Perfect Timing

Perfect Timing
Promotional clocks & watches tend to stay around

by Teri Carnicelli

THEY CAN BE old-fashioned elegant, high-tech digital, fun, funky, trendy or traditional. Whether worn on a wrist or placed on a desk or shelf, promotional timepieces make a lasting impact.

"Watches and desk clocks are a staple to any corporate catalog or company store program," says Todd Turquand of Europawatch.com. The key, he explains, is the supplier knowing the demographics of the target market and how the product is received (employee's purchase, customer gifts, sales incentives, etc). Once this vital information is obtained, the supplier can accurately recommend products that will work well in the specific markets and price points.

"A huge benefit to timepieces is the cost per exposure," Turquand says. "Think about how many times a person looks at their watch or desk clock on daily or even hourly basis. Every time they look at it, it is an advertising exposure."

As in all promotional sales, budget is the biggest factor in what type of timepiece your end user customer is likely to want. However, there are other factors to think about when presenting selections, such as style (are the recipients conservative? Fashion-forward?), placement (on the wrist? On the belt loop? On the desk? On the monitor?) and function (does it just tell time, or does it do much more?)

TIME-TESTED FAVORITES

Some promotional timepieces have gotten so far away from the look of a traditional clock or watch that they have become more like desk art. In fact, you often can't even tell they are timepieces. While these crazy and creative styles may appeal to some, a distributor's best bet is to always start with the basics, the tried-and-true sellers.

Analog timepieces have a degree of sophistication and elegance that will never go out of style. In fact, one of Sun Manufacturing's best-selling clocks is an analog-style clock.

"Analog-style clocks with an attractive price point seem to maintain a higher perceived value due to the fact that they are still mechanical in nature, as opposed to a digital clock," says Sun Manufacturing's Rob Robinson. "We carry several styles of desk clocks and all of the top sellers are analog quartz in nature."

One of Tomaxusa.com's top-selling clocks is also an analog style, but with a more modern look, featuring a futuristic titanium-plated metal clock with a colored acrylic center. "We believe everyone is looking for something that stands out, something with a new look," says Tomaxusa's David Monahan.

One material guaranteed to convey quality in a clock is marble. Just ask supplier N & R International, who has made a business of working exclusively with hand-cut and hand-polished marble. "It is perfect for the executive desk or fireplace mantle, making it a very appropriate corporate gift or employee recognition," says N & R's Abdul Amlani.

Of course, some buyers want more than just high-perceived value for their money. In fact, they just want more--as in, does it do anything more than just tell time?

MULTI-FUNCTION

Wouldn't you like to get a desk clock that holds a picture of your family and also tells you what the temperature is? Or how about a watch that is also a stopwatch and can tell you what time it is in three different countries?

Timepieces are becoming like Swiss Army knives: the more they can do, the better. For example, Benchmark Industries' newest style showcases a quartz clock, thermometer, and two picture frames in a cube configuration.

Not to be outdone, The Hurricane Line has a clock that features a calendar, calculator, thermometer, countdown timer, musical alarm and 16-city world time function. "It's great for the traveling professional," says Hurricane's Alan Tabasky.

Sometimes the point of interest is about different looks rather than different functions. Calconix's TimeZone line has a new item that allows users to change from a standard wristwatch to a clip watch in seconds without the use of tools or pinsprings. "It's really cool because of the popularity of the clip, but it still offers the functionality of a watch," says Calconix's Chris Smith. "It's two gifts in one."

And as the saying goes: The more the merrier.

"T-shirts, mugs, and mousepads are great," says Tabasky. "They all serve their purpose and have been used since before I was born, but the new generation of multi-featured timepieces and their great low pricing will give the time-honored products a run for the top spot."

OTHER TIMEPIECE TRENDS

Multi-functioning timepieces aren't the only hot trends to keep a close eye on. Like Calconix's new style, watches that clip onto a belt loop, backpack, gym bag or briefcase are becoming hot sellers in both retail and promotional markets.

The best-selling watch for Europa this year is a clip watch on a carabineer. For Tomaxusa, its best-selling watch also sports a metal clip and pocket watch-style face. "The Clip It series has really taken off like in recent months," says Tomaxusa's Monahan.

Clocks and watches that are distinctly unique and set their own trends are also proving that their time is now. The Lolliclock is a new product Europa introduced to solve the desktop dilemma. It sits in an already utilized desk accessory like a pen cup holder or planter.

One item that really stands out no matter where it's placed is made from recycled computer motherboards. The PCs-In-Time^™ line, from JFY Productions Inc., features products like a desk clock with pen set holder made from post-industrial "e-waste," currently a hot topic in the computer industry and many state legislatures.

"The added bonus to using PCs-In-Time products for distributors and their clients is that of helping our environment," says JFY's Julianne Hagan.

When it comes time to make that sales pitch, remember this timely bit of advice from Benchmark's Jason Corsetti: "T-shirts fade, coffee cups get lost, and mousepads get replaced with other mousepads. A clock or watch, in contrast, has a greater propensity to 'stand the test of time,' so to speak."

Clock Cases

Benchmark Industries

A popular fast food chain was having a regional franchise owners meeting. The topic of the meeting was operations, efficiency, and ultimately getting the product to the consumer in the shortest amount of time. The theme of the meeting was "Focusing on Time." For this they chose the Silver Marquis, a foldout timepiece with a clock and a magnifier. The concept was to have the franchise owner leave with a gift, which reinforced the purpose of the meeting. The items were handed out in the beginning of the meeting, and referred to throughout the presentation, and was met with great success.

Europawatch.com

A huge oil/gas company wanted to commemorate 1,800 people responsible for helping them receive their ISO 14001 certification. Europa had an opportunity to create a presentation (as did other shirt, bag, pen, etc. companies). The only parameters were unisex, completely custom, and very high-perceived value. Based on this information, Europa created a high-resolution virtual sample showing all the customization features Europa recommended. Europa suggested the 1460-XSB Signa because of its unisex design, customization capabilities, and retail appeal. A presentation was made showing this standard case with a custom injection molded bezel displaying ISO on the upper case and 14001 on the lower. To commemorate the event, Europa presented a custom laser-engraved backplate and made it a limited edition with serialization to make it more personal to the recipients. Europa aided the distributor in closing the deal in 48 hours.

Calconix/TimeZone

A pharmaceutical company used TimeZone model 152-8LCD as an adpac for retail uses. Previously, the company packed its product with a small trial pack of another of their own products. This was their first attempt to use a promotional product. The promotional product was chosen approximately twice as much as their own sample pack by retail customers.

Hot trends to look for:

WATCHES:

• Clip style

• Titanium or stainless steel construction

• Multi-function

CLOCKS:

• Multi-medium construction (i.e. metal and acrylic)

• Analog quartz movement

• Multi-function digital