First impressions count. Clients form their opinion about your brand based on their first interaction. A corporate uniform or dress code plays a vital role in these impressions, as it can motivate your team members to connect with your brand’s mission and vision. Designing a company uniform requires strategic planning, considering the brand’s purpose and objectives. Additionally, the uniform should reflect the changing market, inspire confidence, and convey a contemporary feel.
Like any element of brand and marketing, uniform design and implementation need to be well thought out and planned.
Read on to find out everything you need to know in order to create a corporate uniform policy and learn how to design the right corporate uniform for your brand.
Tips to Create a Corporate Uniform Policy
While corporate uniforms might be necessary for your brand’s consistency, for your brand’s consistency, it is crucial to also create a corporate uniform policy that includes everyone at your organisation and ensures compliance and effectivity. To achieve this, consider the following tips to ensure your uniform policy is fair both towards your brand’s identity and mission, and your employees’ need to feel appreciated and comfortable.
First, Why Do You Need a Uniform Policy?
Explain Expectations
To avoid misunderstandings, make it crystal clear what you mean by terms like “formal”, “casual”, etc. Provide clear guidelines about what is acceptable and what isn’t. These expectations should be applied to everyone from employees and senior management to interns and even temps, creating a sense of harmony and belonging for all.
Make it Easy for New Starters and Ensure Safety
Part of your employee onboarding checklist should include a clear uniform policy that helps starters fit in and feel part of the team from day one. Take this worry out of their minds and ensure they’ll keep your brand’s image intact from the get-go. Considere including the policy in welcome packs for new employees. Some jobs require employees to wear certain types of uniforms due to health and safety regulations. Taking this into consideration further ensures safety and makes it easier to control these risk factors.
Ensure Consistency and Get Fewer Complaints
Consistency is key to any brand that wants to transmit an identity consistently to its audience. Corporate uniforms further this message at every level of contact. By having a clear uniform policy, complaints about “inappropriate” dress practices will drop dramatically, and there will be more harmony among all employees. Legal actions from disgruntled employees will also diminish when your uniform policy is clear.
So, How Do You Create a Corporate Uniform Policy?
1. Include All Your Employees
When developing your corporate uniform policy, be as inclusive as possible. Think about each different division or department within your company and consider all their different needs and expectations. To do this, include representation and gather opinions from your entire organisation. This process will help you to not overlook different needs you didn’t think of. It will also make everyone feel part of the process, making them more likely to comply with the policy with pride. Be sure to represent all job types when developing uniforms. Keep in mind that workers who perform a more physical type of job, such as those who operate machinery, for example, will have different needs from those working a desk job or customer service.
2. Communicate Clearly
Make double sure to clearly explain all your decisions and policies to your employees in a way they’ll understand and feel included and appreciated. Regularly ask for their input and allow suggestions to make them feel included and connected to the brand. This also foments constant improvement.
It’s important to also include a discipline system in your policy. This system should be applied fairly and consistently across the entire organisation.
Include a clear outline of what disciplinary options will be applied. These can range from administrative warnings to requiring the employee to go home and change, to more severe actions like termination. All depending on the severity and repetitiveness of the violations.
3. Address Dress-Code Violation Issues Delicately
If you consider an employee has violated the uniform policy, take the time to make sure a violation has actually taken place and gather proof before taking action. Once it has been established that a dress-code violation has taken place, have a manager speak to the employee in a discreet way, maintaining a level of confidentiality and ensuring the employee understands what the violation was.
When applying a warning or disciplinary action, stick to the facts and avoid getting into personal details or judgment calls. It’s important to find out why the employee incurred in the dress-code violation.
As a general rule, when creating a uniform policy, be fair, communicate clearly and often, and include your employees in your decisions. These best practices will create a policy that benefits both your brand and your employees.
Develop the look and feel of your corporate uniforms at the same time you develop your corporate uniform policy to ensure both processes feed off of each other. Keep your brand’s identity and employee appreciation and input working together to get a final product that will satisfy everyone’s needs. Download this Corporate Uniforms Design Guide to help you go through the process smoothly and create a set of uniform items that’ll make your employees look brand-tastic.
Get started with your staff and employees, and get in touch with us to develop a set of uniform items that fit perfectly within your policy, budget, objectives, promotional marketing scope, and employee expectations.
