The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

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.

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.

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…

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.

Sheilas Wheels is probably one of the best female targeted marketing campaigns within recent years. It has all the elements of a classic promotion in being fun, focused and with a catchy little tune. Now the photo is not one of me and my Promotional Gifts Consultants team out for a jolly down the coast but it does raise to mind a factor that you should consider for any promotion – gender. Just think about corporate clothing for a second. Fleeces, t-shirts and pullovers come in a whole range of sizes, shapes, colours and patterns to suit men and women. Whatever your marketing objectives, ‘think Sheila, think Fella’ to make sure your promotion is an immediate and long term success.

Some clients are surprised to learn that we can get most of our paper products in recycled form. Sticky Notes are just one of these popular items. We have clients that can prove just how ’sticky’ these types of gifts are. Not only do sticky notes get valuable desk space for your brand but they become almost addictive because they are so very useful. We see clients repeat order these products because they are such an effective marketing tool. Sure there is sometimes a premium for recycled products but in this case we think the extra effect of ‘green’ credentials is worth the price.

We were expanding our IT network this week and had a very late night at the office. Around 11:00pm one of the sales lines rang with a call from an Australian-baed advertising agency. They had come across the kites in our Fun Collection (or to be precise our selection of ‘The Smallest Kites In The World’ and yes they actually do fly).

The call really brought home to me something you just don’t get from studying webstats and Google Analytics – we are dealing with real people, solving real needs, on a 24/7 global basis. Two colour print Logo Kites in Sydney within 3 weeks – no problem.

I was reviewing our Executive Gifts the other day and realised that we have over 300 weather stations and clocks on the Promotional Gifts Store. This got me thinking about a subject we have been reviewing here at Redbows – our digital dashboard and what we need to monitor on a daily basis. I can draw a simple analogy here to explain my personal point of view. The stats driven IT guys want us to run our business based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In contrast I like to talk to my team, suppliers and clients and collect more qualitative data. Yes, I can put a weather station on my desk but occasionally it is nice to open the window, feel the wind on my face and see what is actually happening. So, my conclusion is that we need both. The digital dashboard for a quick snap-shot review and the more informal approach when we have more time – something we need more of as well.

This week on the Promotional Gifts Store we have been working on our ranges of Executive and Corporate Gifts. So, what makes an executive gift? Well we like to think that they are more of a premium item. Gifts that are individually packed and given, with a more personal feel, even though they may be produced in volume. Executive gadgets are a definite favourite and as their pricing is often linked to the dollar, prices have fallen over the last two years. They are well worth a look for a campaign aimed at executives and senior managers.

Some time ago, I was showing a colleague from the promotions industry our new Promotional Gifts Store and we got to discussing the role of the humble promotional mouse. These were once one of the most popular desktop gadgets. Somehow they have been overlooked in recent years, despite several innovations and a dramatic fall in overall unit cost. Walk into any office environment and you will find computer mice, often constantly on view and in use. These gadgets offer a number of benefits: they are a practical gadget with a good sized imprint area, and generally have a very good working life, often several years. Now for the Chinese 2008 is the year of the Mouse and we hope that for more clients it will be the year of the Promotional Mouse.