GOETTL got it right.

Promotional products that tell a story.

Promotional items can be a good investment. They are tangible, inexpensive and engage the senses. But in order to make a lasting impression, it needs to remind you of the company’s reason for being.

Let me explain.

Goettl, an air conditioning repair company in Arizona, has a picture of a boy holding a flashlight on their company vans. 

“I was a ten year-old boy holding a flashlight for my Dad while he worked on an air conditioner for a customer. His name was Duncan Goodrich. He didn't talk much. But there's a certain kind of magic that happens when a son holds a flashlight for his father.

I held it steady and quiet and Dad talked to me while he worked. He said, "When a person needs help, you respond right away. Not when it's convenient for you." He said, "Always do the right thing. Always do what's right." And he said, "The Goettl Iron Horse is a magnificent machine. Nothing else even comes close." That was the first night I held a flashlight for my Dad but it wouldn't be the last.

At Dad's funeral, I realized that every time he handed me that flashlight, he was passing the torch. And my Dad believed in Goettl air conditioners. So I bought the company. You can count on us to respond right away and do the right thing... Always. No one knows air conditioning like Goettl.”

Once you know the story, you understand the significance of the flashlight and why Goettl hands them out as their promotional item. The second you lay eyes on that flashlight, you are reminded of that little boy who helped his father and carried on his father’s high quality standards.
 
Promotional products can remind you of a company’s name, but unless they are tied to something more memorable, they won’t leave a long-lasting impression. Had Goettl not tied the flashlight to a story, they would be simply giving out a flashlight instead of “passing on a torch”.
 
What memory does your promotional products evoke?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner