May 2009 Archives

I'm sure you have read many articles and reports about going green with promotional products, but do any of those articles tell you the difference you could really make by using them?

Let's look at our two most popular eco-friendly promotional categories and examine some hard core facts about the difference you can make.

1. Water Bottles: In 2006 the average American drank 167 bottles of water, but recycled just 23%, or less than 40 of those bottles. The remainder ended up in landfills. That's right, our population was dumping 38 billion bottles in landfills, where one bottle can take up to 1,000 years to start decomposing. Think what a huge difference you can make by providing a re-usable water bottle as part of your next marketing campaign. They come in different colors, sport your logo and, best of all, won't hurt the environment. Want a brightly colored translucent bottle? We got it! What about an aluminum or stainless steel bottle? We have plenty! With the right promotional water bottle, you'll make a lasting impression in people's minds and not a lasting impression in a landfill! For more information, see http://earth911.com/plastic/plastic-bottle-recycling-facts/
2. Plastic Bags: Around 10,000,000,000 plastic bags are used each year in the United States, but only 1% are recycled. It can be hard to avoid the ubiquitous plastic bag--they are given out with almost every purchase in grocery stores and shopping plazas. Not only do plastic bags fill up landfills, but discarded bags regularly kill land and marine animals. They are filled with a variety of chemicals, too--in fact, in 2002 Nolan ITU in Australia reported that 8.7 plastic bags equal the amount of petroleum energy used to drive a car for 1 kilometer! Knowing this, how easy and helpful would it be to give your clients and employees an eco-friendly, multi-purpose bag they can re-use? SO EASY! There are so many choices that you are bound to find one you love. We have totes, big and small, and even coolers and lunch bags--and, because they come in a variety of styles, colors and sizes, they look so much nicer than a plastic bag! Get more bag facts here: http://www.cleanuptheworld.org/au/LivingGreener/plastic-bag-facts.html and http://www.myownbag.com/activism.html

By providing these re-useable bags and water bottles to take place of disposable chemical filled plastic bags and bottles you will not only be making a huge difference for the environment, but you will be defining your company or organization as people who care. Now that's smart marketing!

I'm sure you have heard by now that even in these difficult times you should not cut spending on marketing or advertising. While this is great advice that has proven success for companies like Kellogg, sometimes budgets must be trimmed

Good news! There are cost-effective promotional product solutions available even if your marketing plan is on a diet. And they're proven to work.

A recent study by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) proclaimed promotional pens as "the most-recalled advertising specialty item" providing 54% brand recall from recipients. This is HUGE! Best of all, we have promotional pens for as low as $0.19 each. Talk about cost-effective marketing!

Looking in my purse right now, I can see three different promotional pens. Pens that I carry with me everywhere and use multiple times each day. And I'm not alone. In fact, ASI found 20% of recipients use their promotional pens more than five times a day.

ASI also found that, on average, promotional writing instruments stay with their recipient for 4.3 months. And because a promotional pen makes an average of 363 impressions per month, a single $0.19 pen can make more than 1,500 impressions over its lifespan. And ASI found that all writing instruments have balanced exposure between the office and at home, increasing your brand's exposure to an even wider range of people.

There are so many cost effective writing instruments to choose from, from the attractive Twist N' Shout Click Pen, to the 2-in-1 Econo Flashlight BuzPen, both priced at under a dollar. Take a look or, even better, just give us a call and our team of promotional product experts will do it for you.

I wish I could claim that tricky title but I must give credit to Promo Marketing and their great article that inspired this post which I hope inspires you on your next promotion. It discussed how promotional items can captivate each of the five senses.

light-up items play on our sense of sight to attract attention at a crowded trade show. Or the way a plush product can reel in recipients through their sense of touch. And who could argue that delicious chocolates don't feed our taste cravings?

The most interesting idea was scent-branding--the way that scents can trigger memories and emotions, and thus add an additional layer of complexity to a branding effort.

For me, personal memories are often triggered by smells--I never forget them. One of my all-time favorite smells is the scent of fresh-baked bread. It takes me back to when I was a kid on my way to summer camp and the route that took me past the Wonder Bread bakery every morning. I don't drive by it much anymore but I still remember and love the scent and memory!

So how can you leverage the power of scent in your next campaign?

There are a growing number of products designed to help you do just that. Partner your brand with the calming smells of lavender or cucumber melon with our a*Roma Stress Balls or plant your brand into people's minds with our Bamboo Blossom Kit, perfect for at home or in the office. Too esoteric? We've got you covered with more traditional items like imprinted scented candle sets and lotions.

Sounds like smart promoting to me!

Very interesting--Keep this in mind! A colleague of mine sent me an article about the public's view of eco-friendly products. The results were interesting and could help you make smart choices when planning your next promotion. Respondents said there are four reasons they choose not to live 'greener lives' with promotional products:

• Products require too much effort
• Products are time consuming
• Products are inconvenient
• Products are confusing

When choosing your promotional product for an eco-friendly promotion stay on the right track by steering clear of these 4 reasons. If you find yourself having a difficult time thinking of ideas that fit into these helpful guidelines give us a call and speak with one of our promotional product experts.

I love the outdoors, especially in spring and summer when the sun is shinning. Needless to say, I thought Promo Marketing's article 'The Great Outdoors' was wonderful. It had some great ideas I wanted to share here to hopefully inspire you for your next outdoor promotion.

For work or for play, there are hundreds of promotional products you can use for outdoor activities. Creative ideas would be a company picnic, sporting events or even a concert. But the great thing about outdoor promotional marketing is most promotional products can be used on multiple occasions including all the above and more, such as taking a relaxing vacation You want to make sure you include all outdoor lovers--Cover all spectrums such as providing a promotional towel or folding chair for the outdoor relaxers but also provide to active outdoors men/women with promotional binoculars or sporting accessories. My personal favorites for summer are bright colored summer totes and coolers for a picnic or vacation. You can tell I'm an outdoor relaxer!

No matter which item you choose, your logo can explore the great outdoors by being imprinted or embroidered on your promotional items. By marketing with outdoor promotional products there are no boundaries as to how far your logo can go.