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Nov

2009

Take Pride in Being a Tourist with Promotional Apparel and Gifts

I am probably one of the most loyal country music fans you will ever find. I know the words to a vast majority of the songs, from Garth to Carrie, and after a recent trip to Nashville, can honestly state that I have never felt more at home in an American city than in the Home of Country Music! I mean, live country music being performed at the bars and restaurants all day long, not to mention country tunes blasting from speakers at the bus stops- it is every country music lover’s dream come true. Watching the Country Music Awards last night led me to reminisce about my fantastic experience in “Nashvegas.”

Most great American cities boast unique anecdotes about residents and events, both past and present, but these distinctive histories are not always as blatantly obvious as in Nashville. Statues of country greats like Elvis and Dolly Parton line the sidewalks (and if you must know, yes, I did stop to take pictures next to each of them!), cowboy boots can be found in almost every retail store, and museums paying homage to country legends like Johnny and June attract audiences hailing from far and wide.

During my visit to Nashville, I knew that my sadness to return to Atlanta could be assuaged by collecting memorabilia from various venues I frequented during my stay. I could barely close my suitcase because of my new purchases, but I do not regret a single one of them! I could not avoid the tourist shops on Broadway (one of the main streets in downtown Nashville), and wound up buying a fitted custom t-shirt with a subtle graphic featuring the word “Nashville” and a sketch of a guitar at the hip, a few other wearable items and some souvenir gifts for my family and friends.

I am already planning my next trip to Nashville, but in the meantime, I will have to settle for watching my favorite country artists on TV and sporting my Nashville-emblazoned promotional apparel around Atlanta to keep remnants of an unforgettable weekend fresh in my mind!

Nov

2009

Promotional products are having a wild rumpus in Hollywood

Promotional products in the entertainment industry are no longer limited to Hannah Montana beach towels. Hollywood is finding more and more that, in order to make money off big-budget films, they’ve got to have the swag.

Been in an Urban Outfitters store recently? Partnering with Warner Brothers and director Spike Jonze, for months the store has featured Where the Wild Things Are promotional products in anticipation of the movie’s October 16th release. Hipsters everywhere could shop for slippers, coloring books, t-shirts, keychains, books, CDs, toy figurines, wall art, movie stills, shadow puppets, pillow cushions, dolls, designer clothing, and even a Viewmaster themed after Dave Eggers’ hip-terpretation of the classic children’s storybook. (The Viewmaster reminds me an awful lot of the short-lived television show Wonderfalls, about a Gen-Y sales clerk who hears the voice of God in promotional products, but that’s a story for another day.)

Warner Brothers isn’t the only studio looking to promotional products to save its profits. Hollywood has recently witnessed two major firings: 1) that of Disney’s studio chief, and 2) the sacking of Universal Pictures’ two top chairmen. Disney then hired Rich Ross, who had been the head at Disney Channel, a network famous for spawning young superstars like Miley Cyrus and Hillary Duff. Universal promoted their marketing chief, Adam Fogelson. In both cases the studios opted for people with experience promoting films beyond the box office.

Kim Masters of KCRW’s The Business had this to say about the entertainment industry broadening its marketing efforts:

In the case of Disney, they went with the TV executive who’s not a movie guy, and the idea is brands, brands, brands — sell it across the platforms. Look at High School Musical, sell it as a concert, sell it as a stage thing, sell it as a — any — a t-shirt. You know, that’s the idea that they’re pursuing at Disney.

“Economy, Viewer Habits Transforming Hollywood,” npr.org

Movies failing to make enough money at the box office are old news. But with the popularity of DVR and other technologies, films are now floundering in DVD sales as well. Marketing strategies that worked for High School Musical and other children’s films are starting to look pretty attractive to grown-up movies.

Thus, Where the Wild Things Are throw pillows.

In the case of Urban and Jonze, promotional products are not only marketing a film; they are making profits in and of themselves. And record labels have been doing the same.

What do you think about all this?

a.   I hope Pinnacle starts offering promotional products for A Christmas Carol! I really want a Scrooge-shaped shadow puppet lamp to adorn my living room.
b.   Ugh. Please don’t Hannah Montana-fy my favorite movies.
c.   What’s a Dave Eggers?
d.   It’s complicated. (Please elaborate.)

Answer in the comments section! (Until we get a poll installed.)

