This blog was written in November of last year…and has been updated in January of 2022.
It’s affecting all of us…in nearly every industry. We are seeing the challenges in our businesses…and our personal life. Most of us have not spent nearly any time thinking about our “supply chain,” and now we hear about it every day. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to buy a car, a computer, a t-shirt or a loaf of bread. The issues are everywhere.
The Supply Chain is currently broken
I am not interested in placing blame here. There are plenty of theories about that. The problem with just placing blame is, for most of us, there is little we can do about any of that. We are not heads of state. And to be honest, the supply chain is not “owned” by any one organization. So even if you are a “head of state,” that won’t get you very far either. The supply chain is broken…and it’s not getting better soon. It’s an “is.”
So what can we do about it?
If we accept that the challenges are there, then it’s a reality we all have to deal with. So what can any of us do about it? While we can’t really affect change with the problem, there are some things that each of us can do to help our businesses navigate these times more successfully…and with less stress. Here are 7 things you can do to deal with the supply chain challenges that we are all facing.
Expect Price Increases
We hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but it’s coming (or here). With suppliers aggressively trying to bring products into the United States and the port congestion continuing, we will all start to see costs rising on promotional products. We are already starting to hear from customers that products they have ordered previously are higher. Part of this is basic “supply and demand” economics, but it goes well past this. The cost to ship a container of goods into the United States went from $4,000 to $32,000 in some cases. This has a trickle-down effect, that will touch all of our purchasing…not just your branded merchandise.
I know. I know. It’s not what any of us want to hear. But it’s important that we are prepared.
Action Step: Be prepared to either increase your budget on these items or get ready to adjust items or quantities.
Plan Ahead
Updated:Many of our customers listened in the 4th quarter of 2021 and it helped! But here’s the thing…just because Christmas is over doesn’t mean the supply chain woes are fixed. Rush orders are still going to be a challenge to be sure. As we said then, these supply chain issues are not going away on December 25th. Now is the time to begin thinking about your 1st and 2nd quarter (and beyond) initiatives. Just like with the pandemic, “waiting for this to be over” is not a great strategy.
So we all need to continue to plan further ahead. It’s imperative if you want to have items for your next event. The good news is, we are moving back to having events again. But we will need to plan out further if you want to have your branded merchandise in time. As we said last year, if you used to plan 2 weeks out, double or triple that timeline. You will be glad you did!
Action step: Take the time to plan out the events you know are coming next year, and get the ball rolling now.
Have Plan B (and C)
Even if you placed an order when there was stock, that inventory might disappear like manners on Black Friday. We talked about this here. You need to have a few alternative options as you plan out your marketing ideas. If you have selected a plan b and c, then you can move to those without having to start the creative process over again. The fact that the item you really wanted is out will still be frustrating (because it is), but you will be able to move on and still get something in time for your event.
Action Step: When selecting your first option, take a little extra time to select a “just in case” item as well.
Buy What IS In Stock
We have all been at a conference and come across that “perfect pen,” or seen a competitor with the exact promotional item we want for our brand. I have certainly been there. And to be honest, most of the time that is great for us. In those cases, you have done the research for us. All we have to do is go and find it! But this is not the time to search for a specific item to put your logo on. If you are this specific, you are destined to be frustrated.
Instead, this is the time to think about the emotion you want to elicit or the goal you want to achieve. Start there. Then work backward to what you want to achieve…with the items that are in stock. That is why we created our “In Stock and Ready to Rock” shop. We are updating this each week. It’s not perfect because the numbers are changing all of the time. But it’s better than searching for an item that is already out of stock and will not be back in inventory until March (or June).
That leads nicely to keeping an open mind to new ideas. While you might have always used a Nike polo for your sales team, this might be the year you need to think differently. Be open. Who knows? You might find a brand you like just as well. Or, what about a custom apparel piece? If it’s going to take 8 to 10 weeks anyway, this might be the time to think “outside of the box” and create a custom solution.
Action Step: Now is a great time to be open to new ideas that might hit the mark.
Act Quickly
Once you have decided on an option, act quickly. The inventory numbers are not changing day to day…they are changing minute to minute. This is not the time to “take it back to committee.” If you do that, there is no guarantee that what you want will still be there. This is not a sales pitch. You just need to act quickly in order to get the items you want. You need to act quickly and then be patient. It’s not fair. But it’s true.
