What is happening in the non-stop, ever changing (ish), world of custom water bottles? Actually quite a lot and as ever, here we are to present your global news round up of all things water bottles. In this post we find lessons on quality vs cost, robots removing the need for water bottles, water bottles saving the planet and also being used to promote youtube. What a diverse and exciting product! Keep reading to be in the know on the latest on custom water bottles.
The Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games are in full swing. As a side note, congratulations to Team Australia for a stunning first week, especially in the pool. Of course, along with any big event, there comes a plethora of branded merchandise. Many events like this rely very heavily on the funds generated from their merchandise sales, so it becomes quite an undertaking to source the right kinds of products at the right price, and then to sell them at a reasonable margin. Of course, with such a large one-off event, organizers have the temptation to charge through the roof for their products since, what else are consumers going to buy instead?
Merchandise and promotional products are selling well at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with much of the feedback being on the quality of the products. A key element of merchandise is always to strike the right balance between quality and price; trying to sell low quality products at high prices will soon leave a bad taste in the mouths on consumers, whereas selling quality goods at fair prices will encourage consumers to spend more, safe in the knowledge that the money they are spending is obtaining quality goods.
As the Herald Scotland reports, feedback has been good on most products, though custom water bottles did come in for some criticism as a product due to the cost. This was clearly one product where the cost/value ratio was overestimated and will probably hurt their sales accordingly. Watch this space; guaranteed it will be a product that starts getting discounted towards the end of the Games as the event tries to release the stock they have committed to in advance!
Robots stealing our jobs again!
Who doesn’t need a water bottle? Maybe soon ball boys and ball girls at tennis tournaments. If this newly released design concept comes to fruition, water bottles will become a thing of the past in the “ball collection industry” with robots poised to shunt unknowing ball boys and girls to the side. Blast you robots, when will you stop taking jobs away from hard working humans?! It is our belief though, following some pretty lengthy analysis, that the water bottle industry will survive this latest attempt by the machines to turn the tables on their rightful masters.
Custom water bottles – heroes, saviours – thank you.
Water bottles are saving the planet. Just call them the Avengers of the promotional product world, minus capes, spandex suits and questionable acting.
Thousands of events like this are turning to custom water bottles to cut down on the rubbish and pollution caused by needlessly using standard disposable plastic water bottles, many of which do not end up being recycled. This is especially true at races, fun runs, charity walks, marathons etc, where promotional water bottles can be handed out to competitors and fans. Even better, they can be sold as an item of merchandise.
The key with any item of merchandise is to ensure that the product is relevant to the target market. What could be more relevant to a race than a custom water bottle? There is a captive market, an obvious need and the promotional item in question solves that need in a very clear and targeted manner.
Promoting online services
Water bottles are such a popular product they are even recommended as a promotional tool to promote your youtube channel! It’s a real endorsement for the effectiveness of the product as a means of generating or maintaining brand awareness that even an online focused marketing initiative can effectively promote itself by handing out branded drinking devices! Stand down SEO, social media and Facebook advertising, you cannot match water bottles for their sheer usefulness as a promotional vehicle!
Custom water bottles for kids
Water bottles are becoming more prevalent amongst school children, driven by one main factor; health. Water is the best possible fluid for students to consume during the school day; especially in comparison to sugar-heavy soft drinks and artificial fruit drinks. Most schools now expect students to bring their own water bottles to school; especially amongst the younger years, this emphasises the importance of hydrating, but also encourages students to take responsibility for their own hydration. In hot countries like Australia, this is crucial.
The sooner children are educated about the importance of drinking water, and the effects of not, it will become ingrained in their daily activities. At my daughters school, where she started first grade this year, it is actually compulsory for each student to bring a water bottle, along with a hat and suncream. It also provides the teachers a great opportunity to discuss germs, and how they can be spread by sharing drinks.
Of course, the benefit of custom water bottles within the world of kids is that they can be custom printed and branded with characters, colours and messages that appeal to that target market. This also offers a great chance for organisations and brands related to movies, TV shows, toys etc to really expand their brand. Many resorts now have kids clubs, and (along with custom beach towels), custom water bottles are the most popular item marketed to the kids.
Water bottles, as long as you’re buying BPA free, are a healthy option for students due to the low risk of algae build up, allowing mum and dad to wash the bottle when needed in order to extend it’s lifespan. The money saved vs buying disposable water bottles really adds up over time, as does the environmental impact and carbon footprint.
For more information about water bottles, and how they might be the right promotional product or merchandise for your business, talk to AAC.
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