings, and the more often they turn to a certain business’ promotional bag, the more likely they are to think positively about that organization.
Time Out Chicago Kids is using that impetus as part of its current promotional backpack giveaway. The organization is handing out Bubble backpacks, a uniquely designed bag that is as impressive as it is functional. The company is creating buzz by handing out only a limited number as part of a free-to-enter contest at its website. This targets both the trend toward online shopping and connectivity, as well as the craze for cool promotional items.
Finding unique, useful and creative ways to advertise is helping companies stay in business while the economic climate remains in turmoil. Free promotional backpacks and other bags provide the kind of brand visibility a company needs to stay in the game, and a well-executed strategy can mean much greater success if an organization knows when to act.