Sometimes marketing agencies trying to select the best out of their catalogue of campaigns can be a bit biased due to emotions, memories, and other nuances that the audience might never be aware of. That’s why we decided to allow our clients and our audiences to decide which ones were our best promotional marketing campaigns of 2018.
We opened up a contest online so our clients could nominate their campaigns. This way our audience and theirs would be able to vote and select a winner. Here are 9 contestants and the winner for the best promotional marketing campaign of 2018. You’ll love them!
1. Welcome Packs
Our friends at Prospa needed to revamp their outdated welcome package for new brokers of the Prospa family. They wanted to communicate Prospa’s modern brand image while reducing the cost and incorporating existing items.
We worked alongside Prospa and came up with an elegantly customized solution. We combined a certificate in a sleek gloss black frame, a premium metal pen, and a professional notebook wrapped in Prospa branded tissue paper and placed into a premium custom made box. New Prospa brokers felt warmly welcomed and enjoyed a more friendly onboarding process.
2. Family Day 2018
Promotional merchandise plays a very important role in nurturing employee loyalty and appreciation. Kennards Hire knows this. That’s why for their annual Family Day 2018 they needed a product that was family-friendly in order to show their employees and their families their appreciation.
Our team developed a few alternatives, and we decided to go with a Picnic Rug & Duffle bag that could be used on the day and afterwards for days out with the family. We included a magnetic photo frame with the brand’s 70th Anniversary artwork for families to use for photos taken on that day.
The brand needed merchandise options that incorporated indigenous artwork suitable for students and education fairs. The designs needed to be high-quality and highlight the APA logo while recognising the artist.
We developed a fantastic digital print on a bottle and backpack that successfully communicated the indigenous design and highlighted both the APA logo and the artist without compromising quality and functionality.
The PR department of the governing body of horse racing in Victoria approached our team to develop the perfect invitation to launch the Festival of Racing period and marketing campaign to the media and the general public.
We developed a line of wicker picnic baskets themed with the Festival’s image and arranged for them to have an additional touch of subtle RV branding through custom luggage. “The kits were so well received that we encountered a number of requests for more baskets, a feat that is very rare from the media!”, said Verity Clough, Racing Victoria Public Relations & Communications Manager.
AIG’s thought leadership conference needed a product for their travel team session on awareness about travel risks that would make the experience memorable for their target audience.
They had an idea for compression socks, so we developed a variety of AIG branded options and samples sourced from local suppliers. They picked one and each person who got a pair was pleasantly surprised.
We chose some of our favourites and personalised them to better suit Hologic’s staff. The move was successful and everybody loved their gifts. It was a great way to start in a new environment.
For the past 25 years, Holden and the PGA have produced Australia’s #1 participated amateur golf event with over 50,000 participants across Australia. Creating a gift for the Championship finals that would be suitable for the occasion and for all golfers, was a great challenge for Red Tomato.
We sourced a series of fun and engaging products that were well received and both the client and sponsors achieved great brand awareness at the event and beyond due to the practicality of the reusable glasses.
The concept of giving kids a free backpack with goodies to engage them in the event had been done in previous years with success. However, for the 2017/18 campaign, we decided to incorporate the “We love animals” concept into the theme in order to further engage kids and families.
All items included in the backpack were branded with the slogan, and the success among kids was tremendous. Mick Sharke from RSN was there with his daughters and no one could have put it better than him:
“The Country Racing Victoria campaign focuses on a simple idea – We Love Animals. Because at the heart of the sport, when the carnivals, prize money announcements, interstate feuds, and mega races are all stripped away, racing exists because its participants and fans love and appreciate the thoroughbred horse. And what better way to explain racing to a child than with this message.”
2018 was Contiki’s 20th anniversary for ROCK, which is their biggest trade incentive. To celebrate, they made ROCK 2018 BIGGER & BETTER: more seats, iconic location, iconic festival, smoking hot merch, and new branding.
This memorable and eye-catching award was something agents could brag about and proudly display, and it also caught the attention of voters for our contest and this rockin’ award took first place.
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For us at Red Tomato, all our clients are winners and all of them deserve a winning campaign. With that mantra in mind, be sure our team will work hard to give you promotional products that are true winners for you and your brand. Get in touch to start working on your next winning campaign!
