CT Corporate Gifts - Promo News

Eco-Friendly and Socially Responsible Promotions

2010-05-05T13:05:00.003-05:00

We all know how much damage plastic bags do to the environment. High-end retailer Fred Segal Santa Monica is tackling the problem by teaming up with a locally relevant organization. “Heal the Bay is a leading activist group whose charter is to clean up the Santa Monica Bay,” says Todd Singleton, CEO of The Singleton Co., who partnered on the project.
Singleton’s challenge was to find an alternative to disposable shopping bags that would appeal to Fred Segal’s high-end customers. Singleton came up with a quality cotton-canvas bag with the retailer’s logo on one side and the cause logo on the other. “They made the bags in the U.S.A.,” he says, “and we had a custom-woven label sewn into the inside seam.”
The bags were distributed at a Heal the Bay annual fundraising dinner. Before the event, bags were also sold at Fred Segal for $18, and 100% of the proceeds went to the cause. “The entire front window section of Fred Segal had the bags floating in the display against a faux blue sea background,” Singleton says.
Why it worked: Replacing plastic bags with reusable versions is huge right now, but tying in with a local activist group made this campaign particularly strong. “The offering was directed to Santa Monica residents, local business owners and friends of Heal the Bay,” Singleton says. “You have to understand how passionate this community is about political causes like water quality and the need for reusable bags.”
People were eager to help, purchasing 5,000 bags to raise an additional $35,000 for the cause. They also proudly carried the totes around town. “The status of being associated with Fred Segal and Heal the Bay makes these a sought-after item,” Singleton says. “We have plans to repeat the program.”
Take advantage of this trend: Nonwoven bags are pretty much a must-have for supermarkets now and are very cost-effective. But other types of retailers, like Fred Segal, are now beginning to offer more upscale reusable bags. Reinforce the message by looking at eco-friendly fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo or recycled material.
In addition, green alternatives can now be found for just about any promotional product or program. Wearables made from organic and sustainable fiber are hotter than ever, and today’s recycled products are as beautifully crafted as traditional choices.

- Jen Zorger, Advantages Magazine
Advertising Specialty Institute

Earth Day, Every Day

2010-04-22T08:29:00.004-05:00

Earth Day is on April 22nd every year. Earth Day is a
day to remember to take care of our planet, Earth. We
can take care of our planet by keeping it clean.
We can keep Earth clean by following the rule of
“reduce, reuse, recycle”. We can reduce our use of resources like water or
gasoline. We can reuse many things, such as jars,
plastic bags, and boxes. Recycle means to make
something new from something old. We can keep
Earth clean by recycling materials such as aluminum,
paper, and plastic. If we take these materials to a
recycling center, they can be used again in a different
way.
We must do these things every day, not just on Earth Day. We
must all do our part, and we can make a difference.
On April 22nd, remind everyone you know that Earth
Day is every day!

©2005abcteach.com

The Value of Promotional Products

2009-07-30T13:03:00.003-05:00

When working on your marketing plan, do you consider just the cost of your program or do you also consider the value of it. For instance, you sell a product or service. How do you get that out to market? Through trade shows? TV or print advertising? Networking? Promotional Products? What's the value of each of these? What is your return on investment for each of these? TV and print advertising lasts as long as the commercial airs or until your throw away the newspaper or magazine. Networking? How long does someone really keep your business card, or even if they keep it, how often do they look at it? Here's the value of promotional products. Choosing the right product for your audience can have lasting value for weeks, months and years. They can be used in conjunction with events where you market your services. Next time you go out in public, look at how many people are wearing a tee shirt advertising something, how many men are wearing a golf shirt with a corporate logo on it? How many backpacks or computer cases are branded? They are everywhere! If you're considering a promotional product to give to clients, rather than just give someone a pen (and the right pen is a good gift!) consider these things. Giving something that is useful will typically give you continued face time with the recipient and something they will appreciate. Give something they will remember. If you're giving chocolate, give them the best piece of chococlate they have ever had. Make your marketing dollars an investment, not an expense.

