Super Bowl Champions and the Power of Books…

Early this season, Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, gave each member of his team a copy of the book Finish Strong by Dan Green including a Promo-Page with his personal message.  Inspired by this customized book, the team adopted Finish Strong as their battle cry. To fully connect the book’s message to the team, Finish Strong t-shirts were designed and distributed exclusively in New Orleans with proceeds supporting Drew’s foundation.  The shirts became the fastest selling Saints apparel item in New Orleans retail history – prior to the game over 40,000 units had been sold.

Following their win of the NFC championship game Drew’s quote from the trophy presentation was, “Now we need to Finish Strong in Miami”…. and that’s exactly what they did!

There is something about books and the “power of books” as promotional products! I talk frequently about how companies can use books to reinforce their messages and communicate with their customers and employees. The New Orleans Saints recognized the power of books and look where it took them…where can books take you and your customers?

 Think about it.  Then contact me and we’ll show you how to make books a powerful marketing tool.

 

Apparel News

The “business casual” environment that led to relaxed dress codes for the workplace starting in the 90’s has changed the way America shows up for work. Jeans and sweatshirts are not unusual. However, the pendulum appears to be swinging back toward a more polished, upscale appearance in business apparel, especially since confidence in corporations has slipped recently with the trade scandals and folding dot-coms. With this change, the dress shirt, a traditional “dress for success” item in a man’s closet, is enjoying a resurgence of popularity. It tops the charts when a professional image is important. The addition of an embroidered logo provides upscale corporate identity and with a little forethought can add style and interest as well.

The classic dress shirt is a long-sleeved, front-button shirt with tails. It is available in some luxurious fabrics and fun colors today. However, it is best to think “conservative” when a shirt is to include an embroidered logo or design. Collar styles include: Straight, Spread or British Spread, Button-down, Curved, Tab and Banded. Your choice of style may depend on your customer’s preferences, but the best bet is to stick with a straight collar (the standard for business today) and a solid, basic color. Long sleeves with button cuffs complete the look and provide more creative opportunities for embroidery. For hotel uniforms or other functional work wear that will be worn in hot, humid climates, short sleeves, of course, are the logical choice.

LOCATION
Left and Right Chest – A company logo is normally embroidered on the left chest pocket area of a dress shirt. Personalization, such as an employee name, is embroidered on the right. Keep designs small enough to fit comfortably in the space provided. Smaller is better, especially on a shirt pocket. (Be aware that as the logo or design is reduced in size, text size will be reduced and may become too small to digitize properly. Re-designing the logo may be necessary to keep text no less than 3/16” or ¼” in height.)

Collar – The left front of the collar presents a stylish opportunity to add a unique design or message on a dress shirt. It is being used by private schools today to embellish children’s uniforms when sweaters and vests can potentially conceal a left chest application.

Back – Beneath the collar (in the yoke area) can add variety to design placement. One consideration for this area is to avoid designs that could be irritating for the wearer due to backing included on the inside of the garment. Certain designs that require heavy backing may not be advisable.

Cuff – A tone-on-tone logo or stylized initials on a shirt cuff can provide another subtle, classy form of corporate identity.

FABRIC
When we think of a dress shirt fabric, we generally think of woven cotton (such as that found in an oxford shirt) or a cotton polyester blend. However, dress shirts also come in blends of polyester and cotton twill (common for industrial and commercial work wear), silk, the newer micro fiber fabrics and a polyester/rayon that looks and drapes like silk (this fabric was introduced in women’s shirts and has recently been incorporated into men’s shirts).
Some dress shirts worn by industrial and commercial work staff are being produced in wickable fabrics with a high synthetic fabric content. Wickable fabrics originated in clothing designed for extreme sporting events like mountain climbing and has moved into the shirts designed for work wear. The fabric transfers moisture from the skin to the outside of the cloth where it can evaporate. This feature helps the wearer to maintain a more even body temperature, thus reducing discomfort and improving performance.
The key here is to select fabric that will support the function and image your customer is looking for. Thinner fabrics may cost less, but they don’t maintain their fit and shape as well as higher quality fabrics You will pay a bit more for a quality fabric, but it will also last longer and provide a polished, professional appearance that keeps your customers coming back for more.

