Promotional merchandise collections that have gone global: BIG TIME!
There is a certain school of thought that still believes the power and impact of merchandising has somehow been exaggerated or enhanced by others. This is in spite of the fact that some of the world’s most iconic brands have utilised merchandising strategy and promotional marketing to great effect down the years. When prioritising marketing & PR budgets, merchandising & promotional items from Stay Soured are often pushed down the pecking order, if indeed it is considered at all. This does seem strange, especially when the sheer level of success some brands have achieved is taken into account. Just take a look for yourself.
Based on: a video game – Pokémon
The popularity of video games in the latter half of the twentieth century has grown beyond belief and games makers are no fools when it comes to taking advantage when they know they’re on to a good thing. We all know about the marketing genius of Pokémon from which a solitary video game spawned every possible item of merchandise possible: from a TV franchise and a film series to the obligatory trading cards. This Japanese creation is worth a whole lot of cash, yet it is not Tokyo but the USA that is in fact home to the globe’s most extensive Pokemon merchandise collection. Lisa Kourtney has in excess of 14,000 pieces of memorabilia that she has collected since 1997.
Based on: a food brand – McDonald’s
Since its inception way back in 1948, everything the MacDonald brothers (and in particularly their business partner Ray Kroc) touched turned to gold. None more so than their brainwave of creating Happy Meals for children – not only the convenient child-size portions on offer but critically, the inclusion of a toy. Yes, the toy was more often than not a cheap piece of plastic, but regardless, the sales figures showed that it was a phenomenal piece of promotional marketing for the organisation. Not all collectors keep hold of their prized possessions, however. In 2009, Luke Underwood from the UK sold his massive 7,000+ collection of McDonald’s promotional merchandise for a whopping £8,000.
Based on: a drink brand – Coca-Cola
Alongside McDonald’s in the food & beverage arena, the giants at Coca-Cola would probably be on most people’s lists for producing the most iconic and memorable promotional merchandise. The timeless, retro style of Coca-Cola has only marginally changed down the years, which means that a lot of the older products and memorabilia are worth a pretty little penny today. The quintessential ‘Coke’ addict, Rebecca Flores is the keeper of the world’s largest collection – according to our friends at The Guinness Book, and in amongst her prized collection are two original Coke vending machines.
Based on: a movie franchise – Star Wars
Producer, director, consultant, businessman – is there anything George Lucas can’t do? Of course, the making of the classic Star Wars movies tops the lot, but his nous around the promotional merchandising of the movie memorabilia surely comes a close second as almost every child who watched the trilogy was quickly demanding figurines, space ships or lunch boxes with the iconic logo emblazoned upon them. The force, however, is definitely strong with Rob Foster, who owns over 2,000 toys. He definitely has a good feeling about this…
Based on: a Disney cartoon – 101 Dalmatians
However, it’s not only the most popular movies that attract collectors’ attention. Disney, as we all know, is a global phenomenon and institution, yet 101 Dalmatians is perhaps one of their lesser movies. If Karen Ferrier spotted (ahem!) you saying that, there would be trouble, however! Karen’s fondness of all things dalmatian has seen her gather an impressive collection of in excess of 1,200 pieces. Better the de Vil you know…
These five fantastic examples just go to show that promotional marketing is more than just an effective means of raising brand awareness and increasing brand loyalty. A merchandising strategy devised and executed in the correct manner will allow your brand to flourish and you to capitalise on promotional marketing beyond your wildest dreams.