Nov

2009

Pinnacle Promotion’s Paperless Plan

Here at Pinnacle, we’re going paperless! Like many offices throughout the world, paperwork is often printed, filed away and forgotten about for weeks at a time. To avoid this situation and do our part to save trees, Pinnacle is enacting eco-friendly initiatives, such as sending confirmations via e-mail.

Whether you work in the promotional products industry or any other industry, you can make your office environment and marketing campaigns more environmentally friendly by following a few simple tips. Send e-mail blasts, rather than direct mail that often winds up in the trash, to reduce your paper dependence. Or, distribute “green” promotional products as your corporate gift or tradeshow giveaway.

Pinnacle offers an entire line of promotional EarthSmart™ products made from natural, organic or recycled material that have a positive impact on the environment. Since Pinnacle donates 1% of all sales from this line to 1% for the Planet, a network of more than 1,700 not-for-profit environmental organizations worldwide, you will be making a difference with every purchase. So if you’re looking for promotional giveaways that employees, clients, and the environment will appreciate, be sure to customize one of EarthSmart™ products with your company name and logo.

We love EarthSmart™ products so much, the marketing department even dressed up as them for Halloween (see picture above).

Sarah
Creative Writing Intern

Nov

2009

Take A Tip From the Automobile Industry and Logo Your Promo

Consider the logo pictured at left. What thoughts immediately came rushing to your mind upon seeing that particular image? Speed? Class? Luxury Vehicles? Even Germany, perhaps?

This simple circle surrounding a 3-sided star has the ability to evoke so many different associations in ones mind from the products the company produces to the place of its origin. While this logo has been around since 1926, having had decades to establish such recognition for the entire Mercedes-Benz automobile company from its simple design, it is purely an example to demonstrate the power that symbols have in our world today.

Promotional products can be successful means of aiding in establishing logo identities as logos are like links to memories in consumers’ minds, and material items can help to reinforce those memories. After all, even with well-known car companies it’s not only their own automobiles that don their symbols. They produce apparel, key chains, and more, that are all customized with their logos, providing exposure for their brands in more arenas than just on the road.

Automobile companies have some of the most recognized logos throughout the world – see if you recognize a few, or all, of these:

Nov

2009

Top 5 Ways to Tell If You’ve Bought the Wrong Promotional Products

On November 5, 2007, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) are labor unions which serve to protect the rights of film, television, and radio writers. The 100 day strike, which ended on February 10, 2008, was aimed at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), and striking writers protested against inadequate compensation for their work when compared to the massive revenue earned by the production studios. Both parties reached a mutually agreeable settlement, and after months of subjecting the American public to re-runs, the writers returned to work.

The Late Show with David Letterman was one of the few shows to reach an “interim agreement” with the Writers Guild of America in December of 2007 prior to the end of the strike. This meant that despite otherwise limited television options, Dave’s jokes and banter were able to keep viewers laughing.

Just in case Dave’s writers should ever happen to go on strike, however, the Marketing Department here at Pinnacle is ready to come to his rescue with fresh comedic material! We have taken the liberty of coming up with a Top 5 List to take the place of his usual Top 10 List segment if he is ever in dire need of a script:

Top 5 Ways to Tell If You’ve Bought the Wrong Promotional Products

5) South Florida trade show attendees stare blankly at the promotional ice scrapers that you have given them, but have no idea what the items are or how they should be used.

4) Outraged hockey players throw the pink fashion tote bags that you have given them in the garbage.

3) Sneezing, sniffling, and allergic reactions ensue when you deliver scented hand lotion imprinted with your company logo to an allergy clinic.

2) Promotional picnic kits, complete with wine bottle openers and wine glasses, offend the audience at a meeting for recovering alcoholics.

1) A custom t-shirt in the wrong size and for the wrong gender may not be appreciated by all recipients…
ie for a Marketing Department comprised mostly of petite ladies, a 5XL Men’s t-shirt (that is actually large enough to accommodate 3 of us at once, as pictured above) is not a wise gift for one of the employees. (NOTE: this item was not given to us as an actual gift, and was merely found in our company showroom.)

In closing, I would just like to reiterate that while these examples are given because of their comedic value, there is an important lesson to be learned by recognizing the needs of your target audience. It is highly unlikely that a marketing manager would purchase such inappropriate gifts as women’s tote bags for a group of males, but there are plenty of minor oversights that can cause a brand to accidentally alienate, or even offend, its audience.

