If you travel a lot, you may have noticed that Duty Free shops in airports offer liquor brands that usually offer free gifts with purchase (GWP). There are brands that stick with such promotional products as caps, shirts, key chains and shot glasses. However, there are others like Courvoisier and Laphroaig that step out of the box and give out something that is more useful to their customers.
These well-known names in the alcohol industry are giving away travel bags, in-flight cases, satchels or duffel bags suitable for use as carry-on luggage for the purchase of their liquor. As a gift with purchase, these bags are quite effective as promotional merchandise because of their ability to draw consumers to the products offering them. However, they do have to be of the best quality to make interested customers take out their wallets and really buy.
Now, if you are working in the liquor industry and you are wondering how these high-end bags can be a better marketing ploy for your own brand, then here as some of the reasons:
Appropriate Venue and Timing
Offering a bag with a liquor brand like Jim Beam in the Duty Free shops of airports is an inspired idea. Most people who travel often and usually buy a bottle or two of their favourite scotch or whiskey in these shops will be delighted to get a good-looking bag they can use as additional carry-on luggage. If you give out the kind of bag of the quality that really lasts long, then your customers will always remember your brand every time they use it and will think of you in a positive light.
Value Adding Promotional Items
As a high quality GWP, a travel bag will help substantiate the high price of any liquor product. If customers would have to be given something for their purchase, then it would have to be something that will make them feel their importance as consumers. Catering to their needs and wants as well as making them feel special will give them more reasons to buy your product instead of that from the competition.
Excellent Brand Representation
If you want to give away a bag that represents your brand well, then you have to stick to using only high-end materials like high quality cotton, canvas, polyester or leather. You can embellish these bags with silver, aluminum or stainless steel tags or markings for a more luxurious look. If you do this, you will appeal to the side of your consumers that always look for the best in quality for everything, which is the kind of luxury marketing in line with the primary thrust of most scotch and whiskey brands.
Attention-Catching Product
Your consumers will notice your promotional product better if it is presented in brightly lit display stand that comes with a “Free Fashion Bag” ad. Instead of heading directly to the liquor section of a Duty Free shop, their attention will be caught as soon as they see the display and the ad, which will make them decide to purchase right there and then.
Perfect Marketing Vehicle
Because bags have larger surfaces than other common items used as GWPs, it presents you with better opportunities for advertising and branding. Although you have to take care about being discrete about this if you want to come across as high quality, you can have your brand logo printed or stitched on the surface of the bag itself. You can also have it engraved on its embellishments. This will help you raise brand awareness for your brand.
So, if you are looking for a fresh idea for your free gift with purchase, consider giving away a bag. Of course, you can also contact companies that specialise in providing creative merchandise solutions in the alcohol industry like Merch&Effect and have them create a storyboard for you. Whichever way you want to go, one thing is for sure with this kind of marketing strategy and that is you will definitely win more sales than you expected.