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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

Oct

2009

Marketing, Muggles and How to Cast a Promotional Spell

Happy International Magic Month! In this day and age, what better manifestation of the word “magic” exists than the fictional book character Harry Potter and his bewitching peers?

In 2003, due to the immense popularity of author J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the word “muggle” first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary with the definition “a person without magical powers.” In the Harry Potter books, wizards consider themselves to be superior to muggles, but the fact of the matter is that potions and wizardry are not always the best solution to tough problems.

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry and his friends often fall prey to clever marketing gimmicks targeted at young, green wizards. If only they had been informed about the mesmerizing power encompassed by promotional products when properly utilized! Keep reading to find out which alternatives make the grade…

Invisibility Cloak: For Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the gang, the Invisibility Cloak is a handy tool to catch their enemies off guard. But is this sneaky tool really the best way to communicate their strength of character and determination?

Grade: B+

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Logo Apparel: To truly make a statement and belittle their enemies, Harry and his friends could opt for customized shirts or jackets to present a unified front when battling against the forces of evil. They could even market themselves as an organized team devoted to protecting the integrity of the wizarding community!

Grade: A

Nimbus 2000 Broomstick: Harry’s natural affinity for the sport of Quidditch means that his choice of broomstick is absolutely crucial. This state-of-the-art broomstick helps him soar above the opposing team and find the Golden Snitch time and time again to win the match for his school. The speed and accuracy achieved by the Nimbus 2000 are impossible to beat… Or are they???

Grade: A-

VS.

Pinnacle Promotions’ RocketShip 24-Hour Express Service™: In the Muggle world, efficiency is highly valued, especially when trusting a company to deliver a product or service. Pinnacle does not have the ability to ship products via broomstick (yet…), but our unique RocketShip™ delivery option ensures that orders will arrive at your doorstep as soon as humanly possible. Broomsticks are not 100% reliable, as they can be broken or in need of repairs, but the Pinnacle Platinum Guarantee™ stands behind every single order.

Grade: A+

Quills: The stubborn wizarding world refuses to adopt the use of Muggles’ pens and paper, and sticks to the traditional quills instead. Some of these quills have magical powers, such as Auto-Answer Quills, which provide the correct answers to exam questions, Spell-Check Quills, which automatically correct misspelled words written by a writer, and Self-Inking Quills, which refill their own ink when needbe. Still, quills present challenges when it comes to portability and longevity.

Grade: B- (for ordinary quills); A (for enchanted quills, especially the Auto-Answer and Spell-Check quills!)

VS.

Unique Pens: Magical powers are great, but Muggles are accustomed to everyday, standard promotional pens. To add some excitement and pizzazz to a basic pen, Harry and his pals could opt for unique promotional pens instead of their usual quills. This way, whenever they were required to cross over into the Muggle world, they could share their writing instruments with non-wizards and manage to receive similar responses of awe and admiration.

Grade: A+

Tri-Wizard Tournament Cup: This award is a shining cup that is bestowed upon the winner of this rigorous competition, and it is kept by the winning school until the next tournament takes place. In the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory reach the cup at the same time, and grab hold of it simultaneously. Unbeknownst to the champions, the cup is a secret portkey that transports them to a graveyard to battle Lord Voldemort. Diggory is killed by Voldemort and Harry escapes back to Hogwarts alone, leaving a furious Voldemort in his wake. He receives the promised 1,000 galleon (wizarding currency) prize, and gives the galleons to Fred and George Weasley to start a joke shop.

Grade: F

VS.

Crystal Awards: In retrospect, the enchanted Tournament Cup was probably not the best way for student wizards to be recognized for their victories. The competing schools would have been much better off by choosing crystal awards to customize instead, as winners could hold onto them for eternity as a reminder of their exceptional accomplishments. Also, these awards are affordable enough to award to more than one winner, and second and third place entrants could be honored for their efforts as well.

Grade: A+

Overall, the magical product options didn’t fare so badly, but for all of the Muggles reading this entry in hopes of gaining valuable marketing advice, I would definitely recommend acquiring the latter item in each pair from Pinnacle Promotions!

Oct

2009

6 mildly scary films about promotional products that never made it past storyboarding

1. The Cinchpack of Notre Dame

The pitch: A String-A-Sling backpack sold to tourists at the Notre Dame Cathedral is hired to kidnap the beautiful Esmeralda. The cinch pack ends up falling in love with Esmeralda and attempts to save her from her captors, at his own risk…

Why the film was never made: Producers claimed cinch packs weren’t pitiful enough to inspire sympathy in audiences.

2. The Hills Have Ice

The pitch: Deranged ice scrapers descend from the hills to attack and cannibalize a family of innocent tourists. In the end, however, the ice scrapers feel remorse and decide to help the tourists by clearing the frost from their car windshield.

Why the film was never made: Producers argued that the ending was too postmodern for a box-office slasher.

3. Pirates of the Carabiner

The pitch: Keychain thieves hijack a college bookstore and take a pretty co-ed hostage, in hopes that her magic carabiner will free them from an ancient curse.

Why the film was never made: Studios felt the college football tailgating crowd was too small of a target audience.

4. Kites of the Living Dead

The pitch: Hordes of the undead wreak havoc on post-apocalyptic suburbia. After successfully turning all human survivors into zombies, they organize a worldwide day of kite flying that unites zombies in global peace… until the sequel.

Why the film was never made: Studios couldn’t predict that in 2009 zombies would rival even vampires in popularity.

