Boo Boo the Bear Boosts Awareness

When children become ill or injured, one of the first things they reach for while they're on the mend is a favorite stuffed animal. Leaders at The Canadian Association for Wound Care (CAWC) decided to capitalize on patients' need for comfort toys, and together with their distributor partner, designed a custom teddy bear mascot named Boo Boo to raise awareness of the organization's mission and elements of the core brand: caregiving, comfort and security.

The main undertaking of CAWC, a nonprofit organization of health-care professionals, researchers, corporate supporters, patients and caregivers, is to advance wound care in Canada. "The teddy bears were created to aid in CAWC's efforts to improve the health of Canadians living with wounds or at high risk of preventable wounds," says a company spokesperson. The plush mascot featured a paw in a sling and a leg in a cast with a CAWC logo and a matching red ribbon.

The initial target audience was young children and the elderly, both prone to injury, and over 1,000 bears were given to patients and attendees at trade shows and conferences. Because of Boo Boo's popularity, he was eventually used to enhance professional education, support investments in wound management, inform and educate the public and empower patients to speak effectively about the importance of wound prevention and care. Plans are also in the works for distribution at the retail level, and they are currently for sale at CAWC gift shops.

According to a distributor spokesperson, it's important not to limit what one product can do to increase brand awareness for your company. "Boo Boo expanded from what he was made for originally, which was as a distribution item for wounded patients," she explains. "He became an ambassador for education and investment in CAWC."

Branding on a shoestring

 

Every business has a brand that it needs to promote and protect. But while big companies may spend a fortune on their name and image, small firms can create their own powerful brand on a very small budget, as David Gent reveals

Small firms have to give branding as much thought as big firms because SMEs are competing against other businesses that use branding effectively. What's more, the principles of branding are the same whether you are an SME or a large corporation. But getting the right branding needn't have to mean a huge outlay.

What makes a brand?

A brand is far more than just a name and an identity. It's about reputation and you must live up to the promise of your brand - your image has to be backed up by the actuality.
Choosing the right name and developing a good visual signature is vital, however. The brand should convey what is special about you. One way to do this is to have some kind of tagline. This should not be one of those bland mission statements that many companies adopted in the 1990s. It should be something that conveys your USP - whether that's your quality or simply the fact that you are handy, around the corner.
You can't keep chopping and changing your identity but if you're not happy with your brand, you should change it. It can be good to fine-tune your visual identity over the years. Take brands like Mars and Polo - they've been refined many times, but they are still familiar as they've never been radically altered. That said, sometimes it is good to significantly change your branding. It can provide good PR opportunities and help customers to see you in a new light.

Creating a brand identity

For small firms with limited budgets, the good news is that it has become easier and cheaper to create a brand identity than ever before. You used to have vast manuals to show how to use logos and so on but it's a simpler proposition these day. Now with jpegs and pdfs, you can create and send visuals electronically and it's easier to get consistency across everything from stationary to signage and vehicle livery.

Your brand asset

A good brand should be an asset and something that is hard to copy. Because of desktop publishing, a lot of small firms simply choose a typeface and put it in italics. But you don't have to spend a lot to get a tailor-made identity.
It's worth using a designer to create your identity. It doesn't have to cost a lot and you'll come away with an asset, something that is totally individual and hard to copy.
When you are choosing your name or logo, it can be unwise to consult too widely. You're never going to find something that everyone agrees on and the danger is that you pick the one that is least offensive. It's better if one person takes control.

Brand consistency

Managing your branding is vital and you have to make sure everything is consistent, from typography to colour. Even simple signs and price labels in a store must have a consistent style. I've seen retailers, for instance, who use their branding in lots of different ways, changing fonts and colours.
This is not a good idea. You have to think about and plan for every branding eventuality. You don't necessarily want your staff using dayglo paper and felt-tip pens to advertise special offers in your store, for example, or interior signing that departs from the brand style.
You also need to reproduce your company colours consistently wherever they appear, whether on paperwork, in your shop window or on your van. The more exotic the shade, the more difficult it can be to reproduce, so when it comes to colour it can be best to choose classic shades.
-From-Marketingdonut.co.uk

CLEAN SWEEP IN LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

As the exclusive laundry products sponsor of Little League Baseball, Sun Products Corp.'s All and Snuggle brands sought to deliver the message, "Strike out Stains" at the 2013 Little League World Series, held in Williamsport, PA, in August. The series draws about 400,000 people each summer.
            