The experienced sales representatives at Pinnacle Promotions can provide a wealth of information if you are willing to reach out to them with your questions via phone, e-mail, or LiveChat. Also, Promotional Products – A Survival Guide is now available for purchase. This handy book is a compilation of background information, trends and advice related to the promotional products industry, and covers the ins and outs of the ordering process in great detail. There are numerous reliable sources to consult regarding promotional products, so make sure to take advantage of them to learn how to use these items in the most effective way possible!

Nov

2009

Let it show! Let it show! Let it show!

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the party is so delightful…

The Holiday season is always a festive time of year, but with this excitement comes along the stress of finding the perfect gifts. So many options presented in the windows of shops, but yet none of them seem to be perfect. The corporate holiday party is this weekend and it’s always a process to find the right gift for the exchange. I have to keep in mind who is receiving it along with the perceived value of the item. It needs to be fun, unique but still classy and affordable. Oh the dilemma!

As I continued to contemplate about the perfect gift to give over a glass of wine, it suddenly came to me! What could be a more perfect gift than a wine tote and decorative wine stoppers from Pinnacle’s selection of Corporate Holiday Gifts! My wine tote and wine stoppers would be the envied party gift and the talk around the office for months to come. Oh, what a show stopper I would be!

As I arrived at the party, I was so excited to give my perfect gift of a wine tote and wine stopper to the lucky someone who happened to pick my gift! Let the party begin! Let it show!

Mande & Brooke
Account Team

image by Darwin Bell

Nov

2009

Depend on Kreb brand promotional products for your all your time travel needs!

On the final day of Daylight Savings Time, how did you use your extra hour? I time traveled.

Last Saturday brought together two of the three most magical days of the year, Halloween and the end of Daylight Savings Time. (Friday the 13th is the third. If the entire trifecta ever occurs on the same day, the universe will explode.)

For the Petes, it’s tradition to do something legendary in that extra hour when you get to travel into the past. In this episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Little Pete prepares for time travel by stocking up on time warp vitamins. He spends all day chowing handfuls of the Krebllogs brand cereal Cosmic Rings, a food high in riboflavin. Without riboflavin, Big Pete points out, you could end up stuck in the time vortex. Little Pete rides his bicycle west across state lines and into the next time zone, gaining not one, but two extra hours. As he hoped, his feat is memorialized on a souvenir pen.

To prepare myself for traveling into the past, I turned back the hour hand on my World Time Travel Clock (one of Leed’s travel accessories), and slipped on my high school cheerleading uniform, part of my Halloween costume for the evening. If you want to know the rest, well… you’ll have to buy the pen.

So what did you do with your extra hour? Did you write with your foot? Experience less gravity? Dial your best friend from a cordless phone in a tree and ask her out on a date? And what legends do you hope to create next year, when Daylight Savings ends again?

*Special thanks to Heather, Kim, Dana, Jaime and Sarah of Pinnacle’s Marketing Department for contributing their ideas on Daylight Savings Time.

Acree
Creative Writing Intern

Nov

2009

Elect to Use Promotional Products on Election Day

Today is Election Day. And if you’re sitting there reading and thinking, “Oh no, I hope she doesn’t go into a rant about the responsibility of voting,” you don’t have to worry. This isn’t a blog to lecture about the importance of exercising your right, but rather to look back on famous political campaigns and the use of promotional products.

It’s impossible to talk about Election Day without discussing how just a year ago, Barack Obama made history as the world watched with captive eyes. And let’s not forget the “hanging chad” incident of 2000, were many Floridian’s votes were not counted because the hole did not detach completely from the ballot. While these stories recount historic Election Day media frenzy, they do not take into account the months of campaigning and the strategy behind it.

The first documented political campaign in the United States occurred in 1789, when George Washington ran for reelection. Washington used commemorative buttons to gain momentum for his campaign, effectively creating the first promotional products. And, from lapel pins to bumper stickers, promotional products have been an important part of politics ever since. In fact, bumper stickers are some of the most effective marketing tools because they travel everywhere a recipient goes, and they last long after the election is over.

You don’t have to be running for office to effectively utilize lapel pins and bumper stickers as part of your marketing campaign. These cost-effective items are ideal as mass giveaways, and can be easily customized with a company name and logo to provide increased brand exposure.

