The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

It is, despite popular belief, actually easy being green. Well, at least, it’s easy to make your next promotional campaign green with our wide range of environmentally friendly (ECO) promotional gifts!

With recent concerns resulting from environmental change, choosing ECO-friendly products when promoting your company could make that little bit of difference to our planet. The range of products now available in recycled materials is fantastic, with all of the products made to a high standard. Here are some ideas for you to consider, if you fancy being a little more caring to the environment:

Woodstick Ballpen/Woody Retractable Ballpen/Nature Ballpen – these products are produced from woods that come from thinning out forests that allow more space for new trees to grow. In both the short and long term, this means that forests are a sustainable source of supply.

Recycled Paper Pen/Recycled Paper Pencil – pens and pencils manufactured from recycled paper.

Green Square Ballpen/Green Flower Ballpen/Green Click Ballpen – pens made from corn starch, which are also biodegradable.

Recycled Frisbee/Recycled Yoyo/Recycled Mobile Phone Holder/Recycled Memo Holder – all of these products are manufactured from recycled Tetra Pak containers.

And if that’s not enough to get you thinking, many of our standard products are available made from recycled materials for NO EXTRA COST. These include rulers, Brite-Mat mousemats and coasters, acrylic mugs, various keyrings and Adclips.

Or perhaps try our ECO Phone Chargers – these run directly from the USB port on your computer, so no need for batteries!

Hopefully this has inspired you to consider the environment for your next promotion, however if you’re unsure as to what options are available to you do call our Promotional Gifts Consultants for more information on 0845 8386 368 (or email sales@redbows.co.uk).

You may be surprised to learn that sometimes we come across artwork submitted for a promotional gifts project that does not feature the obvious details you would expect to find on such artwork. When composing the artwork for your next promotional campaign, it really is worth taking a step back, and evaluating whether you really do have all of the necessary details featured somewhere on the design.

For example, we recently were looking to order a particular product for our office, and happened to have a promotional coaster on one of our desks for the company that supplied it. To our shock and horror, we could find no trace of a contact detail anywhere – no telephone number, postal address, email address nor web address to be seen. Whilst it wasn’t too difficult for us to locate the said company in the telephone directory, it would have been much easier and quicker if they had included their contact details on the promotional coaster in the first place.

Do remember that a promotional gift does exactly what it says on the tin…it promotes your company or service/product. Always make sure you feature your company name, telephone number and web address (if you have one) as a way for your client to contact you quickly and easily. Don’t forget that in today’s fast-paced society, many people want things done quickly, and don’t want to have to log on to the internet to search for your company details. In most cases, a written postal address is not necessary, however if you feel this would benefit your organisation it may be worth considering.

If you are unsure as to what you can actually fit onto your design within the set print area for the product, do feel free to either call our Sales Team on 0845 8386 368 (or email sales@redbows.co.uk), or our Design Studio (design@redbows.co.uk), who will be happy to advise you on the best way to include all of the information needed to make your promotion a huge success for your business.

After weeks (perhaps months!) of deliberation, you have finally decided that a mug is the ideal product for your next promotion. And may we say you’ve chosen well – in today’s society, a day without a cup of tea or coffee is practically unheard of. It’s highly likely that your promotional gifts will be used daily, most likely throughout the day at several intervals.

So far so good – all you need to do now is to order your mugs. You call our Promotional Gifts Consultants, to be met with the question “…and what style of mug would you like to order ?”. Now you’re completely flummoxed, as a mug is a mug, right? Wrong. So here’s a little low-down on the what’s what in the world of promotional mugs:

Acrylic– these mugs are actually plastic, not ceramic. We offer two designs of Acrylic mug – the Classic and the Standard. Both are extremely hard-wearing, and are available in a wide range of colours. Choose Acrylic if you are supplying your mugs to people likely to be using the mugs in a busy environment, such as builders or workmen, or teachers or children (or, anyone who has to comply with local health and sagety regulations re the non-use of glass materials!).

