Awareness Promotional Products

Jul

2015

Where Does the Word Swag Come From?

At Pinnacle Promotions, swag is not just our business – it’s our passion. You might be wondering what swag really is, and from where did that term actually originate?

There have been varied opinions over the years about how ‘swag’ came to be. Many people have convinced themselves that ‘swag’ must be an acronym or abbreviation for something.

Here are some things we came across in our research – just to name a few:

‘Stuff We All Get’
‘Stuff We Ain’t Got’
‘Stolen Without A Gun’
‘Scientific Wild Arsed Guess’

While these may be rather colorful explanations, they are certainly not true. ‘Swag’ actually comes from the Scandinavian word svagga, meaning ‘to rock unsteadily or lurch.’ It was first introduced into the English language in the 13^th or 14^th century.

As you might suspect, the meaning of words evolves over time, and it’s certainly not set in stone. In current usage, swag has come to have a few very different meanings—illegally obtained goods, a decorative garland, or lastly, our realm of expertise, free merchandise—namely promotional items and goodies.

For us swag lovers, it’s all about anything and everything that can be custom branded to promote your business.

The possibilities are endless, from custom branded hats to mobile phone cases to promotional magnets, and everything in between. We’ve seen from first-hand experience how custom promotional products have benefited businesses of all sizes.

If you’ve decided that your marketing strategy could use an update, you might just need a little bit of swag. We would love to share our passion for swag with you by helping you build much needed brand awareness and recognition with the promotional products that click with your company and audience.

Just as the meaning and context of words changes with the times, so should your marketing strategy. With the right swag, you can build your business by leaps and bounds, and ultimately Make the right impression™.

Jun

2015

Custom Products: Adding Fireworks to Your Brand Strategy this 4th of July

When major holidays roll around, you probably get caught up in all the excitement of planning parties, vacations, and spending time with friends and family. While that’s certainly fun, at the same time, you could miss out on a huge opportunity—marketing your business.

No matter what type of business you own, the summertime allows you to both reach out to your current audience AND bring in new leads. This doesn’t mean that you have to put your holiday plans on hold. You can still have that fun and help your business simultaneously, without worrying too much about time or expense.

Promotional products will make this a reality. By incorporating them into your marketing strategy, they can seriously help you utilize holidays to your advantage (and help you celebrate in style)!

Connecting

Holidays are all about making connections, whether it’s with friends, loved ones, or even your own customers. Reconnecting with customers whom you haven’t heard from in a while reinforces your interest in being known. Extending your warm wishes to customers by providing them with complimentary promotional gifts serves as a means of expressing gratitude for their support, and as a gentle reminder of your brand. But don’t just customize just any swag – in order to actually make a connection with customers, give them items that they’ll actually appreciate. That way, customers will automatically have a positive association with your brand.

We’re all naturally inclined to connect with brands that have personality, and promo products are perfect ways for you to show YOUR brand personality. For example, in honor of Independence Day, why not give the Window Box of 12 Corporate Oreo® Picture Cookies? Delicious, hand-dipped cookies with your logo on each one, proudly made in the USA will definitely add fireworks to your brand strategy!

Setting Yourself Apart

While you are busily trying to make yourself the star of the holiday, so is your competition, but you can set yourself apart with some creativity. In order to do so, however, you have to remember how essential it is to humanize your brand and make it more personal than just any annoying ad. Custom gifts show customers that there are real people behind your brand, not just a business entity, and that you have a unique and meaningful message to share.

Customers get tired of seeing the same sort of campaigns over and over, and it has become increasingly challenging to capture their attention. Thus, a promotional swag lets a customer easily interact with your brand on his or her own terms without feeling pressured into a purchase. This time of year, customers are preparing for cookouts, and firing up their grills. Your business can equip them with all the tools they need to be the Grill Master with this set that can be custom branded with your corporate logo.

Tie Up Your Campaign

During the holidays, a custom promotional gift can wrap your marketing up in a bow – literally. Cohesive messaging is absolutely necessary for your marketing efforts to be successful, and in order for customers to clearly understand who you are, every piece of marketing and advertising that you put out should have the same look and feel. Custom gifts can be the final means of communicating and reinforcing your brand message to customers. It acts as a call-to-action, encouraging customers to further communicate with your business. You could satisfy their sweet tooth and get the energy going at the next holiday party with this delicious Chocolate Dream Caddy gift basket, complete with a branded ribbon.

This Independence Day, and for every holiday moving forward, remember the marketing opportunities that abound, especially when you have promotional products and custom swag on your side.

