As President Obama fired a marshmallow cannon in the White House dining room in a publicity stunt that resonated around the world, a range of promotional clothing to fund the incumbent’s Presidential re-election campaign went on sale. It’s a bewildering concept for the British voter: while some people put up posters in their windows, or may put a sticker in their car, almost nobody would wear a campaign T-shirt, unless it was a satirical comment on the election process as a whole. In America though, dressing the part demonstrates commitment to a candidate and to their funding, which is strictly regulated by the Federal Electoral Commission. Beyonce Knowles has designed a T-shirt for the campaign, and a silk scarf created by Monique Pean bears the President’s portrait.

The drive to sell is being fuelled by deliberately low prices which allow people to get a designer label (tops by Marc Jacobs, or a bag by Diane von Furstenburg) at much lower than usual prices. The opposition have raised questions about the issue, suggesting that while the designers may have donated their time for free, anybody who would normally be paid to help produce printed clothing would be ‘underwriting’ the campaign, which is illegal, but the Obama team say they are confident that all the technical support given to and by the designers was voluntary and unpaid.

There are many effective ways to promote a business or market a commodity: bands have T-shirts, pizza outlets give away mouse mats and computer companies give away memory sticks. Accountants send their clients calendars with the key financial dates listed and charities make sure that donors remember annual fundraising events by sending them reminder cards they can send on to their friends for major festivals.  It all serves two purposes: retaining current business and attracting new business. Couldn’t be simpler, could it?

So why do so many businesses fail to see any return on their promotional activity?

Lack of creativity, lack of market research and corner-cutting are the three main reasons.

Repeating the same actions over and over generates less return each time, so smart companies find ways to renew their brand recognition by, for example, swapping their annual desktop blotters given away to clients in December for barbecue aprons sent out in July: this refreshes everybody’s view of the company and brings a whole new audience to the promotional clothing – everybody who goes to that client’s barbecue is likely to get the message printed on his or her new barbecue gear.

Market research shows how clients are changing – if 40% of your target market is now women and you’re still sending out traditionally masculine promotional items like baseball caps, it may be time to invest in more gender neutral merchandise like tote bags which convey the same information but appeal much more to women.

Corner-cutting is always tempting but T-shirts that fade and shrink after one washing don’t carry a great message, mainly because they never get worn again! Paying the right amount for the right promotional material is a long term investment and should be explored with a professional promotional clothing provider who can advise a company on how to get the most for their budget.

From time to time even the best brands have to deal with negative feedback. Some sweep it under the carpet, and some tackle it head on. One San Francisco pizza company has gone further than most though – they are making their employees wear t shirts printed with negative feedback found online.

T Shirts include slogans such as ‘This place sucks’ & ‘The pizza was so greasy. I am assuming this was in part due to the pig fat’

I’m not sure i’d buy a pizza if I walked in and saw the staff proudly sporting that review to be honest, but what a great piece of PR, and a unique approach to reputation management.

Would you consider dealing with your negative feedback this way?

Promotional clothing is one of the top three items in promotional merchandise: between pens (the first item) and mouse mats (the third most popular item) and can be a fantastic business support system.

Think about how multi-national businesses imprint their brand on T-shirts, jackets, baseball caps or hats. It’s common to see a business name emblazoned across a T-shirt or sweatshirt, round a baseball cap and on a bag too. This is because clothing serves as one of the best advertising vehicles available.

T-shirts are probably the most popular item of promotional clothing, partly because they come in a wide range of colours, sizes and styles so that they translate your brand into a garment that really supports your message, but T-shirts aren’t just versatile, they are also cost-effective and durable, which means that they last longer and look better which gives your promotional activity a much longer life than some other promotional items.

T-shirts and their close cousin, polo-shirts, don’t have it all their own way though. Winter clothing, especially fleeces, have become a very popular promotional item too, as have giveaway winter hats which are popular, like umbrellas, when the weather is at its worst.

Just about every business at some time needs to have some small promotional give-aways: those things that are reasonable to buy in bulk, easy to store and transport and can be handed out or posted to people for a variety of reasons from winning a competition, to saying thank you for an order, to recognising that they’ve become a member of a group or club, to joining the company as a member of staff. These items need to have the company or group name and some kind of contact details on them. Simple, right?

Perhaps not. Companies, businesses and organisations need to recognise that any form of marketing has to answer other questions that it raises, such as, ‘how environmental is this company’ or ‘does this club or group demonstrate ethical behaviour’? An example – a children’s drama club shouldn’t be buying the kids T-shirts to wear at rehearsals that may have been created using child labour.

