Custom Sunglasses for Branded Event Promotions
Custom Sunglasses Turn a Bowl Game Giveaway Into a High-Visibility Brand Promotion
Promotional products work best when the product fits the environment where it will be distributed. For one automotive company, that meant finding a useful branded item for fans attending college BCS Bowl Games.
Product: Custom Malibu Sunglasses
Industry: Automotive / Banking
The Promotional Challenge
The car company wanted a promotional product that could generate brand visibility during local college BCS Bowl Games.
With thousands of fans attending each event, simply putting a logo on another giveaway was not enough. The product needed to make sense at the game, connect with each school and give attendees a reason to use it immediately.
Why Custom Sunglasses Made Sense
Because most of the BCS Bowl Games were played during the day, sunglasses gave the company a promotional product that matched the setting.
Instead of producing a standard pair with only the company logo, the sunglasses became a co-branded product.
The car company logo appeared on one temple. The participating school’s name and mascot appeared on the other. Each pair was also produced in the competing school’s colors.
This allowed the sponsor branding to become part of an item designed specifically for the fans attending each game.
5,000 Pairs for Each Team
The company distributed 5,000 pairs of custom sunglasses to the first 5,000 fans of each team.
The promotion was used across four BCS Bowl Games, giving attendees a product they could wear during the event while displaying both the sponsor and school branding.
The Result
The car company reported that the campaign was its most successful bowl promotion in the previous five years.
The idea also created another opportunity outside the original automotive campaign.
A promotional representative shared the concept with a local bank and recommended adapting it for a local high school team.
From Automotive Promotion to Bank and School Campaign
The bank followed a similar co-branding strategy. Its name appeared on one temple, while the high school’s name and mascot appeared on the other. The sunglasses were produced in the school’s colors.
The initial distribution included 1,500 pairs.
The response went beyond simply accepting a free promotional item. After the sunglasses were handed out, attendees began returning and asking if they could purchase them.
What Businesses Can Take From This Campaign
The strength of this promotion was not simply putting a logo on sunglasses. The product, audience, event and branding worked together.
For companies, banks, schools, sponsors, event teams and organizations planning branded merchandise, the same principle can be applied to other campaigns. Select a product people have a reason to use, connect the design to the audience and make the sponsor branding part of the experience.
Inkdnylon supplies promotional products and branded merchandise for organizations planning events, sponsorships, employee programs, school campaigns and large-volume merchandise programs.