THREAD
With its vibrant colors and high sheen, the preferred choice of thread for dress shirts that will make their appearance in the boardroom or sales office is rayon. Keep in mind that a cooler temperature with color-safe bleach will be needed to safeguard its color and sheen.

When shirts will be washed frequently in hot water or with large amounts of chlorine bleach (as for staff at a restaurant or hotel), the best choice, with its strength and resistance to fading, is polyester.

DESIGN ELEMENTS
For industrial or commercial uniforms, the trend is moving away from the use of name tags and patches toward embroidering direct on the fabric. The result is a less clinical, more personalized, professional image. One thing to keep in mind, however, is when shirts are acquired offshore, they may have pocket placements angled incorrectly or offset to left or right. Lining up a logo is difficult in such a case. We suggest ordering a shirt sample from an offshore vendor prior to placing your order. Hold off showing a catalog image of the shirt to your customer, if at all possible, until you receive an actual sample. If you find yourself in a situation where shirts have been delivered with pockets misaligned or offset, find an embroiderer who will work with you to compensate for the misalignment by modifying the angle or placement of the embroidery.

Contact Rhino Marketing for your apparel needs, we’ve got you covered.

 

Have or Have Not

Are you a business Have or Have Not?

 The Holiday Season

Traditionally, the time between now and the December 31^st at 5pm is among the busiest times of the year. It’s the special time for the HAVEs and HAVE NOTs.

Chances are you are in one of those categories. And we can help! We even have a bonus to consider.

HAVEs

HAVEs have budget to spend before the end of the fiscal year. And many lose that funding if they don’t spend it. They fall into a couple of different categories:

a.       I have an immediate need for product and need to be invoice right away.

b.      I know what I want, it can get here whenever, but I need the invoice NOW

c.       I don’t know what I want for January distribution, but I need to be invoiced for it anyway

HAVE NOTs

The HAVE NOTs are out of dollars for 2009. They spent it all on sensible promotional products that lit up eyes and captured hearts, not to mention loyalty. They fall into a couple of categories as well:

a.       I am running low on the day-to-day products that I count on to keep their businesses going.

b.      Tradeshows and customer visits start early in January.  I can’t wait to order because it may be cutting it too close. But budgets don’t start until next year.

The HAVEs need their invoices right away.  The HAVE NOTs need to order NOW, but be invoiced in the next fiscal year.

We can accommodate both.  Call us today and we’ll tell you how.

And whether you are a HAVE or HAVE NOT, here’s the bonus:  Your pricing is set at the time of ordering….not the time of invoicing.  By ordering before December 31 at 5pm you will be paying 2009 prices for your products.

Happy Holidays!

Neal

 

A Case For Plastic Bottles

In the October 2009 issue of Selling Power an article side bar detailed the facts on bottled water.
I have a solution and with just a little effort you can make an impact.
* Americans buy 28 billion bottles of water a year
* Bottled water costs as much as $10.00 per gallon, compared to less than a penny per gallon for tap water
* Making bottles meet Americas’ demand for bottled water in 2006 required energy equaivalent to more than 17 million barrels of oil – enough fuel to power more than 1 million cars in the United States for a year – and generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
* Drinking eight glasses of bottled water a day could cost up to $1,400 annually. The same amount of tap water would cost around 49 cents.
* Worldwide, 2.7 million tons of plastic are used each year to make water bottles, and in the United States, less than 20 percent of these bottles are recycled.
* Ninety-six percent of bottled water is sold in single-size polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles, which end up in city trash cans rather than recycling bins. The national recycling rate for all PET bottles, including soda bottles, is 23.1 perscent.
* About 4 billion PET bottles end up in the waste stream, costing cities around $70 million a year in clean-up and landfill costs.

