Promo Items for Travel, Just in Time for Spring Break

As schools and universities across the country take a break from classes in honor of the lovely spring weather, now is an ideal time to distribute travel accessories and other related promo items. From luggage tags to travel alarm clocks and everything in between, these items are functional on many levels. Recipients will appreciate the fact that they make trips easier, while they also provide valuable exposure for your brand wherever recipients may go. In addition to helping any company to reach the coveted youth market, these promo items make great gifts for clients and employees who plan to take family vacations with their school-aged children around this time of year.

The Durability of Educational Promo Items

Year after year, the education industry ranks high (usually the highest) on the list of top purchasers of promo items and it seems as though these are also the promo items that recipients hold onto for the longest time. Just off the top of my head I can name numerous people I know that still wear logo apparel bearing their college or high school team name and mascot. Moreover, many of these people wear the very same article of clothing that they received or purchased during their collegiate years. My stepmother still wears a University of Illinois sweatshirt around the house; I won't tell you how long it's been in her possession (I don't think she would be too happy with that full disclosure) but let's just say it's been years. Decades, even. Why do recipients keep school apparel and educational promo items for so long? It's the association with fond memories from youth and the fact that you never get too old to show school spirit!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swanksalot/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Promo Items for St. Patrick’s Day

From logo apparel and custom caps to promotional pens and notebooks, there are plenty of promo items available in a green hue to help you and your loyal customers celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. With the holiday quickly approaching on Wednesday, March 17 (only two weeks away!), it’s time to start thinking about which types of promo items will work best for your budget, target audience, and promotional purpose. In the past, popular St. Patrick’s Day giveaways have included budget-friendly stickers that make great giveaways for a younger audience as well as more luxurious green drinkware, suitable for an older and more professional crowd. Just be sure to customize these items in time in order to avoid the age-old tradition of pinching those who don’t wear green!

Pressed for Time? These Promo Items will Help

As of today, less than one week remains in National Time Management Month and that means it’s time to get organized and order those promo items you’ve been eyeing. You’ve been meaning to call about those calendars for weeks but everyday you seem to run out of time, right? This happens to all of us. Personally, I can’t tell you how often I feel as though there isn’t enough time in a day to get everything done. The good news is that there are a variety of promo items to help you (as well as your clients, employees, children, mothers, fathers, friends… heck, even the mail man) manage time efficiently and effectively. Consider giving promo items such as custom clocks, calendars, journals, pens and pencils to help peers stay on track. Your recipients will thank you!

Spirit Accessories and Other Promo Items for Festive Occasions

Yesterday marked Fat Tuesday, otherwise known as the culmination of month-long parades and festive celebrations that involve beads, spirit accessories and a plethora of other promo items. Celebrations were especially jovial in New Orleans this year, due to the Saint’s recent Super Bowl win (see below for a post about Who Dat Nation and their use of colorful promo items). While the parades might be over for this year, Mardi Gras teaches an important lesson about the benefits of distributing promo items on special occasions. Recipients appreciate specialized products that help them to celebrate the holiday- such as flags on the Fourth of July or trick-or-treat bags on Halloween- and are increasingly likely to keep the items as memorabilia, providing extra exposure for your brand.

Who Dat Nation Demonstrates Importance of Colorful Promo Items

In case you haven’t heard by now, the New Orleans Saints proudly took the title of 2010 Super Bowl Champions last night. A breakaway and touchdown by Tracy Porter in the last few minutes of the game sealed the victory, as spirited fans dressed in team colors and holding lively promo items cheered loudly on the sidelines and at bars across the country. In fact, it was easy to sight the Saints fans (also known as Who Dat Nation because of a team cheer) by the gold and black color of their flags, rally towels and other colorful promo items. I think that the New Orleans win taught Super Bowl watchers two important lessons: 1. Never doubt the underdog and 2. Customize your promo items in appropriate colors for undeniable team spirit and determination.

Promo Items Help Smooth Bad Brand Reactions (iPad, anyone?)

Promo items not only make great gifts for loyal employees and customers who already know and love your brand, they are also ideal giveaways for launching a new product or service with a positive reaction. Whether you are starting a new company altogether or adding a new product line to an already established business, there are many different variables to consider when releasing a new item for consumption. To begin with, a company must see a need or opening in the market and create a business proposal for how they will address this opportunity. The proposal should include key information such as different demographics that you plan to target, as well as means for how you will reach each group.

Distributing promo items is one great way to attract attention for your product launch. In fact, studies show that almost 75% of recipients hold onto their promo items for at least a year and more than half of recipients actually use the company whose name and logo are imprinted on the side of their products. Companies do not need to spend a lot of money in order to utilize promo items as part of their marketing campaigns; instead, consider factors such as functionality and durability.

Finally, don’t overlook the importance of creating a catchy name. Apple, which launched a new computer tablet last week, received a lot of flack for their decision to call the product an “iPad.” With the entire discussion surround the iPad’s name, many consumers have overlooked the product’s useful features and innovation. Perhaps Apple should give away custom computer bags or other related promo items to smooth this reaction? What do you think of Apple’s new product name?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbuchanan/ / CC BY 2.0