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What’s your promotional products story?

True story.

Wednesday night my parents came over to our new house to cook dinner for my husband and me. I know. Super sweet, huh?!

So we enjoy a delicious meal of home cooked Mexican fare. Beans, flour tortillas, spicy cheese dip. Yum. My Dad’s a pretty amazing cook :) .

So we shoot the breeze, discuss all that’s transpired over the last, oh, two days since we’ve seen each other. Then I begin my homeowner’s duty of cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

So picture this. And trust me – time is now moving in slow motion.

I’m standing between the fridge and sink. My Dad shouts “heads up” and pitches a zippered bag full of diced onions across the kitchen to me so that I can stick them in the fridge. So I, with quite unparalleled talents, reach one hand up and seamlessly catch the small baggy in one hand.

Then it all goes terribly wrong.

The plastic baggy does not live up to its tried and tested zippered-action power. The bag opens and tiny bits of diced onion fly freely across the kitchen floor. (I actually don’t think I could EVER get that kind of floor coverage again!)

Being that these are onion pieces strewn about. I had to swing into action to get the smelly mess cleaned up quickly! So in two bounds I was in the laundry room and retrieved my broom. I swiftly gathered the onion bits into a large (I really don’t know how all of those onions fit into such a small bag to begin with!) pungent pile in the middle of the kitchen.

(Now at this time, I bet you’re wondering to your self: “Self. What in the world does this crazy girl’s story about flying onions have to do with promotional products – or at the very least – marketing?” Well trust me. You are about to have all of your perfectly legitimate questions answered.)

After perfecting the pile – which even required some minor sweeping of the carpet in the living room adjacent to the kitchen as well (those suckers can fly!) I went back to the laundry room. Put up my broom. And grabbed my…

wait for it…

promotional dustpan and broom.

Yes friends: my promotional dustpan and broom. It’s a small blue pan with a brush, complete with bright orange bristles and pink and orange flowers. The lovely promotional product was given to me by my husband’s grandfather (I think it was a little too on the girly side for him!) after a non-profit organization sent it to him.

And the moral of my story? Well it’s twofold:

1. Promotional products are everywhere. Even in your laundry room.
2. Never. I repeat. NEVER toss a zippered bag of onions. You don’t want to clean that up!

 

Posted by Admin in Promotional Products Around Town, 0 comments

From the Runway, to Your Promotional Products… Spring Fashion Report

For some, fashion is a hobby. For others, a sport. Twice a year, in February and September, fashion lovers of all income brackets, styles, and ages unite to take in something I like to equate to “The Superbowls of Fashion,” New York Fashion Weeks. Men glued to their tvs screaming as their favorite football team fights for yardage does not begin to compare to the intensity with which many women follow the coverage of Spring and Fall Fashion Weeks. We live vicariously through bloggers and press coverage, keeping a mental, or for some fashionistas who are even more obsessed with couture than I am, a physical, checklist of all the trends we want to incorporate into our seasonal wardrobes.

Spring/Summer trends were defined at 2009’s Fall Fashion Week (confusing, I know), and I have already spotted some of the key trends permeating the dreary Winter attire demanded by Atlanta’s current climate. It isn’t too late to design custom apparel items for clients and employees that will put them at the pinnacle (pun intended!) of fashion in their professional and personal lives this Spring.

Neutral tones: One of my current favorite promotional products is Leed’s Laminated Non-Woven Large Shopper Tote, which can be found in our Tradeshow Bags & Totes category. This eco-friendly carrying bag is offered with a grass stock background, keeping it in line with the neutral theme that dominated Spring runway shows. A former roommate’s 7 year old sister once asked her why everything in my closet was “dirt-colored,” so clearly I was far ahead of the times with this trend!

Preppy stripes: Many people are not wasting any time at all interspersing chunky stripes and nautical accessories into their Winter wardrobes, and this craze is expected to grow exponentially as temperatures heat up. Our playful Large Striped Canvas Tote is one item to help your female constituents capitalize on the nautical theme, and even men can get onboard (again, pun intended- that one was just way too easy!) with polo shirts featuring subtle stripes.

Nylon anoraks and color blocking: A quick search for the term “color block” on our website turns up hundreds of results, from color block drinkware to tote bags. Appropriately, some of the search results were nylon color block jackets for men, women, and youth from popular promotional apparel brand Port Authority®. I don’t think I could have found a better example of either of these trends than these particular lightweight jackets- perfect for crisp, clear Spring mornings, Port Authority® takes nylon outerwear from functional to fashionable with ease in these statement pieces.

And that wraps up my summary of Spring trends; I can’t wait to summarize next week’s events for you, as I’m sure I will have plenty of ideas about how Pinnacle Promotions can help you bring Fall 2010 trends from the runway to YOUR way with unique promotional products.

