Expand the Promotional Menu with Recreational Promos

Writing instruments, stationery, bags. They’re the backbone of the business. Broadly appealing and promotionally versatile, these items lend themselves to nearly any application. These attributes make them the bread and butter — or, the main course — of the promotional products world. But man (and woman!) cannot live by bread alone — and neither can your customers or their businesses.

Sometimes, promotional buyers need to treat themselves, their customers and their employees to something different. There are times when a yummy appetizer or decadent dessert is in order. Occasions arise when we all have to break from our day-to-day diet of pens, padfolios and business bags to go with something that will not only sustain us but will also indulge us.

Outdoor and recreation products are choices for serving up something tastier. Think of them as the shrimp cocktails, the chocolate truffles or the fine wines on the promotional menu. These products provide options for promotions that inspire us to relax, to slow down, to break out of routine and to have a little fun.

So how exactly are outdoor and recreational items healthy additions to a promotional diet? Consider these arguments:

Think outside the doors
Outdoor and recreation products not only “taste” different than more conventional promotions, they are “served” at different venues and with different crowds. Business gifts may get carried around within the doors of the office where co-workers are sporting similar items. But outdoor and recreation products are used ... well, outdoors and in other fun settings with family, friends and acquaintances, exposing your logo to alternate consumers. Plus, playing an imprinted game in the park is less expected than carrying a decorated tote bag into the office; therefore, it may be more likely to spark a conversation with others about the item, your company and how the gift was received.

Give goodies that are good for you
While recreation and outdoor promotions can be a promotional treat, they’re hardly marketing’s junk food. Giving your target audience a game or sporting good can let them know that you care about their physical and mental health. Physical activities reduce the incidence of diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis. Physical and mental games reduce stress and all its related maladies. By giving a promotional gift that encourages activity, you’re offering the recipient a smorgasbord of health benefits. Further, the recipient will be exposed to your company information while doing something restorative and fun. Like a generous portion of comfort food, this will help to associate your brand with positive feelings.

Treat your business to improved performance
You expect eating healthy and regular exercise will result in a hale and hearty physique. But did you know that having a workforce that consumes a consistent diet of recreational activities will positively affect your bottom line? Physical and mental “extracurricular” activities tend to improve on-the-job performance. Having a work team that engages in sports, fitness and recreation will lead to decreases in absenteeism, job turnover and workplace accidents. At the same time, it increases productivity. A gift that inspires recipients to get outdoors or to test their mental agility can be just the right promotional serving for encouraging employees to take good care of themselves, which in turn means they take good care of their roles on the job.

Although the tried-and-true pens, bags, and stationery products will continue to be the entrées of our promotional menus, a balanced diet that includes recreation and outdoor products can work wonders for healthy branding. Consider a sporting good or a game the next time you or your customers have a craving for a creative promotion. Outdoor and recreational products can satisfy many promotional applications.

Melissa Lehman

Melissa Lehman is a marketing communications specialist at Leed’s in New Kensington, Pa., where she’s worked for two years. She works on public relations, advertising, marketing messaging and internal marketing. She can be reached at 866.533.3724, ext. 3123 or

mlehman@leedsworld.com. For more on Leed’s recreational offerings, check out www.leedsworld.com.