Wine totes, lunch bags, make-up bags, luggage, and plenty of other items are now sporting a cool denim look, and they do stand out! Manufacturers are using this material on their products, and they’re getting a lot of attention. So forget about nylon and plastic, and enjoy the good looks and durability of the all-new denim promo products.
2. Retro
Retro is here to stay! Both CES and PPAI showed a growing tendency towards items with modern day technology that have a timeless look. These “new retro” products include items like Bluetooth speakers that look like old record players and gramophones.
3. Shiny
This year metallic, shiny, and golden looks are dominating the entire design industry. The promotional product space is no exception. A cool line of metallic-effect products stood out around the entire Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. This shiny look stands out and you can find an entire line of products that include utility bags, sports bottles, key holders, cellphone holders, and much more.
4.Suede
Soft, elegant and stylish. The suede line of items we found at PPAI 2019 truly stands out as a classic look with modern twists that can appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Imagine a branded suede laptop case for your best clients? Now that’s something that’ll set your brand apart and make a lasting impression. Items in this line include all the classics like lunch bags, utility bags, and key holders, plus awesome ideas such as wine totes, can holders, card holders, and much more.
5. Burlap
The rustic, hand-crafted look of burlap takes on a whole different level when applied to promotional products. The roughness and woven style of burlap gives promo products a personality of their own and stands out in elegance, charisma, and style. Also known as Hessian Cloth, burlap items are a great strategy in promotional products if you want your brand to connect with deeper emotions in your audience’s psyche.
6. Jersey Knit
Originally, Jersey knit fabrics were used for clothing because of their soft feel and elegant look. This fashionable style has invaded promotional products to take them to a new level of sophistication and style. Add your logo and brand message and you’ll truly connect with your audience in a way you never have before.
PPAI 2019 left us with many great memories and lessons, plus insights and trends that we’ve brought back to offer directly to you. Download our new catalogue where we’ve collected the best of the best just for you, and get in touch to strategically customise your order, or just to chat about how these trends can connect your brand to your audience.
In January, we dived into the PPAI Expo Experience in Las Vegas. We attended proudly as an award-winning agency.
Last year, we won the Pyramid Award for our Country Racing Victoria Campaign. However, our achievements at the PPAI Expo Experience this year were even more remarkable. Thanks to the love and effort put forward by our team and the trust of our clients, this year our Agency was awarded a Silver Pyramid Award for our Ugly Sweater Campaign and a Gold Award for our blog the Tomato Scoop.
The PPAI Expo Experience in Vegas was not just about awards. We discovered the latest industry trends and connected with renowned leaders and experts.
Our journey at the PPAI Expo Experience inspires us to stay our course. Especially when industry leaders are promoting methods similar to ours at Red Tomato. We prioritise our clients, addressing quote requests as an ad agency would.
Promotional Product Trends
One trend set to rise this year is the return to retro items. Both CES and PPAI Expo showed a growing tendency towards items with modern day technology that have a timeless look. These “new retro” products include items like Bluetooth speakers that look like old record players and gramophones.
Moreover, family games like Jenga and Monopoly are gaining traction. This positions your brand right in family game nights.
Further innovations can be seen in the use of recycled and recyclable by big brands such as Adidas and HTT Apparel. Meanwhile, one of the most prevalent trends is the upgrade of work clothing and apparel into more relaxed options such as the ones shown by Hanesbrands Inc., and Blue Generation.
Going Forward from our PPAI Expo Experience
We complemented our PPAI Expo Experience with trips to Zappos.com, CES, and SKUcon. We learned about employee relationships and met like-minded suppliers and distributors.
Going forward, the team at Red Tomato will continue to lead the Australian promotional product industry with creative, strategic, and solid service to provide our clients with a maximized ROI both in results, brand awareness, brand loyalty, and brand presence.
Our Aspirations
We aim to be pioneers, consistently evolving in our strategies, methods, and offerings. With the insights we’ve gleaned, we are already brainstorming the next campaign that we believe will not only benefit our clients but also set a new industry standard.
With so many options for Marketing Managers nowadays, sometimes it’s difficult to decide how to spread the word about your company’s services. There’s word of mouth, networking, events, social media, promotional merchandise, and the list goes on. It can be overwhelming to figure out what works best for your consumers and what produces the highest ROI. Providing your targeted demographic with incentives is a traditional way to draw in new leads. But in these days of digital advertising, how effective is promotional marketing, really?