Action Step: Make a decision.
Be Kind
Being a frontline worker today is harder than ever. These are the folks that are handling the calls and the frustration of the public. They did not cause the issue, and to be honest, they can’t do much about it. So screaming at them does nothing to help you. The good news is, we have been blessed with very kind (and patient) clients for years. We have not run into this. But it’s a real thing that people are dealing with. So please just be kind. You can be “disappointed” and “not a jerk” at the same time.
Those are 7 things you can do to help with the supply chain challenges. If you want to chat further, we would love to help. Head here to set up a time to chat!
When done right, branded merchandise can be an absolute game-changer for your business. Most of us have been on the receiving end of a quality piece of branded merchandise. It can be a powerful bonding experience between you and the brand you love. On the other hand, most of us have also been on the receiving end of a crappy promo experience. You know the one. It’s where someone in the organization clearly decided to throw their organization’s logo on the cheapest item they could find. They might have “checked the box” in having something to give away…but they missed the mark for the brand.
They created “Brandfill.” You don’t want to do that!
This sort of useless, cheap promotional product decreases the brand value in the customer’s eyes. And let’s face it, most of the time it makes it straight to the landfill. That’s why we call it “Brandfill.”
So how do we avoid adding to the noise? How can we make sure that the next branded merchandise purchase is on point? It’s all about being intentional. Let’s get started with 3 questions to ask before you buy branded merchandise.
Where Is Your Perfect Customer When They Realize They Need You?
One of the superpowers of branded merchandise is the fact that they are incredibly targeted. You can use a great promotional product to reach directly into a customer’s office, kitchen, car, or even on their wall. One of the ways that organizations “get promo wrong” is when they create merchandise and just spray it out to everyone. Everyone is not your customer. You want to create branded merchandise that is specific to your prospect or client. That is why we spend the entire first lesson of our 5 Day Marketing Course on defining who that perfect customer is. (You can sign up here for free).
Now that you know EXACTLY who that perfect customer is, it’s time to dig one step further. Ask the question, “Where is my perfect customer when they realize they need me?” Are they in the car? In their office? Once you know who you are trying to reach and where they are…you can really be more specific with a piece of branded merchandise that will actually hit the mark!
What Is The Item’s Perceived Value?
Now that you have your perfect customer in your mind’s eye, and you know where to reach them, you can start to select items. As you begin to narrow them down ask yourself, “What is this item’s perceived value?” In other words, what will my customer THINK I spent on this? In a perfect world, I like to find an item that has a high perceived value. In other words, the customer or prospect feels like you spent more than you actually spent. It increases the value in their mind. That is why I love doing Double Walled Vacuum Sealed Tumblers…and why I have said that you should never buy a branded Yeti.
The goal is to find an item that your customer perceives as a $20 item, but you only spent $15. This is not the only reason to buy a piece of branded merchandise, but it’s a good tool for narrowing your list down.
What Would My Perfect Customer Love?
Finally, if you want to create raving fans, this last question is simple but powerful. When selecting your next piece of branded merchandise, will your perfect customer love it? Will they be over the top excited to receive it? If it’s a piece of drinkware, will it become their favorite? If it’s a t-shirt, will it be the one they always take out of the laundry basket first? If not, why not?
I can hear the “yeah-buts” now. I get that you don’t always have an unlimited budget. That is why finding your perfect customer is so perfect. You are not trying to create an amazing piece of branded merchandise for everyone. You are creating something that your tribe will love.
And if you are not creating something that will elicit a response, it begs the question, “Why do it at all?”
It is almost time for the Hasseman Marketing Fall Fiesta…and we are fired up to bring back this event! For those that don’t know, we host an annual (except of course last year) in-person event to showcase the best and brightest ideas in marketing…just for you! Essentially, it’s a fun trade show that we put on just for you. There are plenty of reasons to attend (in fact here are 6 reasons), and we want to let you know that we are still on.
