This tradition of giving becomes even more noticeable at seasonal points of the year, especially Christmas, Easter and Valentines Day, where confectionery is shared not only between friends and families but between businesses and their clients.

And it is not just at these special times of year that confectionery is recognised or appreciated. Promotional campaigns with confectionery can be used for celebrations such as Chinese New Year or Diwali, where fortune cookies, baklava or halwas would prove ideal treats.

At these times of cultural celebration, confectionery and sweet delicacies are always popular, although it is worth mentioning that, checks should be made around what ingredients certain faiths can or cannot eat.

Promotional confectionery is going from strength to strength, and with a plethora of seasonal occasions the opportunities for promotional confectionery distributors are endless.

This month we have spoken to Tony Wadley, director of Bite Promotions and a real life Willy Wonka, to find out a little bit more about why the promotional merchandise industry has suddenly got such a sweet tooth...

Promotional confectionery comes in all shapes and sizes, from chocolate to jelly beans and from fudge to mints. To ensure that products always look different, branding and creative opportunities are extensive.

So why is promotional confectionery becoming so popular? Tony said: "That's an easy one. EVERYONE likes sweets and chocolates. They are also a fun and affordable medium for brand promotion."

With more options for branding available to them, promotional confectionery companies are being more and more creative about the shapes and form of products they create for clients for promotional purposes. There are some wild and wacky creations on the market from chocolate IPods to chocolate mobile phones.

Tony said: "The most memorable product would have to be the range of life size American footballs we did for The Guinness World Records, only to see them being smashed on TV as part of the record breaking attempt - but it was ok as a new record was achieved!"

Tony continued: "At Bite, we are masters at making our confectionery stand out from the crowd by designing chocolates which are made bespoke for our customers. When our customers receive chocolates which are moulded in the exact shape of one of the products they are promoting, they are very impressed and can easily see how our products will help them."

However, like many products in the promotional merchandise industry, there are a lot of other people doing the same thing, meaning that confectionery companies like Bite Promotions have to ensure they are constantly going the extra mile.

Tony said: "My favorite campaign was when we were asked to make a chocolate line which would ‘stand out from the crowd' as our customer was trying to get across to their customers why they were different. We made a cute box with four similar looking milk chocolates in a plastic tray, with the twist that one of the chocolates was chilli flavored. I loved the idea of customers jumping around after a bite of the secret flavour and then talking about it for ages and hopefully remembering our customer's name for the right reasons!"

Tony continued: "The beauty of working with confectionery is that you can always make confectionary look different to someone else, it can also taste very different too. This helps to make confectionery ideal as a promotional product because there are so many different varieties and bespoke options."

Branding is another factor which enables confectionery to stand out from the crowd. Branding can come in the form of embossing a company name onto a chocolate bar, or creating artwork to put on a chocolate wrapper or an interesting sweet tin. Branding and creating a bespoke product is a key way to ensure that a product will be memorable. Tony said: "We have seen a definite trend towards customers wanting short run, digitally printed artwork which is why we have invested in a state-of-the-art digital press which allows us to manufacture all our packaging in house. Good, well produced artwork is a great way to ensure that branding is noticeable and memorable."

Promotional confectionery is very versatile as a promotional product, and it can be used at different types of year, made bespoke for different seasons or events. At this time of year, with Halloween just around the corner, Bite Promotions is hard at work creating some scary snacks.

Tony said: "Halloween and confectionery go hand in hand. We have a range of spooky jellies in bags and boxes through to luxury chocolates foiled in Halloween designs. 

Christmas is also packed with opportunities for promotional confectionery companies. Swizzle sticks, candy canes and chocolate Santas are classic corporate gifts, with bespoke advent calendars also proving firm favourites.

"At this time of the year, in the run up to Christmas, our advent calendars are the most popular line.  Advent calendars are perfect for raising brand awareness as they sit on a customer's desk for a whole month and are referred to every day of advent, meaning promotional messages are constantly being seen."

Gift giving is a key part of many cultures and with the many cultural holidays and festivals throughout the year, there are a myriad of opportunities for companies to give promotional confectionery. With its many branding, and creative opportunities confectionery is an ideal gift for companies to give to staff, clients and prospective clients. If tuned in with a seasonal theme, it is a great way of sending a personal message, as well as promoting a company or brand at key points throughout the year.

As a trade association, PROMOTA acts as a support network for the promotional merchandise industry, not just at festive times, but throughout the year.

One of the benefits of being a member of PROMOTA is the endorsement which comes with being connected with a trade association.

Many distributors in the industry are finding that they need to go through the tender process to work with large public sector organisations and membership of a trade association is more often than not an important criterion for a company to even be considered.

We would encourage readers to apply for membership of PROMOTA as accreditation is becoming an important part of tendering for business. Members are eligible to display the PROMOTA logo on their letterhead and website and receive a certificate annually to show their accreditation.

Rod Duncan

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