The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

I think everyone in the world knows the Olympic Games start today in China but how many people have made the connection with the date – 08th of August (08) 2008 (08)? To the Chinese certain numbers are auspicious – see this Wikipedia entry for more of an insight into the Chinese view on the numbers 1-9 – and it should come as no surprise that the games start on such a date. However, numbers and their significance do vary across the world and their role does help to demonstrate the way cultures, values and beliefs should play a part in the decision making process when it comes to choosing promotional products and campaign messages. We can no longer think mass market but must work on the niche segments. I firmly believe that this very approach will help to solve some of the under lying political and cultural problems that exist.

I was at a breakfast meeting this week where the subject of child labour came up and especially in relation to the promotional clothing side of our industry. We all seem to forget that if we can buy a pair of jeans from a food retailer for £10 that someone, somewhere has produced these for a tiny fraction of this cost. I read a book recently about how many people in the world live on $1 a day and the forces that not only drive this but keep people at this level of subsistence. When presented with a ‘bargain’ we really do need to question such items from an ethical and fair-trade point of view. Many of the world’s leading retailers and brands do actively work to help enhance the living standards and working environments of their suppliers. Collectively we can all help by being prepared to pay that little bit more.

Well the Promotional Gifts Consultants at Redbows took the night off last Sunday to go and see one of their all-time music favourites – Alvin Stardust. I am pleased to report that we had a great time and the man himself was fantastic. He even came into the foyer after the show to sign autographs and meet the fans who had come along. I bought the new album and had it on in the kitchen the other day – my littlest one (6) said the sound was cool and asked if that was Elvis – the British version I said, and smiled.

So now the BOGOF (“Buy one get one free”) is getting a bad press and coming under attack from the UK Government as part of a crackdown on food waste. The ISP reviews this latest ‘initiative’ and presents a balanced approach from both sides. There is no doubt that we have to reduce our overall waste but within retail there is no such thing as a level playing field – retailers will and have to use any promotional means to differentiate their offering and retain/attract customers. The same has to be said of any organisation today and a strategic use of promotional gifts falls very much into this category. Gifts can be used to reward clients, as campaign incentives and to create brand awareness. At Redbows we just try to make sure that this is done as efficiently and effectively as possible, and within your budget.

Well the boy done good. I’ve no idea if Sir Alan Sugar knows what great family viewing The Apprentice is. My whole family is gripped every series. None of my kids will even contemplate going to be bed (even the 6 year old) till they seen Sir Alan putting the apprentices through their paces. This week we had a split in our house with myself and eldest daughter voting for Claire, my two youngest for Lee, and my husband sitting somewhere in between! Well roll on the next series. There is simply no better way to unwind after a hectic day in the promotional gifts industry. You know what I mean…

The Royal Mail has announced that 94% of online shoppers are more likely to purchase from an internet retailer if they are happy with the delivery of their goods. Their checklist includes several good pointers including specifying your delivery promise on your homepage, making delivery charges transparent, advising customers when they can expect delivery, offering a range of delivery options and confirming details by email. Are we seeing the end of the days when the websites offered the earth but failed to deliver very little? I am not so sure and would expect that most people need to add their own further checks. I am always a little dubious of websites that use a trading name for their website operation rather than a Ltd or Plc company. If in any doubt, check out their ‘bricks and mortar’ operation with a quick telephone call before parting with your money.

Well my other half made it back from the Portuguese Moto GP this week and boy did it look as though he had fun. Packed with corporate merchandise and giveaways from the stalls outside the ground he walked into our office proudly waring his latest fleece. Later in the week panic set in as he noticed that the top of his ears had started to turn black and peal. He stated categorically that had he fallen when drunk there would have been far more damage. He thought the worse and we decided to let him sweat a little till we pointed out (in a giggle) that his other ear was also pealing – this modern day marvel had sunburn! Shame…Now the winner of this race was a new rookie Jorge Lorenzo and he certainly looked like someone worth watching.

They say that if you are not in Google, you do not exist. I reckon Wikipedia is approaching a similar stage when it comes to describing, well almost anything – take the current hot topic ‘Credit Crunch‘. This phrase needs to come with a health warning. If you lend money to people with a limited ability to pay it back, gamble on interest rates and disposable incomes, and make it your main revenue earner then you are sure to have created a business that is too sensitive to economic swings. The world is changing fast and the internet and our demand for data is driving it. Economic growth in the UK for 2008 may only be forecast at 1% by Ernst & Young, but this is an average with both lows and highs at opposite ends of a Bell Curve distribution. The UK promotions industry continues to expand – rapidly. A slower economic growth rate is actually useful. It forces organisations to step back and realign their strategies to the environment they find themselves in – or should do. At Redbows we are seeing clients focusing their spends on more measurable promotional activities – they are increasing their direct mail and sales promotions budgets. Promotional gifts are also being used as part of wider PR and advertising campaigns to help improve call-to-action response rates and drive prospects towards tailored-landing pages – all easily measurable activities. So, we need to appraise what is happening in our industries, keep scanning the horizon for changes but perhaps relax a little and question whether we really do always need to catch a cold if America sneezes.

My IT guys started to install a Dell PowerEdge 1900 server on our network today. This latest piece of hardware is part of an on going strategy designed to take us towards single-source data storage. Redbows now has over 5,000 products on its Promotional Gifts Store, with access to several thousand more. The new server will be used to store images and price data, pdfs and specifications, providing our Gifts Consultants with the ability to generate Virtual Visuals and self-serve data to clients. There have been some interesting aspects to this project. Aside from the construction of a new server room, I was intrigued by the artistry of the packing materials used to protect the server in transit, and Dell’s ordering and tracking process.

This year is going to be the year of the Green Gift, or ECO Gift or to give it a full title the Environmentally Friendly Gift. We are not the only industry being forced to move with the times and take a more responsible approach to our planet.

The other day I picked up a copy of The Big Issue and read with interest an article on Green Weddings. Research on the internet brought up some interesting websites for people who want to move away from the consumerist White Wedding to one with an ECO nature. Green Weddings is one of the first serving this new emerging segment and I am sure that we will see more of these types of websites offering all sorts of advice. What I did notice was a general theme of involving family members and guests in preparing for the weddings. I whole heartedly support anything that brings the family together back to what were once called ‘traditional values’ and a ‘family focus’.