Eat Your Heart Out

As much as people enjoy eating, it turns out edibles are only recently gaining popularity in the promotional products industry. Shulkin said as a growing number of distributors are becoming more comfortable with “our food and candy products as promotional tools,” A La Carte’s sales have surged. “More distributors are expanding their use of edible products—going from an emphasis on gift items to combining the items with a promotional element and even using edible products solely for promotional uses,” he explained. “Our promotional line is growing much faster than our gift line.”

GOOD ALL OVER

Not only are edible items good for building relationships, they’re also great for generating traffic at trade shows and similar events. Shulkin cited a case history in which a health benefits company needed to increase the traffic at its recruiting booths at job fairs. “The distributor designed a test program with a postcard mailing to each student suggesting their future was good if they visited the company’s booth and promising several prizes,” he explained. “We produced fortune cookies with the company’s logo on the wrapper and custom messages inside with several winning messages. The booth traffic increased so dramatically at the first job fair that the company expanded the program to all of their job fairs and to their interview programs, as well.”

When selling edible products, distributors should most consider “matching the client’s objectives with the inherent advantages of food and candy promotional tools,” advised Shulkin. “If the client is introducing a ‘hot new product,’ hot sauce or Red Hots can get the point across with ease.”

It is such creative tie-ins as the aforementioned that make edibles stand-out promotional products. “I think any business can use food and candy for creative promotional uses,” Shulkin said. “Candy is a great way to make a connection with a customer.”