Whether specifically for play or disguised as office products, games and toys let your clients smile on their customers.
When it comes to games and toys, the classics still rule. Take, for example, Monopoly and yo-yos. Monopoly made its debut in 1935 and since then has amused an estimated 500 million people worldwide, according to www.hasbro.com. And although yo-yos first appeared in 500 B.C., this simple toy unites thousands every year at the World Yo-Yo Contest, according to the American Yo-Yo Association.
Why is this? People like to have fun, whether they’re scooting past Go and collecting $200 or walking the dog. Put a logo on games and toys and you have the start of a super fun campaign. “Games and toys are effective promotional products because they’re social by nature,” says Bill Schulte, owner of Cincinnati, Ohio-based supplier Late For the Sky Production (UPIC: OPOLY). “By using games and toys, you’re offering an experience. They’re different from staple items like mugs, shirts or pens, or products with that kind of utility,” he says.
This is why Schulte recommends presenting games and toys separately from the other items you pitch your clients. “You can put significantly more message into games and toys and you get considerably more exposure,” says Schulte. “They work as a sort of interactive, social brochure for your clients.”
Plus, there are endless options when it comes to personalizing games and toys. “The category is so much more accessible than in the past. You can customize all sorts of games, which is exactly what people want. The trend is to be more personalized, more focused on the audience and less generic,” Schulte says.
Remember the Y2K buzz back in 1999? Schulte says his business was booming with distributors requesting games about the turn of the new millennium. After that hype fizzled, distributors wanted animal games, and board games about dogs and horses went galloping out of the factory.
The trend now isn’t about a year or an animal; it’s about living green. “Earthopoly is our most popular game this year,” Schulte says. “The game components come straight from the earth—everything is green. People have a greater interest in eco-friendly products and we get many requests to customize the title of the game. People want to attach their brand to it.”
So when is a good time to bring on the fun? Schulte says when your clients have something to celebrate. “Games are a great way to track history and pay homage to things that happened historically because games can be chronological in design,” Schulte says. “They make great keepsakes, so anniversary and employment markets are strong. There are so many places to put information, such as the deed cards and board spaces. Games have great educational value.”
 | Casinos and banks can wish good fortune for visitors and clients with the Dice Spinner Pen, a frosted, click-style pen accented with spinning dice. |
| The Deluxe Poker Set is packed with everything players need for game night all tucked inside a durable, stainless steel carrying case. |  |
 | Music and game lovers can plug the Riff-Rocker™ into a PC to download games. This miniature USB guitar controller is portable, pocket-sized and functions like the widely popular guitar controllers at retail. |
| Plow into your next promotion with Chompster, a pull-back racer that chomps as it speeds along flat surfaces. |  |
 | Road trips are more fun with the Travel Naval Battle Game, a classic battleship game in which players try to sink their opponent’s ships. It’s packaged in a leatherette case with brushed aluminum trim.Toy Takeaway: Travel agencies and car dealerships can connect with kids and parents with this travel game—it keeps youngsters entertained on the go while keeping a marketing message in front of Mom and Dad. |
| Your clients can give their customers a fun challenge with aCustomized Sudoku Puzzle Book. Customize the front and back cover, or write a personalized forward page. |  |
 | Put a fun spin on an environmental campaign with Natural Hardwood Yo-Yos. They can be customized to look like a spinning earth with your client’s logo on the other side. Toy Takeaway: Whether sold in theme park or zoo gift shops, or doled out as gifts at carnivals or fairs, this yo-yo is pocket-sized amusement for all ages. |
| Tangle Therapy comes in handy as a stop-smoking aid, stress reliever and for hand, joint and muscle therapy. All four rings can be customized with the same message or use different art on each ring. |  |
 | The Solace 5 In 1 Outdoor Game Set is loaded with 31 pieces for recipients to play volleyball, badminton, horseshoes and a flying disc ball game. Everything is packed in a durable carrying case for toting to the park or beach. |
| The 2-In-1 Drop Dart Game & Adhesive Note Holder merges business and fun, with one side dedicated to storing a notepad and the other for a quick game of darts. It includes one yellow adhesive notepad. Toy Takeaway: Office products that double as toys are more likely to hang around on desktops, so talk to your clients about forgoing standard-issue office supplies for ones with dual purposes. |  |
 | Office workers can add a playful touch to their desktops with My Hub-E, a four-port 2.0 USB hub. |
| Kiddos can learn puppy training tips and fun facts about dog breeds when they break out the Puppy-Opoly game board. |  |
Case Study: Stix And Stonz Game Motivates Employees To “Be The One”
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Challenge: One Communications, a telecommunications solutions provider, wanted to find a promotional product for internal team-building and communicating a key corporate message. The company’s motto, Be The One, encourages its more than 2,000 staffers to be the one to make a difference, brainstorm new ideas or simply to make a fresh pot of coffee.
