Promotional Gifts, Items, Products & Giveaways Blog

Dare I risk it and say that we may be seeing the first signs of summer ? Each season at Redbows has its own favourite products. Water Bottles and Bottled Water are firm favourites during the ‘hot’ period we sometimes experience between May and September. The actual UK market for bottled water is is worth £1.7bn and the market is growing at about 28% a year. Now I am not saying that we are turning away from our favourite tipple but when you are considering a promotional incentives campaign, personalised bottled water can make a refreshing change. For a related product that will keep your brand and marketing message before your audience and literally in front of them, why not consider a branded running water bottle.

Golf competitions and tournaments are great promotional events but how do you make sure it is an absolute all-around winner for your clients ? Do you choose gifts for immediate impact or longer term brand investment ? Well our advice is to choose both. OK this may seem a bit cheeky but think of it this way - when your clients arrive at the golf course it is always nice to give them a small box of goodies, say branded golf balls and tees in a golf gift set for the day. Then give them something to take away after the dinner and you get a double impact. Consider a Crystal Award for simply taking part - something that can be put on display in their office or a novelty item like a golf putting set. Above all make sure your day is fun, with competitions around the greens, and remember to pay that little extra for brand pin flags and signs around the course.

I am being very green this week and looking at what we can do at Redbows to reduce our environmental impact. We are working on ISO 14001 as a management system and this really does get you to look at your business as a whole. An interesting website for anyone interested is Envirowise. This organisation provides free information to businesses in practical ways to increase profits and reduce their environmental impact. In a recent FSB survey 40% of respondents wanted advise and guidance to get them onto the right path. Off course it takes one small step to go ‘Green’ and at Redbows we like to offer ECO alternative gifts wherever we can. The survey also provides the insight that 41% of respondents bought products that were environmentally friendly. Perhaps ECO Gifts will appear in the 2008 Google Zeitgeist after all.

There has been much talk about how environmentally friendly bio-fuels are this week. After being heralded as the major breakthrough we need in alternative energy it appears that they are not as environmentally friendly as we first thought. Now, news like this appeals to my fun side and I was wondering if the day would come when we can take a few cuttings from desk plants to power our cars on the way home. Perhaps a little unlikely for now, but did you know that desk top gardens are well within your graps? That’s right, they make the ultimate eco gifts - branded desktop plants and herbs.

We’ve been doing a bit of testing with our Google Adwords campaigns recently. Pens and Mugs are still the hottest gifts going with confectionery following up a close third. What’s so striking about these types of promotional products is their versatility and appropriateness to the corporate and business markets. Not only do they offer the opportunity for a great branding opportunity, but these types of gifts are always found in an office environment, where they are seen and sometimes admired by the many. Google produces a wonderful Zeitgeist as a reflection of the most searched for words by people across our planet. The 2007 list reflects the rise of the social blog - if only I could predict the 2008 list…

The Royal Mail has announced that 94% of online shoppers are more likely to purchase from an internet retailer if they are happy with the delivery of their goods. Their checklist includes several good pointers including specifying your delivery promise on your homepage, making delivery charges transparent, advising customers when they can expect delivery, offering a range of delivery options and confirming details by email. Are we seeing the end of the days when the websites offered the earth but failed to deliver very little? I am not so sure and would expect that most people need to add their own further checks. I am always a little dubious of websites that use a trading name for their website operation rather than a Ltd or Plc company. If in any doubt, check out their ‘bricks and mortar’ operation with a quick telephone call before parting with your money.

Well my other half made it back from the Portuguese Moto GP this week and boy did it look as though he had fun. Packed with corporate merchandise and giveaways from the stalls outside the ground he walked into our office proudly waring his latest fleece. Later in the week panic set in as he noticed that the top of his ears had started to turn black and peal. He stated categorically that had he fallen when drunk there would have been far more damage. He thought the worse and we decided to let him sweat a little till we pointed out (in a giggle) that his other ear was also pealing - this modern day marvel had sunburn! Shame…Now the winner of this race was a new rookie Jorge Lorenzo and he certainly looked like someone worth watching.

Well you have just got to take your hat off to Danny Bamping of Bedlam Puzzles. We became a fan after watching him on Dragon’s Den and it is amazing to see how his company has grown since then. In a recent interview in Promotions Buyer, Bamping says that the promotional merchandise and corporate side of the business has grown to 15%. Now promotional toys and puzzles are a growing area for Redbows with sliding puzzles being a firm favourite. I guess what appeals is that they are so easy to brand, are great fun and come in at a relatively low unit costs. We have not really found anyone who has not experienced a winning formula and have seen these types of gifts used in campaigns targeting various demographics. Food for thought perhaps.

With our company mascot, Coco, never far from my feet, I still had to chuckle at the BMW advert in the Daily Telegraph on April Fool’s day. My husband is an ardent collector of these. This year’s - on a Canine Repellent Allow Protection system - was another master stroke. These adverts have been running since 2000 and are produced by their advertising agency WCRS - for a complete list of BMW ‘innovations’ click here. Off course as a Promotional Gifts Consultant I would be looking to provide something a little kinder for a pet promotion such as a our plastic pet bowls or branded dog leads.

It is really nice to see that Fairtrade has extended its reach into the realm of promotional gifts. This is a result of suppliers now actively looking for materials and sources of Fairtrade produce. The first such gifts ranges coming through are chocolate and confectionery items. As we try to take a very ethical stance in all our lives, this now gives marketing people the chance to support this worthwhile initiative. We will keep you up to date with developments in this area and our environmentally friendly gifts over the next few months as we bring more products to market.