Comment: What the Berlin police giveaway has to do with brand management
A ruler that doesn’t measure what it promises isn’t just a curiosity. It’s a lesson, according to our guest author Steven Baumgaertner of Cyber-Wear. The case of the Berlin police is a prime example of how relentlessly brands are put to the test in everyday life and how quickly minor communication issues can become a major strategic concern.
For around two years, the Berlin police have been handing out a 15-centimetre ruler during traffic exercises at schools. But instead of 15, it measures 15.3 centimeters. A supposed lapse that was blown up in the media, but nevertheless reveals where companies get communication wrong. The police's reaction followed a familiar pattern: it was a promotional item, "not primarily intended for mathematically precise activities". A sentence intended to reassure. But that is precisely why it is problematic. Because it betrays a deep-seated misunderstanding about the effect of promotional items.
Promotional products are a condensed brand experience
Promotional items are often classified as being of secondary importance in terms of communication. In fact, they have a different effect than traditional advertising. They explain nothing, they claim nothing - they are used. A direct experience is created through their haptics, suitability for everyday use and naturalness.
This is precisely where their strategic explosive power lies. Promotional products are condensed brand contacts. They are brand management on a small scale, but with great proximity to everyday life. A promotional product that works confirms the brand promise casually and sustainably. A faulty one does the same - only with the opposite sign. This makes it more dangerous than bad advertising. Because bad advertising can be ignored. Bad user experiences cannot.
From product thinking to intentional thinking
The real problem lies deeper: many companies still treat promotional products as a logistical side note. The main thing is cheap, quickly available, somehow useful. This perspective ignores the real question: what kind of experience should be created during use?
Intentional thinking starts right there. Every promotional item is an invitation to interact with the brand. If this invitation remains undirected, the article becomes a risk. Not because of a lack of quality alone, but because of a lack of intention. Promotional items must therefore be chosen and designed consciously: in line with the context, the brand's attitude and what it wants to achieve in everyday life.
Brand communication begins with use
The ruler case is not an isolated incident or a media joke. It is a warning signal. Brand communication does not end with the claim and does not begin with the campaign. It begins where people use brands.
Promotional items are not a scattergun, but a touchstone. Used correctly, they are one of the most effective instruments of sustainable brand loyalty.
Steven Baumgaertner is the founder and CEO of the promotional products retailer cyber-Wear.
