Can we please get everyone to agree on a promotional lexicon?
I’m getting a headache from the debate raging here in the office.
For starters, what exactly are “Premiums & Incentives,” and why are they linked?
Granted, the phrase rolls off the tongue. As does “Games, Contests & Sweeps,” another one of these tactical groupings that describe very different activities.
Promo traditionally has defined “incentive programs” as those that offer goods or services to motivate a desired behavior in an employee or consumer. Such actions may include a boost in productivity or purchases.
In the past, we’ve defined “premium programs” as offering rewards to employees or consumers after they have demonstrated a desired behavior. Such rewards may be high-end (premiums) or lower cost items (ad specialties/promotional products).
Herein lies the paradox. Premium suggests a high-ticket item. Yet purveyors of commodity-produced promotional items like logo-emblazoned pens also use the term.
Here’s another example of how language doesn’t always do justice to meaning. The standard package for compact discs is called a “jewel case,” although they’re composed of several cents worth of molded polystyrene.
Upon closer examination, it’s apparent that the component parts of P&I are not interchangeable, although at times they can be linked.
But there’s no need to just pick on P&I. There are other examples of fuzzy language in the promotion business.
For example, the fairly new term “Advergames” can mean both advertising placed in video games or a branded entertainment game on an advertiser’s Web site. And neither would be wrong!
Similarly, “Mobile Marketing” has been co-opted by anyone whose aim is to use the cell phone to send commercial messages. But it also describes touring campaigns using specially equipped vehicles.
This exercise in sorting out vernacular semantics could keep William Safire busy with several months of topics for his “On Language” column in the New York Times Magazine.
And while we’re on the subject, what in the world is meant by experiential?
I’d like to welcome to the editorial staff Brian Quinton, our new editor-at-large. As you can see from this issue’s cover story, Brian quickly has made a major contribution to Promo.
Brian comes to us from sister magazine Direct, for whom he’s covered new media since 2004. Prior to that he was on staff with Telephony, another Penton title.
His new beats include interactive, beverages, telecom, consumer electronics and tobacco.
The Northwestern University J-School graduate resides in Chicago, and may be reached at 312-840-8445 and brian.quinton@penton.com.
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