I know what you are thinking, I don’t want to drink tap water, it tastes like chlorine. Most bottled water is just filtered tap water so one solution is to add a small filter in your home and you have the same thing as bottled water. No chlorine and funny tastes.

For the bottle I have a number of safe, recylable and even bottles from recycled materials. So you can be eco-friendly, save money and help the environment.

Here is just one example of an eco-friendly bottle;

Check out www.rhinomarketing.com for more ideas.

 

The Great Motivator

Ever wonder if some promotional products have a greater ability to effect change more than others? According to brand new research, “Effectiveness of Promotional Products As An Advertising Medium” conducted by PPAI through MarketToools, Inc,. the answer is, “Yes.”
A study of 1,005 average American households revealed that when it comes to creating a favorable impression of an advertiser or motivating the recipients to take a particular action, the following promotional products take top honors:
1- Gift baskets
2- MP3 players
3- Clock or watches
4- Digital picture frames
5- Luggage
6- T-shirts/ golf shirts
7- Wallets
8- Tote bags

And, for greatest advertisement/ message recall, the following eight items were ranked highest by respondents for their usefulness and/ or uniqueness:
1- Pens
2- Calendars
3- Coffee mugs
4- Magnets
5- MP3 players
6- T-shirts/ golf shirts
7- Tote bags/ bags
8- Gift baskets of food

Want to learn more? Contact us.

 

The Farmers Almanac

Give ‘Em Hill: Everything I Never Knew I Needed To Know

By Angela Hill, Oakland Tribune, Posted: 09/13/2009 12:01:00 AM PDT

So today should be generally fair but slightly cooler in the Northwest region of the country. And it’s a good day to go fishing, especially in the evening. It’s also the right time to start canning those fruits and vegetables, cutting your hair to increase growth and baking a cake because it should come out fluffy and moist. Oh, but don’t brew anything just yet, lest it become too fluffy and moist and spill over, and get all down in your burner trays and result in hours of toil and trouble and scrubbing with those goopy S.O.S soap pads and lots of cursing.

How do I know these things? It is because my brain is huge, like those aliens on the vintage “Star Trek” with pulsating frontal lobes who are so smart they don’t even need to move their lips to communicate but just think things and everybody else hears them in a loud, magnified male voice clearly trained in the King’s English.

OK, actually it’s because of reading my trusty Farmers’ Almanac. What? Doesn’t everybody?

True, I had never read one before, either, but a copy of the 2010 edition arrived in my mailbox the other day. I decided to take a quick peek, and I’ve been hooked like a bass on a surface-tension lure ever since.

I have now put to memory all the various informative charts, calendars, tables and seasonal weather predictions. Get ready for another dry winter in the West, people.

Now urbanites might think this age-old work of wisdom, published annually since 1818, would be totally hokey, what with farm-related stuff that we snooty, chic uptown types couldn’t care less about because it doesn’t have anything to do with important life-altering topics such the latest news about Nicole Richie naming her second child Sparrow. (As in, keep your eye on? Or perhaps in reference to Jack Sparrow, as played by Johnny Depp in “Pirates of the Caribbean?” Of course, who doesn’t want to name a child after a Johnny Depp character. I’m sure Wonka Ichabod Ed Wood Don Juan Gilbert 21 Jump Street Sweeney is gonna be the next big name for a celeb’s kid.

Anyway, there’s none of that trivial tripe in the Farmers’ Almanac. Instead, it’s a collection of very practical things that people need to know whether they know it or not.

Pure Americana

As the almanac says in its self-description, it contains “early America at its best, delightfully threaded through with a measure of good humor, amusing anecdotes, wise-old weather predictions, helpful hints and good reading for every member of the family done on a high moral tone.”