Dana
Team Lead – Social Media

Posted by Admin in Seasonal Marketing Ideas, 0 comments

Helvetica cookie cutters = awesome promotional products.

Helvetica is a brand of die-hard fans — fans so raving they actually create their own promotional products. Some of you are all like wait-hold up-what’s a Helvetica? right now.
Helvetica is not just a typeface — what the elite call fonts — it is the typeface. To most of us, a typeface is the invisible structure around a message. To designers, the typeface is the message.

Just as social media nerds have woven Twitter stockings and sewn Facebook pillows, font nerds have been busy designing promotional products for their beloved typeface. I present designer Beverly Hsu’s Helvetica cookie cutters:

You can check out her full post with more photos here.

Helvetica is a brand that people want to be identified with. If I like Helvetica, that means I am a certain kind of person: creative, savvy, in the know about design. My best friend knows that I want to be known as that kind of person, which is why she bought me this necklace:

helvetica typography acrylic necklace (red)

Available in etsy shop- Plastique

I’m curious; is there something inherent about Helvetica that gets people so excited? Or can this enthusiasm be crafted, with the right efforts behind marketing and advertising, or with an attractive company culture? What ingredients could you pour into your brand that would make people want to wear it around their necks? Is it even possible?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Posted by Admin in Cool Promotional Products We Love, 1 comment

Chance Encounters Due to Fate? Or to Promotional Business Card Magnets?

luisar-/busy-streetDuring a trip to New York City this weekend, I learned that Jaime could not be more right about the value of the traditional promotional business card magnet. I was in the Big Apple visiting my college roommate, Amanda, and on my first night in town we ran into a group of girls that we were friends with in school but with whom we had since lost touch completely. Now, Manhattan holds the title of the largest city in the United States (based on population) and if I had to guess, I’d say the city is home to the most bars and restaurants too. With such an assortment of options, what are the odds of randomly encountering old friends at a restaurant? The chances are a lot smaller than one would think, when taking the company’s effective use of promotional products into account.

Consider this scenario: Amanda was excited for my visit and, since our love of food has always been something over which we bond, she was looking for a fun, new restaurant to try. She narrowed down the various locales (she picked the slightly edgy Meatpacking District), but still seemed overwhelmed by the number of choices. After reading restaurant reviews online and coming up empty-handed, she needed a break and walked into the kitchen for a refreshing glass of water. And it was there, on the freezer, that she discovered the answer. Amanda’s roommate had enjoyed the fine fare of a French restaurant in Meatpacking District the previous month and had subsequently brought home the restaurant’s promotional business card magnet. As a personal recommendation from another foodie speaks highly about a restaurant, we decided to try to the French café.

The cuisine was delightful and so was the atmosphere, especially because we spotted our former friends as soon we walked into the quaint little restaurant. After the hugging and giggling subsided, I asked them how they picked the place. Their reply: “a business card magnet, of course!”

 

Posted by Admin in Promotional Products Around Town, 0 comments

Promotional Business Cards – Past, Present and Future?

The business card. An item only 3 ½ x 2 inches in size yet so ubiquitous that they are tossed around as if this ubiquitous-ness were synonymous with insignificance.

That is, in the US at least. In other parts of the world the business card has more significant meaning than simply a convenient way to provide one’s personal contact information and also include several rules of exchange etiquette. Did you know, for example, that in China business cards are supposed to be held in both hands when offering them and should be appropriately translated into the Chinese dialect of the area in which you are traveling. In India, one should only use the right hand when both giving and receiving business cards, and in Japan cards are to be treated as you would treat the person – carefully placed in a case or portfolio upon receiving them as opposed to stuffed inside one’s pocket.

Business cards actually have a more refined history that dates as far back as the 15th century in China, though at this time they were termed, ‘visiting cards.’ These cards garnered more popularity by the 17th century in Europe where footmen of royalty and the aristocracy would present such cards at one’s home to announce the impending arrival of a distinguished guest. And of course, as was expected of all other things associated with the upper echelon of the day, these cards were adorned with elegant coats of arms and decorations. In England around the same time, what were called ‘trade cards’ were used a rudimentary form of a current GPS system. There was no formal numbering system for streets in London then, so these trade cards served as both advertisements for a company that included maps and directions on how to reach their place of business.

But back to the present day. I know we’ve discussed the appeal of fun meeting function in terms of promotional products, but the following may be a truly useless application of fun: the penny-shooting business card. I discovered this product through a lovely post by Diana Adams on bitrebels.com but do not quite share her same enthusiasm. It reminds me of the uselessness I associate with the marshmallow shooting guns I always see in airplanes’ Skymall Magazines.

