The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

Working on the house this weekend got me thinking about promo gifts opportunities outside of the normal day-to-day work. We’re renovating an old house and seeing my husband splattered in paint I wondered if there was any opportunity to provide him with some branded promotional clothing. I was working in the garden (enjoying the sunshine) and was really in need of some of the wonderful garden gifts we have on our gifts website. The plant markers and garden tool sets would have been ideal. I guess that when it comes to promotional gifts there really is no boundary. Promotional marketing opportunities exist everywhere and sometimes it just takes a bit of lateral thinking to select the right promo gifts for the campaign. For example promotional seed packets can be used for creative campaigns ‘sparking ideas, germinating ideas etc’ or simply to target socio-economic group in their leisure time. We have thousands of gifts on our promo gifts website, which can at times seem a little daunting. Sometimes though it just makes sense to plant an idea with one of our Promotional Gifts Consultants and let them guide you to a range of possible promo gifts for your campaign.

Watching the political debates last night I was pondering their use of promotional gifts throughout their campaigns. Off course they do not use many but wouldn’t it be fun if each of the political parties used something like promotional sweets? I was looking at their rosettes and wondering if they could make use of promotional lollies. You see promotional lollies come in a shapes and sizes, some as big as a politician’s rosette down to the traditional ball-shaped ones we used to have as kids – remember Kojak? What would really tie promotional lollies into their campaigns is that they could take an imprint of their party emblem and campaign message – either printed onto the lolly packaging or the lollies themselves as part of the design or embossing. Off course we do not expect any of the political parties to adopt this campaign idea but it does demonstrate how useful promotional lollies can actually be.

The other day I came across the term ‘brand snacks’. Off course to all intents and purposes this is what promotional gifts provide. A short burst of your brand to energise and maybe just get you wanting more. Take promotional pens, you generally pick them up to write with and consciously or unconsciously take note of the branding on them. The same can be said for other standard types of promotional gifts, like promotional mugs and mousemats for example. The important bit is that you have noticed the brand, recalled the contact details and found the products to be useful, reliable and readily available. Just the type of characteristics you want from a supplier off course, and especially a promotional gifts supplier like Redbows.

With the Football World Cup just a few months away, we have many promotional gifts ideas that could be just right for any World Cup related promotions you may be considering. We have a dedicated football gifts collection on our website featuring a number of football related promotional gifts including whistles, referee packs, fanfare horns, noise makers and even car flag holders. In addition to this from our Promotional Sweets Store clients can select football related chocolates, sweets and lollies. We are already working with several clients on World Cup related promotions. Not all are externally focused on customers. Some of our clients are also using the World Cup as an opportunity for a wider internal PR and team-building campaign. So if your’re looking for a different marketing angle this summer, think World Cup football promotional gifts.

The promotional gifts market is very competitive and it is possible to see many suppliers offering the same or similar products. Internet search engines and price comparators make it easy for clients to check out prices. So just how does a promotional gifts company differentiate itself and add value? Take a company like Redbows, its differentiation-based strategy is based on innovation and customer service. In terms of the latter, our mission is to provide the best possible customer service in the promotional products industry. This starts from the moment we ‘touch’ a potential client to looking after them through the quotation and ordering process, to final product delivery and after-sales follow-up. We have one of the highest client repeat ratios in the industry, simply because we look after our clients. In terms of innovation, we don’t just look to offer the latest products but also innovate in how we serve clients. This includes investments in our marketing, websites, Twitter and Facebook applications as well as internal process to the business itself. Every employee is involved in the customer service interface and acts as a customer service champion, in addition to being encourage to innovate. So no matter what promotional products (promotional mugs, pens and mousemats for example) you are looking for you can be assured that Redbows delivers ‘probably’ the best possible customer service in the promotional products industry.

We reckon that promotional pens, promotional mousemats and promotional mugs are the most popular promotional products available. What’s more prices are extremely competitive, especially when comparing competitors on the Internet. However, the recession has made some companies aggressive to the point of potential harassment. At Redbows we take a more relaxed approached – some of you may remember the Cadbury’s Caramel advert of the tortoise and the hare from many years ago. We are one of the more innovative professional marketers in the promotional products industry but our client base has been built by listening to clients, working with them and providing the best possible service. For us Redbows is about long term client relationship development and not about the quickest way to close the sale. Our mission is to provide outstanding customer service and the best value promotional products available.

The term ‘Promotional Gifts’ covers such a selection of promotional merchandise. When our Promotional Gifts Consultants are advising clients they always try to tie back the chosen merchandise to an original campaign brief. For example, suppose that you want to launch a new environmental awareness campaign and are considering ECO themed gifts. Off course you would automatically think about products made from recycled or reclaimed materials. You could widen your thinking to consider promotional gifts that have a ECO theme – such as plants, seeds and desktop gardens, or go even wider and look at promotional merchandise that conserves energy or generates its own such as wind up gadgets and solar powered promotional gifts. The point is to start with a simple positioning statement as to what you want to achieve and then take the time to ‘brainstorm’. Look for a range of suggestions from the conservative to the ‘whacky’, talk to a Promotional Gifts Consultant and get some ideas and then make your selection based on the best possible match to your brief. Selling promotional gifts is fun and sometimes the more creative our thought processes, the more innovative (and effective) the promotional gifts.

Spring time sunshine or showers? What’s the best outdoor promotional gift you can give? Some of our most popular promotional products at this time of year are promotional golf umbrellas. They offer fantastic imprint areas – a single panel, alternate panels or even every panel on the umbrella, and a very wide selection of panel colours. One of the best things we find about a promotional umbrella is that it is one of those items with a long promotional life. Most clients simply print promotional umbrellas with only their logo – contact and website details being more appropriate for other types of promotional merchandise like promotional pens. So when it comes to choosing a cost-effective gift for spring and summer time promotions – we recommend always promotional golf umbrellas.

Promotional pens are a firm favorite when it comes to promotional gifts. Most companies will now include printed pens as part of their marketing mix. Why? Well, they are so versatile a promotional gift because people still like to write. I know this sounds strange but somehow we cannot fully disengage from our inbuilt desire to write, even with all the electronic devices we have around us. Personalised pens are simply an everyday tool that we use, whether we are in the office, in the car or at home.

Promotional pens do vary in their price and they are a volume priced promotional product. However, the ranges and options available mean that there is generally a promotional pen to match any budget. The most common are plastic promotional pens which can be solid coloured or with a frosted effect – so that you can see their inside workings. Either can be appropriate for a promotional campaign.

Our first top tip is to visit a website that caters solely for printed pens – like the Promotional Pens Store. Here you will find a range of pens including the plastic ranges mentioned but also recycled pens – made from reclaimed materials, metal pens, wooden pens, executive pens and even express delivery pens. Then get creative, try to match a pen style and colour to your image. Choose a pen that you think your clients will like to use and then select a colour range that will compliment your logo. You then have to consider print locations which include the barrel and on some pens the pen clip itself. Barrel printing is the norm and it is possible to have multi-position prints as well as a 360 degree wraparound. Most clients will opt for a one or two colour imprint but full colour printing is also an option. Finally you do need to think about distribution. You may just want to use your promotional pens as exhibitions giveaways – if so a large container is fine but for other marketing communications programs you may be considering direct mail or individual pen pouches or containers. Before making your final selection, request a few samples to make sure you like the touch, feel and writing style as this can also vary when it comes to promotional pens.