Promotional Product Role Model: Starbucks

It is absolutely no secret that I am a Starbucks green tea addict. But I also patronize their coffeehouses because they do so many things right on a marketing level. And here’s a great example that a fellow Starbucks fan and career consultant Jan Marino of High Gain Companies (www.TakeBackYourCareerNow.com) first brought to my attention even before I saw it in the stores.

Starbucks teamed up with the Opportunity Finance Network to develop the Create Jobs for USA initiative which provides financing to community businesses that need help (see www.CreateJobsforUSA.org for details and to donate). Having union clients and having a shopsite dedicated to made in the USA and union made products, you can imagine that this program struck a chord for me.

On top of being an initiative I believe in, I have to give kudos to Starbucks and OFN for staying true to the program’s mission and using a Made in the USA wristband to promote awareness. How many times have you seen a program that promotes American workers, supported by foreign made goods? I’ve seen it way too many times. A huge marketing and public relations faux pas.

See how businesses and non-profits can avoid a PR nightmare with their promotional products

What I also like about the promotional product they used was that it is adjustable for the wearer. One of the difficulties with many wristbands is that they are either too big or small. While we can source popular silicone wristbands made in USA (currently only through special order), marketers may also want to consider adjustable bands to accommodate a wider group of wearers, making them more likely to actually be worn.