USB Drive Standards and Quality

2009-07-29T09:21:00.003-05:00

In the promotional products industry, there are about 3-4,000 suppliers who can logo anything from a pen to a refrigerator and just about anything in between. So I was recently doing research for a client for some usb drives. Because they wanted a small number, I contacted 3 different suppliers who each had a 5 star rating (the highest) and the prices were just about the same. In the distant past I had shied away from selling them because I wasn't educated enough with the quality or guarantee or pretty much anything else about them except that I knew you could store data and transfer data using them. Here's what I've discovered over the past year or two. USB drive technology is a commodity and prices are usually set every week by the factories that make them for that week. And as I read in a recent article, you get what you pay for. There are no standards to supervise the quality. Manufacturer ID is very important when buying them as it's just about the only identifying quality standard. USB drives usually have a failure rate between 2-10% on a straight duplication of information. USB drives purchased from a top tier supplier have a failure rate of .1%. Big difference! In the article, the writer stated he was duplicating drives for a top end car manufacturer and discovered a 30% failure rate. He went back and reran the 70% that had passed on the first run and came up with another 30% failure rate - in the end, most of them were bad. So, if you're in the market for usb drives, it's important to know the brand and that it's from a top tier manufacturer. Be sure that the company you purchase from is going to guarantee the product. Sometimes the quality of the logo product you give to a client or prospect can reflect on the quality of your company.

A New Leaf

2009-07-28T15:26:00.003-05:00

I've not written as frequently as promised or as frequently as I would like because I get writers block sometimes. Really, how interesting is it for you to read about promotional products all the time? Right. So, my goal is to write more frequently and I will write about promotional products but also about life and the joy of it - and whatever else strikes my fancy. Hope you will continue to tune in.

Memory

2009-06-11T10:22:00.002-05:00

Not the human kind, but how much memory do you need when ordering MP3 players? 128MB holds about 30 - 4 minute songs. Whereas, 2-4GB holds 500-1000 songs. If you need an MP3 player for video files, 4GB is the solution. A video file is around 800MB. So, now that you know the capacity, which size do you buy? Consider what you expect to get out of any promotion when giving away an MP3 player as part of the promotion. What's the age group? Are you giving music download cards with it? It may be worth your while to spend a little more money - and it is only a little more money - to get a 2 GB than a 128MB and you'll see a much better bang for your buck. With technology constsantly evolving, someone who receives an MP3 player with 4GB of storage is more likely to use it for a longer period of time than 128MB. Think of cost vs. value.

Cheap Tee Shirts

2009-06-09T09:46:00.004-05:00

Do you ever use tee shirts or logo apparel to brand your business? If you do, do you use cheap white tee shirts or do you spend a little more and get a quality shirt? Depending on your intended result, carefully consider which to use. If you're buying hundreds or thousands of tees for a company picnic or 5K, it's OK to use an inexpensive shirt and I'd recommend it. But if you're giving a shirt that you'd like someone to wear, don't give away cheap shirts. It won't get worn as often (if at all) and the recipient will associate the quality of the shirt with the quality of your brand.

Festival Time

2009-05-26T15:17:00.003-05:00

I have been remiss in writing this blog for quite a while. I just noticed the last blog I wrote was Feb 17th - the week before Mardi Gras and I haven't stopped moving since. Living in New Orleans, it seems time just flies by. Mardi Gras, Jazzfest -formally known as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and a wide array of other festivals here in our fair city. This past Saturday, my husband and I attended the Greek Festival and Bayou Boogaloo - two festivals with lots of music and food. And while you may think we party alot in this city, it takes alot of work to produce these events. Many of them are done as volunteer work and to promote entrepreneurial ownership and for charitable causes. I invite you to check your local listings for upcoming events in your community and the next time you attend a festival, remember the money you spend there stays in your community and promotes entrepreneurship.

Earth Friendly Anyone?

2009-02-17T09:27:00.000-06:00

Eco-friendly gifts are hot and trendy these days and rightfully so. But what exactly is eco-friendly or green or sustainable products? It appears that these terms are used interchangeably but an eco-friendly gift is not necessarily a sustainable product.

Sustainable products are those products providing environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting public health, welfare, and environment over their full commercial cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to final disposition. Bamboo, wool, solar and wind power are sustainable products.

Eco-friendly products are those that are considered to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment. This could be a reuseable grocery tote made from recycled material.

With Earth Day fast approaching in April (22), you can use this time to sponsor an event to bringing awareness to our fragile environment and to your brand.

Recognizing Performance

2009-02-11T08:34:00.000-06:00

I read an article in the paper the other day about one of the larger banks cutting back expenses while continuing to recognize performance. With expenses being cut all over, that doesn't mean you need to stop rewarding outstanding performance. Rewards = motivation = results. Be creative. Have team competition within departments. Reward the highest performing team.

Rewards could be anything from movie tickets to branded mp3 players and music downloads. If you have to cut out the golf outing at a resort across the country, why not have a local golf tournament and hand out branded golf items at the tournament?