The ‘green revolution’ means that effective marketing also involves ethical and environmental issues – organic clothing and promotional items mean that it’s easy for any organisation to meet this need.

Organic cotton T-shirts, for example, are made from cotton that uses none of the harmful pesticides used in conventional cotton production. This makes the T-shirts eco-friendly and allows the buyer and the wearer both to make a powerful environmental statement because wearing the T-shirt allows them to show that they are limiting their impact on the environment. This kind of behaviour is both good PR and good for the planet. As a result, using organic clothing is superb way to market a brand or gain publicity for a group or team, and organic cotton T-shirts are a simple and cost-effective way to show that your company is on the side of the good guys.

When it comes to promotional clothing, especially in the UK, a jacket embroidered or printed with a company logo is fast becoming the gold standard of work-wear. This is because nervous employees know that an embroidered or printed T-shirt is not a great investment in staff retention as prices for such items are so competitive – in other words, being given a company T-shirt doesn’t mean that you’ve got a solid job. On the other hand, getting a jacket with the company logo or brand on it implies a much more substantial investment in the work-force so that staff feel they are really being valued.

It’s a tough time for both employers and employees right now. While it might appear to be a buyer’s market, with so many people competing for every job, that also means that competitors are looking out for people who have been well-trained to poach for their own companies. And that means that some employers fear losing their best staff just when they’ve made a big investment in developing their skills. And it’s not just a matter for executives and high flyers – good drivers and data-inputters and sandwich makers are as likely to be enticed away by the competition as top chefs and lawyers and football players!

So if you run a small business or have a small budget and don’t want to get into the bargaining wars over salaries and perks, this could be a good time to look at your staff uniform and consider whether investing in a line of good outerwear with the company logo on it wouldn’t be the best way to convince your employees that you have their best interests at heart and that their jobs are safe with you. Jackets are particularly useful for this approach because with the changeable British weather, they are garments that are pulled on and taken off on an irregular basis, so while uniform items like T-shirts become habitual and staff may not even notice they are wearing them, the jacket is sometimes necessary and sometimes not, so an employee is regularly reminded that the company values his or her welfare!

Scott Townsend of Waikato, New Zealand, has taken the opposite route to most people who want to get publicity for their businesses. Most entrepreneurs would have chosen to publicise their business on a T-shirt – using a slogan or logo that might attract public excitement, fury or laughter. Remember the furore over FCUK when they first launched their dubious acronym in the UK?  Well, that’s exactly what most businesspeople would be hoping for. And there’s a long history of it working perfectly: the Playboy Bunny made the transition from logo to clothing emblem to bedding and stationery and even, rather oddly, children’s clothing.

But Townsend is taking things to the other extreme. To promote his T-shirt business, he’s going to allow visitors to his website the chance to choose a word, any word, that will then be tattooed onto his back.  When the website has a million votes, the top ranking word will be tattooed shoulder to shoulder across the insane entrepreneur – at the moment, the voting is being led by ‘mad’ with 303 votes. ‘Nutter,’ ‘crazy,’ and ‘cabbage’ are also in the top 10. The idea is that this stunt will allow the business: Just Tees, to survive the recession.

You might think this is excessive. I think everybody and his dog would agree with you. On the other hand, the principle behind the idea is very sound – something provocative and fun emblazoned on a T-shirt, rather than indelibly inked in flesh, can be a great way to get your business some attention. You can even use a voting system, allowing people to help you choose a new slogan or logo, or even the colour scheme, for your business. And the good news is, you’ll be able to take it off at the end of the business day, unlike Mr Townsend.

Several marketing companies have reported that lowered retail prices and the much trumpeted ‘rock-bottom’ sales are not going to be enough to produce the purchasing boost that many retailers are hoping for, in fact they could even be counter-productive.  There is some evidence that consumers are finding the ‘70% off’ posters in many stores to be a complete barrier to buying because they suggest the original price was way too high and they have been ripped off in the past. Either that, or that the product is not as good a quality as they’d thought.

It’s important to your business to keep a sense of stability, whether you’re a football club or a food retailer. Clients have to believe that you’ll still be in business next week or next year and drastic sales imply that you’re about to fold your tent and slip away in the night. They also have to believe that doing business with you, whether that’s attending a football match or buying a burger, is going to be a fun, value-filled, experience. This is more effective in courting customers than telling them that you’re going to let them buy things on the cheap. Merchandise that reflects quality and timelessness, along with corporate clothing that implies quality and attention to detail, will carry a strong message that your product or service is substantial and worth buying.

