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10 September 2005
Merchandising your competitor’s gift?
A contact of mine recently bought a new video camera from Courts, a large local electronics retailer. He got a good price, and some pretty nice promotional gifts. He is happy with his purchase, but he asked me this question.
"I bought a Canon video camera, but that chap gave me a Nikon umbrella as a promotional gift. Are Nikon cameras better and more popular?"
Not wanting to disappoint my contact, I told him both brands are tops in video cameras, so he should be happily playing with his new purchase. A quick good answer I thought, especially considering that I was a little stunned by this apparent merchandising mistake. For a big brand like Canon, it will already be a mistake not to give promotional gifts with their branding on it. How much worst it is to give a promotional gift with your competitors’ branding on it?
This could be a sales distributor’s mistake, but it drove through the message of how companies must be careful of what they give as a promotional or corporate gift. If not, you are going to create unnecessary doubts in the minds of your consumers and let your market consumer perception be affected adversely.
I hope my contact is having fun with his Canon camera, albeit under the shelter of a Nikon umbrella.
Ian Choo, 10 September 2005
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September 2005
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