That way, you can have fun and still help your business flourish creatively and most importantly, memorably. Happy Fourth of July!

Jun

2015

Custom Beach Towels: The Perfect Summertime Swag

There is no denying that the summer season means spending more time outdoors with the family, whether that’s a seaside picnic, an afternoon at the beach, a cool dip in the pool or anything else.

Knowing this, your business shouldn’t miss out on the marketing opportunity available to you during this time of the year. You may be running marketing campaigns on a shoestring budget, and are consequently hesitant to explore other marketing avenues.

This is where custom beach towels come into the picture. With this remarkable giveaway piece of branded swag, your business can provide customers with an incentive to connect with you.

Here are just a few reasons why custom beach towels are some of the most beneficial promotional items.

Functionality

More than likely a beach towel will NOT be thrown away. Regardless of age, everyone has a use for a custom towel. To dry off, to have a spot to stretch out on the beach or laze in the grass, it will constantly be used. Unlike some other promotional tchotchkes, when it comes to custom towels, one size fits all. You won’t have to worry about having a bunch of different sized items left over. With its staying power, customers will be using their branded towels in more places and in more facets of life, which undoubtedly means that your brand has the potential to reach a broader audience, and attract a fresh following.

Bigger Branding

The imprint area of many types of promotional products presents a slight constraint; size. You have a relatively small section in which to creatively display your corporate branding. This is not at all the case with custom beach towels. You actually have the largest imprint area of almost all promotional products. That much space gives your business a major branding advantage. Your corporate logo can be seen at company events, tradeshows, and beyond. Employees and customers alike will love receiving this token of appreciation time and again.

Cost-Effectiveness

For many businesses, traditional forms of advertising, such as television and magazine are not feasible within their marketing budgets. A custom promotional towel essentially enables your customers to spread your marketing message, as it is completely portable. Customers can conveniently carry your brand wherever they go. The best part is that you don’t have to spend much to produce an eye-catching and professionally finished product.

Perhaps you want something more premium, Pinnacle Promotions offers signature midweight custom beach towels to scratch just the itch! Start customizing today!

It’s pretty clear to see that custom beach towels offer advantages that you cannot get from other promotional products and forms of advertising. You don’t need to break the bank or concern yourself with marketing restraints just to achieve your business goal of brand recognition.

For more custom outdoor products and sunny essentials, visit Pinnacle Promotions, and we would be happy to help you begin your branding journey.

Jun

2015

How Do Promotional Products Make a Difference?

You might think that promotional products have little affect on your customers, however, several studies have proven otherwise, and they’ve shown that American consumers actually love receiving promotional products, also known as swag.

According to these studies, custom products act as long-lasting advertising, and they certainly stand the test of time.

If consumers find promotional products to be useful, they are more inclined to keep them. Thus, by receiving a promotional product, not only does your brand recall rate increase, but so does the likelihood of that customer making a purchase.

We’ve seen how promotional products have benefited businesses of all sizes, but if you’re still not convinced about the impact of promotional swag, here are just a few reasons to consider it as part of your marketing campaigns.

Promotional Products Add Personality

Unlike television, print, and other forms of mainstream advertising, there is more focus on the individual customer. For a customer to remember your brand, it has to be personal. A customer can flush out all the extraneous and intrusive messaging, and actually get up close with the brand. Also, when it comes to the other forms of advertising, a customer cannot hold on to that brand message for very long.

On the other hand, promotional swag really does stick. PPAI research has found that 89% of consumers surveyed could remember the advertiser on a promotional products received in the past two years. It also found that three times more than any other form of media, customers who owned promotional products were more likely to actually contact the advertiser on the promotional product. With an understanding of your business’ target audience, you can offer them custom branded promotional swag that is unique, yet still relevant to their lifestyles. Just to name a few; custom branded bluetooth speakers, tumblers, and stress balls. This personalization is not something that can be achieved through traditional advertising.

Promotional Products Can Expand Your Target Audience

When you initially develop a marketing campaign, your business probably already has a specific target audience in mind. But in establishing that, remember that target audience will not be set in stone. You may soon discover that your customer is outside those boundaries. The mobility of promotional swag allows your branding message to be seen by even more consumers far beyond the reach you expected. Greater brand exposure means more impressions and more business generated. Promotional products like t-shirts, drawstring bags, and mobile phone accessories are terrific options for making this a reality.

