Winter Olympics Exemplify Use of Promo Items

With the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games less than three weeks away, you can bet that sponsors are finalizing their plans to distribute promo items in full force. Like any sporting event, the Winter Olympics are an ideal venue for sponsors to promote their companies through the use of imprinted giveaways and logo apparel. However, unlike many other fun games and competitions, the Olympics highlights the best of the best, meaning increased media attention and more pressure on businesses to create fun and unique promo items.

What types of promo items should athletes and fans expect to see in Vancouver this year? Of course, there will be the traditional logo imprinted on athletes’ snowsuits, hats and skis. But I’m guessing that there will also be innovative spirit accessories, plush stuffed animals and mascots, magnets, key chains, lanyards, and even pet accessories to help viewers show support for their country. In addition to being emblazoned with athlete’s names and flags, these promo items will contain the name and logo of any company that can proudly call themselves a partner of the Olympic games.

Sponsors of the 2010 Winter Olympic ceremony include McDonald’s, Panasonic and Coca-Cola, all well-known companies with budgets big enough to gain exposure at such a large-scale sporting event. Even so, there are a variety of promo items to suit any budget, and as a result companies of all sizes can customize apparel and spirit accessories to align their brand with the spirit, competition and friendship best symbolized by the Olympic movement.

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Honor the Legacy of Shari Lewis with Promo Items

If Shari Lewis were still alive, the popular children’s television show host would have celebrated her 77th birthday this past Sunday, January 17. Lewis, best known for controlling and doing the voice for the title character on the Lamb Chop television series, activated the imagination of children across the country. In honor of this positive contribution to television, consider distributing promo items for Lewis’ birthday. Promo items such as promotional stuffed animals would make appropriate giveaways, especially in industries were your primary consumers are teenagers or younger children. You can customize a plush lamb or a variety of other animals, including bears, frogs, ducks and more.

Donate your Promo Items to a Good Cause

In addition to using promo items to promote your brand, you can also use these giveaways to promote and help a good cause. T-shirts, blankets, water bottles and a plethora of other functional promo items are needed in Haiti to help the thousands of homeless and desolate victims of last week’s earthquake; any amount that you can spare will have an impact. If you had an overrun of your last custom apparel order and the extra shirts and sweaters are sitting in a storage room, consider donating them to the Red Cross or one of the many organizations striving to bring aid to Haiti.

Visit the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/

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Rah, Rah, Rah! Promo Items for the Super Bowl

On January 15, 1967, the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs competed in the first-ever Super Bowl. Although I’m from Chicago and therefore not very proud to tell you that Green Bay defeated Kansas City with a score of 35-10, I am happy to report that this game started the legacy of the most-watched football game of the year. And, with only a few weeks until Super Bowl Sunday 2010, it’s time to start thinking about party favors and of course, promo items. There are many different football themed promo items available, such as plastic mini footballs or spirit accessories customized with your team’s name. In addition to traditional party favors, be sure to personalize napkins and cups for your party too!

How Some of the Most Beloved Start Ups Used Promo Items

Cisco Brewers. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. The Body Shop. What do all these brands have in common? All three started as small businesses and quickly grew to some of the most beloved companies in the United States because they employed marketing strategies that engaged consumers. You can follow their lead by using some of those same ideas, such as guerrilla marketing, in-store events, and the distribution of promo items. Promo items in particular are great ways to start a conversation with consumers because you can tailor each giveaway to your target demographic. Try new and unique items that set your brand apart and truly get people talking!

Promo Items in the Healthcare Industry

It may not come as a surprise to anyone who has been to the doctor’s office lately that the healthcare industry consistently ranks among the top five buyers of promo items. While new regulations impose restrictions on the type and amount of products that pharmaceutical companies can distribute, a variety of businesses in the industry, including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and pharmacies, still purchase promo items to display at the office and to distribute to patients or clients. In order to set yourself apart from the other healthcare companies, choose functional promo items that will add value to an office, such as badge holders, pill cases, or even first aid kits.

