So I'm sitting on an airplane enduring a long painful flight and I find myself staring at the napkins they gave me with a drink. Staring back at me is the airline logo along with some message about how great they are, and I'm thinking why put their logo on something that very soon will be in the trash. I mean I know what airline I'm on, I know where I'm going and how I'm getting there.
Then it hits me, not like a ton a bricks but subtly more like a raindrop when it's not raining, branding, brand recognition, and more branding. Keep your name in front of as many people as possible as many times as possible and they will remember the brand. As I look around I realize the brand is everywhere, they have a magazine with the brand; blankets with the brand; even the air sickness bags, and these are definitely going in the trash immediately after use. You see the brand so often you don't notice it, but the point is you do notice it, you're just not aware of it at the time.
The smart companies, the big one's everyone's heard of understand the power of promotion and they do it every chance they get. I guess that's why everyone's heard of them.
These companies use print to promote their brand wherever they can. Think about the last time you visited a Starbucks every napkin is printed with their logo even though the life of a napkin can be as short as the 10 seconds it takes you to pull it from the holder, wipe up the milk you spilled at the condiment counter, and throw it in the trash. They even print their name on the paper covering the straws, and they have two designs at that, green for the smaller straws and black for the larger ones. Straw packaging; now that is something that goes directly into the trash within seconds of you touching it.
You've got to wonder, it must cost more to have the brand printed on the straw packaging, can it possibly be worth it to pay extra for an item with a 5 second lifespan? Clearly it is; you may think you don't notice it but you do and that's the point. These big companies are smarter than I am and they've probably paid big money to study the return of printing the brand on these throw away products and they've figured out it's worth it.
Printing promotes the brand and allows you the flexibility to do it in all kinds of places. Business cards, presentation folders, brochures, product packaging, marketing material. You name it you can print on it and you should. Take a lesson form the market leaders and never miss an opportunity to print your brand any place customers and prospects can see it.