In addition to being fun and functional, the staying power of promotional products provides an advantage over traditional advertising and mass media. No one can deny that mass media has played a determining role in elections ever since the first televised debates between Robert Nixon and John F. Kennedy Jr. and that the use of social media has become widespread on the campaign trail in recent elections. But while social media is a great way for politicians and businesses to generate buzz, ultimately it is the promotional products that become integrated into everyday life and last long after the TV is turned off and the computer shut down.

Social media that generated buzz last year:

Nov

2009

Why Dogs Hate Halloween (And Promotional Products for Our Four-Legged Friends)

I know Halloween is officially over but I thought I would take one more opportunity to dedicate a post to one of the relatively newer aspects of a long-standing tradition – dressing up one’s pets – and dogs specifically – in costumes.

The modern tradition of humans dressing in costume for Halloween is said to have its roots in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The ancient Celts believed that the boundaries between our world, and the world of the dead, became thin on the night of Samhain, allowing spirits and ghosts to enter the earthly realm. To avoid being recognized as humans to be haunted, people would don masks whenever they left their homes after dark so the ghosts would mistake them as fellow spirits.

Now I do not think that a dressed up dog is likely to scare off wandering ghosts, but it sure is cute!

If you were one of the many pet-owners who dressed your animal(s) in Halloween attire, you may want to thank them for their compliance with your twisted
By offering them some promotional pet products or perhaps a promotional stuffed animal as they will probably be looking for friendship in another for awhile until the scars that their costumes left have healed.

Jaime
Team Lead – Multimedia

Oct

2009

Toasting and Roasting: What To Do Post Pumpkin Carving

Last week I gave my list of fun fall activities to enjoy before the weather turns too cold. I realized, however, that I forgot to include my favorite follow-up to an evening of pumpkin carving. After sculpting, scraping and proudly displaying my carved masterpiece, I break out my cutlery, turn on my culinary prowess and turn the gooey leftover mess of pumpkin into delicious roasted pumpkin seeds!

So if you are wondering what to do now with the remnants of your pumpkins this Halloween and want to turn your pumpkin’s remains into a tasty treat, here is one of my all-time favorites!

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds:
Ingredients:
The Seeds of One Pumpkin
Butter Flavored Cooking Spray
Salt
Seasonings to Taste

Instructions:
1. Separate the seeds from the fibers and pieces of the pumpkin. You can do this one of two ways. The first is to rinse the seeds in water. This is an easy and effective way to remove the excess pumpkin fibers and juice. However, I prefer to separate my seeds by hand, simply removing the fibers and large pumpkin chunks while leaving the seeds unrinsed and retaining more natural pumpkin flavor.

2. Spread the seeds onto waxed paper lining a large cookie sheet and allow to dry overnight. (If you are in a rush, you can skip the drying process, or even use a hair dryer. But in my opinion, seeds that have been allowed to dry overnight will roast better the next day.)

3. After allowing to dry overnight, preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

4. Remove the waxed paper holding the seeds from the tray and coat the cookie sheet with cooking spray.

5. Return seeds to pan and toss with cooking spray and salt to taste. (Add any optional seasonings now if you prefer.)

6. Spread lightly-coated seeds into a thin layer for even toasting.

7. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown, stirring approximately every ten minutes to ensure even toasting.

Options:
For a bolder, more customized taste experience, add one of more of the following to your seeds before toasting:

*Seasoned salt
*Cajun seasoning blend
*Black pepper
*Fresh herbs
*Garlic
*Cayenne pepper
*Italian seasonings
*Cinnamon
*Just about any other blend of spices and seasonings of your choosing…

7. Enjoy this healthy, fun and inexpensive treat!

Handy in the kitchen and ready to experiment with festive food & drink ideas? Experiment with the different flavors of fall. Take it a step further and try to bake a pumpkin pie from scratch next! You’ll have fun reaping the tasty rewards!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Kim
Marketing Coordinator

Admin

Take Pride in Being a Tourist with Promotional Apparel and Gifts

Promotional products are having a wild rumpus in Hollywood

Pinnacle Promotion’s Paperless Plan

Take A Tip From the Automobile Industry and Logo Your Promo

Top 5 Ways to Tell If You’ve Bought the Wrong Promotional Products

Top 5 Ways to Tell If You’ve Bought the Wrong Promotional Products

Let it show! Let it show! Let it show!

Depend on Kreb brand promotional products for your all your time travel needs!

Elect to Use Promotional Products on Election Day

Why Dogs Hate Halloween (And Promotional Products for Our Four-Legged Friends)

Toasting and Roasting: What To Do Post Pumpkin Carving

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