The two brands hosted a Fan Fun Zone, a booth where players and their families could play games, win prizes and help raise money for the Little League Challenger division, which enables boys and girls with physical and mental challenges to participate in the sport. Snuggle Bear, the Snuggle brand mascot, also made guest appearances in the booth.

Sun Product's distributor partner came up with creative promotional product ideas to help drive the brands' message home. They suggested branded laundry bags to promote the laundry products' sponsorship. This was the first year of a multi-year sponsorship for All and Snuggle for the series.
The idea proved to be a home run. The 1,000 branded bags were used to transport all the dirty uniforms of the players, coaches and referees in the World Series, which were laundered daily and returned to the players at their hotels in an eye-catching branded vehicle.

In addition to the bags that carried the teams' clothing, laundry bags were also awarded to winners of games in the Fan Fun Zone. In one game, participants tossed balls of socks into a Strike Out Stains washing machine and, depending how many socks hit the mark, they received either prizes or coupons.

In another version of the game, the makers of All and Snuggle donated $5 for each sock that landed in the washer, raising a total of $5,000 for the Little League Challenger Division. Another game included a ball toss into the laundry bags.

All and Snuggle posted images of the Fan Fun Zone and the Little League World Series on their Facebook pages and tweeted images using #SOSLaundry. In addition, Snuggle gave each of the players in the World Series mini stuffed Snuggle bears.

SERVICE STATION BOOSTS LOYALTY WITH PROMO COINS

        Purr-Fect Auto Services, a gas/service station, is based in an area of Massachusetts with lots of competition for both sides of the business. However, owner Richard Cardano has found that he can keep his customers coming back with great service by giving them a token of his appreciation.

For every $100 that a customer spends in the service bay, they receive a logoed coin worth a 50-cent-per-gallon discount on their next fill-up at the gas station. Roughly seven customers each week receive two to four coins. "It's not unusual for me to pass out 10 or more coins to a single customer," says Cardano.
Customers like the idea – and the savings – as they continue to return for their regular fill-ups. "It gives them a reason to come here rather than a station down the street where gas might be five cents a gallon cheaper," says Cardano. Customers using the coins often fill their tanks – roughly a $40 gas purchase – rather than merely topping off.

Cardano worked with his distributor partner for the best promo item. "After a few exchanges of design ideas, we found the coin design that would work best – and has worked best – for our business," says Cardano, who purchased 1,000 coins. "When we started the program, we got a couple hundred coins out of the box and started giving them to customers," he says. "Since then, the customers – and the coins – keep coming back, so we have not had to get any more from the box in the office."

Those in the auto-service industry, gas stations, quick lubes, car washes, convenience stores and other related venues would benefit by extending a "token of appreciation" to customers – and a reason for them to return in the future. Contact your distributor partner for great ideas and the perfect products to promote your business.

Promo Items Add Buzz to Conference

When Inner Circle Labs hired Kennedy Events Circle to manage its first social discovery conference, Glimpse 2012, the event management company faced the daunting task of taking a standard hotel conference room and infusing it with a vibrant spirit to match that of its entrepreneurial and forward-thinking audience.
                  
"The audience was a ‘who's who' of the media and technology communities," says Kennedy Events' partner Paige Buck. Companies and products in the social discovery space seek to connect people with new places, people and products based on their social interactions and interests. 
                 
"The Glimpse stage is meant to bring to life conversations that would happen over drinks – casual, unique, unrehearsed and valuable," according to the Glimpse conference website. Glimpse 2012 covered a wide array of subjects, including social discovery in lifestyle and entertainment, dating, and building of new social discovery products.

The conference brought together company founders, executives and industry experts at the forefront of creating new technologies for social networking and mobile apps. The speakers and panel discussions revolved around "anything and everything online," says Buck. "Speeches and panel discussions were insightful, making for an engaging conference."

The result was a one-day event that generated a huge social media buzz. "Glimpse trended nationally on Twitter, among top national headlines," says Buck.