PhotoMug– this is a ceramic mug available in the Durham or Avon styles. It has been designed to provide superb photographic quality, whilst still being dishwasher and microwave safe. Choose the PhotoMug if you are planning to print photographic images, or your design features many colours.

Metallic Lustre – again this is a ceramic mug, available in the Durham only. It utilises an innovative gold, silver or bronze coating to give your mug a stunning metallic sheen. Use Metallic Lustre if you want to give your mug a feel of opulence, or simply want something a little different.

WoW– well, this is just something totally unique! When hot liquid is added to the mug, your branding appears as if by magic! The WoW is available in the Durham style, and is available with a one colour overprint which is permanently visible (additional costs apply). Choose the WoW mugs when you want to give your promotion, well, the WOW factor!

Part or Full Wrap – this is also worth mentioning, as this is another consideration when ordering your mug. A Part Wrap means the design will stop either side of the handle – whilst the Full Wrap will continue underneath the handle. A Full Wrap can sometimes be a little more expensive.

Pre-Production samples – these are available on most types of mug for an additional cost. Please ask for more details if you feel that this would be beneficial to you.

Packaging - we also offer a range of mug packaging, with several options available depending on the logistics involved in your promotion. These include acetate boxes which are perfect for point-of-display, and corrugate card boxes ideal for mailing.

Other mugs – we do also supply many other styles of simple earthenware and bone china mugs. If you can’t see what you are looking for, contact our Promotional Gifts Consultants for further information on 0845 8386 368 or email sales@redbows.co.uk

You may have noticed on our website that we offer Virtual Visuals. You may have wondered what on earth these are, and whether they could be of benefit to you. A ‘Virtual Visual’ is a way of seeing your logo (or any other branding) featured on the products you are considering purchasing. Whilst this is not an ‘Artwork Proof’ (which you do receive once your order is processed free of charge), it has been designed to give you an informal illustration of how the end product could look. If you’re not already convinced, here is a list of reasons why it’s best to request a Virtual Visual today:

1) It’s quick. Usually, our Design Studio can supply you with your Virtual Visual within 24 hours, if not within the hour (which is usually the case).

2) It’s simple. All you need to do is tell us which product(s) you are interested in, and forward us your logo. It’s as easy as that! We do request that you send your artwork through in an Illustrator Vector file, but for the purposes of a Virtual Visual we can usually work with most formats.

3) It’s useful if you are working on behalf of a client. We’ve all been there – trying to describe an item to someone that you can see in your mind so clearly, but they just can’t empathise! So if you need to convince (ahem, advise) your client that your idea is a great one, it’s always useful to have something visual that they can review.

4) It’s completely free of charge, with no obligation. We do not charge for our visual samples, nor do we expect you to place an order once you have received it. It is there simply as a visual aid to help your decision-making process a whole lot easier.

5) You’ve got nothing to lose!

If you would like to receive a Virtual Visual sample, email your request plus your artwork to design@redbows.co.uk , where one of our Design Team will generate it for you within 24 hours.

When planning your next promotional gifts campaign, it is a good idea to consider the logistics of the project before you decide on anything final. Whilst all of our promotional items serve a purpose or event well, some bulkier items may add a little extra cost to your campaign. Therefore here are our top tips for items that are cheap to post, yet still provide great exposure for your company:

1) Mousemats. You really can’t underestimate these! They carry a large print area (usually around 200 x 235mm), which can feature stunning top-quality graphics with sharp, colourful imagery. Most offices contain computers, with personnel using them all day, every day of the week. Therefore your brand logo may be seen hundreds of times a day – now that’s some exposure! A standard Hard-Top mousemat plus appropriate sized Jiffy bag through first class will cost
you approx. 94p per mailing, or approx. 79p for second class.

2) Pen pots. These consist of a sheet of branded card and two black-cap ends. They are robust, and although a similar diameter to a coaster, provide a print area that is around three times larger. A standard Pen Pot plus appropriate sized Jiffy bag through first class will cost you approx. 94p per mailing, or approx. 79p for second class.

