Top tips for a successful awareness day

The UK has more than 400,000 charities. Accordingly there are numerous awareness raising days and weeks plus events over longer periods – Safer Internet Day, World Cancer Day, National Eczema Week, World Autism Awareness Day, World Alzheimer’s Month, to name but few.

For charities – indeed for all types of organisation – promotional merchandise is a perfect way to get a point across, whatever the message.

And when every penny counts it’s vital to have a good ROI, and the return on investment on promotional merchandise is better than on other traditional types of advertising.

Promotional items make a perfect thank you too, a sign of appreciation for help from volunteers and supporters plus those who’ve donated funds as well as time.

Our 8 tips to get the merchandise right…

1. Choose carefully. Think about the best way to get the right exposure. Should those taking part have items to carry such as banners or would something to wear be preferable? Are other factors such as the weather important?

2. Do the research. There are several online awareness calendars, so spend time deciding what’s a good fit. Ask, does it make sense to give away X promotional product on this day?

3. Get the design right. Whatever the cause, promotional products offer an inexpensive way to leverage a brand and keep it in the public eye, so the design needs to be attractive and clear.

4. Choose quality items. Inexpensive doesn’t mean cheap! A good quality gift will put a brand in a good light – a cheap one or one that breaks will do the opposite.

5. Make the most of social media. Social media is a great way to promote an awareness event. And remember to take plenty of photographs to upload on the same social media afterwards!

6. Be on trend. A stress-busting gadget – like a spinner, for example – could be a great promotional item for World No Tobacco Day.

7. Remember the environment. Don’t spoil a charity’s good work with merchandise that’s not ethical, eco-friendly or from sustainable sources.

8. Don’t get in a rut. If a pen is the usual signature giveaway then maybe think of doing something different. The more relevant and useful the item, the greater the boost in brand interest, with 84% of recipients reporting a positive client impression when they receive a gift that’s relevant day to day.

Whatever the charity event, Arcadia can provide merchandise that’ll help make a difference.

Contact our team for great ideas, visuals and prices.

Make Memorable Merchandise

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Jason Markwick

Having worked in Promotional Merchandise for the last 25 years I have been exposed to all aspects of the industry. Starting out as an account manager working with some of the worlds leading brands, I have learnt to understand the needs of a client, manufacturing processes, and what it takes to deliver a successful promotional campaign that is on brand, on time and within a given budget.