Despite the digital focus, many of the companies that presented turned to promotional products to help convey or reinforce their brand message to the approximately 250 people who attended. Attendees received a conference cross-body bag which contained the Glimpse logo on one side, and the San Francisco cityscape silkscreened in red on the other. "The bag was just a simple, canvas tote, gender-neutral and useful," says Buck, adding, "I use it all the time." One conference attendee said people came up to him on the street to ask where he got the bag and what the event was, notes Buck.

Other top sponsors at the conference offered clever giveaways. "Sometimes it wasn't just the items themselves, but their placement," says Buck. MeetMe, a social platform, collaborated with the conference venue to have branded MeetMe coffee mugs stacked by the coffee machine all day, and to wash and return the clean mugs to attendees' place settings so they could reuse them and take them home. The stacks of mugs repeated the MeetMe logo over and over, reinforcing the brand name.

TripIt, a social and mobile app for keeping travel plans together and accessible, gave branded passport holders to conference guests who visited their booth. And Waze, a traffic and navigation app, gave attendees a branded iPhone stand that mounts to the car window a safe, visible distance from the driver, so the phone can function as a GPS device. Schemer, a Google spinoff that helps users share and discover things to do (like exploring a new city), offered cookies glazed with the Schemer logo at the dessert table.

Attendees were encouraged to pose in front of a "step and repeat" backdrop bearing the conference and sponsors' logos. "At the end of the day, after cocktails, people grouped together and took fun photos, which resulted in great images of people connected with the brand, and great publicity for the conference," says Buck.

As people posted their photos to their own networking sites, the images showed people who hadn't been there what they missed. "Also, creating inexpensive vinyl wall decals with the client's logo is a great way to make your mark on an event space without busting the budget," Buck adds.
Promotional products added to the buzz and energy of the conference, says Buck, adding, "The sponsors at this conference hit the nail on the head in their selection of promotional items."

Logoed Caps General Dollars & Support For Non Profits

KPMG, an audit, tax and advisory services firm, worked with their ad specialty distributor to develop a brand-boosting marketing campaign. Together, they created a tagline – “The Right Team” – and recognized that it was a natural segue to a sports marketing effort.

They decided to link it with golf to create impact and brand awareness through the game. Through the collaboration, they produced a navy blue imprinted cap and established a website at www.golf-kpmg.com. A charitable aspect with a link to their Family for Literacy program (KFFL) was also added. They connected the marketing effort with both KFFL and First Book, a nonprofit that supports childhood literacy through book donations, and named it Blue for Books.

As the program developed, pro golfer Phil Mickelson lent his support to the effort and began to wear the hat, which was dubbed "Phil's Blue Hat" at tournaments and media events. It quickly became a popular item among fans.

Now, for every piece sold, Blue for Books donates three brand-new books to kids in need. In the past two years, they've sold over 10,000 hats and donated 30,000 books. KPMG has also signed golfer Stacy Lewis, who wears her own cap style that's now for sale on the website.

Why Promotional Products Still Matter

From:  Huffington Post - Elle-Rose Williams

Marketing has become an incredibly clever form of publicity - after all, it seems that no matter where we turn, there is advertising of some sort or another. Whether it be television adverts, bus ads, magazine adverts, online banners, social media and sponsored ad, it seems to be never ending.
And yet more traditional forms of advertising, such as Promotional Products - are still going strong. Whilst many people may have assumed that this form of advertising and marketing was dead in the water - the opposite is, in fact, true as promotional products are still an incredibly powerful marketing tool.

What is the point of releasing Promotional Products?
Promotional products allow people to see your brand, associate your brand and recognise your brand. All these things are important as the more people who become aware of your brand - the better results you will see in business and sales.

What items should I use for Promotional Products?

Well, a lot of the time it depends what your business actually is and what your budget is too. Both these things are likely to influence the type of promotional product you opt for. In general though, most companies tend to opt for things such as:
- Stationary: notepads, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers
- Bags: could include purses
- Business items: business card holder, address book, laptop sleeve
- Desk Accessories: Mugs, Glass, Calendars
- Clothing: T-shirts, caps, hats, socks, gloves, sweat bands
Whilst these are the most common items - you really can be inventive with this. In fact, it is often the more inventive choices for promotional products that are the most successful.

