Stickers have been around for over two hundred years, with the self-adhesive variety having been created in 1935 by R.Stanton Avery. They’re something we now take for granted as a form of expression, seen everywhere from laptops to lamp posts.
But what does it mean when someone uses acustom sticker? And how can you use sticker printing as a low-cost, high-impact tool for your brand?
Endorsem*nt energy
Brand endorsem*nts rule the world of influencer marketing and advertising. TheBrand Marketing Blogdefines it as a public declaration of support for a product or a brand.
We often think of celebrities scoring these major brand deals when we hear the word "endorsem*nt". But, of course, not every business has the budget to hire David Beckham to promote their product.
Thankfully, there is a much more affordable way to generate a similar energy. The foundation of why endorsem*nts work is human psychology. We combat uncertainty by relying on our social group. We listen to friends and peers to understand whether something is right for us.
Fittingly,Forbes magazinestates that recommendation are the number 1 driver of purchase decisions. Facebook says that 9 out of 10 people act after an endorsem*nt from a friend. But this encompasses more than a recommendation from a trusted work colleague and includes the reviews we read before buying a product.
Now, what has this got to do with stickers? Branded stickers are free-floating reminders. When someone puts a sticker somewhere, it’s an endorsem*nt of whatever is represented by the design.
Stickers always have that human component: You are handed a sticker, somebody has a sticker on their laptop, somebody sticks a sticker somewhere. They are not faceless pop ups.
As a visual representation, stickers are a powerful tool; friends and peers get a quick visual identifier, which can be acknowledged subconsciously, making them more susceptible to a brand, product or service.
Apple, the masters of branding, has been giving away stickers with their products for decades. It’s a tactic that’s prevalent among lifestyle brands like shoe retailer Vans or gaming accessory manufacturer Razer, all because it allows their customers to become part of the brand – and part of spreading it.
Stickers are a form of advertising that’s not pushy, is low cost and comes with the fantastic benefit of being peer-reviewed and approved.
Sticking to the plan
You can also use your branded stickers to reinforce your advertising strategy and get your brand seen more often by your customers. The more they see it, the more they’ll remember it, increasing brand recognition and loyalty.
There are different levels ofbrand awareness:
- Brand recall: The ability to remember a specific brand in relation to a product category.
- Brand recognition: The ability to identify a brand via a shortcut such as slogans, logos or brand colors.
- Top-of-mind awareness: Being the first brand that comes to mind when a product category is mentioned. When we say "trainers", what brand comes to mind? Adidas, Nike or maybe Puma?
- Brand dominance: This happens when all the other options disappear and we only associate one brand with a product category.
Custom branded stickers can help with all of these, but most importantly, they are amazing for getting the word out.
You stickers can easily be applied anywhere – on signage, packaging or equipment – the touch points for your brand are almost limitless. If you’ve got a great brand, you should be showing it off with colorful, vibrant stickers that will be seen by your target audience.
As part of your businesses advertising strategy, stickers are a low cost, high impact addition that can reinforce your brand with your customers instantly.
If you’ve got unique visuals for a campaign, you can quickly and easily replace your stickers with a new look and revert back to your everyday branding once the campaign has ended.
Withso manystyles and types of stickers and labels available, you can really make your business stand out, whether you’re focusing on B2B or B2C.
Adhesive advertising
With so many well-established brands using stickers as giveaways, it’s plain to see that there’s a reason they do so. The power of peer-review is a well-documented phenomenon, and those stickers have a high perceived value to customers who are keen to show off their favorite brands.
On top of that, receiving free stickers speaks to human psychology. In his bookInfluence: Science and Practice, Robert Cialdinidiscusses the principle of reciprocity. Therule of reciprocityrefers to the exchange of favors or goods for mutual benefit.
In other words, it means that favors and gifts are not always self-less (anyone remember that episode of FRIENDS?). In fact, we often feel obligated or indebted after having received one - even if we did not ask for it. We want to return the favor.
Free stickers tab into this. When we receive a free goody, we are more likely to purchase a product, recommend a brand or leave a good review.
But it’s not just about giveaways. You can mix up your visuals quickly and easily by using stickers to add an extra dimension to your latest advertising campaign. Using stickers in and around your business can go a long way to giving your brand the extra presence required to win over hearts and minds.
Take a look at our range ofcustom stickersnow, and get your brand in front of a wider audience.
If you want to learn more about the power of stickers in marketing, take a look atour blog.
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