Whenever you show your employees that you appreciate their efforts, they continue to set their sights higher. That benefits you!

Planning A Successful Company Event

2009-02-09T10:15:00.004-06:00

To ensure high levels of productivity, it's important to keep your employees motivated and to continue to show your appreciation during good times and challenging ones. Several years ago, I was asked to plan and facilitate a party for a large corporation. I hadn't done this before, but because I had been involved in planning events at my former employer, and my husband and I entertain frequently - and we LOVE themes - I felt comfortable saying yes. The mission was to put on a party luncheon for a couple of hundred employees - on a limited budget. It was Cinco de Mayo. Because I had previously lived in Texas for many years, it was easy to envision. Here are some tips to plan a successful event.

1. Set an overall budget. Your budget needs to include food and drink, venue, decorations, staff and volunteers, entertainment, a main event, and a giveaway and/or prizes.

2. Plan your theme - If this is an employee event, consider a fun theme. You can choose from an upcoming holiday, an upcoming marketing program theme, your company's mission statement or your favorite Hollywood movie!

3. Staff and Volunteers - if you're relying on committee members made up of company staff, be sure everyone knows their assignments; from picking up food at the caterer or buying decorations to the afterparty cleanup. No detail is too small. Make it easy for them so that they'll volunteer the next time around.

4. Name Tags - If it's not an intimate group where everyone knows everyone, have name tags for all participants.

5. Food Menu - Since this is probably the largest part of your budget, you may consider setting all of the details for this first. Be sure the food is appropriate for the event and tie it into the theme if possible. Also, choose food that doesn't require alot of handling or care. You want everyone to relax and have a good time and enjoy the event. Remember there are vegetarians in every crowd, so plan for that. Your menu should include appetizers or snacks, main meat dish, veggie, starch and dessert (include fresh fruit - you'd be surprised how many people will eat it) and drinks. If you're outside in the heat, have plenty of water.

6. Decorations - For our Cinco de Mayo party, we had serapes, maracas as table decorations, colorful mini pinatas and pennant borders hanging all over the place. Try to make it as festive as possible to get everyone in the mood as soon as they arrive. Another event we did for this same corporation was a Fall Hayride theme. Because it was at the company's location in the middle of a large city, we couldn't have a hayride, so we rented huge hay bales, pumpkins and corn stalks from a local farm, strung up theme lights throughout their warehouse. Your guests will notice and appreciate the fact that you kicked it up a notch.

7. Music - You may want to consider a live band, a DJ or get a couple of employee volunteers to have music playing during the event.

8. Entertainment - Try for interactive involvement (don't forget props; i.e. microphones, prizes). One of the events we did was a luncheon workshop for managers. You'd think we would have contacted a nice restaurant or hotel meeting room, but we decided to go to the same local farm that we rented the above hay bales from and used their outdoor deck and kitchen. We had the food catered. This was a small group so we divided them up into two teams. We gave them each a CD player with CD, paper and pens and each team had to pick one song from the CD and write their own lyrics to the song - and the theme was teamwork. Once they rewrote their song, they had to sing it as a group. It was absolutely hysterical and I saw one of the managers from the group 5 years later and he recognized me and came over to tell me how much fun that was. One company picnic that I attended as an employee, we had a pie throwing contest and the managers were the recipients. Each department had a bidding war to throw the pies in their managers face and all of the money went to charity. (Just make sure your managers have a good sense of humor)

9. Giveaways and Prizes. If you budget will allow, plan for a giveaway for each participant. For instance, if you're planning a company picnic, give each person a tee-shirt or hat with your company logo imprinted on it or if it's a beach theme, you can give away beach towels or a suncare kit. Stay with your theme.

10. Make it Personal - get involved. You can't imagine the goodwill you generate with your employees by interacting with them at the event. (This part works on a daily basis). Just like in foreign policy, when you show people you're rooting for them and you want them to succeed, they're gonna like you! If it's a large organization, this is where those name tags come in handy!

10. Enjoy the party!

A Marketing Success Story

2009-02-06T14:43:00.006-06:00

We send out catalogs several times every year. And each time we do a mailing, we usually send out 100 catalogs at a time to our best clients and we typically don't send out catalogs to companies that may have ordered one case of a product. Last year, while putting together a mailing, I was going through the list and came upon a company that had ordered one case of chocolate. I decided to send a catalog. You never know. Within a week of the mailing, we received a call from this company and they placed an order for 5000 pens. That one mailing grossed us $15,000 in sales. So, if you're thinking of cutting back on your marketing budget, think twice. If you stop marketing, your business will go any which way but up.