Remember your niche

Keep in mind the niche you're hoping to target though too. For example; t-shirts, caps and sweatbands are often great if you're a fitness brand or a gym. Desk supplies and stationary usually work better if you're targeting businesses or corporate niches. Try not to make the item "over branded" too - a product that is subtle and will actively be used will be much more effective.

When can I distribute them?

This depends on you. Perhaps you're looking to catch the eye of a potential client or customer? In which case - sending them a free gift (in the form of a promotional product) is a great idea, as they're more likely to pay attention to your business and brand if you've made the effort to send them something. Another occasion you could distribute them is during a trade show, an open day, or just out in public? You'd be surprised at how much attention "free stuff" will earn you and how people's curiosity will be roused. Have people form a queue around your distributors and watch the curiosity build, and your brand's reputation too with these tradeshow giveaways.

Is it easy to implement?

There are many outlets out there that stock and personalise cheap products that you can then distribute as promotional products. A great idea for small businesses (with small budgets) is to trial a few items first - this way you see which are most successful and which get the best return on investment.

When executed properly a promotional product marketing strategy can be hugely successful and very rewarding, both for sales and revenue, and the brand's awareness and reputation. So don't rush into it, consider your option and find the perfect product.

RAISING AWARENESS WITH THUMB SOCKS

 Dosomething.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to causes that affect young people across the nation. Among these issues is texting and driving: a fatal habit that led to 1.3 million crashes in 2011 alone.

Dosomething.org recognized a need for enhanced youth awareness and developed a campaign – a call to action for its members to address the problem of texting and driving. “We were thinking: How do you stop people from texting? Well, you use your thumbs,” says Naomi Hirabayashi, chief marketing officer at Dosomething.org. “Then the idea came: thumb socks. We realized they could be a lot of fun and were also really visual, so they would serve an awareness purpose.”

The socks function as a reminder of the dangers of texting while driving. “We’re giving young people the tools to start a conversation around safe driving with their friends in a fun and unique way,” says Hirabayashi.

Dubbed “Thumb Wars,” the idea behind the campaign was simple: Give away “thumb socks” to interested participants and encourage them to share their photos. The socks are given to young people, ages 13-25, who sign up to participate in the campaign through the nonprofit's website. Participants who share their photos are entered into a drawing for the chance to qualify for a college scholarship.

So far, the campaign has received an unexpectedly large public response. Last year, over 223,000 people participated in “Thumb Wars,” and over 127,000 pairs of socks were given away. The success of the Thumb Wars campaign is largely due to the simplicity of the giveaway. “It makes the story clear, simple and impactful,” says Hirabayashi. “Make sure you’re offering something of clear value to your target market.”

Umbrellas Might Just Be The Right Promo Item

A&A Specialty had one of it's corporate clients have their yearly agent's conference in Seattle, WA and asked what might be a good item for their overseas and local agents.  We suggested, well it is Seattle known for it's rain and guess what they'll continue to use a good umbrella when they leave the conference.  It rained.  Good timing and good choice.








Umbrellas Reign at Cannes Film Festival
 The stars were out, despite a torrential downpour, at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The Great Gatsby opened the festival, and all eyes were on Leonardo Di Caprio, Carey Mulligan and the rest of the cast as they navigated the rain-soaked red carpet in tuxedos and evening gowns. But as luck would have it, the real stars of the evening proved to be the logoed umbrellas that each of the cast members carried to protect their designer clothing.
             
The humble umbrella typically is a low-profile accessory. But at Cannes, it took center stage, appearing in every picture the paparazzi took of Hollywood’s most glamorous and beautiful matinee idols. The Great Gatsby umbrellas carried by the film’s stars were provided by an international promotional products distributor, who works with communication agencies all over the world. Typically the agency orders promotional products as part of a full marketing package for the movie companies.

Though umbrellas typically don’t play a leading role in a brand’s marketing budget, all bets were off when the Gatsby umbrellas ended up in the hands of the film’s leading man.