Sure, there are some ads — highly moral ones, of course — that city folk might opt to ignore, such as the ones for rugged M50 trailer-mounted compact drilling rigs, or for Benjamin Airguns: “Keeping the fox out of the henhouse since 1899.”

But most of the almanac info is, surprisingly, pretty darned Bay Area, with environmentally conscious articles about buying local produce, choosing free range eggs and recycling greywater in your home. Sounds to me like typical conversations in line at the Berkeley Bowl.

The paperback book, printed on partially recycled newsprint, even suggests ways to recycle itself: Collect the almanacs, or use them for garden compost, home crafts or birdcage liners, thereby sparing the life of an endangered newspaper.

Move over, Heloise

Great article Angela- now for the bottom line.  If you want to use the Farmer’s Almanac to spread your advertising message just contact me for the details.

 

Innovation in Apparel

Just a few years ago the T-shirt was the most popular promotional apparel item.  Then golf shirts became the uniform of casual Fridays.  Next woven dress shirts moved into the lead for corporate apparel.  Now promotional apparel is very close to the items seen in retail stores, especially the colors and patterns.  So where does it go from here.  The newest offerings are special coatings, electonics, and fabrics.

Colors, textures, styles, fabrics, finishes, treatments, nanotechnology and more have added value and features to the apparel items currently available.  As science moves forward, apparel finds ways to add new tricks all the time.  What’s next; shirts that have built in heat and air conditioning.  That may not be as far fetched as you might think.

Discovering new combinations of fabrics or applying new properties to a finished textile that pushes the boundaries of promotional apparel through modern science.  Here are four innovations that are pushing apparel in bold new directions

Adding light- A new product named ThreadLites utilizes light-flashing technology to allow designs or text to flash in a predetermined pattern.  An electroluminescent light source is added to a 100% cotton shirt.  When the phosphorus powder is excited by a low-voltage battery pack it lights up 10 times stronger than LEDs.

The PVC panel sewn into the garment creates a full-color graphic, with individual lights that blink in a desired pattern.  The thin PVC panel, connecting wire and small battery pack are certified safe by ROHS certification, ETL approval and tough European safety standards assure complete safety. 

This technology has been seen in such mainstream places as The Montel Williams Show (where audience members wore noise controlled, volume-logoed T-shirts) and the Black Eyed Peas’ lead singer Fergie. 

For a company that wants to create a visual impact and be up to date with the latest technology, a light up T-shirt, hoodie or jacket would do the trick.

Next, an Insect Repellant that gives clothing long-lasting, effective and odorless insect protection is a man-made version of a natural repellant found in certain types of chrysanthemum flowers.  It fends off ticks, ants, flies, mosquitoes, chiggers and midges.  Treating fabrics used for apparel, chairs and bandanas are just some of the applications for this treatment.

To determine the effectiveness of insect-repellant treated apparel, a test protocol called “Knockdown,” a widely-accepted scientific methodology ,is used.  Two agencies using this testing technology include the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   Research shows clothing tested at 66% Knockdown while indoors and 97% bite reduction in the field.

Sun Safety- commonly known as UV protection has now been ramped up by Sportailor with their new brand with the strongest UPF factor in the industry.  UPS stands for ultraviolet protection.  Many suppliers carry UPF rated apparel, usually rated at 10 to 30, the new Solar System has a factor of 40+ and is made from a 65% polyester/ 35% cotton blend to provide a soft hand.  This unique fabric is antibacterial and has moisture-management properties that wicks excess moisture in addition to the UPF factor.

One of their sun shirts includes a unique ventilation system that vents the hot air trapped around your body through shoulder vents.

The next trend is blending.  One to consider in your eco-conscious efforts is Soybu.  Soybu is the marrying of three materials (soy, bamboo and either cotton or polyester).  The resultant fabric resembles cashmere. 