Trendy Ideas for the Spring

2009-02-03T08:18:00.003-06:00

When I attended the latest industry tradeshow last month, I invited my daughter along so that we could spend time together (she lives 1500 miles away) and to get her input on gift ideas as she's in the "under 30" age group. The show had over 1000 exhibitors and so there were many tens of thousands of gift ideas. One of the first items we saw was at the Cross Pen Company Booth. Beautiful leather journals in different sizes. Over the course of the two days we saw many other journals of all sizes and colors. Journals are the perfect gift and one size fits all. Take it to a business meeting with clients or staff to keep notes. Keep a personal journal. Use your journal for business goals. A leather journal is a perfect gift to encourage staff to reach their business goals. A perfect gift for my clients, I thought. Something they'll use everyday with my logo tastefully branded on the front. I'm looking forward to their arrival next week and can't wait to get them in the hands of my clients.

A History Lesson

2009-01-29T10:24:00.004-06:00

As I was doing research and development, I came across an article I hadn't seen for some time. It was about the history of promotional products and advertising specialties. It seems that the first promotional products were commemorative buttons when George Washington was inaugurated.

Skip ahead a few years and travel to Ohio. Jasper Freemont Meek owned a small newspaper in Coshocton Ohio and was looking for ways to supplement his income. He saw a girl drop her schoolbooks in the dirt. Mr. Meek approached one of his newspaper advertisers, a Mr. Cantwell, who owned a shoe store. Mr. Meeks sold him on the idea of buying imprinted burlap bags with the message "Buy Cantwell Shoes" and to give one to each child that came into his store. He would build store traffic with his message being seen all over town. Both entrepreneurs reaped the rewards. Mr. Meek officially started his own promotional products business by then selling imprinted horse covers which were seen on almost every horse in town.

Other early pioneers in this industry were other newspapermen looking to supplement their income, including Mssrs. Murphy and Osborne of Red Oak, Iowa. They printed a watercolor on cardboard and attached a calendar pad to come up with the first art calendars. Current statistics show that calendars are still one of the most successful and effective promotional products even now.

A New Beginning

2009-01-21T11:06:00.003-06:00

Wouldn't you like to wake up tomorrow morning, turn on the news and the new administration has fixed the economy? As I listened to President Obama's inaugural speech, I felt renewed hope about the future of our country. I loved that he talked about personal responsibility and how we all need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and dust ourselves off. What a motivating thought. For myself and my country - I promise to get busy with my marketing plan for the year and to build my business during these hard economic times. It's good for the economy. And to paraphrase what he said, not to question if it's a big company or a small company, but if it works. I've spent the beginning of January taking a look at CT Corporate Gifts from a different point of view and have begun making changes. What have you done to kick it up a notch?

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T23:13:00.003-06:00

I returned home last night from my industry's first trade show of 2009. I was surprised to read today that attendance was up from last year in spite of the current state of the economy. The trip was awesome. My daughter met me in Orlando for a whirlwind trip. We went to Epcot - a first for both of us and attended a private industry function at Universal Studios (another first). The tradeshow showcased dozens of new items including a larger than ever group of green products. But the highlight of the trip for both of us was a two hour keynote with Tony Robbins and 1200 of our closest friends. What an electric event!!! The topic was "Harnessing Your Competetive Edge". This meeting started at 7:30am sharp and last two hours. And for over half of it, Tony had everyone on their feet yelling and laughing. I came away knowing that I can change my emotions by changing my focus. I can change my results by changing my focus. And that's what I'll continue to do in 2009. Happy 2009!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T16:46:00.001-06:00

With the world in turmoil as we speak and the financial markets still suffering, it's time to take a deep breath and reflect upon that which we give thanks for. My husband and I will enjoy a delicious meal at a restaurant since our kids are scattered throughout the country. I'm thankful that I won't be cooking and will certainly miss the leftovers - but I plan on stopping at my sister's house and mooching off her, so I'm thankful for that.

I'm also grateful for a wonderful family and the five grown kids we have - with spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends and our grandson, Aiden. They keep us much younger than our real years and some of them keep one of us up to date on cutting edge culture. I'm grateful for my sister in law, Bea, who is one of the most amazing women I've ever met and is a role model for staying young and enduring sorrow.

