The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

So when it comes to promotional products what does the font have to do with your gifts artwork? Well every company and organisation has a logo and will have standardised on a particular font family. When you produce your own artwork we always recommend that it follows our gifts artwork guidelines. When you send us your artwork we need the fonts created as outlines so that your logo will reprint exactly as you intended it to. Now what happens when we generate your artwork for you in our Design Studio? The simple answer is that we will ask you to confirm the font family used  by your organisation in their promotional materials. As a full-service design studio we store thousands of fonts on our servers so that we can generally match one to your promotional imprint requirements. If this is not the case we can generally source one from our suppliers. Would you notice a change in font style if your promotional products were printed using a different font? Maybe not in isolation, but when you look at your marketing materials over all you want to see synergy and what is called a ‘corporate image’ of standardisation. There used to be an adage that whenever and wherever you touched IBM you knew you where with ‘big blue’ – that’s corporate marketing in action.

It is funny how the growth of the promotional products industry matches that of mass manufacturing, industrial and technological revolutions. I comment on this because the first known promotional items were used in the US for the George Washington 1789 election. Apparently, commemorative buttons were all the rage back then. Later on promotional calendars and wooden rulers began to be used and the promotions industry really started to take root during the 19th Century. Our industry is now dominated by the internet and this is being used more and more as a way to present information and secure valuable sales leads. My only concern is that the quality of websites within our industry varies considerably and I find a number using ‘cloak and dagger’ methods to gain search traffic and hoodwink clients into thinking they are dealing with two or more separate organisations. All this is off course possible with database driven websites that can deliver content to any domain. However just because the technology exists do we have to abuse it? If we can be true to ourselves in how we promote our organisations, clients will benefit and standards in the gifts industry will only rise.

We have just launched our 2009 Promotional Chocolate Easter Eggs collection and are very excited by the range we have to offer this year. The collection covers both hollow and solid Easter eggs with innovations in packaging and design to make sure that we have a promotional product range that can appeal to a wide audience. Not every thinks about using branded Easter products in a promotion but clients who have, report that they see a far higher brand awareness and market message retention than with any other type of product around this yearly event. What is nice really is that we in the UK have probably one of the ’sweetest tooths’ in Europe. We just love chocolate, sweets and confectionery and something about using them in promotions just seems to click with us. Now the main point here is to make sure you get your orders in early enough as delivery can range form 10-20 working days – or longer if you want a bespoke item. For more information see our latest press release.

Its not rocket science to look outside and see that we are in a cold snap. The British weather system is so unpredictable that we could have sunny temperatures hitting us within a few weeks and the early signs of spring sprouting all around us. For this very reason when you are considering an corporate event – golf, outdoor pursuits, conference or seminar, for employees or resellers as part of a motivational campaign or for clients as a reward for business in 2008 you need to capitalise on the opportunities to promote your brand. One of the best ways to do this and to generate a team environment during the day is with corporate clothing. Now we are talking fleeces, jackets, sweaters, polo shirts, t-shirts and the typical clothing you would expect to see in a corporate environment. You could also consider baseball caps, hats and scarves. The important points are to make sure you have both male and female stock and a range of sizes from small to XXXL so that you can satisfy any requests. We have run events for clients where for example we provided a welcome pack in which there are various promotional products including a t-shirt and fleece. This gets everyone into a ‘team mindset’ and gives people the option to spend the day with or without the extra warmth provided by a fleece. Off course if you make sure the materials are high quality, they will be kept and used after your event, providing many gentle prompts about your brand and time spent with you.

I was thinking the other day just what products fit the classic promotional products profile – low cost, high quality giveaways, with a good print area, unique designs, functional and that can get seen by more than one person. Now there are many promotional products that fit this profile but a timely one for the new year would be bottle openers and perhaps even bottle stoppers for those that have had enough festive cheer. A printed bottle opener, branded with your logo is just one of those functional gifts that people like to have around. What’s more they can fulfill a useful role in an office or non-work environment such as at a company event or corporate hospitality day where drinks are on offer. Off course bottle openers are required regardless of whether there are alcoholic beverages such as beers on offer or just bottle water. If you ware considering the latter as part of a new year detox then you could also consider using branded promotional spring water as part of your campaign.

Now we are in one of those cold snaps what is the first thing you do when you get to work each day – grab the nearest promotional mugsмебели and get yourself a cup of coffee or tea. This shows just how powerful a promotional product can be because travelling to work you have already subconsciously started to think about your day and what you will do when you arrive. The brand imprinted onto your plastic or ceramic mug is already in your mind. Now image if you use promotional mugs in your marketing and this is happening with each and every mug you hand out, up to three times a day and anywhere from five to seven days a week. That is an awful lot of subliminal advertising going on.

What do you give a new employee as part of their induction pack? Apart from a copy of the company handbook and other health and safety related documents, do you give them some branded promotional products to help them see that they are now part of your team and under your umbrella? You see so many times we think about promotional giveaways for clients without thinking internally. The PR people call this internal PR – no surprises there but it is just as important to market a company and brand to its employees and suppliers as it is to clients. And don’t forget. You can always issue products retrospectively. This is another important aspect to consider if you want to maintain equity between new and existing employees.

With one of the coldest snaps on record who would turn down a winter promotion based on promotional clothing. As we all return to work now is the time to check your stock of the warmer clothing items available like fleeces, sweaters and jackets and to get them out to your employees and clients – especially those based in warehouses and on the road. Not only does promotional clothing promote a ‘warm feeling’ towards a company but everytime they are used and seen they act as a silent salesperson, promoting your organisation and its corporate image. One question we have always when it comes to clothes is how do you put on our logo? Well the answer is that this is very much dependent upon the materials used. Generally we would always go for an embroidered logo and imprint onto cloth and fleece materials and such imprints are priced based on their size (WxH) for a set number of stiches per square cm (normally either 3,000 or 5,000). On man-made materials we would opt for a screen print. This can be long lasting dependent upon how the garments are cleaned and looked after. So, make the first thing you do next week, one that will be remembered all year – stock up on your promotional clothing.

As the new year approaches, many businesses and organisations will be attending conferences and exhibitions. The typical season runs from mid January to around late March for many the trade shows and events and recommences around September. This pattern follows most sales cycles. For conferences and exhibitions there are a number of promotional products that can be used to help develop a brand image. The more expensive the items, the more the chance that they will be used long after the event. At the Promotional Gifts Store our Occasions guide features promotional items for conferences and products for exhibitions. For a conference we would always recommend conference folders and perhaps if the budget allowed pack them with other promotional branded items like pens, paper pads, keyrings and at a push a branded flashdrive with conference presentation and notes on. At exhibitions giveaways for general visitors would off course include pens, bugs and other lower-cost items, with perhaps a more expensive item like a laptop bag – again packed with goody items – for higher value clients.

Sometimes you need a little nudge to help that new year’s resolution and what could be better than a marketing campaign that uses promotional golf items. Just how far you go though depends on your budget. The lowest-cost branded golf items include single golf balls and golf tees. These are more consumable items as you know that wooden tees break and golf balls do have a habit of disappearing. So with more of a budget you could consider golfing bags, club sets and even golf clothing. One thing we like to organise is themed events and if you are considering a golf tournament this year go the whole mile and make sure that every golf item is branded. When your golfing guests arrive present them with an introductory pack of scorecard holders, golf balls, and pitch markers. Make sure all the flag poles carry your company logo on their flags and set up competitions around the golf course with promotional golfing items as prizes that will be valued and kept for a long time after the event.