The Incredible, Edible Sale

BLAME IT ON simple biology—humans just can’t get by without food. As the building blocks of life, nutrients are intrinsic to the survival of every individual. But these facts are common knowledge. What nutrients can do for the life expectancy of a marketing campaign, however, now that’s something to chew on.

When promotional products are gracing the table, end-users are getting their daily recommended allowance of brand messaging in an easy-to-swallow format. By extension, a company gets much-coveted
visibility, not to mention greater probability of retention.

The simple health benefits of three squares a day? That’s science. The marketing possibilities associated with each dish? That’s a meal ticket any distributor can cash in on.

BREAKFAST: BEST PART OF WAKING UP ˇ

Forget nutrients for a sec. For many, it’s coffee that sustains the busiest lifestyles. “It’s just a naturally accepted product. … People use it at home [and] drink it at their business,” said Richard Salzman, president of Richard’s Gourmet Coffee, W. Bridgewater, Mass.

Though coffee drinkers typically fall into one of two clearly defined groups—those who love the strong, bold flavors of the ubiquitous green-and-white java pusher, and those who prefer a more mellow blend—mild rules the day when it comes to promotional success. “You need a coffee that’s going to please most of the people most of the time,” Salzman affirmed. He related the story of a pharmaceutical company’s coffee promotion to illustrate his point.

“They kept asking us to do a knockoff of Starbucks, and I kept talking them out of it. … Finally I said fine, I will do an exact knockoff to a heavy-roasted coffee and they had the worst response,” he explained. For this reason, Richard’s often uses coffee from Guatemala, which is unique but not quite as bold as the more-typical Colombian or a Starbucks-esque French roast.