If It’s Green, Is It Still A Tchotchke?

posted by Mad Mags @ August 1st, 2008

It seems like we’re all trying to think green these days. At least many of us at Avicom are since the morning one of our earthy account execs circulated a link to a slide show of animals choking on plastic bags.

(Thanks, Lisa. The image of the turtle still haunts us.)

The plastic bag images reminded me of a recent pitch we made to a client to offer reusable shopping bags as a promotional giveaway. While the client wasn’t quite ready for the idea months ago, the reusable bag concept seemed incredibly appropriate now. It spurred me to contact our promotional director Tom Scheel, to learn of trends in the “giveaway” industry.

Heres what Tom had to say:

Question: Are green giveaways picking up popularity in the promotional industry?

Tom: Yes, there’s most definitely a trend. It’s not only from the corporate level but it’s something driven by a national pressure. Also, many promotional manufacturers are sensitive to popular trends, and they’re providing products to the industry that are eco-friendly.

Question: What are some of the more unusual green items you’ve seen in the market?

Tom: We were just at the ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute) show in Chicago, and the number of green items we saw was remarkable. I thought the clothing items made from bamboo and even recycled soda bottles were really interesting.

Question: Will this trend last?

Tom: Quality at the right price is at the forefront of the promotions industry. As long as environmentally-friendly products are of good quality and priced appropriately, the trend will continue. Also, support of the trend by the major players in the industry will help the trend to grow.

Ahhh. Good to know. And as I dug a bit further, I found a few cool success stories using green giveaways. My favorite is this one, about how the Scottish Sun used eco-friendly giveaways to record a lead over The Daily Record, a competing newspaper.

If you’re re-thinking your promotional give-aways (and if you ask Lisa, the turtle, and the rest of us, you probably should) here are some suggestions. Note: You may want to familiarize yourself with eco-friendly terms before looking into green promotional items. Page 3 of the Debco GreenBook has a nice glossary (PDF).