I’d like to dedicate this blog entry to the humble bag for life.  There are always new high-tech gadgets being introduced into the industry, and I often get clients asking me for something ‘quirky’ that nobody else has done before, but one of my favourite promotional products is really one of the simplest; the bag for life.  Here’s why.

Firstly, it’s a lot more kind to the environment than plastic bags.  Though the plastic bags we have here at The Business Incentives Group are biodegradable, they’re really a one-off bag that is designed to be thrown away after being used once.  When you see the plastic bag-strewn floors in the aftermath of an exhibition, it does make you wonder about the cost to the environment.  By choosing to give out a bag for life, you are showing an appreciation for ecological issues, as well as demonstrating the fact that you think in the long term, rather than just looking for immediate gains.

Another point in its favour is that the print area for these bags is a lot bigger than you would get on, say, a pen, so you can pack quite a lot of information on it, or just blow your logo up really big. You can put whatever you want on it, so think of it as a walking billboard or full-page advert in a magazine.

Also, people actually use these bags, meaning that they’re not just a one-off promotion, and the recipients will be genuinely grateful for being given one. I always carry mine with me so I can feel smug when I’m asked if I want a plastic bag at the tills, and I say ‘got one, thanks’.  And not only do people use them, they use them in public, so your logo/advert gets maximum exposure.  Result.

There is also a lot of scope for creativity, and to create a real buzz around your company.  Remember the madness surrounding Anya Hindmarch’s ‘I am not a plastic bag’ bag? Having been chosen as the goodie-bag for guests at the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar night party, it soon become the most coveted ‘it’ bag around, re-selling for up to £200 on eBay.  Why not try and get a celebrity to design it for you; anything Kate Middleton remotely glances as right now turns into an almost fetishised must-have.  If she’s not free, however, you could hold a competition on your website for designs to be submitted by your customers, a tactic that would also tie together your online and offline marketing strategies nicely.

There are various designs to choose from, from the basic tan cotton shopper and it’s organic, fair-trade version to duffle or  jute bags and jazzier gold or silver bags, which are really eye-catching when carried round an exhibition centre.  Next time you go to fill a throwaway bag with your brochure or giveaways, think about your other options.