3 Updates For The Fall Fiesta
Safety Protocols
As you can imagine, there have been plenty of questions about safety protocols for the event, so here is where we have landed. We will be recommending that guests wear masks. We will not be requiring them. There will be masks and hand sanitizer for those that want them. Since we are recommending masks, the HMC team will most likely be wearing them. I have no intention of being the mask police, but we will be asking everyone to respect one another’s choice. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
Reminder Of Hours
Just a reminder, this year’s show hours are 11 am to 3 pm. We have made that adjustment based on supplier and attendee requests. The goal is to make this an action-packed event with lots of ability to interact and learn.
Super SWAG
Every year we are blessed to have some wonderful branded merchandise to share with our events. This year is no different. We have been getting boxes of “marketing joy” for the past month and we are excited to share these with you. We will be packing bags this coming week in order to get ready. If you registered early, there will even be an extra goodie in the bag as well.
Didn’t register early? It’s okay! We will have plenty of good swag for you. You are still welcome to join us!
Once again, the event is Thursday, October 14th from 11 am to 3 pm at Lake Park Pavilion in Coshocton County. We hope to see you there!
If you want to help to grow your brand, inspire your tribe, or create a celebration with your organization, you will want to include branded drinkware. It makes sense! A great coffee mug or tumbler can be used nearly every day. It’s a very intimate branded piece (I mean, you put it in your mouth!)…and you don’t have to worry about sizes. A great piece of branded drinkware fits everyone!
But how much does a branded coffee mug cost?
It’s a good question…but a tough one. As we mentioned in this blog post about how much a custom t-shirt costs, it’s a little like asking “how much does a car cost?” It’s a tough question to answer because it depends on a lot of factors. So today we will tackle many of those factors so you can be more knowledgeable when picking the branded coffee mug you put your brand on!
What Kind of Material?
The kind of branded coffee mug you want can play a huge role in the cost. It’s an important question for you to understand because it will ultimately play a big role in whether or not your recipients actually want to use the mug. As I say all of the time, “Most everyone has a favorite mug. But they will often set that aside if you give them one they like better.”
Ceramic
When people think of a traditional coffee mug, the first thing that comes to mind is often the white ceramic coffee mug. And while that is certainly still an option, there are plenty of styles and options around a ceramic piece. Why use ceramic? For many people, it comes down to flavor. Why? Because ceramic is a solid and neutral material, it neither absorbs nor imparts flavors, leaving the coffee to taste just as it should.
Plastic
To me, the reason to choose a plastic coffee mug or tumbler is simple…price. Price is an important consideration in any branding campaign. But it should not be the only consideration. If you are going to use a plastic coffee tumbler, make sure the piece is BPA-free (here’s why). The safety of your customers, employees, and team members need to be at the top of your priority list…so please consider that when choosing your option! As a positive, there are some great BPA-free options and some are actually Made In The USA.
Stainless or Metal
Stainless or metal coffee mugs have become more and more popular over the past 10 years. I love my stainless travel mugs…especially when I am on the road. In addition, stainless has a very high perceived value with your clients. This adds power to the “gift” when you provide it to your recipients. Any time your client thinks you spent $20 on an item you spent $15 on…you are on the right side of that equation! In addition, a stainless coffee mug or tumbler often offers some cool and creative decoration techniques (more on that later).
Finally, in recent years, the technology around stainless has evolved to keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold for hours (think Yeti). This leads nicely to…
Single Versus Double Wall
For years, having a double-walled drinkware piece simply meant the mug would not “sweat.” But over the past 10 years, the technology of the Double-wall Vacuum Sealed Coffee Mugs has totally evolved. How does it work?
The key to this high-performance that keeps drinks cold (or hot) longer than traditional double-wall drinkware is a vacuum seal. This process essentially removes all air and other matter from between the interior and exterior walls of the tumbler. Creating a vacuum chamber in the middle of the tumbler stops all heat transfer by either conduction, convection, or radiation.
As you might expect, the double-walled vacuum sealed coffee mug is more expensive. But if you are looking for someone to connect with your brand for an extended period of time…it well might be worth it!
How Is It Being Decorated?
As you may or may not know, there are lots of ways to decorate a coffee mug. And depending on what way you go, it can have a huge impact on the cost of your project. I will go over a few of them here.
Silk Screening
I like to consider this the most standard decoration technique for coffee mugs. Silkscreen is a sophisticated stenciling technique for surface printing, in which a design is cut out of paper or another thin, strong material and then printed by rubbing, rolling, or spraying paint or ink through the cut-out areas. Most of your one or two color imprinting options can be well managed with this technique. This can be a very cost-effective way to imprint your coffee mugs, assuming you have enough quantity.