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Promo Items that go Together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

In addition to distributing promotional calendars, as discussed in yesterday’s blog post, you might also want to consider customizing pens. These promo items go well together because giving a pen ensures that recipients always have a tool at hand for marking their calendars with your company’s important dates, whether that be a new product launch, an important sales presentation, or even just an upcoming pay day. Plus, distributing a pen and a calendar together greatly increases the perceived value of these promo items, without significantly increasing the price. Best of all, they increase brand visibility by allowing you to imprint your company name on two different promo items.

Save the Date with Promo Items

Yesterday, as I was perusing the local bookstore with a close friend of mine yesterday, I suggested that we wander through the section of calendars. Now that January has already started, you cannot find a better deal on these promo items. And I know what you’re thinking… it’s too late to distribute promotional calendars, right? But if you think that you missed the deadline to distribute these practical promo items, think again. My friend went into a long rant about how she did not want to buy a new calendar because she had been so spoiled the previous year when a colleague sent her a custom calendar. This calendar had become such a staple in her office that she could not bear to take it down, and she was still hoping that the business partner would send more promo items for 2010!

Top Promo Items Continued

Another one of my favorite promo items is the String-A-Sling backpack. This lightweight, yet durable nylon bag not only comes in a multitude of bright, cheery colors, but it also has a variety of functions. Recipients can carry their lunches to work in style with these backpacks or a bring change of clothes and an mp3 player for hitting the gym after work. These promo items also make great tradeshow giveaways because companies can easily fill them with marketing material. And, due to their back handles, recipients will not accidentally set down their promo items and forget them at the show.

The Cleverest Promo Items

Instead of inundating you with more tradeshow overviews and broad suggestions for how to increase traffic at your booth, I have decided to dedicate a few posts to sharing about my favorite promo items and how they help companies to spread their message in a creative and cost-efficient manner. Funny, clever, and practical too, I think that the Kikkerland Robot Pencil Sharpener is a great promo item. The walking robot will definitely catch the attention of any student, but this fun little pencil sharpener isn’t just for kids. Even adults will proudly display these promo items in their cubicles, thereby showing off your company name and logo for all passersby to see! Find it in our new and unique products category.

Stand Out at Tradeshows with Fun and Unique Promo Items

As the one of the biggest tradeshows in the promo items industry begins in Las Vegas next week, we here at Pinnacle have dedicated many conversations to tradeshows in the past few days. One major point that we’ve learned through our years of expertise is that fun and unique booths stand out above all others. And the best way to make your booth fun and unique is to distribute promo items that fit both of these requirements. Consider distributing items in bright colors or products that light up; recipients come in search of these promo items (and your booth) and yet they are affordable enough for any budget.

Picking a Venue for your Promo Items

When considering how to effectively incorporate promo items into your marketing mix, make sure to take the delivery process into consideration. The manner in which you distribute promo items will often vary depending on your industry and end goal. Schools and other businesses in the education industry may choose to hand out small, fun promo items such as spirit accessories before sporting events for maximum brand exposure. On the other hand, manufacturing companies may find tradeshows to be a viable option for giving away custom products. When possible, tradeshows are great options because they are composed a target audience that is receptive to learning about new products and brands.

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Kick off 2010 with New Promo Items

As we kick off the New Year, there are many things for business to celebrate. One major realization is the fact that consumer confidence is (slowly but surely) increasing, allowing marketers to breath a small sigh of relief as they start to revitalize their advertising budgets for the coming year. Whether or not you distributed promo items in 2009, promo items can easily be incorporated into any marketing campaign because they are cost-efficient for distributors while highly valued by consumers. In other words, due to their considerable value and their sustainability amongst household products, promo items garner a high return on investment for companies in any industry.

Photo by Andre Warchy http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewarchy/ / CC BY 2.0