Playing it Safe

Playing it Safe
Helping clients with safety programs gives your business-- and theirs--a sense of security

by Sara Cooper 

IT'S A SAFE bet that this year distributors will be challenged to be more of a consultant and less of a product expert. The fact is, you'll likely be selling ideas first--and then tying in the products later.

With average Americans feeling less secure both at home and at work in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it seems like a good time to start thinking about safety programs.

Slogans such as "Buckle Up. It's the Law," "Stranger danger," and "Stop, drop and roll," strike a chord of familiarity in most people. It's a fact that safety products often serve as key components in the programs adopted by community organizations and corporations.

More than ever, these groups are using products such as flashlights, reflectors, whistles, bicycle helmets, roadside emergency car kits, first aid kits, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in a wide variety of contexts. Uses range from offering incentives or awards for meeting safety goals to sponsoring community safety awareness programs or fundraisers.

Raymond Strakosch, vice president of marketing for Reflectix, says everyone should be kept aware of safe practices at home, on the job or when engaging in recreational activities. In particular, manufacturers, construction and trucking companies, and others with a high risk of on-the-job injuries can benefit from implementing a safety program.

This type of program can have a variety of goals, Strakosch says, including reducing work-related injuries, increasing productivity, improving morale and educating about safety.

Strakosch believes most companies with 250 people or more will have an employee who is assigned to deal with safety problems that arise within the company. In other companies, programs might be administered by the human resources department, a plant manager or a designated safety team.

Rob Curtis, director of marketing for Prime Resources Corp., says one of the things that make a safety program successful is constant reinforcement of the safety message. And promotional safety products can play a key role.

"An announcement and a couple of signs isn't going to cut it," he says. "Promotional products selected by the recipient to be used at different times of the day, both at work and at home, really drive the point home about safety."

For example, a manufacturing company used Bay State Specialty Co.'s Always Near Acrylic Photo Frame to promote its new safety campaign. At their summer outing, marketing department staffers took pictures of employees with their families and friends. The pictures were matched up with frames and imprinted with the new safety slogan, "Safety is a Family Affair." The frames were then distributed later in the fall during the campaign kickoff.

"Every employee received their own frame with a picture of them with either friends or family," says Bay State's marketing director Joel Moore. "The employees were grateful to receive the frames and the majority displayed their cherished memory out in the open for all to see, further promoting the company's new safety slogan."

Putting it together

Phases of a safety program may include conceptualization, kick-off, awareness reminder and measurement. Prime's Curtis says different items can be used within each stage. The reminder stage, for example, might only justify a small value-priced item like a measuring tape that all program participants receive. The reward stage, however, might call for a higher-end gift item given only to select participants. Workers should also be rewarded throughout the program's duration for making measurable performance improvements or suggestions.

Many safety product manufacturers will work with companies in promoting their safety message. Jennifer Blackburn of American Whistle Corp. says her company will die-strike virtually any logo onto a whistle. The whistles have been used in safety programs by hospitals, drug reps, colleges, insurance salespeople and Block Watch programs.

"A Whistle Defense Program is truly a 'win-win' program," she says. "The community wins because (members) receive safety whistles and whistles save lives. The providers of the whistles win because they receive the best public relations program they will ever have while also providing a community service."

Tony Venafro, vice president of sales and operations for CMV Enterprises, says his company keeps products in stock featuring a few basic safety slogans that distributors can offer to clients. Slogans include: "Think safety, work safely," and "Safety Excellence Award."

Meeting a need

According to a report by the Fire Research and Development Group, 70 percent of households have smoke alarms and 21 percent have fire extinguishers. Venafro says many people who have smoke alarms do not have them in some of the most crucial areas of the home.

Companies like CMV that offer fire extinguishers and smoke alarms provide a unique promotional opportunity. Such items allow companies to promote a sense of community responsibility while simultaneously getting their name out.

"(Safety products) are a needed thing," says Venafro. "People need them more than they need a $12 T-shirt. And it is something that is going to stay around the home."

Venafro believes insurance companies are putting their logos on smoke alarms that are installed in new homes as a way to draw business. Fire stations are using the products in conjunction with community fire prevention programs. An example of this is a holiday promotion encouraging people to put an extra smoke alarm over the Christmas tree.

A wide range of companies and organizations are finding ways to put safety products to work. Some schools and other organizations are incorporating safety items into fundraising efforts as opposed to traditional candy and coupon book sales.

At Reflectix, a new line of safety apparel has been added to the company's wide range of reflecting accessories for children, adults and even pets. The reflective safety vests in adult and children's sizes are excellent for active people like joggers, cyclists, skateboarders and scooter riders, as well as event participants, school crossing guards and traffic control personnel.

Buztronics Inc. also carries several reflective and "flashy" safety products. The "Buzstrobes" are available in six different shapes and seven different colors, which all contain the brightest LEDs available. Each strobe can be turned on and off with the press of a button and each has a clip on the back for convenient displaying.

"A lot of people use them for walking and jogging--for themselves and their pets--because they are reflectors and blinkers," says Buztronics' Shannon Hillis. The blinking attracts the eye, and the affordable price attracts the customer, she adds.

For 2002, Buztronics introduced the Cab Wand, a keychain flashlight with a blinking strobe light on the end, which can be easily activated.

First aid kits are another product gaining popularity within safety programs. Options include sports first aid kits--ideal for a local sports teams; standard kits that can be stored in a vehicle or in the home, and pet kits for animal enthusiasts.

A fairly new emergency item is CMV's 911 phone. The phone has only one button that immediately dials 911 when pressed and costs nothing after the initial purchase.

"This is for somebody who has a teenager who is driving," Venafro says. "The last thing you need is to give them the ability to run up your cell phone bill."

Other likely candidates for this type of product include those who do not wish to deal with a cell phone but are looking for a greater sense of security.

For the more whimsical safety product, Norwood's Pillowline offers a Construction Guy Stress Ball that is fun and thought-provoking. "It is the perfect item for construction and excavating companies, manufacturing firms and corporate safety programs," says Julie Hicks, marketing manager for Pillowline. "Employees and customers can relieve their stress in a humorous way."

Pillowline also carries a compact first aid kit, interstate auto safety pack and highway safety bag for those on the go. "Safety items such as (these) are best sellers and extremely important in the winter months as more people travel by car," Hicks points out.

Safety products differ from other promotional items in that they meet a very real need. The value perceived by end users goes above and beyond novelty. This means distributors can offer a promotional product with a positive message that will always be in demand.