The Redbows Promotional Gifts Blog

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.

Today is World Book Day and as I packed my son off to school dressed as Willy Wonka from the Chocolate Factory, complete with wig and glasses, I wondered how many schools are investing in bookmarks. We can sometimes take it for granted, but reading is one of the most important skills children learn at school and we have seen several invest in materials to help reward and incentivise this. Promotional Bookmarks and Promotional Bugs are just two of the low-cost promotional items that we supply from the Promotional Gifts Store and they make ideal handouts and giveaways for children. Branded with the school logo and/or details from their own communications programme, bookmarks and bugs can be fun and come in a range of colours, materials and a host of print options. They say its the taking part that counts but fingers crossed my son comes home with the ‘Golden Ticket’.

January is the traditional trade show season in promotional gifts. We’re off to the Trade Only show at the Ricoh Arena next week to talk with some new suppliers and catch up with old friends. Exhibitions like this are always great also for their seminars, talks and networking opportunities. What do promotional gifts companies give away themselves at exhibitions. Well we will have to keep you posted on that. Suffice it to say ice scrapers would probably go down a storm (pun intended) especially if we get more snow.

Having trouble keeping warm in the snow? One of our latest clients, just came on board with Redbows. Critical Power Supplies is a provider of uninterruptible power supplies and power protection systems. off course these are ‘all-weather’ power guys and so what’s best for them at this time of year – winter fleeces from our promotional clothing range. Branded with their logo, Critrical Power are using their fleeces to promote themselves and keep them warm. What’s more they went for the best – zipped pockets, mobile fine pockets, quality materials and waterproof lining. Another great gift for this time of year – ice scrapers and salt containers!

Now’s the time to stock up on your promotional gifts for 2010. Why? Well because its the new year and a great time to review your marketing programs for 2009 and prepare for the year ahead. Look out for some great promo offers and incentives for 2010 from Redbows. A new year, means a new start or the Omega to the Alpha in the series. Its a new decade and we’re ready to help you promote yourself with Redbows.

Well in January we roll the VAT forward to 17.5%, back to its pre recession levels. So now is a great time to get your orders in for new year stock of your favorite promotional gifts. For most business-to-business organisations the change will mean little off course but for organisations that cannot claim the VAT back they will effectively be looking at a 2.5% price increase. Its a shame but let’s hope that we do not see VAT rise to 20% in 2011.

Wow what a night we had last Friday. It was my absolute thrill and pleasure to be awarded the title ‘2009 Business Woman Of The Year for Denbighshire’ by Network She. An award like this is one for the whole team at Redbows. It is a great result for our company which has continued to develop its marketing and promotional activities during this most turbulent of years. We are already looking forward to 2010 but this award will be hard to beat. Click Promotional Gifts and the Network She Awards for more details.

So with Christmas almost upon us we are now reaching the last few days when it is possible to purchase promotional advent calendars. These have proven to a festive hit again because they tick all the right boxes for promotional gifts. You can almost guarantee that nearly everyone loves chocolate and promotional advent calendars arriving on your desk in late November or even early December are always going to generate a smile. More than that our advent calendars are off course personalised using your artwork and imprint. These types of promotional gifts are guaranteed to generate goodwill. If you miss the last production runs the next best thing are branded promotional chocolates and sweets. Off course we can supply these almost up to within a few days of Christmas and they come with personalised belly bands or tags.