While many retailers appear to be in a total panic, their reactions have exaggerated and damaging to the business.  Instead, according to market specialists, businesses should start communicating positive and upbeat messages, and treating customers like friends. Above all they should use their storefronts and internet presence to be transparent by explaining who they are, and what they have to offer. Friendly messages on promotional clothing worn by staff such as ‘We’re here to help’ or ‘Ask me how to beat the recession’ and thanking customers for their patronage by giving them a voucher to use on their next visit are likely to generate repeat sales in a time when many shops and businesses are struggling to get people through their doors.

As Woolworths closes its first stores, the clearance sale is becoming a feature of many high streets, hitting independent retailers that have failed to manage their cashflow. Sometimes the business is still viable, but has a debt that has caused ‘market wobble’ – often this is related to the lease on high street premises, and doubts about whether the company can continue to pay business rates, the leaseholder or loan provider may then force foreclosure even though the business is profitable. Off high street businesses don’t get much public attention – small car dealerships or white goods retailers for example, based in industrial units, are struggling as hard as the high street. How can such businesses use the recession to strengthen their trade?

Recession means the average consumer develops a strong appetite for a bargain – some retailers have found the answer to be combining a giveaway item with free expert advice.  One Scottish menswear store is giving away a free shirt with every suit and tie purchased, with consultants on hand to advise each purchaser on which tie and suit to pick for the occasion, whether it’s an interview, a big dinner or a funeral.

It’s crucial to increase footfall to increase trade and some big retail centres have homed in on this already, developing what is called retail-tainment for Christmas with live bands, bingo games and kids’ activities. It’s possible for smaller businesses to offer something similar. Look at local charities and see if you can work with them, in exchange for them holding an event inside your premises or linked to your business. Posters and banners help to create a buzz before the day the event is held, and giveaways like promotional gifts and clothing help make shoppers feel they’ve got the all important ‘bargain’. For example, partnering your local RSPCA branch could mean having a ‘petting zoo’ in the store with a well-behaved dog, cat and rabbit for people to meet. ‘Limited Edition’ promotional teeshirts worn by staff can also be sold to benefit the charity, and your product can have a linked marketing theme such as 5% of purchase price will be donated to the good cause. Alternatively, kit your staff out in safety clothing and partner with the RNLI to have a ‘get wet safely day’, including a wet T-shirt competition for men. The event as a whole will provide a public service on water safety, fund-raising and again, allows you to sell your goods on the back of great publicity and a link to a popular cause.

Overall, the retail independent sector is fighting back and showing strong retail sales across Europe. Swiss retail sales data for October showed a 2.9% annual rise, while UK retail sales increased 0.3% in November, making a year-on-year increase of 1.5%.

It’s true.  Recent research in the Journal of Marketing Research has discovered that attractive sales staff do have a positive effect on sales rates.

In the experiment, college age people were asked to enter a shop and ask for a specific T-shirt. They were told they were taking part in a mystery shopping exercise but in fact the salesperson was part of the research team. The ‘mystery shopper’ was told that there was only one tee-shirt of that kind left and somebody was actually trying it on in the changing rooms.

The female shopper in the changing room was also a research team member: and was either a very attractive model, or an average looking student type. When the changing room researcher left, saying the shirt wasn’t the right fit, she made sure she could be seen and heard by the ‘mystery shopper.  The mystery shoppers (especially the male ones, but the female ones too, to a lesser extent) gave the T-shirt a higher rating if they’d seen it in the hands of the model girl.

To test the effect further, a different experiment was designed. When the mystery shopper asked for the tee shirt, he or she was told that the boutique made its employees wear the merchandise that the shop sold, and that the only remaining T-shirt of that kind was one that she’d worn the day before. Then she presented the shopper with the shirt, either in a dry-cleaning wrapper or just on a hanger, as if it hadn’t been cleaned. If the salesperson was average looking, the mystery shopper would prefer the shirt that was in the dry cleaning bag, but if she was highly attractive, the shopper preferred the non-cleaned shirt!

This effect has implications for work-wear in circumstances other than pure retail. If your staff wear promotional clothing, and look clean, well-groomed and presentable, they are likely to be more effective, and be viewed more positively, by the people they come into contact with, thereby creating a positive brand image. If, on the other hand, they are unkempt or dirty, the association in people’s minds will be very negative, and will attach a bad impression to your company.  So perhaps if you have a sloppy Joe on the team, you should smarten him or her up, or move them out of the public eye!