5 Ways to Complete an Outfit and Get Brands Noticed

3. Add Some Bling
From a promotional standpoint, emblematic jewelry's high perceived value makes it a welcome gift—and one that will be kept for many years. And it can be a natural extension of an apparel program for the right target market.

Airlines, police departments and fire stations often have uniform jewelry programs, according to Neil Berman, president of Cranston, Rhode Island-based Stylecraft Co. Inc. These programs are usually centered on rank and/or length of service. Occupations where employees wear suits and ties can easily incorporate lapel pins, cuff links, tie tacks, necklaces or bracelets.

"We've also done nursing pins that are worn by RNs with their uniforms as well as rings for pharmaceutical companies," Berman said. "Truck-driving companies as well as oil and gas firms even use belt buckles for safety programs and sales awards."

What makes emblematic jewelry so versatile is the variety of metals available—pewter, brass, sterling gold fill and 10-, 14- or 18-karat gold—as well as manufacturing techniques such as die struck, silk screen, lost-wax casting and color graphic to achieve the intended creative effect within the desired budget. And for those with more flexible funds, add semi-precious or precious stones.

Another plus: Once the emblem is made, it can easily be turned into a pendant, lapel pin, tie tack or cuff links, because they are all the same size. This gives distributors the opportunity to create tiered promotions or continuity programs that last a number of years.

However emblematic jewelry is used, Berman noted that most end-buyers won't automatically think about adding it to their apparel programs. "Many companies have apparel programs in place, but they're ignoring the potential to add on jewelry," he said. "These are missed opportunities for distributors to not only be of more service to their clients, but also to generate an additional revenue stream. The key is to be proactive and ask about it."