The fact that promotional products are no marginal figures in the promotional market but valuable tools to win customers and generate customer loyalty is demonstrated again and again in creative advertising campaigns, skilfully integrating those haptic advertising carriers or even making them the core element of their concept. Once every year, it is precisely this type of campaign that is honoured at PSI, Europe’s largest promotional trade show for promotional products. Until 1 October, promotional products distributors, suppliers as well as advertising agencies and their clients can still register for participation in the “PSI – Campaign of the Year 2014” award competition.
Whether it’s a premium custom-made item or a low-cost giveaway: It’s a case of using the right promotional product at the right time for the right target group. If ideally used, it will be perfectly adapted to the television, radio print and online measures and can thus contribute to the campaign’s success. As in the case of last year’s winner: Donald Duck was the big star in the campaign “Das große Talersammeln (The Big Dollar Hunt)”. The promotional item was here the centre of a broadly conceived campaign, advertised in TV commercials, print adverts, social networks and at the POS. The Ehapa/Disney books, such as “Das Lustige Taschenbuch” were promoted with a large number of promotional items used as prizes, such as Donald Duck-branded towels or watches. The selection of promotional items and realisation was done by Gunnar Sprinkmann GmbH. “We were delighted to receive the ‘winner PSI – Campaign of the Year 2013’ award”, says Nils Sprinkmann, Key Account Manager at Gunnar Sprinkmann GmbH. “In terms of realisation, the award-winning project was an exceptional assignment. It was a matter of matching the demands made by the industrial customer and Vkf-Agentur who accompanied the project with the supply capacities of a total of eight supply partners. To then have this creative campaign reap such a reward was a fantastic sign of appreciation for all involved. Besides, the award acted as an additional publicity booster. So the campaign had a threefold effect: on the consumer, in marketing circles and on the internal level on budget managers.”
The winners of the second and third prizes also benefited from the award. “Even writing the application was fun already – it makes you relive your favourite campaign in your mind while writing it down. Then when the entries were published we as a small agency had our hearts sink into the proverbial boots … Of course, our joy at winning this great second prize was all the greater. Being small, creative and close to the client was what won the day. We are still delighted”, says Karen Wiese, Managing Director of trendidee GmbH Berlin, who realised a product launch in the pharmaceutical sector using a wide variety of promotional products. A campaign presenting the latest generation of the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S Coupé won TRIK Produktionsmanagement the third prize at the beginning of the year. Says Managing Director Thomas Hülsmann: “The award and the publicity that came with it generated a lot of attention for us. We received many enquiries from all parts of Europe. Having a jury of industry experts honour our work also confirms to our customers that in TRIK they have the right partner at their side. The joint success lays the foundation stone for new projects.”
The “PSI – Campaign of the Year 2014”
The race for the “PSI – Campaign of the Year” 2014 is now open. Eligible for entry are all campaigns using promotional products. When submitting for registration, applicants should note that the campaign must have been launched during the period between the close of PSI 2013 and 1 October 2014. 1 October 2014 is also the application deadline.
Nominees and winners will again be supported by the PSI with a range of marketing and press activities. All campaigns will be presented to a broad audience in the run-up to the trade show on the PSI website and in the PSI Journal. The award presentation ceremony will be held during PSI 2015, which will ensure a high degree of attention to participants.
This year’s jury members will be representatives from the trade journals PSI Journal and dedica, Manfred Schlösser and Dr. Claus-Jörg Harnisch as well as Hans-Joachim Evers of GWW, Dr. Klaus Stallbaum, managing director and proprietor of the stapag agency, designer Lutz Gathmann, PSI Director Michael Freter and PSI Press Spokesman Dr. Mike Seidensticker.
About PSI
At PSI, the Leading European Trade Show of the Promotional Products Industry, promotional products professionals will be able to gain an overview of the trends and innovations of the industry. It will also offer special exhibits and show areas where topics such as promotional labelling, printing and finishing technologies as well as inventions and innovations will be taken up and looked at in greater depth. In 2013, 852 exhibitors presented their companies to 16,228 visitors at PSI. In 2015, PSI will be held in Düsseldorf from 7 to 9 January.