Soy and bamboo have been used for centuries in everything from food to musical instruments.  A Soybu garment is cool on the skin, extremely durable and naturally antimicrobial.  The garment is notably softer and more elegant than any other organic T-shirt or hoodie available today.  As this fabric becomes more well know it will have a large impact in replacing environmentally harmful fibers in the marketplace.

Ask me for more information and how we can demonstrate these products to you.

 

Pay it Forward A New Idea

I’m sure everyone knows what pay it forward is all about.  Doing a good deed without any expectaion of receiving a return or reward.  The recipient of the good deed then is expected to do a good deed for someone else and it multiplies from there.  Now we can produce a custom logo coin that you can track.  And as a bonus win prizes.

In the movie Pay It Forward: 

An 11-year-old schoolboy in Las Vegas, Nevada named Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) is given a class project to complete by his social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey), a man with terrible burn scars on his face and neck. His task is to come up with a plan that will change the world through direct action. On his way home from school later that day, Trevor notices a homeless man, Jerry (James Caviezel) and decides to make a difference in Jerry’s life. Trevor then comes up with the plan to “pay it forward” by doing a good deed for three people who must in turn each do good deeds for three other people, creating a charitable pyramid scheme. Trevor’s plan is to help Jerry by feeding and housing him so he can “get on his feet.”

Wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to track the good deeds and see where what you started could go?  How, what a simple act can affect others and what these acts were?  In a business application you might want to build a data base of these people.  And more.

Well, I have a tool to do just that and more.  For a small invenstment in a medal coin you can track this activity in your community, your workplace, your market place and even this country and more.

Why a Coin?
The coin is a tangible reminder for us to do something nice. We all know we should, but we get busy with our lives and lose sight of how important being nice to one another truly is. Also, because the coins can be registered on www.4acause.com we can see where our coin goes on its journey and read about other nice things being done. That way we can be continually reminded about our chain of good deeds. These reminders will help us all to be a little nicer.

Why is Tracking Important?
Tracking is fun! Being able to track your coin is exciting. People will be able to log into 4acause.com, and see where their coin has gone. You can see the good deeds that happened because you passed it on. You can watch as your coin travels around the United States of America and perhaps around the world. More than just a geography lesson, watching our coin travel reminds us to be good. Just as the coin can have far reaching travels, tracking the coin reminds us that our good deeds can have far reaching effects too.

The tracking is especially important for children. It may be difficult to conceptualize just how big of an impact one coin (and one person) can have. When children read all of the subsequent good deeds done and see for themselves how far their coin traveled on a map, then it is easier to comprehend how important it is to be nice and to help other people. We can all know that we made a difference!

Health Benefits
Doing good deeds helps to maintain good health. Giving is an immune booster. Volunteering increases energy and self-esteem. Doing good deeds helps the body resist disease and recover from illness. Stress related health problems improve after doing good deeds. Adopting an altruistic lifestyle is a critical component of mental health. Taken all together, doing good deeds can lead to a happier and longer life.

Doing good deeds may make you feel so good, you wonder who got more out of it you or the person you helped. A person’s health benefits and sense of well-being can return for hours, or even days, whenever a good deed is remembered.Scientific Studies
Humans are hard wired to help each other. Babies are altruistic as early as 18 months of age. Yale researchers find that infants prefer individuals who help others to those who either do nothing, or interfere with other’s goals. Elizabeth Dunn explored a known correlation between happiness and good deeds and found that pro-social giving is an actual cause of happiness.Historical Significance
Like the Golden Rule, other reflections of doing good deeds have been around for thousands of years and are likely to be around for thousands of years to come. Enjoy a small selection of good deed quotes below to illustrate the importance and historical significance of doing good deeds.

