Promotional Products & Marketing Blog

I think we can all agree, one of the most annoying ways to start your day is to walk outside and see this:

Now you can help take the edge of this irritating pet peeve by providing affordable logo ice scrapers to your clients, employees, and prospects! Promotional ice scrapers are an awesome winter gift because they are so darn useful. Lucky recipients will keep the branded scrapers in their cars all season long, and they’ll have your company to thank when they’re able to get to work on time on those frosty winter mornings!

In our latest video review, Libby introduces the hand mitten ice scraper, a special scraper design that not only busts through ice, but keeps your hand warm at the same time. Click Libby to play the video!

If there’s anybody that loves promotional products, it’s our country’s politicians. For years they’ve branded bumper stickers, buttons, shirts, banners, flags, yard signs, and just about anything else they can fit their names on. But some candidates, like Ron Paul in this example, take promotional merchandise to the next level!

Ron Paul’s Revolution PAC announced yesterday a line of collectible action figures bearing the likeness of the Republican presidential candidate. These limited edition custom toys stand 12″ tall and come in two styles: “Commander-In Chief Paul” comes with a sharp suit and mini U.S. constitution; “Super Hero Paul” is clothed in a stylish cape. Both figures speak a message and come with a price tag of $94.95.

Regardless of your personal politics you have to give credit to the creative brains behind these instant classic political promos. Although they aren’t cheap they are sure to be in high demand among vocal supporters, and they even create an opportunity for Ron Paul’s campaign team take a jab at the other candidates: “This is the only way that Ron Paul can be bought,” says Revolution PAC chair Gary Franch.

Many hotels now have eco-friendly policies that aim to reduce the amount of towels and linens they need to wash each day. By letting visitors indicate whether or not they need new sheets, they can significantly reduce the size of their daily laundry loads.

Though most hotels inform customers about the policy with a simple sign (one that is often overlooked), the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas uses a custom stress ball to make sure their message is heard. The stress ball is left on the bed where it’s guaranteed to be seen, and is put next to a card that explains what to do if you don’t need your sheets washed.

This is just another example that shows how a tangible product is more effective at delivering a message than a simple print advertisement!

I’m very happy to announce that ePromos won two awards this year at the annual PPAI Expo, which just concluded on January 6th at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. This brings our total PPAI award count to 12 since 1998, an achievement we very proud of!

This year we took home a bronze PPAI Pyramid Award for a creative solution we put together for our client Designer Shoe Warehouse (a pair of custom ballet flats for their NYC Fashion’s Night Out Event), as well as the gold prize in the Web Content/Functionality category of the PPAI Technology competition. This award recognizes companies that have user-friendly site navigation, quality content, and an intuitive display of important product and service information.

ePromos CEO and Founder Jason Robbins had this to say after winning the awards: “Being recognized for our achievements in these important categories is a testament to the quality of our creative work and our position as a leader in the promotional products industry. I am proud of our team and the partnership we have with our customers that allows us to create the type of web site we have built over the last 14 years, as well as the impactful promotions we produce for the benefit of our clients.”

You can read the full press release here!

Tradeshow season is here, and that means its time to start planning and strategizing for your next event! Industry trade fairs provide incredible opportunities for networking, lead generation, competitor research, and more. Keep these simple tips in mind to help you prepare for a successful presence at your next show:

Don’t neglect your booth’s appearance! Nothing is sadder than a tradeshow booth that consists of a plastic folding table and a few ratty chairs someone dug out of their basement 20 minutes before the show. It’s important to create a space that looks inviting, friendly, and professional. This can be easily done on a budget by investing in some logo table skirts and a custom booth sign or two. While you’re at it, make sure your booth team looks professional too – they are a reflection of your company’s image. A couple of embroidered polo shirts ought to do the trick!

Have plenty of tradeshow freebies on hand! Tradeshow giveaways are the most looked-forward-to part of any event. Make sure to capitalize on their popularity and effectiveness by stocking up on unique items that will help you achieve your goals for the show. Whether you want to attract more traffic to your display, make sure people remember your company after the show, or just increase brand exposure and awareness, tradeshow freebies are the way to go! Looking for some items people are guaranteed to love? Check out our Top 10 Tradeshow list – all of the best-selling giveaways and show supplies in one convenient list!

Do some lead follow-up BEFORE the show! Get the most out of your presence at the tradeshow by speaking with leads beforehand and letting them know where you’ll be. Writing a personalized letter and enclosing a small promotional gift is a great way to ensure a positive reaction and high response rates. Even something as simple as a promotional pen can be enough to get leads to pencil in some time to visit your booth! Getting people warmed up before the show starts is a much easier way to work a lead than to start from scratch at the show when time and attention are limited.

