Key Tags

The key chain and key tag is one of the oldest and most effective forms of promotion. Early marketers had the right idea when they were dreaming up new ways of bringing in new business. Advertising was so expensive and so fleeting. Companies would spend an inordinate amount of money on a 30 second spot during prime time and often sales would go unaffected.

Marketing executives were faced with a very human problem--their customers were human beings. They knew that most people have very short attention spans and very little patience, especially when they want to relax. The advent of the remote control really sent some marketing executives into a panic. They were forced to look at some more cost effective ways of promoting their businesses.

Those Guys Were Smart

Large corporations often have employees in marketing research that examine buyer behavior. They studied consumers in the context of buying goods and services. Marketers took this a step further and began studying the entire lives of their customers. They would take a prototypical customer and walked him through an entire day.

This research led to some wonderful promotional discoveries. Marketers found ways to turn their customers and their employees into living advertisements. Large corporations started giving away key tags with their logo on them. People, in general, like free stuff especially if they can use it. Marketers realized many of these key tags might end up in a junk box somewhere, but some would find their way into the pockets of customers. These customers would flaunt their company's name 365 days a year.