subject: What Do The Brands You Use Say About You? [print this page] We have talked at length in these blogs about brand identity and how companies can make the most of their brand by expressing their values through promotional gifts. There is another level to branding though, and that is how customers use brands to express their own values and personality.
We might think we're immune to the effects of branding taking over our lives, but everyone is guilty of using brands to express their own personality. Even those who make a point of not buying big brand names are still being influenced in their buying decisions by the names that they actively seek to avoid.
From the beer you drink to the clothes you wear and the car you drive, brands say a lot about the person who uses them. It is how many first impressions are formed and how people choose to express themselves and a whole industry has sprung up to analyse how the brands people use relates to their habits and personality.
People can attach a real loyalty to a brand and this is where promotional gifts can achieve real success at promoting a business. The right brand with the right image can create a huge impression, with people seeking to associate themselves with that brand's image and values. Take Guinness for example, one of the World's most successful companies at promoting their brand. An entire industry has sprung up around their name alone, taking them far beyond being a humble beer. I think that most people that I know own some form of promotional item with the Guinness logo on it, meaning that a lot of money must be made by people associating themselves with the brand that the company has built.
Although this is an extreme example it is one that should be utilised by companies looking to create awareness of their business. Promotional gifts come in all shapes and sizes and most of them can be customised to match the brand of your business. Any business that has developed a strong brand can use promotional gifts to drive interest, you don't have to be an uber-company to make it work.