Promotional Products Start a Conversation

Nowadays, connecting with customers has become harder than ever before. Your business is constantly competing for the attention of customers. When you show consumers that they matter to you, they will be more willing to reciprocate that kind gesture. This means actually doing business with you. The study done by PPAI bolsters this notion. After receiving a promotional product, consumers made a purchase 20.9% more often than after viewing a print ad, TV commercial or online ad.

Time and time again, research has proven that custom branded promotional swag really does have business and brand boosting power. Custom branded promotional swag should not be regarded as just as throw away tchotchkes.

Customers really do love receiving them, they make your brand more personal, expand your brand reach, and most importantly do drive sales. So don’t wait and wonder any longer, and get promoting!

Jun

2015

Why You NEED Leed’s Promotional Products in your Marketing Arsenal

For a marketing message to resonate with an audience, a business should be able to show how their product or service will improve the lives of their customers in an impressionable and memorable way.

In order to be memorable, it’s important for a business to differentiate itself from its competitors. Many businesses mistakenly think that it takes a big marketing budget and/or team to achieve this goal.

Promotional products, however, allow a business to creatively find its way in a crowded market, no matter the business size or budget, and without sacrificing quality.

The award-winning line of promotional products created by Leed’s will help any business attract customers, and most importantly, to be memorable. So here are some ways in which Leed’s promotional products can make your brand become a Leed-er.

Hit Your Target

Every business has a specific target audience for their products or services. A business then creates its marketing strategies based on an understanding of that audience. Whether your customer is a lover of technology, a fitness fanatic, or a busy businessman, there’s a Leed’s promotional product to help your business connect with potential customers AND remind existing customers of your business message and value. For example, a techie can appreciate a custom branded mobile power bank and flashlight, while an avid outdoors-man would like a 24-can access cooler. Customers will be inclined to support your brand if you can show them that you really are committed to meeting their needs and exceeding expectations. Custom promotional products that are actually useful to customers will make all the difference.

Reinforce Your Brand

Marketing is all about communicating a cohesive brand message to customers through several different touch points or outlets. Once customers have heard your message, you need to make the effort to reinforce it. The last thing that you want to do when it comes to marketing is following the “set it and forget it” strategy. Superior quality promotional products by Leed’s can be a unique means to reinforce your brand in a way that resonates with customers. Offering customers promotional products like a chevron shopper tote or a fleece custom blanket, with your logo custom printed on them, keeps your brand fresh in their minds, and inspires them to maintain communication with you.

Build A Community

When your brand has a distinct voice and personality, you can gain the trust and respect of customers, and they will share your message with others. Your business, in turn, gets free advertising courtesy of the people who matter the most – your very own customers. In this way, you’re building the very foundation of brand loyalty. Leed’s promotional products successfully help your brand tell its story and bring a sense of cohesiveness to your marketing campaign. You would be surprised how a bottle opener or a 5-piece knife block set, when custom branded, can bolster your brand reputation while still connecting with customers.

Adding Leed’s promotional products to your marketing arsenal can only have a positive impact on the establishment and growth of your brand.

Custom swag and tchotchkes from Leed’s will help you creatively and memorably attract and keep customers at an affordable price, on a larger scale than you can possibly imagine.

Jun

2015

Promotional Calendars: A Year’s Worth of Branding

If your business is on the fence about using promotional products as a marketing tool, consider a product that will not just represent your brand, but will also prove to be useful for customers.

With consumers living chaotic lives, they need a way to keep their minds clear and their days organized. Therefore, an excellent promotional product to take advantage of is a custom calendar.

Here’s a selection of promotional calendars on sale now that will provide a year’s worth of branding without much effort on your part.

Life’s Little Instruction Book Desk

What sets this calendar apart from the others? With this custom calendar, your customers can get every month of 2016 off to a bright start. Each month, customers will enjoy reading a piece of handy advice from H. Jackson Brown, the acclaimed American author of the best seller, Life’s Little Instruction Book. With your corporate logo custom printed on the base of the calendar, this sale item will make an exceptional complimentary gift to customers that reminds them of some helpful little life lessons AND your business value. Perfect for the home or the office, this custom calendar is an attractive and cost-effective way to achieve long-term branding.

Scenic Moments Large Desk

Customers can take a trip across North America over the course of a year without ever leaving their desks, and they can rest easy knowing that your custom calendar is close at hand. When brought together, these features create a winning combination that gives your business the ticket to better brand awareness. Being able to connect with customers and to simultaneously promote your products and services without having to distribute something bulky to them, will give you a huge advantage over your competitors.