Then again, maybe the purpose of business cards is beginning to revert back to its original intentions – as a social formality representing a person, not a business. I shudder slightly, however, when I imagine the day that upon meeting someone new at a bar on the weekend our conversation may end with an exchange of cards that state our name, our Twitter @name, our Facebook username, and maybe even our Google me search name.

For now, I’d suggest opting for a more traditional business card promotional magnets instead.

Posted by Admin in How to Reach a Target Audience, 1 comment

Promotional Product Coupons Online: More Fun Than the Sunday Morning Paper + a Pair of Scissors

In an office that happens to be predominantly female, shopping is a conversation topic that arises on a daily basis. There is constant discussion about sales, coupons, and limited time offers, and an article published yesterday on BrandWeek.com, “Coupon Use Skyrockets,” supports a hunch I had been harboring about a swell in bargain-hunting chatter occurring amongst my coworkers in recent months.

According to the article, coupon distribution in 2009 reached its highest recorded level since 1988 (when market research firms began tracking this information). It shouldn’t come as a shock to anybody that retailers and business owners adopted discounting strategies to try and stay afloat during the current economic crisis, but an underlying reason for the coupon distribution increase that I hadn’t fully considered was the tremendous jump in online coupon distribution and redemption. Internet coupon distribution increased a whopping 92% last year, with consumer redemption rates of online offers up more than 36%.

A quick Google search for the phrase “online coupons” turns up millions of results, mostly web directories with archived coupons for virtually any type of store. Some directories are solely dedicated to the retail sector, while others focus on grocery coupons, restaurant deals, or a variety of other niche areas. Finding discounts has never been easier- if I am considering a purchase from one of my favorite clothing stores, I can avoid overlooking an opportunity to save money by conducting a single search query. These directories typically feature immediate, date-specific feedback from shoppers who have successfully redeemed a promo code/printable coupon/special offer from your chosen retailer.

With large retail chains, it used to be entirely possible that you may not get word of a sale or exclusive offer until it had expired, but now savvy shoppers have a convenient communication channel to share insider information with others. Lucky for you, Pinnacle Promotions coupons can be found exclusively on our website, saving you the hassle of scouring the Web for bargains! Happy Shopping!

Dana
Team Lead – Social Media

Posted by Admin in Giveaways on a Budget, 2 comments

Slap goes the promotional watch!

So today I found my latest, greatest promotional product obsession.

The promotional slap-on watch.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I said slap-on promotional watch.

The 90’s are back with a vengeance.

Just like the old fabric-covered metal bracelets, except their innards (whose material is at this time unknown to me) are coated in super-friendly silicone material. These brightly-colored watches have so far won my coveted prize as my favorite product of 2010. Of course it is early in the year, and I’m sure our readers know how excited I get about products. (See: Robot Pencil Sharpener, Sweatshirt Waterbottle, Terra Porcelain Cup – just to name a few!)

With its retail design, bright colors and large 3-1/8” x 1” imprint area, your branding gets front and center visibility.

I never thought a watch would make my list of number ones in the promotional products world, but this one seems to be a genius idea. Not only could you (very successfully) use these promotional watches for school related/teenage and youth promotions, but 20 and 30-somethings will love this flashback to their early school years.

I know my colleague, Heather and I immediately reflected back to the original slap-bracelets of yesteryear. The ones that had a tendency of losing their fabric coating and then scratching the user when the bare metal pierced the skin upon the slap-application. The originals that were banned in school, yet traded on the fly outside of the schoolyard.

Yes my friends. The good ol’ days. (Insert dramatic sigh here)

Okay, now back to business. I can’t get you a review on the functionality of this product as of yet since I’m currently waiting on my personal sample. (I just couldn’t wait to blog about this find!) However, I’m sure I’ll have a review for you soon, so keep looking out!

Kim
Marketing Coordinator

Posted by Admin in Cool Promotional Products We Love, 4 comments

Cool use of custom sunglasses

Alternative Apparel tweeted today about their new custom sunglasses. There are several things I love about this promotion:

1. The product itself. Hip, stylish sunglasses are perfect for a hip, stylish company. And their logo looks great on the side of the frames. I used to have some Sierra Mist branded sunglasses that looked like these, and people would comment on them all the time.

2. The timing. It’s smart to order spring apparel now, when you have plenty of time to get your shipment, check out the product and make sure it’s what you want. Alternative has a month or two to organize the promotion and find out if they need to reorder. When the sun hits Atlanta they’ll be ready, staring you down in their promotional shades.

