The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

We live in a world that wants environmentally friendly ECO gifts but is there a price premium for such promotional products? A couple of years ago when ECO products were just emerging as a promotional merchandise alternative, ECO gifts did carry a price premium. However the pricing of all promotional items no matter whether it is a promotional pen made from recycled plastics or corn maize, is volume related. No only have the volumes of this type of promotional product increased but the manufacturing processes have become more efficient enabling lower manufacturing process costs. The real question therefore is not just is there a price premium but which ECO gifts are the most environmentally friendly? To answer this you need to look at the materials used in their manufacture, how they are reclaimed and perhaps also start to question the carbon footprints generated to bring them to market. For example, take promotional coasters using recycled plastics or reclaimed rubber tyres, where are they actually made? If UK sourced for a UK gifts supplier then they could be more ECO friendly than those shipped in half-way round the world from China. However, even with shipping costs the Chinese alternatives could be cheaper due to their lower manufacturing and labour costs. So when it comes to such ECO promotional products you have to balance price against the true ECO nature of the material reclaiming, manufacturing and shipping processes.

Well 2009 is finally here and as I write my first blog entry for the new year I am reflecting on a wonderful Christmas and the gifts we shared and received around our family and friends. The central theme to any gift giving is – it’s the thought that counts. With an interesting year ahead for the UK economy we all need to be getting the maximum return on investment from our promotional marketing and we all know that behind any great campaign or event lies clear objectives, a consistent strategy and well thought out tactics. We actually predict that the market for promotional products will continue to expand in 2009 because businesses need to become more dynamic, strategic and tactical. Promotional items remain one of the clearest marketing tools when it comes to developing new business, building brand loyalty and rewarding clients. Will there be a shift in purchasing patterns? We think not. Firm favourites are somehow now engrained within the world of corporate gifts and business gifts and you can expect to see a flourish of new pens, mugs, mousemats and other favourites appearing in your offices through out the year. Perhaps this year though they may be ‘greener’ as gift ranges expand to encompass environmentally friendly products.

Action man has just warned me that he is coming down with a serious case of ‘man-flu’ – that’s my other half for those not familiar with my blog. So as he walked in the door I gave hime some handy heat pack promotional gifts to keep him happy this weekend. Seriously, heat packs are a great ideas for winter promotions and come in all sorts of shapes and colours. We can even supply them as keyrings. They are novel and fully reuseable -simply drop into boiling water to reenergise them.

If you ever get a chance to hear Michelle Mone speak – grab it. The woman is an inspiration to anyone. I had the chance to hear Michelle as an after dinner speaker at Ruthin Castle in North Wales last week. Michelle is the founder of MJM International and inventor of the Ultimo Bra. As well as being a brilliant entrepreneur, Michelle is one of the most gifted and real people you could ever meet. Her story (so far to the age of 36) is an inspiration. If she ever writes her autobiography it will be a best seller – guaranteed. Who else could think about using actors dressed as plastic surgeons to boycott their own product launch at Selfridges. She is a master of promotion – both for her business and herself and  uses these skills to support others through The Princes Trust. A true gem and wonder in this world.

The Institute of Sales Promotions has just announced calls for entries to its 2009 awards. This made me think about how important sales and promotions are to the success of any organisation and why demand for promotional items continue to grow. We simply live in a far more competitive world with demands on our resources and time that are second to none. The real heroes of our generation are therefore what Coca-Cola used to call the Drummers – the guys and girls who every day go out on the road and drum up the business. But how effective would they be without a finely honed promotion that creates the environment for a sale to take place, or the carefully chosen promotional items that they can use as handouts and giveaways? Food for thought indeed.

How do you save costs when it comes to promotional gifts? The easiest way without sacrificing quality is to examine your imprint closely. The higher the number of colours used, the higher the print costs. The lowest cost print method is screen printing and this is the norm used for the majority of printed promotional products. With screen printing, each colour is applied separately. The higher the number of colours, the higher the number of origination charges (and processes) required to apply the colours. So look closely at your logo and see if it can be reproduced as a single colour. Most Artwork Design Studios will be able to generate a positive or negative version of your logo (using a single colour) and this will give the most-economic print pricing for your promotional gifts.

You know the count down to Christmas is upon us when Google searches for Promotional Advent Calendars and Promotional Xmas Chocolates increase. Advents Calendars are a wonderful gift for the holiday festivities and can create a great deal of goodwill in the lead up to them. What most people do not realise is the print process itself. Most calendars are produced on large print runs using complex machinery that is capable of changing the imprint during the run. This maximises print volumes and gets clients the lowest possible unit costs. So, when thinking about whether to order your Advent Calendars remember to find out the last print run date. For most suppliers this can be very early in November. Remember to also think about whether you are going to hand-deliver them or send them out by post. Advent Calendars can be part or fully personalised, as can their packing and post cartons. Most suppliers have a range of standard designs you can call on and for a small sum a Design Studio or Creative Agency should be able to provide you with a fully customised design.

Would a ban on promotions limit alcohol sales? This is a hard one to answer. The Institute of Sales Promotions just reported a survey completed in Scotland by Asda. The result was that removing or limiting promotions would not lower alcohol consumption. With Christmas rapidly approaching we have added personalised wines, beers and spirits to the Promotional Gifts Store but as a holding page to say we offer them, ‘let us send you more information’.  I guess this is our responsive approach and one that is more appealing in many ways to limiting promotions. We offer them, can provide them but you have to ask. Perhaps if we made alcohol less readily available in this country, controlled its consumption better and made retails, waiters and bar tenders more responsible for their actions in the sales process we would start to change our culture. In Italy if you are caught driving whilst drunk your car is crushed and the proceeds go to the State. In the US a bar tender can be prosecuted for selling you your last drink and the age for alcohol consumption is higher. And off course in France, wine is something introduced to young adults as part of the social process at dinner tables. Somehow we have to move from a nation of warm beer drinkers and I do not think we will get there by simply removing ‘BOGOFs’- buy one get one free and other promotions from alcoholic drinks.

Have you started to wonder what you are going to do this year for promotional christmas cards? Well the Promotional Gifts Store can sort out all your Xmas card problems with its latest greetings card collection. The website provides detailed instructions on their selection and offers a range of image collections to choose from which can be downloaded as pdf files and viewed at your leisure. Off course to meet today’s client demands we offer both standard and environmentally friendly (ECO) materials as well as a number of different print options. My favourites are the personal ones that can have your name or details printed within the image using some advanced photo and printing techniques. I am sue these are going to be a winner this Christmas.

Well we are now believe it or not over half way through the year and it is almost time to start thinking about calendars and diaries for 2009. It is quite surprising how commonly used a desk diary is now considering that almost everyone drives Outlook these days on their desktop PC and PDAs. Calendars have always been a firm favourite in the promotional gifts field thanks to their guaranteed place on a wall or desk right within the ‘client space’ – 365 days a year. We have a very wide range on the Promotional Gifts Store and can supply a host of options include packaging and bespoke designs. Glamour calendars still make up a large percentage of those sold but you can still expect to see a wide range of traditional types.