Presidents Hanger Span-A-Year

There’s never a bad time to learn a little history. This single-page custom calendar features all forty-four United States presidents, with the Declaration of Independence as the background. On the backside of the calendar, you will find short bios of each and every president. A rectangular area in the middle of the calendar provides a solid amount of space for you to add your corporate logo and any additional branding. With the information provided, customers will be inclined to retain it as a keepsake even after the year is over. This custom calendar is a meaningful tool that provides value to your customers (and your brand) every day of the year.

Adding custom calendars to your marketing campaigns will benefit customers day by day at little cost to your business, all while successfully developing brand awareness and building a loyal following.

Making your brand and business a success does not happen overnight. It takes time and strong marketing, and promotional calendars are a top choice for expediting this process and helping you Make the right impression™.

Oct

2014

Delta and Pinnacle go PINK!

They’ve done it again! Delta has been an ardent supporter of breast cancer awareness for more than ten years. Each October, they pink out their planes, their uniforms, their in-flight menus, etc. all in an effort to donate and support breast cancer awareness in hopes of finding a cure.

Courtesy of Delta

We wrote about Delta’s commitment to awareness last year. And this year, they do not disappoint. On October 1st, they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the “Breast Cancer One” Survivor Flight.

“Delta Air Lines’ annual “Breast Cancer One” employee survivor flight took place yesterday, kicking off the airline’s month-long campaign to generate awareness and raise money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This year marked Delta’s 10th annual survivor flight, which honored more than 140 employee breast cancer survivors with a trip from Atlanta to New York City.”

Companies across America are raising awareness and raising hope. Pinnacle Promotions sells promotional products that focus on helping our clients promote their cause and hopefully raise money. In an effort to support our customers, we are offering more awareness ideas than ever before. We have created blog posts and idea shops and social images in hopes of exposing our clients to new and fresh ideas. We even PINK’d out our website for October. Click to see our site design, and explore our awareness options.

We love to hear about what other companies are doing to raise awareness. If you or your organization is leading a charge against breast cancer, let us know! We’d love to hear about it and share it with others.

Pinnacle Promotions

Delta and Pinnacle go PINK! #awareness – A new blog post from @PinnaclePromos

Click To Tweet

Sep

2014

7 Awareness Products that Make a Big Impact

Everyone is talking about it! The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The challenge was started by golfers on a television show called the Morning Drive, and brought full-circle when golfer Chris Kennedy challenged his cousin and connected the challenge to fundraising for ALS research. The challenge has helped to raise almost $95 million dollars this year, whereas the ALS Association raised just over $2 million dollars in all of last year. The Pinnacle Art department was recently challenged, and they performed their own ice bucket challenge. (Watch the Pinnacle Promotions Ice Bucket Challenge HERE)

If your organization doesn’t have the notoriety yet of the ALS challenge, there are things you can do to generate awareness for your cause or event with the use of promotional products. And, when thinking about awareness products the first question you should ask yourself is, “What do I hope to accomplish with this promotional item?” Most of our top promotional products fall into one of three categories: Giveaways, Prizes, For Sale.

Here are some examples of products our clients have used for Awareness events, and the categories in which they were used:

Giveaways

Awareness RIbbon Keychain

Debossed Silicone Wristband

Prizes

Max Performance Smartphone Armband

Bottle for a Cause Custom Water Bottle with Silicone Bracelet

For Sale

Ribbon Car Sign Magnet w/ Custom Imprint

Neon Fruit Infuser BPA Free Water Bottle 24 oz.

Die Struck Sandblasted Lapel Pin

Brand the right promotional product for either a giveaway, a prize or as a for-profit item, you can put your event or cause logo on an item that can extend the reach of your message. Use the branded items to share your story, to start a conversation or to raise money. Awareness is the ultimate goal even if you aren’t using an ice bucket to get your cause out there.

Do you have a favorite promotional product from an event or cause? Share a picture with us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/pinnaclepromotions.

Pinnacle Promotions

7 products that will get your cause noticed! A new blog post from @PinnaclePromos #awareness

Click To Tweet

Awareness Promotional Products

Where Does the Word Swag Come From?

Custom Products: Adding Fireworks to Your Brand Strategy this 4th of July

Custom Beach Towels: The Perfect Summertime Swag

How Do Promotional Products Make a Difference?

Why You NEED Leed’s Promotional Products in your Marketing Arsenal

Promotional Calendars: A Year’s Worth of Branding

Delta and Pinnacle go PINK!

7 Awareness Products that Make a Big Impact

Recent Posts

Browse by Category

Archives

Get blog updates via email