“When someone like Leonardo Di Caprio touches a promotional product, it turns into gold at once because the item will be seen on TV and in many magazines,” a distributor spokesperson said. And indeed, nearly every photo of every star that walked the red carpet at Cannes features celebrities carrying large black umbrellas with their branded logo prominently displayed.

As for the umbrellas, one word of caution: Carey Mulligan reportedly got hit on the head by one of the umbrellas as she got out of her car – although that also got press coverage and was recorded by TV cameras, garnering additional attention for the umbrellas.

Wristbands Improve Fan Experience

The Dallas Mavericks scored big when they partnered with Big PlayAR to offer Mavs fans a new augmented reality (AR) experience on 11 collectible player slap bands.
       
"In 2011, the year we won the NBA championship, we tied in with Big PlayAR and introduced AR on the front side of our playoff tickets (all four rounds)," says Gina Calvert, corporate communications/community relations director for the Dallas Mavericks. "It was a big success, and fans enjoyed the interactive game tied into their game day ticket. We decided to use it in a collector series of slap bands."

Each Mavs AR slap band was designed with a different Mavs player and was handed out at select home games. All told, the Mavericks gave away 40,000 slap bands to the first 5,000 fans at eight home games. "The Mavs ‘Tip-Off' program has staying power because fans are competing throughout the season," says John Robison, CEO of Big PlayAR.

Fans could download the Mavs Tip-Off app and use a smartphone or tablet device to scan the logo located on the front of the slap band. This allowed fans to watch interviews, highlights and previews of the player on their particular slap band. Fans were also able to compete in virtual games with others wearing the slap band to win prizes including home game tickets and autographed player jerseys.

Interested in items that you can use with smartphone apps and other mobile marketing efforts?

NO REQUEST TOO LOONEY

              The State University of New York's (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) had its work cut out when it took ownership of the Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC), an outdoor science and educational center, two years ago. "The AIC had no budget or staff. We had to incorporate it into our own educational outreach, using existing budget," says Paul Hai, program coordinator at ESF's Newcomb campus, where AIC is located. He knew some sort of creative fundraising was needed to support this newest addition to SUNY's environmental education and outreach efforts.
             
"I wanted to do something different and creative," says Hai. He came up with the idea of a duck race, given the facility's location on a stretch of Rich Lake, which formed a natural racecourse. Two bridges comprised a perfect start and finish line for the race, which would also help commemorate the Adirondacks' history of spring log drives on the lake, which took place annually in the early 1800s to mid-1900s.

Rather than using typical rubber ducks, Hai wanted to float rubber loons, aquatic birds that are a beloved symbol of the Adirondacks. Also, he wanted the loons to be USA-made to further connect the event to the local environment. "Many people come to the Adirondacks just to see the loons," Hai says. He never expected that it would be so difficult to find rubber versions. He was finally able to locate a promotional products company that could supply him with custom-made ducks.

The company delivered 1,000 rubber loons in time for the AIC's maiden "Loon Drive," held last year on Memorial Day. The AIC's second loon drive kicked off summer again this past Memorial Day. "We were extremely happy with the finished product," Hai says. "The loons helped us garner attention as a unique entity and helped to highlight that the AIC has a special mission of education and research. We are a nature center, tied to the local environment, and the loons fit in nicely and added to the uniqueness of the race."

STARTUP GETS THE PARTY STARTED-A CASE STUDY

SpareFoot brought the crowd to its feet at its "Spare Beats" dance party, held in Austin last year at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW), an annual event widely considered to be the ultimate breeding ground for new music, independent films and emerging technologies. SpareFoot, based in Austin, is an online marketplace for self-storage facilities, founded in 2008 by two UCLA students. It now employs 74 people.

"People at SXSW are looking for a good time. We decided the best way for us to get our name out there was to throw a party," says Jenny Zhang, junior editor at SpareFoot. Spare Beats was an all-day party that went into the evening hours. It featured a variety of local and nationally known DJs, as well as dinner and drinks for the packed audience, which included SpareFoot employees and friends, investors and journalists.

"One of our main goals was to show we are a fun, dynamic and wacky company, despite the fact that we're in an industry that may be perceived as boring," says Zhang. This was SpareFoot's first appearance at the festival, which Zhang calls a "mecca for startups." The company marketed the event as a crazy, day-to-night party, and encouraged people to hydrate before they arrived. The event drew a capacity crowd and generated 42 PR mentions with links, 261 Twitter mentions, 46 Facebook mentions and 9,290 RSVPs, according to a blog post by Rachel Greenfield, SpareFoot marketing manager and editor of The Storage Facilitator.