Pad Print
Pad printing can be a good technique for imprinting mugs when you only need a small quantity. It’s essentially the act of creating a die and “stamping” that imprint onto an item. It’s usually a process used to imprint items that are difficult to decorate using other techniques and is often done one at a time.
Sublimation
Using sublimation, you can create beautiful, full-color designs on a coffee mug. What is sublimation? Sublimation printing uses heat to essentially bring ink and fabric together as one. The process allows the ink to go from a solid to a gas without turning to liquid, a bit like dry ice. The conversion is initiated by heat and controlled by pressure. The upside is that, when done right, the images are beautiful and they are not going to come off. There is a downside though…most often, this can be a time-consuming and costly process.
Laser Etching
Laser etching can be a really cool-looking and elegant way to imprint a coffee mug or tumbler. Laser engraving is a process that vaporizes materials into fumes to engrave permanent, deep marks. The laser beam acts as a chisel, incising marks by removing layers from the surface of the material. What is created is a light imprint or a tone-on-tone look that can look sharp without being completely “in your face” from a branding perspective.
Other Factors To Consider
Okay…so we have talked about the kind of coffee mug or tumbler and the way it might be decorated. But there are a few more things you want to consider (or questions you might want to ask) before you order your organization’s coffee mugs. Here are a few!
How Many Do You Need?
In nearly every area of life we understand that when we order more, we can often get a better price. That is true with coffee mugs as well. On the other hand, if you only need them for a small team, you might consider your decoration options above so you can get the number you actually need. For example, some people can pad print or sublimate just a few coffee mugs, while you usually need to silkscreen more.
Personalization
We have long known that personalization is a powerful tool. It’s simple. If you put my name on something (maybe in addition to your logo), then I am much more likely to keep it! That puts my name with your brand on a branded piece that I use all of the time. As I said…powerful. But recently the technology to personalize has improved. More and more branded items are allowing you to personalize your customer’s name on them. Combine that with a time (during the pandemic) when it was more important than ever that we do NOT get our coffee mugs mixed up…and the number of orders that include personalization has increased a ton. It’s a powerful tool to use when creating a branding campaign (especially for current customers), but it does usually add cost.
Where Are They Shipping From?
One factor that is often forgotten is shipping. When it comes to branded drinkware, the location the items are shipping from is very important. Coffee mugs are expensive to ship, so I highly recommend that you ask where the FOB point is. If you are in Ohio, and you need an order quickly, shipping 288 coffee mugs from California can become cost-prohibitive.
But How Much Do They Cost?
Yes. I realize that after all of that I have still not given you an answer. I think you may now know why! It’s even harder as I write this because current issues with the supply chain are wreaking havoc on pricing! But because I want to give you an idea, I will define the parameters and give you an idea of what you should be paying…regardless of who you buy custom coffee mugs from. Below I will define the parameters for each of the options below. It will not be a hard and fast quote (you can reach out and request that here), but it can at least give you an idea of where to start.
Traditional Coffee Mug with One Color Imprint
This is basic and cost-effective. You can do something like this for anywhere between $2.15 and $4.00 (depending on quantity). And as I mentioned above, there are plenty of other ceramic styles and options to choose from.
Basic White Coffee Mug with Full-Color Imprint
This is the basic mug option that allows you to provide full-color graphics. With an item like this, you will be looking at anywhere from $4.25 to $7.50.
Plastic Travel Coffee Mug with One Color Imprint
Above I mentioned some of the concerns with plastic coffee mugs, but there are plenty of great BPA-free options. When considering this option you might be looking at anywhere from $3.50 to $7.50.
Stainless Double-Walled Travel Mug with Full-Color Imprint
This is the most expensive option, but it’s also the one with the highest perceived value. The range is wide depending on the brand specificity. For this option, you can spend anywhere from $10.00 to $30.00. This is the reason I have said that you should never buy a Yeti-branded coffee mug. There are some amazing options for this style. If you need help selecting one, feel free to reach out and we can help.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider. My hope is this arms you with information on how to get the right coffee mug for the right budget for your brand. Good luck!
