Stumbling Upon Promotional Products in the World #15

·     Found: Flea Market in Bowling Green, KY

·     Item: Pocket Knives

·     Promoted Brand: various

Your A-Z Swagman is sooooo relieved to have had both jabs and able to start getting back to something more normal. I strongly encourage you, if you haven’t already, please get your vacciene to protect you and your loved ones!

This past weekend, I visited a flea market that I hadn’t visited for more than a year! My how things have changed and how things have remained the same... combination of both. While I was walking around, being tempted by things I knew I didn’t need and wouldn’t use (and I have to say, I’m proud of the small number of items I bought), I came across some promotional products that caught my eye!

The booth is actually one of the anchor booths at this flea market — larger spaces with lots of things to see and buy. Named Kentucky Treasures, this booth sells previously owned items, coins and some new items. They have a bin of small pocket knives that go for $3 each, good opportunities for scout masters to teach knife safety! Looking through the bin, I found several that are more than just knives, they are promotional products!

Pocket knives are a great tool for the right brand. Even the smallest knife is the offer of a potentially useful tool to the brand’s client, conveying the message that they are valued more. When a brand gives a promotional item as part of their marketing, there is a perceived value that comes across. The product itself doesn’t have to be expensive, but selecting only on price will almost certainly reduce the perceived value.

The knives I found are mostly smaller, some with long faded logos — notice the difference between pad printing (even multi-colored pad printing!) and engraved? Your A-Z Swagman can help you with knives that cost little more than a good metal pen.

Or you can show your client that you know and value their business by giving them a promotional premium that shows you know their interests:

Care about their safety:

And/or care about connecting your brand to knife brands known for their quality and longevity:

Cutting to the point of all this (sorry for the pun, now your A-Z Swagman has to do a backflip!) is working with a knowledgeable promotional product distributor will greatly enhance the effectiveness of your brand’s message. Contact your AZOR account rep, or your A-Z Swagman today to chat about your needs!

Oh, and just in case you want to know about the $3 knife advertising the Pennsylvania insurance agency (yes, I looked it up) that your A-Z Swagman bought at the flea market: I found it, and you can order them from AZOR, with your logo/info for end-quantity pricing of just under $5 each delivered! (Laser engraved setup $50 per order, MOQ 100 knives).

…

Any products found were obtained legally and photos are of the actual item. Current available items mentioned are subject to availability and prices or specials mentioned in the entry may not be current. Opinions and assumptions of the products shown are exactly that -- educated opinions and assumptions based on years of experience in the graphics and marketing industry, as well as some light online research. Any errors are regrettable and will be corrected as necessary. No offense is intended by any conclusions drawn by your A-Z Swagman. Any feedback from the marketing firms that produced these promotional products will be incorporated into a follow-up blog entry!