Is Logoed Merchandise Truly Worth It?

By: Kassidy Thomas

In my experience, logoed merchandise can be an extremely easy addition to your redemption centers and cranes. Logoed merch is some of the easiest, cheapest marketing you can do. When I was in operations, I loved a few different super simple logoed items that everyone wanted.

In the game room, 18” and 5” half-knobby balls with the logo or tagline are the best crane prizes. They have a low dollar value, are easy to win, and kids want them. So, your machine can have a high payout and still be highly profitable when configured correctly! There was hardly ever a family walking out without a ball in hand. They then take the ball home to play with, leaving with a happy child and telling their friends and family about the experience, helping to promote your business. I recommend only having one crane with each; that way, you are driving sales to specific cranes. These balls should not be available anywhere else in your facility. The only way that a customer can get them is to play the machine. Many locations flood their redemption and cranes with the same merchandise, causing zero urgency because there are multiple avenues to get it. If the item is a crane item, which I highly recommend for the logoed 18” and 5” half-knobby balls, it will only be winnable through the crane. This is a good tip in general, whether the item is logoed or not – only have the items available through one avenue to create a sense of urgency for your customers if they see a prize they want. This encourages kids to play a crane or save their tickets, promoting repeat customers.

Another use of logoed merch I loved has to do with your snack counter. This tip works well when people don’t necessarily sit down and have a full meal but rather grab a fountain drink and hit the game floor. Having a fountain drink program is great – you sell a nice logoed cup that gets free refills that day; then, they can bring it back for either free refills or discounted refills on return visits. This isn’t a new concept, but it is another way to get your logo out in the wild with something that kids will use again. I highly recommend choosing a good-quality bottle that has a higher likelihood of being used outside of your facility, a bottle that parents will fill with water and send to school or practice with their children.

Finally, another way I liked to use logoed merchandise is not even in your facility! Every single facility should be doing street events for sales and growth opportunities. Free logoed merch is the best giveaway at these events. Typically at these events, you want to do something memorable – I never recommend just having a table; rather, make it fun, such as an interactive game. We are in the business of fun anyway, and every single person who participates leaves with a memory, an item with your logo on it, and hopefully a business card or information about your facility. An error I see many facilities make when they view these events is that they don’t participate because it will cost money to be there or if they do participate, they give away items that have nothing to do with the brand, like a piece of candy or something small of similar value. These are both the opposite of how you should look at these. You should view these events as future sales and public relation opportunities. Get your name out there, give them something they want, and make a memory so after the potential customer leaves the street event, they want to come to your facility!

There are so many examples of great logoed merch to choose from – I just gave a few. I like to look at logoed merch as a marketing investment. How can you promote getting your name out in the wild without having to spend real marketing dollars? You are going to be giving prizes to your customers anyway; why not give them something of value that they will use again and will help to promote your business? Not every piece of logoed merch is a great one. I highly recommend figuring out what your goals are for the piece of logoed merch and then call your sales rep at Rhode Island Novelty to help navigate all the options we have!