They distributed logoed T-shirts and mini SpareFoot tape-measure keychains to Spare Beats party guests. "Branded items are a perk of being our customer," says Zhang, who says the company typically offers branded items at trade shows and other promotional and networking events.


SpareFoot T-shirts and towels are popular giveaways at self-storage trade shows, which number 10 or more a year. Zhang says these shows are great networking opportunities. "We're about to enter trade show season again, so we're preparing to distribute even more swag this time around," she says. The company is currently distributing logoed can coolers at shows including ISS World Expo and other trade shows around the country.
Earlier this year, SpareFoot sponsored a "Declutter SpareFoot's Swag Closet" on its Facebook page. The company gave away its signature tee and towels to anyone who asked, and if recipients tweeted a picture of themselves wearing the swag, they were entered in a contest to win a $100 Visa gift card.

The company is not afraid to toe, or perhaps even cross the line when selecting promotional merchandise. In January they sent out a calendar featuring employees to about 300 customers. "It was a scandalous storage pin-up calendar. It was definitely weird and completely inappropriate, and we love the reactions – from horrified to gleeful – that we've gotten so far," says Zhang. The calendar was so popular, the company had to order more copies.
The takeaway, according to Zhang, is that the industry of self-storage doesn't immediately seem exciting or fun. "But the truth is we have a blast doing what we do, and we try to make the rest of the industry, as well as the public, see that. We're a tech startup in Austin, after all – it's in our blood!"









  

Flyer Helps Promote a Perfect Date

In 2009, the MarriedLife ministry of the North Point Community Church started the Great Date Experience, a project that encourages married couples to preserve date night. The mission is to help people experience the individual growth necessary for a healthy marriage.

For one recent promotion, MarriedLife collaborated with its distributor partner and decided to use a red flying disc with the Great Date Experience logo in white. The flip side contained a two-sided pop-out paper disc insert that featured two date nights: a perfect summer day and a hot summer night.

The church has five campuses and 30,000 members. The target audience for this project was 4,000 to 5,000 married couples across all campuses. The Summer Fun Date was distributed in the month of August on Sunday mornings before and after services. Tables were outside of the auditoriums of all five campuses.

The flyer even captured the attention of kids, who picked it up and said they would make sure that their parents went out and had fun. That extra participation increased the audience by 1,000. Beyond the buzz, it was the most popular date experience in three years.
If you're interested in creating a memorable campaign or promotional event, contact your ad specialty distributor for perfect products and winning ideas that are sure to pump up participation.
"Successful Promotions"

Promo Tees Help Save Pets

In November 2012, Switch, an experimental marketing agency in St. Louis, MO, launched the Ugly Holiday Sweater Tees fundraiser for its annual "Switchmas." This event benefits local charitable organizations. In deciding on a four-week campaign centered on the holidays when themed clothing is in high demand, Switch's team was left wondering how they could combine those two factors into a win for the cause, all while helping the sweater-less guarantee style success at their holiday events. For the second consecutive year, Switch chose to donate funds raised in the campaign to the nonprofit Animal Protective Association (APA) of Missouri, which provides shelter and adoption services for homeless dogs and cats and animal welfare education to the public. Switch implemented social media and local media exposure in St. Louis to get publicity for the cause. According to Public Relations Specialist Jen Beidle, "Switch's effort netted many free mentions in the media valued at approximately $25,000, with 807 Facebook likes, 119 Twitter followers, more than 6,000 website visits and more than 61,000 impressions on LinkedIn."   All proceeds from the $22 T-shirts featuring holiday sweater designs were donated to the APA, raising $13,065 during the campaign with the sale of 820 T-shirts. Since 2009, Switch has donated nearly $50,000 during holiday campaigns to local charitable organizations. "We thrive on using design to create something good for people – or animals – who really need our help. These shirts represent that intersection, and make you look totally rad, too," says Brent Coder, creative director at Switch. Consider getting involved in the community by teaming up a local nonprofit group. This will enable you to reach a wider audience, gain more social media attention and benefit a deserving cause that will have longstanding positive results.   A & A Specialty Advertising  Tel:  Toll Free 888 548 4480 "Whether It's Now Or Later, Think Of Us First" Like Us On Facebook  www.facebook.com/aaspecialtyadvertising