3. The use of social media. I wrote an article recently about reconciling promotional products and social media, and Alternative has done just that here. They’ve used social media to support a traditional marketing effort, by advertising their own advertising products! (And the snake eats its tail.) They’ve got me, a consumer, excited about their upcoming marketing campaign, and here I am giving them free, grassroots advertising. Excellent (and simple!) integrated marketing. Kudos, Alternative Apparel. Now can you get me some of those shades?

 

Posted by Admin in Cool Promotional Products We Love, 1 comment

Whether Shopping for Furniture or Promotional Products, IdeaKits™ make Life Easier

Horia-VarlanLike my co-worker Kim, who successfully became a homeowner last Friday, I recently moved and am in the midst of furnishing my new house. The process has been a roller-coaster of emotions, ranging from the excitement over decorating a house for the first time to the overwhelming panic about the vast range of paint colors and furniture options. Will that rug match the duvet cover in my room? Are Linen White and Eggshell truly different paint colors?

To answer all of my first-time decorator questions, I turned to the best source I had available: the Internet. Like many consumers, I find shopping online an easy way to compare price points, colors, and product styles. What I didn’t know was that many home furnishing sites also offer “idea and inspiration” sections, filled with pages upon pages of ideas for how to complete a room. Some of these sites even allow users to select their style – whether it be classic, contemporary, fashionable or even technology oriented – and receive suggestions about furniture and accessories that match their decorating needs.

Similar to Pinnacle’s IdeaKit™ that suggests new and unique promotional products to fit customers’ marketing plans, these online showrooms inspire users to utilize and combine products in ways they might not have thought of otherwise. Whether or not customers are new to the world of furnishing, these suggestions provide innovative insight while also saving users time and money by allowing them to evaluate options before leaving the house.

After hours of playing around on these sites, mixing and matching colors and fashions to create my ideal room, I was so excited about my new furniture that I simply could not wait any longer to order it. Unfortunately many home furnishing companies do not offer rush delivery at no extra cost, so after my usual Saturday dodge ball game (yes, you read that right… there are dodge ball leagues for adults!) I went to the store to make my purchases. Picking out my items ahead of time made the shopping experience relatively painless and afterwards I came home, relaxed and put my feet up on my nice new ottoman!

 

Posted by Admin in Current Events News, 0 comments

Costumed Sign Wavers Versus Promotional Products

Kolin ToneyOn my way to work each morning I drive by one intersection that always has someone dressed as a reindeer, dancing, waving, and holding a sign that reads “Caribou Coffee.” I have never stopped at that Caribou Coffee on my way to work, nor do I plan to, as I make coffee at home in the morning and have my first cup of the day on the road, and then my second (or third…) using the coffee maker at the office.  However the cheerful, dancing deer often leaves me with a feeling of pleasantry as I continue on my morning commute.

That is until I reach another intersection probably about a mile down the road (maybe 2? I am terrible with estimating distances). It is at this intersection that I am confronted with two (sometimes even three) people dressed in the most terrifying costumes resembling the Statue of Liberty(see scary mask below) that one could ever imagine holding signs that say “Income Tax” in bold letters with a telephone number below. They rotate their body position to direct their signs toward different directions of oncoming traffic, but cheerful they are not. No dancing, and I have only witnessed a wave once maybe twice. I suppose it may be fitting as income tax is not generally considered to be a “cheerful” subject matter, and certainly is less of a joyous matter than say, coffee at 8:45 am. And the costume, though frightening, is also fitting, as they are advertising for Liberty Tax Service whose logo includes a portion of the Statue of Liberty’s head (though the signs do not even denote the company’s name – I figured it out through a little online research).

Some further research led me to find that there are more than 2,500 Liberty Tax offices in the United States where more than 10,000 people are seasonally employed to wave at passing cars. This must be a reactionary effort created by the current administration’s job stimulus plan, was my first thought. My second – does this form of advertising really work? According to Paul Mason, professor and chair of the Department of Economics & Geography at the University of North Florida, it can:

“At first I thought that it was stupid, like people standing on the street waving for their political candidate,” he said.

So like any good skeptic, Mason began investigating to see if the sign holders made any difference in helping a business grow and thrive.

“I have asked business owners, restaurant people, etc., about how effective the sign holders are,” he said. “I discovered that particularly for stores that don’t have strong street presence or are just opening, it seems effective at letting people know that the place is there. It helps people try new stores by announcing their presence.”

By Joseph Baneth Allen
Publication: Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)

I have not done any of the cost analysis (nor could I find any done by anyone else online) but I just cannot imagine that this form of advertising to the local community could be more cost-effective than say, doing a promotional products mailing to residents of the area. If you do choose to employ “Costumed Sign Wavers” however, please make them cheerful, and do not have them wear scary masks. Thanks.

Posted by Admin in Brand Identity and Corporate Logos, 1 comment