The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

With two male kids in our house - my son (5) and husband (42 going on 5) you can be sure that this Christmas is going to be dominated by Transformers. My two fellas went off to see this film during the summer holidays for some of that ’special male bonding’ time and have not stopped raving about it. In fact somehow I got notification from Amazon the other day that the film is on ‘confirmed order’ when it is released. I just hope that those two have got my Christmas gifts as organised.

Over the last three years Redbows has grown dramatically - we have got busier and busier, employing more staff with an ever more complex supply chain to manage. Now, my team want me to update my little old diamonte clam-shell phone to something called an iPhone. So I can be always in touch, on demand and have everything at my finger tips. Well I am no techno dummy but I just could not fathom what the fuss was all about till I went into my local O2 shop. Wow! When you see this gadget in the flesh and touch that screen you can see that it is an absolute winner. Sadly for me (and my team) the catch is that it is not a G3 phone and so therefore only really becomes powerful when you can connect to a wireless hotspot of which there are over 7000 in the UK - unfortunately there are very few where I live. So for now I am going to rely on my little clam phone. It does exactly what it says - it phones and when I do not want to talk it clams….well it gives me that little bit of strategic thinking time that all busy working mums, internet entrepreneurs and senior executives need from time to time.

I came across the MyBiggerPicture.com website the other day and have to take my hat off to these guys for coming up with a wonderful approach to personal gifts. They can take your image and apply it to a number of items in their range (small and large) to personalise them up. I really liked the idea of photos on deck chairs. At our summer BBQs this would help to save so much hassle over the family arguing over whose chair is whose. They have some cool items for pets as well but I am sure that our Coco would simply freak out if she saw her reflection coming back from a personalised dog bowl or grooming bag. Check out the website if you want something really unique for your family. If you are looking for photo frames for personalisation in any quantity we offer several alternatives.

Now you may be wondering if I am going to blog about the wonderful properties of carrots. Well hang fire. We have teamed up with a local baker this year who provides us with some wonderful promotional cakes and slices. So far we have supplied these to corporate customers who have used them to say ‘thank you’ to their staff but the options are infinite. Each one has a custom designed label (68×96mm) printed for the occasion and event. The baker provides us with quite a selection to choose from including: paradise, toffee, choc & nut brownies, muesli, choc fudge, almond, cherry bakewell, banana, krispy, ginger, apple, choc sweetie, lemon, coconut, banana and toffee, jame and cream, farmhouse and off course, my favourite - carrot cake. For anyone looking for something a little different for their clients and employees this coming party season then I can thoroughly recommend these mouth-watering gifts. 

How was your bonfire night? This is one of those dates that once get to it, you know that you are on the count down to Christmas. It is also one where the gifts associated are very time limited - being either explosive or edible. For our party, I do have to admit to sneaking in some moulded chocolates that I managed to get my hands on and rock sweets. They all went down really well with our neighbours, friends and family. Not unlike the penultimate firework that my husband tried to let off. He managed to get a large rocket to explode 3 feet above the ground rather than at its cruising height of 100, because of a lack of a launch tube. One day…

I love this time of year when we are in full swing helping companies deliver their promotional marketing plans for Christmas. Sometimes the volumes of gifts we distribute is so immense that occasionally it makes a real change to go off sourcing individual gadgets for clients. There are plenty of suppliers of these in the market place and the time of year allows you to take a more ’tongue in cheek’ approach (but be careful to ensure it does not backfire). This USB powered Homer Simpson over at Gadgets.co.uk caught my eye the other day as well as their desktop missile launchers and office helicopters. How much longevity do these gifts have ? Well some recent research identified that people tend to value and remember items that are useful within their working environment (they tend to keep them on or near their desks) or so personal and prized that they take them home.

Fun gadgets on the other hand may only be appropriate for those few festive days, a bit like a flashing tie or Father Christmas hat - you would wear one if you really had to but wonder just how your professional image will be enhanced. So my advice for a one off gift for Christmas is to opt for something special from a giftware and collectable supplier - for example a pair of fine cut crystal glasses or small Nao or Circles of Love figurines. Price wise they can work out the same as a motorised dinosaur but guess which one is remembered and on view 12 months down the line.