Logo Cutting Board Is A Brand Booster

Alberta Pork wanted chefs to share their passion for pork, as well as their recipes on how to prepare this meat. The Passion for Pork campaign, which began in April 2012, included a website and over 900 television spots. This created major awareness for the website with 300-400 visits a day. However, as soon as the television campaign stopped, the daily hits dropped to 50-70 visits a day. To reinvigorate the interest in pork at the consumer level, Alberta Pork reps contacted their distributor partner, who suggested an embroidered chef coat and flexible cutting boards imprinted with the Passion for Pork logo to be given away at various events. As distribution of the cutting boards was underway, a few people provided feedback that they planned to use the cutting boards as place mats. One event was a high-profile dinner in Edmonton that attracted more than 1,400 diners where chefs clad in their logoed chef coats prepared favorite dishes from the region. The Passion for Pork cutting boards were set out as place mats so people could take them home afterward. The promotion went over extremely well. The campaign also went viral. Alberta Pork started receiving fun and crazy photographs of people posing with the pig cutting boards in a variety of costumes and locations. Alberta Pork is using the photos on its websites and promoting them through social media to increase demand for the boards. Website visits have again increased and at a much lower cost than buying television spots. Do you have a campaign that needs a boost?  Call us at toll free (888) 548.4480.

Recipients' Views on Advertiser

Global Advertising Specialty Impressions Study, V. 3
By ASI Research
For this section, we asked respondents whether they could identify the advertisers on the promotional items they currently owned. The result: Nearly nine in ten (87%) recipients of promotional merchandise can identify the advertiser on the item. This has been consistent since 2008. As the chart below reveals, of all major product categories, outerwear has the highest recognition of all promotional items: 97% of respondents who have logoed outerwear can name the advertiser on the items. Wearables as a whole maintain a very high advertiser awareness rate.

Gifts Are The Icing on the Wedding Cake

Engaging Concepts, strategic consultants to the wedding industry, gather the top tastemakers in wedding planning twice a year at the Engage! luxury wedding business summits. The events are famous for beautifully wrapped gift bags and branded merchandise, which incorporate function, fashion and fun. Attendees receive gifts before and during the three-day affair, including pre-arrival gifts that build buzz. Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce are the masterminds behind Engaging Concepts. "There are lots of wedding and event conferences, but most are targeted to specific groups like caterers, photographers or florists," says Grinnals, company founder and president. "At Engage! we bring together everyone who touches the luxury wedding market." Wedding and event planners mingle and network with high-end wedding personalities, including party planner Colin Cowie, bridal fashion designer Monique Lhuillier and cake maker Sylvia Weinstock. Gift planning begins five to six months out, since many products are custom designed. "We are willing to invest in our gift bags to keep the brand, event and story consistent," says Grinnals. Alison Howard, a San Diego-based wedding planner, was so impressed by the gift bags that she devoted a 10-minute videoblog to the bag she received at Engage! Las Vegas last summer. "This was the first time I'd done a swag bag blog," she says. It was one of her most popular posts. Each Engage! event has its own color story and logo, coordinated with the location. Engage!12 Palm Beach took place in December at The Breakers hotel. Its signature colors were "Tangerine Tango," silver and white. Two months before the event, Engaging Concepts sent out "countdown cubes" (photo cubes) to generate enthusiasm and mark the days until the conference. Three weeks before, guests received shoe bags and packing tags with suggested items to pack. The "bling ball," a signature giveaway at Engage! events, is a name tag bearing a silver chain with Swarovski crystal balls that indicate how many of the Engage! events you've attended. Orange Lucite clipboards, pens and notepads were given out at the opening session. Male and female guests received separate gift totes with gender-specific items. For example, men received shaving items, while women got makeup, nail polish, accessories and orange pashminas. Everyone's bag contained other items too, including a Tango Trio cocktail kit in a branded suitcase, snack tins and an assortment of cleverly labeled products such as a clear vinyl luggage tag with shoe shine wipes for men, makeup remover for women, sunscreen and stain-remover wipes. On day two, guests got a "Vitamin E!12" meeting kit in a customized orange juice box, with a custom USB drive, logo journal, eboost packet, logo microfiber screen cloth, and lip balm and striped pencil as a straw for the carton and more. The events generate lots of social media feedback, as guests blog, tweet and post photos that may be relevant and useful to their clients. Grinnals notes a boost in attendees' use of Instagram, with over 700 Instagram photos transmitted from the Las Vegas Engage!.