5. The Fan-tom of the Opera

The pitch: After her father dies, a singer at the Paris Opera House hears the sound of whirring fans when she sings. Finally, a ghostly figure of a fan emerges from the shadows and declares its love for her.

Why the film was never made: Producers were unable to cast a fan with a decent singing voice.

6. Poltermice
The pitch: Promotional mice begin communicating with a five-year-old girl in suburban California through static on the computer screen. Eventually they travel through the computer monitor and into the house. “They’re here…”

Why the film was never made: Studios felt the story would be too traumatic for post-9/11 audiences. Maybe in 2010.

Oct

2009

Promotional Products Take a Trip to the Wilderness

Although I am far from what you might consider “outdoorsy,” last weekend I ventured into the wilderness and went camping. As I was sitting around the campfire- surrounded by trees, water, and insects rather than cubicles, advertisements and televisions- I realized that in spite of the natural surroundings I was accompanied by many brands.

From my flashlight to the collapsible can cooler and of course the Swiss Army knife, many of the items I brought had been given to me by a corporation. I started thinking about how these promotional products successfully traveled all that way with us, and came to the conclusion that functional promotional items are key to building any brand.

Functional products, including drinkware, blankets, chairs and other outdoors products, can be imprinted with a company name and logo for increased brand exposure. Giving a product that is not only practical, but also small and easily compactable for easy travel, ensures that your company goes everywhere recipients go. Here are some camping tips to help you incorporate useful items into your next marketing campaign and some activities to inspire a trip to the outdoors.

-Hiking: This is not only a fun activity, but also a way to get to know the area where you will be staying and to tire yourself out before a night of sleeping on the ground. For kids or less active individuals, a leisurely nature walk is also a good afternoon pursuit. Stay hydrated and healthy with promotional sports bottles.

-Grilling: Plan ahead and make sure to pack food that can be cooked outdoors on a grill or open campfire. It’s also a good idea to bring items that won’t leave a mess, to ensure that pesky animals don’t bother you. And don’t forget to keep items fresh in a personalized cooler until you are ready to cook

-S’more making: Making S’mores is delicious and a good way to stay warm around the campfire. Carry a promotional flashlight with you if you venture into the woods to look for the perfect sticks. And always take a buddy, too.

-Camp songs and ghost stories: Singing songs and telling stories are great pre-bedtime activities. Don’t forget to write down your favorite tunes and spooky narratives in promotional jotters so you can remember them for next year’s trip to the wilderness.

Oct

2009

Promotional Products and Proposition 65

We all know California tends to be a bit on the progressive side compared to the rest of our nation – having been the first state to legalize gay marriage, the first to ban the distribution of plastic bags, and, perhaps a bit lesser known, the first to initiate a law requiring businesses to include warning labels on all products containing hazardous chemicals (a list of more than 700), as well as prohibit companies from discharging these substances into drinking water sources. This law, commonly termed Proposition 65, and formally titled the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, came about from growing public dissatisfaction in the 1980s regarding what they perceived as a lack of effort on the part of the state government to protect its citizens from exposure to certain toxics, in particular from those companies who knowingly produced products that included an unsafe amount of these chemicals.

While the Act has good intentions, seeking to protect consumers, it is important to note the use of many of the chemicals that it deems are hazardous to our health is not prohibited by national government agencies including the FDA. Additionally, though it cited that the chemicals listed are those that are “known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity,” in reality, many of those listed only have the potential to pose these risks under certain circumstances and based upon certain interpretations of scientific data. An example of this is one prominent case that occurred in 2006 when California Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo sued Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, alleging it used lead-based paint on bottle labels imported from Mexico. In reality, the lead content present in those bottles was negligible. Dr. F. Jay Murray, a toxicologist and a founding member of the Proposition 65 Science Advisory Board even stated regarding the lead content in the Coca-Cola bottles, “In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency says you could drink 10 times as much lead in drinking water and be safe. Many consumers in Los Angeles and around the state actually drink tap water with higher levels of lead than are in these beverages.”

Regardless, the law has made a big impact on business, including within the realms of the promotional products industry, and beyond just within the borders of the State of California. Companies throughout the country that manufacture promotional products are either being met with high costs of reformulating products or repackaging them to include the proper warning labels, and those that do not contain the proper warning labels have the potential to receive penalties as high as $2,500 per violation per day, or facing serious threats to the future public perception of their company in the midst of media-frenzied lawsuits – hundreds of which, like the Coca-Cola suit, have been brought about by private consumers throughout the past two decades. Due to a combination of fear of these possible consequences, a lack of monetary funding needed to make the necessary changes to products, and concern that customers outside the state of California who are not aware of the details of Proposition 65 will be led to believe that their products are truly unsafe based upon the warning labels, many promotional products companies have decided to stop distributing their products to California altogether.

At Pinnacle Promotions, we offer many custom printed promotional items that are Proposition 65 compliant, such as our promotional BPA-free bottles. If you are a company in California, or a company that will be distributing any of your purchases to the state of California, simply let your Account Manager know and they will make sure the products you choose adhere to all Proposition 65 guidelines.

For more information about Proposition 65, and to see the entire list of prohibited chemicals, you can visit the State of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment website at http://www.oehha.org/prop65.html.

Admin

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

Marketing, Muggles and How to Cast a Promotional Spell

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6 mildly scary films about promotional products that never made it past storyboarding

Promotional Products Take a Trip to the Wilderness

Promotional Products and Proposition 65

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