Branding helps your business to maintain a strong online and offline presence. Your sales and profits will automatically increase with increased brand awareness and prominence in the market. Branding also helps you strengthen your business's reputation among customers and other industry players.
But to enjoy these benefits, you have to choose the right branding tools. One of the oldest and most popular branding tools is a slap koozie. This article looks at the different aspects of a slap koozie that make it a fantastic branding tool.
What’s a Slap Koozie?
Also referred to as cozy, beer hugger, cozy beer, or stubby holder, a slap koozie is a type of sheath that is usually slipped over a beverage container (can or bottle) to keep the drink cool. This sleeve can be made of either foam or fabric. The name Koozie, which Bob Autrey invented in the 1980s, is now a listed trademark whose rights are currently owned by Radio Cap Corporation (RCC).
The first slap koozie was developed by RCC in 1982, two years after acquiring the rights to use the name Koozie as its trademark. Apart from cooling beverages, this sleeve also became a popular branding tool. Its immediate success inspired the creation of more promotional products under the KOOZIE brand, including cooler bags, drinkware, travel accessories, business accessories, among others.
Why Is a Slap Koozie Great for Branding?
Although these neoprene sleeves were initially meant to insulate drinks, they’ve become an inexpensive way for businesses to market their products and services. Here are the main reasons you should use a slap koozie as your branding tool.
Easy to Customize
A slap koozie is easily customizable, allowing you to print different designs on it. Therefore, you can use your koozies to inform your target customers about your wide range of products, services, discounts, or upcoming product launches. Also, you can easily customize your slap koozies by painting them with your brand colors and patterns.
Since different beverage cans and bottles come in varied shapes and sizes, you will need a branding tool that can be tweaked easily to suit the required shape and size. This is where a slap koozie comes in handy, and you can easily cut it to the required size and shape. Many slap koozie designers have recognized the need to make their koozies versatile.
Great Incentive
As a business owner, you need to give your customers incentives routinely as a sign of appreciation. Such gifts don’t have to be expensive so long as they interest your target customers. Fortunately, many people would love to receive a stylish stubby holder as a gift. Branded slap koozies are a thoughtful gesture and icebreaker to negotiations started.
Giving your customer such a thoughtful gift before you start the negotiations is an effective way to get them to lower their guard so that you can have an easy time winning them over. If a customer feels that you’re only interested in selling, they will shut down immediately. But a simple freebie like a slap koozie can quickly disarm them.
Increased Brand Awareness
Research shows that about 90 percent of people remember the messages on promotional products, while 70 percent recall the call to action messages. This means that you stand a great chance of promoting your brand to hundreds, if not thousands, of potential customers when you give out branded slap koozies. Whenever someone uses the koozie to hold a beer or soda can, they will be promoting your brand. You can also use creativity to develop thought-provoking messages for your slap koozies to initiate meaningful conversations.
Valuable Promotional Items
Although expensive advertisements will give you results, they won’t share your target customers' tangible value. On the other hand, a branded slap koozie will provide your target customer real value because they will use it to hold their drinks, encouraging your customers to approve and have faith in your brand.
Extensive Market Reach
The main objective of marketing campaigns is to make as many people aware of your brand as possible. Therefore, as you design your slap koozies, make sure they carry the right message about your business. Fortunately, many people use a slap koozie to keep their drinks cool or warm outdoors. Therefore, you have a perfect opportunity to market your business to a wide range of potential customers when you give out branded slap koozies.
Compared to other marketing tools such as emails and TV commercials, slap koozies have proved to be more effective because people keep them for a long time. According to Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), only 20 percent of customers throw away promotional items. PPAI also reports that at least 50 percent of customers discard promotional emails without reading them, while 66 percent of television viewers ignore TV commercials. Therefore, you stand better at reaching a more prominent and wider audience with branded slap koozies.