Fighting Hunger with the Help of Promo Products

Bentall Kennedy, one of North America’s largest real estate investment providers, was determined to make a difference in the communities in which its employees live and work. In Canada, food bank usage is on the rise, so leaders of Bentall Kennedy made it their mission to raise awareness about hunger in their communities and across the country. In February 2012, they launched the Fare Fight for Food Challenge, a national initiative that partnered their 19 shopping centers across Canada with local food banks. Bentall Kennedy created the slogan, and their distributor partner sourced useful products to showcase the campaign message in a highly visible way while aiding the teams with their mission. The initial goal was to raise a total of $75,000 and collect 20,000 pounds of food. From February until October, shopping center teams hosted special events and promotions. Teams competed to raise the most money, pounds of food and online supporters. The target audience consisted of all of the shopping center customers, Bentall Kennedy employees, suppliers and the general public. To launch the campaign, six fundraising street teams – including the entire Bentall Kennedy retail division – invaded downtown Toronto for an afternoon. Teams were given a survival kit that included donation cans, aprons, candy and a bottle of water. One team’s adventure generated $30,000. To enhance the competition, the top five teams overall received an additional $10,000 grant from Bentall Kennedy’s head office for their food bank. Promotional products printed with the Fare Fight for Food logo were created as practical tools to reinforce and support the campaign. Bags were given out at the store level and delivered door to door. Donation cans were used for the original launch and then reordered for individual stores, entrance tagging and 50/50 ticket sales. Aprons were worn by the Bentall Kennedy teams, retail partners, dignitaries and even the prime minister. Cookies were distributed to thank customers and to extend awareness of the campaign. Bentall Kennedy exceeded its original objectives halfway through the campaign. By the end of the campaign, teams raised $155,000 in funds and 150,000 pounds of food donations – more than double the amount of money and 7.5 times the amount of food projected. More than 19 food banks across the country are the beneficiaries of this campaign If you’d like to get involved with a community outreach program or some other charitable cause, contact A&A Specialty 888.548.4480 for advice and products for your campaign. www.aapromotions.com

Stuffed Dragon Drives Consumers to Enter Sweepstakes

Valpak, a leader in print and digital coupons, targeted families and savings in a national campaign, which aired in September nationwide. Valpak's traditional Blue Envelope, Valpak.com andValpak savings app all took center stage in the new Valpak consumer commercial, Coming Home. The commercial showed the story of a dad-daughter duo that used Valpak to find savings in unexpected places. The commercial was featured on digital and social messaging through October 31 and ran on Valpak-partnered television stations TNT and TBS in October.

The commercial also drove viewers to Valpak.com where they could watch "The Dragon Balthazar," a video that completed the commercial's story. Consumers could enter a sweepstakes to win the five-foot stuffed Balthazar dragon that appeared in the commercial. "There was a chance to win the mini Balthazar dragon and a $25 gift card each week, along with the grand prize of a life-sized dragon," says Marsha Strickhouser, public relations manager for Valpak. A total of 15 first-prize winners received the mini dragon and gift card.

Valpak also sent out a direct-mail piece to media, which included a press release and mini Balthazar dragon. "The smaller versions of the dragons were produced for the sweepstakes," says Strickhouser. "We also shared them with our employees and about 1,000 franchise owners and sales reps from around the U.S. and Canada at our national convention."

When done correctly, direct mail can be a highly effective resource for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Make sure to provide real incentives. Direct mail works by getting your prospect to respond to an offer. Whether that is a coupon, a sweepstakes entry or a special deal, make sure you're including an incentive. Contact your distributor for help.
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