The Construction Marketing Awards showcase the construction industry’s creativity, innovation and effectiveness in marketing, but in addition to the serious business side we like to have some fun! A regular feature at the Gala Awards Dinner has become the Best Promotional Give-Away competition. Companies who are proud of their giveaways can submit examples, which are placed on each table at the Gala Dinner for guests to vote on and select a winner.
Here are just three examples from the 2017 Gala Dinner to inspire you.
Winner of the 2017 Best Promotional Give-Away competition came from JCB and was a 1:32 Scale model of the JCB Hydradig, the first true wheeled excavator designed for purpose, from the ground up and launched by JCB in Spring 2016. JCB had selected Britain’s as the most suitable partner to develop a model of their iconic vehicle because they could create a product that represents the detail of the machine, at a price point accessible to the wider collector market.
As well as a sought-after customer gift, the JCB Hydradig model has significant play value as a toy. Making it a must-have item and hence an ideal marketing tool. Guests at the 2017 Construction Marketing Awards recognised this and not only voted it the Best Promotional Give-Away but were keen to take the models home. In view of the high value of these models JCB asked that those 
taking the models away also made a donation to CRASH, the official charity partner of the CMAs, contributing to the amount raised on the evening.
Small plastic ducks, complete with construction hard hats and high-vis jackets may seem quite different from a JCB Hydradig, but they both have a common theme – holes. The ducks were launched as part of IKO PLC’s #NoMorePotholes campaign, developed with MRA Marketing, to raise awareness of the problems potholes cause, why repairs aren’t working, and that there’s a solution.
A social media campaign was run, allowing people to request the ducks and then share photos of them in potholes on social media, tagging @ikoplc and the relevant local authority, and using the hashtag #NoMorePotholes. A good example of a simple give-away is generating a high level of publicity, which is why the campaign also won ‘Best Social Media Campaign’ at the 2017 CMAs.
Another entry which was popular with the CMA guests was a set of selfie-prop giveaways provided by Built for Marketing to support the selfie competition run during the CMA gala dinner. Here they demonstrated their strategic marketing thinking by developing a give-away which contributed to the enjoyment of the evening, but also got them good exposure with the CMA guests and on social media. Founder and Director of Built for Marketing, Jules Quested-Williams, said “Our selfie-prop giveaways are part of our exciting plans to celebrate our 10-year anniversary in 2018. We decided to bring them out early for the CMAs, and are really pleased we did!”
Each of these promotional give-aways has worked well in its own unique way to support the marketing objectives of the company that introduced it. They gained recognition for their creators from their peers and contributed to the excitement of the Construction Marketing Awards Gala Dinner. What could you enter for the 2018 CMAs?