It’s a tradition like no other. For over 15 years, Hasseman Marketing has hosted an “End User” trade show and has invited our customers. It’s evolved and grown over the years and we are quite proud of it. This year’s event will be Thursday, October 14th from 11 am to 3 pm at Coshocton County’s Lake Park! And since we missed hosting the event last year, we are ready to get back after it!
But why should you come? We want this event to be fun AND add a ton of value. Here are 6 reasons to attend The Hasseman Marketing Trade Show.
Incredible Product Access
We invite some of our top (and favorite) supplier reps to showcase their lines at the show. I like to say “There is no way I could fit all of this in my trunk.” You get to see and touch and feel the product and see what it’s really like. We all know that many products look the same online or in a catalog. But when you get them up close you can really see a difference. This is the perfect place to make sure your brand materials are on point.
Idea Generation
As you walk around and see the latest and greatest in Promo, you will come up with some great ideas for upcoming projects. The reality is, the show is at a great time of year for year-end gifts for your team or customers. But some of our best customers come every year and start to plan their marketing for the next year and beyond.
Great SWAG
Nobody leaves empty-handed! We put on a fun event where (with the help of our suppliers) we invest in putting some really cool SWAG in your hands. In addition, we build the event around a theme so you can see how we use a bunch of different items around a theme!
Additional Services
You may think you know all that we do at Hasseman Marketing, but we find that most people discover some new ways to promote their organization! Having all of the ideas in one place can be very illuminating! For example, did you know we do website development or in-house print services? We do. And you can find more about them at the event.
Tasty Food
You have to eat right? We have food and drinks as well. Each year we get compliments about the tasty treats and we know this year will be no different. The event this year is on Thursday, October 14th from 11 am to 3 pm at the Lake Park Pavilion (in Coshocton). Our goal is to create an event that provides value and fun…and you never want to miss.
Things Have Changed
I am not sure if you heard about it, but a lot has changed since we were able to do this event last! And while we are excited to get back together to get back to normal, there are some real business reasons you should attend. Your organization might have changed logos, brand messaging, go-to-market strategies, where people work, and so much more. Or, like some of our clients, you might just need to update your materials because it’s been 18 months since you’ve needed them!
When I first entered the world of promotional products (or branded merchandise) I was so hungry to create business and opportunities that I would do nearly anything to make a sale. Oh, nothing illegal of course, but I was not choosy. I was not particular about the clients I took on or the vendors I worked with. I just needed to put food on the table, so “a sale was a sale.” In that season of my career, that was what I needed to do.
But as time went on, I learned and evolved.
I learned that one of my jobs was to curate products. That’s pretty straightforward. There are millions of options and our clients simply don’t have the time or the knowledge to sift through them all. If I could narrow the search to just a few appropriate selections, I would be serving my clients. I could help them create a cool branded campaign that fit in the budget and (hopefully) moved the needle for their desired results.
Then I realized I was also curating something else…my vendors.
After a great deal of time in the business, I realized that not all suppliers are created equal. This is not as simple as some suppliers are “good” while some are “bad.” That is a wild over-simplification. The reality is, we are all better at some things than others. Some of our suppliers have an amazing selection of low-priced branded merchandise. A few of our suppliers have totally creative art teams that can dazzle us with mock-ups. And a few vendors can turn our branded products really fast, but they are not the cheapest. Each of the suppliers has its strengths and weaknesses.
That leads me to an important lesson.
When it comes to branded merchandise, you can have it:
Cheap
Correct
Fast
You get to pick two out of three.
While this lesson almost certainly applies to many industries, I can say for certain that it does to branded merchandise. As a distributor in this industry, it’s our job to do our best to guide you to the product AND supplier that can most effectively meet your need. As much as we want the industry to be amazon, it’s not. So if you want a branded campaign to be done in a week, there are options. They just probably won’t be the least expensive (or they won’t be done right).
As a side note, as I write this the challenge is doubly difficult. It seems nearly every industry is being affected by challenges in the supply chain (can’t get the product) or the labor force (can’t get people to work). It’s a reality we are all facing.
So my advice to you…plan ahead.
While that has always been the case, it’s really true right now. Stock is here today…and gone tomorrow. So please give yourself lots of time to make sure the item you want for your next campaign can make it on time. And if it’s not, it gives time to find a replacement.