What is Promotional Marketing?
We’ve all heard the term thousands of times, but let’s take a step back and analyse exactly what we’re discussing. According to Marden-Kane, promotional marketing is: “Any message that includes an incentive to persuade the target audience to take immediate action, thereby driving some form of brand interaction that leads to a current or future purchase. Promotion is different from advertising and other forms of marketing in that the goal is to drive immediate behavioural change.”
In other words, promotional marketing engages with consumers. It stirs up a conversation between a company and its demographic, whereas advertising simply talks at the targeted audience. The promotion itself can range from free merchandise to VIP treatment. It simply depends on the company and the goal of the campaign.
How Effective is Promotional Marketing?
Even in this age of information and technology, the traditional approach of promotional marketing is relevant as ever. Let’s take a look at what effective promotional marketing looks like and how to achieve this level of success.
Determining the Efficiency of Your Promotion
An effective promotional marketing campaign isn’t just one that generates leads or brings money in. It needs to both outperform other campaigns you’ve done in the past and achieve the goals you set. This can be anything from creating a spike in sales during the slow season to doubling your email list.
In order to measure your promotion’s effectiveness, Sam Ashe-Edmunds of Small Business recommends the following: “…Set a variety of benchmarks to evaluate. Review your website and social media traffic during the period of a promotion to gauge its impact on customer activity. Calculate your cost to run the promotion, including your staff time, the money you paid contractors to create materials, media and printing costs and opportunity costs.” After you’ve reviewed these benchmarks, calculate your ROI. If everything outperforms previous promotions, you’ve just executed an effective marketing campaign.
Keys to Making Your Campaign Successful
As with anything else in marketing, there are keys to making your promotion effective. Ask yourself the following questions:
Who is my demographic?
What change do I want this promotion to incite?
What is the main point of this promotion?
After you’ve become clear about your intentions, decide what it is that you will offer. Incentives can range from discounted products to free samples to special events. Whatever you choose, remember that it’s wise to include both digital media and promotional merchandise in your marketing mix.
Promotional marketing can only be effective if it has a high ROI in addition to achieving your goal. Before you publicise your campaign, get specific about how many new clients you want to attract. Know how many sales you want to make and where you want your company to be after the promotion is over.
Case Studies and Statistics
For further examination, we’ll examine promotional marketing effectiveness metrics. This includes evaluating case studies and measured statistics.
In one effective campaign, Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) reached out to Red Tomato. They wanted to create promotional products printed with indigenous artwork. Their aim was to increase brand awareness by giving this merchandise out to students at national fairs and in the Northern Territory. To facilitate this process, we chose highly visible items like water bottles and reusable bags. The APA was able to spread their word while staying within their budget. The benefits of promotional products are limitless!
There are many other case studies that support the effectiveness of promotional marketing. However, let’s turn to statistics for more insight. While we fully support more traditional marketing approaches, there is no denying that digital marketing is on the rise. When researching a product, as many as 60% of people use voice search. For “purchase inspiration,” 37% of those who shop online depend on social media. But this doesn’t mean that you have to abandon all forms of traditional marketing to continue your promotions.
As Holly Millar of Talon.One points out, 34% of millennials search for discounts every week. 90% of mobile phone users have subscribed to services offering discounts. In other words, consumers are still on the hunt for promotions. It’s up to you to provide that offer and to deliver an enjoyable experience to reach conversion. Just because the marketing landscape has shifted doesn’t mean you should abandon promotional marketing campaigns. Including both digital and traditional strategies in your marketing mix is likely to provide the best results.
Conclusion
So, how effective is promotional marketing, really? It will only be as valuable as the clarity of your campaign. Know exactly what you want to get out of it before you invest any money. Identify your targeted demographic and create an urgent conversation with them through your promotion. Choose an incentive that is valuable for your consumers and creates a memorable experience for them. Lastly, don’t be afraid to mix traditional and digital strategies in your campaign. Promotional marketing is still an efficient, powerful marketing tactic when done correctly.
If you need help executing your next promotion, we are here to help. There is no question too small or too basic for us to answer.
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