In honor of the New York Giants making their NFL record-breaking 31st appearance in the playoffs, today we present some gametime giveaways – old and new!

First, from their 2007 championship season: a promotional photo frame magnet.

And for their 2011 playoff appearance, a custom rally towel that can be used to show support during the game. Notice the incorporation of the team’s Facebook and Twitter links – a lot more important today than they were 4 short years ago.

Go Giants! Everyone at ePromos HQ in New York is rooting for you!

Happy Friday! As you may or may not know, the biggest tradeshow in the promotional products industry is currently underway in Las Vegas: The PPAI Expo. We’ve got our ePromos merchandising experts searching for the show’s most interesting new products, and the first photos are starting to trickle in! Below are just a few of the hundreds of new and unique items being showcased by top suppliers.

Stay tuned, in the coming days we’ll be taking a closer look at some of these promising new arrivals, as well as some not-so-promising ones!

USB drives in various fully-custom shapes.

Etched wine bottles - a great gift choice.

Filtered water bottles with a sleek design.

Attention-grabbing fluorescent luggage tags.

All kinds of interesting branded kitchenware from Oxo.

New LED mini-flashlights - unique design!

You can never have too many cool pen designs!

Fun desk toy - solar-powered flowers that wave!

Who needs a speaker dock when you have an iPhone megaphone!

Check back next week – many more to come!

(click the image to enlarge!)

We’ve showcased some really creative promotional calendar designs in the past (see here, here, and here for some examples), and we’re kicking off the New Year with another one from AOK Health Insurance. For this promotion AOK wanted an attention-grabbing, high-quality calendar to advertise their online non-smoking program. In this case they were more concerned with form than function, and wanted to influence opinion leaders and decision makers in their target group with something innovative and visually-pleasing.

The custom calendar design they came up focused on a simple message: One year without cigarettes, and your lungs can breathe again. The high-gloss pages feature a jumble of calendar dates making up a lung shape, and each page also features laser-etched filigree patterns that make the next month partially visible. As you turn the page and get deeper into the year, the numbers begin to lighten in color and eventually almost fade entirely – a bold and unique way to show that quitting smoking leads to progressively healthier lungs with each passing month.

Some of you might be wondering what the point of this calendar is – after all, the dramatic effect limits the calendar’s functionality. While I normally criticize promotional products that sacrifice function for form, I think I’ll let this one slide. After all, the primary goal is to send a message about the benefits of quitting smoking over time, so a calendar is an appropriate billboard. If I was looking for some motivation I think I’d hang it on my wall despite the fact that I can’t really use it as a calendar.

What do you think – was it okay to sacrifice function for form in this case?

Happy New Year! January is an exciting time for promotional products buyers, thanks to the influx of new styles, upgraded items, and never-before-seen promos that manufacturers unveil early on in the new year. If you’re tired of using pens (…or if you love pens but just want something new and improved), now is the time to find new and unique promotional items that will keep your brand visible and your customers happy and engaged. Here’s a sneak peak at some of the newest promotional products for 2012:

1. Chunky Custom Embroidered Hat by Distinct Threads. While winter hats are nothing new, this stylish design from Distinct Threads certainly is! Perfect for cold winter weather, the thick “chunky” knit design, earflaps, and fleece lining will ensure your head is kept warm all season long! The biggest benefit of this embroidered hat is the modern style which makes it a great item for younger audiences that have a keen eye for fashion.
   
   
   
   
2. Ghirardelli Promotional Gift Set with Custom Thermos. Here’s another hot pick for cold weather – a brand new hot cocoa gift set from renowned chocolate maker Ghirardelli. This higher-end item makes an ideal employee reward or customer thank-you gift, and is sure to be a memorable offering. Imprint your company name and logo on the brushed stainless steel thermos for a gift experience they won’t soon forget!
   
   
   
   
3. Stainless Steel Promotional Tumbler w/ Straw. Here’s a good example of a manufacturer improving on one of 2011′s most popular products. Originally available in acrylic only, this bestseller now comes in stainless steel for a higher-end look and feel. This tumbler features the same double-wall design and travel lid that people raved about last year, but now it looks so much better! If your brand image calls for something a little nicer than acrylic, you can’t go wrong here.
   
   
   

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from everyone here at ePromos! Today we’ve got a short and sweet holiday gift from Hyundai on display. To wish their customers well this holiday season, Hyundai sent out a unique custom air freshener shaped like a Hyundai and scented with new car smell. The freshener is intended to be used as a tree ornament and comes with a clever tag that reads: “Rather than a scented tree for your car, here’s a scented car for your tree.”

(click to enlarge)

Cute, simple, and a great way to create some smiles during the most festive and feel-good time of the year!