To further drive home the motto, One Communications tapped New York, New York-based distributor EPromos Promotional Products (UPIC: EPROMOS) for help finding a promotional product for use in team-building events. The product had to be something appropriate for employees at all levels and it had to reiterate the company’s message while encouraging creativity and new product development.
Solution: A Stix and Stonz magnet game imprinted with the message in the form of a cycle diagram was a great fit for internal and external promotions. Plus, it’s a hands-on, interactive promotional product that invites participation. Employees could keep it on their desks and fidget with it while speaking on the phone or contemplating internal or customer issues.
Result: One Communications reported an internal promotion success, with employees responding well to the game and its message.
Mini Moving Trucks Drive Home Survey Responses
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The last box may have been hauled off the moving truck, but the workers at New York-based Moishe’s Moving and Storage aren’t done with the job—now they have to find out how well they performed by e-mailing a survey to customers.
Moishe’s knows that logging on to the web for a customer satisfaction survey probably isn’t top priority for people who have just relocated residences, so it sweetened the deal with a promotional product: a pint-sized version of its signature red moving truck.
“It made sense to use the toy trucks as a thank-you gift for completing the survey because Moishe’s trucks have become synonymous with New York and many customers ask for them,” says Mat Newman, who works in PR for the company. “Plus, our main customer base is families. Kids love them and adults use them as paperweights at the office.”
The mini trucks have made a solid impact on survey responses, with a 10-percent jump in participation.
Macy’s And F.A.O. Schwarz Partner Up To Skyrocket Sales
Breeze into a Macy’s store and you just might find a parade of children’s toys alongside the arrangements of fine china and crisp linens. This is because F.A.O. Schwarz, a name synonymous with timeless, upscale toys, has teamed up with the department store to operate year-round toy departments in 685 Macy’s locations.
This is the first time in 20 years that Macy’s has shifted to an always-open-for-business toy department in hopes that it will “drive store traffic, particularly to our children’s departments,” Terry J. Lundgren, the chief executive of Macy’s, told The New York Times.
If Macy’s is using games and toys to draw people in and boost sales, talk to your clients about following its lead. You don’t need a full-scale toy store to appeal to youngsters—
just playful items to keep kids entertained and your brand message in front of parents.
Laura Bayless Muses On Amusement Products
The director of sales and marketing for Buztronics, Inc. (UPIC: 2899) is hooked on the Riff-Rocker (it’s her top pick from her line because it’s a mini version of the guitar game disappearing from store shelves everywhere—you know the one) and says toys and games can be a blast for any campaign.
“They’re perfect for tradeshows because they attract attention to the booth and keep people there to learn about the vendor’s products and services,” she says. “They work well for a wide range of programs because they’re ageless—they’re for adults and kids alike. At the end of the day, people take them home and continue to use them, thereby keeping the imprinted name and message front and center.”
“My family’s favorite game is UNO, followed by Monopoly and Clue. We are huge game players and keep all the scores in a file—we have scores from 2000 and maybe even before. This way bragging rights can always be verified.”
—Daryll H. Griffin, president of Norcross, Georgia-based Accolades, Inc. (UPIC: ACCINC)
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