3) Phone Home. This flat-packed mobile phone holder is a one-piece construction, and is easy to assemble. A standard Phone Home plus appropriate sized Jiffy bag through first class will cost you approx. 41p per mailing, or approx. 33p for second class.

4) Magnetic Word Games. These word games are supplied as kiss-cut magnetic sheeting with your choice of words and branding printed on. They are available in A4, A5 or A6 size, and provide hours of endless fun standing round the fridge! A standard A5 Word Game plus appropriate sized Jiffy bag through first class will cost you approx. 41p per mailing, or approx. 33p for second class.

5) Sliding Puzzles. If you want to send your client a little something to brighten up their day, a fun sliding puzzle might just be the thing. These are compact, with plenty of opportunity for you have fun with your design! A standard Sliding Puzzle plus appropriate sized Jiffy bag through first class will cost you approx. 41p per mailing, or approx. 33p for second class.

These are just five of our favourite easy-mailers, however there are many, many more ideas that would be economical to post. If you’re not sure which product would be suitable for your next mailing campaign, ask our Promotional Gifts Consultants a call on 0845 8386 368 (or email sales@redbows.co.uk) to discuss your requirements!

Everyone knows, I am sure, that the football season kicked off (pardon the pun!) last weekend, so what better time to have some fun with your next promotion? We have an extensive range of football-related items, from car aerial toppers and dog leads to cameras and rattles. Or perhaps a game of table-top football sounds more adventurous? Our table-top goal posts are perfect for a bit of lunchtime competition. All of these products can be branded with your company name, so make sure that when the season really starts to get going, your brand is part of the excitement.

Well, Rihanna got to number 1 with her hit ‘Umbrella’ for several weeks, so we thought we should pay tribute to her with an entry all about the one thing that you can never find when it’s absolutely pouring down…umbrellas.

Don’t you find it really is always the case? You look outside, it’s chucking it down, you’re rushing out to work and you don’t want to get your suit wet/your hair to go frizzy/just be soaked and downright uncomfortable (delete where applicable), and you can’t find the umbrella that you know you had stashed away under the stairs in the cupboard? Therefore, what better gift to give to your client or customer than an umbrella, something they will thank you for during all those bleak showery months? Not only is an umbrella a gift with a function, it provides large print areas for maximum exposure of your company logo. Unlike, say, a mousemat or coaster, an umbrella is used in the outdoor world where hundreds, if not thousands, of members of the general public will notice your branding and subconsciously remember or recognise your company logo.

So as you can see there are many great reasons as to why an umbrella is a great choice for a promotional gift, which is why here at Redbows we have over forty styles to choose from. Ranging from cost effective options such as the Budget Golf umbrella, to the more executive Supervent, our collection of golf umbrellas is extensive, with numerous colour, handle and panel options. If a golf umbrella isn’t what you’re looking for, perhaps a Supermini would be more suitable?

For more information on our standard range of umbrellas, please visit our ‘Guide to Promotional Umbrellas’. If you can’t see the style you require, give our Promotional Gifts Consultants a call on 0845 8386 368, or email sales@redbows.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

Looking for a selection of cost-effective promotional items? In a rush? Don’t have time to work out sets of combined prices and final costs?

A Promo Pack could be the product for you! We offer a wide range of Promo Packs, with something for everyone. From simple packages like Promo Pack One (6” ruler, coaster and U1 keyring) and Promo Pack Two (Brite-Mat mousemat, Brite-Mat coaster and A5 Desk-Mate deskpad), to the larger Promo Pack Three (5BH Acrylic Paper Holder, 12” ruler, coaster and acrylic mug), these packs are excellent value for money and provide great exposure for your company. As the products are purchased together there is a discount built in, meaning you pay less yet receive more for your money.

If our Promo Packs don’t take your fancy, we do offer various other alternatives, such as DeskSets and Coaster and Mat sets. If you can’t see what you’re looking for do give our Promotional Gifts Consultants a call or email us at sales@redbows.co.uk to discuss your requirements!