 

 

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us everlasting comfort and good hope by means of undeserved kindness, comfort your hearts and make you firm in every good deed and word.” (2 Thess 2:16, 17)

“Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” (George Eliot)

“To be doing good deeds is man’s most glorious task.” (Sophocles)

“There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life – reciprocity.” (Confucius)

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” (Leo Buscaglia)

“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” (William Shakespeare)

“When a man dies they who survive him ask what property he has left behind. The angel who bends over the dying man asks what good deed he has sent before him.” (Koran)

“If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” (Bob Hope)

If you are interested in learning more and how you too can Pay it Forward contact me and let’s talk.

 

Picking the Best Promotional Product

The Biggest Mistake businesses make when selecting a promotional product is to assume that the most unusual or most/ least costly item will work the best when designing a promotion.  To avoid making this mistake, carefully consider the following items when determining the item(s) that will best suit your needs:

1-  Your Target Demographic

Just because you think something is ultra-neat or beyond-dull doesn’t mean they do.  (Example, IT professionals surveyed in March 2005 said they yearned for iPods, although most tech marketers were bored of offering them.)  Consider what they are more likely to throw away, what they’ll keep, what they’ll give to their kids, and make sure you pick the item they will keep or will make them run around the office showing absolutely everyone.

2- Value

Promotional products can have one of three values (not necessarly tied to the price you pay for them); either they:

a- extremely useful so the prospect will keeep them close and refresh the impression frequently; (think mugs, T-shirt, pens, oversized chip bag clips)

b- lavishly valuable so the prospect will be impressed by the value you place in your relationship with them; (think consumer electronics, leather-bound books, etc.)

c- unique and cool so your prospect will start a viral “look what I got” campaign on your behalf with their friends and colleagues (think roses with logo embossed petals, light-up ice cubes, or the latest hot idea.)

3- Your Brand 

Brainstorm your brand and campaign to see if there is a clever tie-in you can make with a promotional item.  The more you can relate the item to the rest of your messaging, the more powerful the campaign as a whole becomes.

4- Logos

Many companies logos, in particular in B2B, were not designed with promotional items in mind.  When selecting an item, make sure that the logo will be large enough within the limited print-space to stand out at a reasonable distance.  Also, do you have logo color restrictions you must obey?  And don’t forget your URL or toll-free phone number along with (or in place of) your tagline.

5- Distribution

How heavy is the item?  What type of shipping will work and has it been tested?  (Some pens have been rejected by the post office becuase they broke through envelopes when mail sorting equipment bent them.)  In addition, consider branding the item’s packaging for additional exposure and explore the possibility of inserting additional materials such as a personal note?  Make sure you find out the costs associated with these features.

If you are planning to mail the item to prospects and consumers, determine how to make sure that only “qualified”prospects get your package…after putting the effort and investments into your promotional item, take that final step in making sure it gets in the right hands.

Give us a call and let us help you design a meaningful campaign that works for you.

 

 

The Value of Calendar Advertising

Here are 10 proven reasons why calendars are your clients’ #1 value in promotional advertising-

 1- Calendars keep the clients’ name in view every day of the year.

#2- 99% of U.S. homes and businesses use calendars.

#3- Businesses do business with the firm that gave them a calendar.

#4- Calendars are very cost efffective, they go directly to the customer/ prospect.

#5- Calendars say “thank you” to all customers receiving one.

#6- Calendars sell new prospects.

#7- Calendars get key placement in a customers’ office or home.

#8- Calendars strengthen business relationships.

#9- Calendars are an appreciated year-end gift.

#10- Calendars will help grow a business.

If you have never used a calendar to promote your business you probably aren’t aware of the broad range of styles, picture sets, custom options and other options available to really impact your message.  A calendar can be simply an advertising message that sits on a desk or hangs on a wall advertising for you all year long.  Or we can create a unique calendar that includes much more information. 

These could be used for employees with information from the HR department, a hospital with contact information for service departments, or a manufacturer with distribution point information.

So what message do you want to get out?  What picture set makes sense for your company?  Or perhaps a custom calendar with your pictures.

Let’s talk calendars and plan for growing your business in 2010.