The most heartwarming story of thanksgiving that I've heard is from a friend. She and her husband have been trying for many years to have a baby with no luck. They've had their names on a Chinese adoption list for several years for a little girl. Several months ago, they heard from an adoption agency in another state about a woman who was pregnant and due the end of January 2009. My friend and her husband met with the expectant mother and she picked them to adopt her baby! Last week, my friend got a call that the woman gave birth 2 months early to a 2lb 13oz baby boy. They have visited the mother and baby and the doctors and are now looking forward to taking their new son home when he's ready to leave the hospital. What a most perfect Thanksgiving!

The Power of Promotional Products

2008-11-11T20:43:00.000-06:00

I received a mass e-mail yesterday from The Advertising Specialty Institute which announced that promotional products beat out all other forms of advertising as the most cost-effective advertising medium available. More than 600 travelers in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia were surveyed to reveal the following findings:

84% of people remember the advertiser on a product they received.
42% have a more favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving an advertising specialty.
Nearly one quarter indicate that they are more likely to do business with an advertiser on items they receive.
62% have done business with the advertiser on a product after receiving it.
Writing instruments are the most commonly owned advertising specialty, with 54% of respondents owning them.
81% of promotional products were kept because they were considered useful.
More than 75% of respondents have had their items for about seven months.
Bags deliver the most impressions with 1,038 impressions per month on average.
The average cost per impression of an ad specialty item is $0.004 compared to $0.033 for a national magazine ad, $0.0129 for a newspaper ad, $0.019 for a prime time TV ad, $0.007 for a cable TV ad, $0.006 for a syndicated TV ad and $0.005 for a spot radio ad (Nielson Media data).

During these economic conditions, we all need to ramp up our marketing and advertising efforts. What more effective way to improve sales than to put your logo on a strategically chosen product whose recipient is going to keep it for seven months on average?

Making promotional products and corporate gifts a part of your marketing culture will help you grow your business even in times like these.

Stand Out From the Crowd

2008-11-06T08:34:00.001-06:00

Several years ago I was attending a local Chamber of Commerce event and was speaking to a local insurance agent that I knew. We were talking about how their vendors stopped by their office every month and left goodies for them. Little sticky pads and pens and other SWAG with their name and logo. But there was one vendor who dropped by every month with some type of food item. One month it could be donuts and another month it could be chocolate. But he said the one they remembered every month was the vendor who left food for them. There was an emotional attachment to the food and it stood out from the crowd. Another story is a personal one. Many years ago I worked for an insurance company. Every year during the holidays we received lots of gift baskets and gift towers for our department to share. One year was particularly overwhelming. I had to write down who sent what, to send out thank you notes, but the gifts that I remembered who they came from, were the ones that stood out by virtue of the gift itself or the timing. The gifts that we received early- around Thanksgiving - stood out from the crowd as did a couple of other gifts, simply because their packaging was a little different - or the gift itself was a little different. Stand out from the Crowd! Send your gift early, send something a little different, send something with a special significance. Just keep putting your name out there!

Holiday Gifts in This Economy

2008-10-29T08:43:00.001-05:00

I've wondered what the holiday season would bring this year with the economy being what it is. What I've discovered is that the vast majority of my returning clients are sending out gifts. A couple have even increased their budgets. A few others have decreased their budgets, but the majority of them are spending just about the same amount as last year. Sending out a holiday gift to a client or to someone who has helped build your business is good business sense, even in a bad economy. It's also makes good marketing sense - as you're gift giving and putting your name out there one more time. People want to know that you appreciate their business.
We send out holiday gifts every year to our larger clients and we send out holiday cards to all of our clients. This year will be no exception. And I can absolutely tell you it creates customer loyalty and repeat sales.

Marketing in This Economy

2008-07-16T18:17:00.000-05:00

Like most other businesses, the summer is usually our slower time of year. People are on vacation, marketing plans completed and budgeting season passed, and the holiday season hasn't begun. In years past, we've concentrated on golf tournaments and company functions to keep our sales steady. But our move to New Orleans last year slowed our business in that area as most of that business was in the CT area. Rather than take it lying down, we decided to beef up our marketing campaign. We sent out catalogs and sale flyers in May and June to many of our clients, we're sending out another "Green" Catalog with eco friendly gifts this month, and in August we'll be sending out holiday catalogs. As a result of our stepped up marketing campaign, we find ourselves providing more quotes than usual and it's beginning to pay off. Our sales are picking up. And while money is tighter, people are shopping smarter. Take advantage of specials that are almost always going on in this industry. Ask your promotional products distributor - develop a relationship with them and make them your partner.

