Promotional Product Breathes Fresh Air Into Corporate Responsibility Programs
FarFromBoring, a South Florida promotional products company, is taking the act of planting trees in deforested nations and turning the activity into a branded promotional product, via a program called Seed Our Future.
For participating companies, the Seed Our Future program is more than charitable giving or eco-posturing. The concept is fundamentally sound because budgets to support the endeavor are already in place—it's a next-generation promotional product, part of an industry that saw 2010 sales top $17 billion.
In a Seed Our Future campaign, a company purchases customized "Tree Cards"—adorned with company logo and providing simple instructions. Cards are distributed to clients, employees and prospective customers. To plant a tree, each recipient goes to a website, enters a PIN code and selects a country for tree planting. At completion, the recipient can download a certificate, branded with company logo, to signify the planting event. The website also educates visitors and provides an assortment of eco-friendly activities to further reduce one's own carbon footprint.
"Seed Our Future allows companies to give a powerful green gift," explained Robert Stillman, president of FarFromBoring. "We sell plenty of imprinted promotional products, and they all serve a purpose, but selling Seed Our Future cards is especially gratifying because of the global implications. Each tree planted will absorb 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide over its lifetime."
Traditional tree planting campaigns are priced around $5-$20 per tree. The Seed Our Future price per tree begins at $1.25, with price reductions for higher quantities ordered. To provide further incentive and marketing reach, the Seed Our Future program generates additional publicity for companies that reach membership levels of 10,000 trees or more. The organization publicly acknowledges ecological contributions of companies that choose to participate at this level, awarding a custom-made plaque, distributing a press release and posting congratulatory notices on social media websites.