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."