In this economic downturn, it’s most important to gear UP your marketing program. Print and media advertising are expensive and a one time shot at getting your message to your client. A well targeted program that includes promotional gifts and follow-up, will improve your sales, promote good will and keep your brand top of mind with your clients. Even in this economy.

Summer Fun Corporate Outings Activities and Products

2008-05-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

Are you planning your company's summer outing? Looking for activities? This activity is a hit among employees and management alike - great for teambuilding skills.

Divide your participants into four groups with an equal number of people in each group. Each group is identified by color coded tee shirts. For instance, Group A has lime green tees, Group B has royal blue tees, etc. Furnish each group with a CD of a famous song, a CD player, and a theme - such as teamwork, customer service or something focused on your business. Each group gets together for 30 minutes and has to come up with new words for the song. Each group then gets to perform the song for the other groups. The group with the most applause wins. You'll need an additional copy of the CD without the words or a karaoke copy and can use battery operated microphones or a karaoke machine. The winning team each gets a prize. It will be a huge hit!! It is one of the funniest corporate activities I've ever experienced or witnessed.

Speaking of prizes, some great products with your company logo include: insulated picnic backpacks, MP3 players, digital photo albums, imprinted beach towels or spa gift sets.

Money Saving Tips

2008-05-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

Planning ahead is the key to saving money with your promotions. Many of our suppliers, give us price incentives, especially for seasonal items like calendars or holiday gifts, for ordering early. And ordering early doesn't mean you have to take delivery right away. Because the holiday season is the busiest time of year, our suppliers for holiday cards and calendars are giving the deepest discounts if you order by May 31st. If you order during the month of June, you'll still get a discount but maybe not as much as if you had ordered during May - and so forth and so on - usually through August and sometimes September. Another of our suppliers - who supplies us with our gift towers, will give us discounts through the first of November. Most of the time, you can specify your delivery date far into the future. These are great programs, and if your budget for promotions and branding throughout the year is substantial, this could mean sizeable savings for your company. If you wait until the last minute, you're usually charged with rush charges from the factory and rush shipping charges. Wouldn't you rather spend that money on adding an additional promotion or keeping it in your pocket?

Eco Friendly Promotional Products

2008-04-25T15:31:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago there were just a few promotional products available that were "green" or environmentally friendly. Eco friendly products can fall into one of several categories. It could mean the product was made with sustainable (ex: bamboo) or recycled (ex:plastic) materials. It could also mean using a product that conserves (ex: hybrid cars, solar powered calculators).

There are now hundreds of eco friendly promotional products and I'd like to share some of them with you. Maybe they'll be of use in one of your upcoming promotions.

Organic items: Organic cotton tee shirts, jute tote bags, bamboo tee shirts. No pesticides were used in the growing of organic cotton. While they may be a little more expensive, the prices have come down. Bamboo tee shirts are very soft - feel like pima cotton. Tote bags made of recycled polypropylene. Imprints can be made with lead free ink on some items - ask.

Notebooks and sticky pads: Many of the promotional product suppliers have introduced notepads, notebooks, sticky pads and other paper products using recycled paper. Some of them look upscale and they come in many sizes and price ranges.

Recycled Plastic items: There are a variety of chip clips, water bottles, tote bags and other products made from recycled plastic.

Plants and Seeds: Seed packets and good luck bamboo plants are ideal for tradeshows, gala events, gift with purchase, direct mail, wellness, safety and loyalty programs.

Rand McNally offers a "green edition" Road Atlas. It features tips on improving your gas mileage, recycling on the road and mini-city guides for North America's most walkable cities. Also includes information on ecotourism and how to be a responsible tourist, including a list of green hotels and what makes them green.

"We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children". -Native American saying.

The Latest Hot New Product for Branding

2008-04-16T22:59:00.000-05:00

I've just returned from the latest promotional products industry trade show in Las Vegas. 600 suppliers, each showcasing from 100-1000 items. Creating lots of buzz was a new product going into production here in the US sometime in May. It's an inexpensive cell phone holder for when you're charging your cell phone. It's a piece of flat plastic, curved on about a 55 degree angle with a hole in it and it hangs on the plug for the charger. Just lay your cell phone on the "shelf" while it's being charged. The logo is plainly visible. Great idea as it will be used almost every day! Very popular in Europe right now. It's a great promotion for almost any type of business but especially for the telecommunications business.

While in Las Vegas, we attended The Beatles "Love". It was phenomenal! If you haven't seen it, it's a must. Sensory overload right from the beginning - Truly spectacular!