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July 28, 2006Congress Updates Rules: Youth Bowlers Beware!
Congress, the United States Bowling Congress that is, recently updated rules regarding acceptable prizes for youth bowling competitions. In order to remain eligible for amateur status and eligibility to compete at the high school or college level, players must may only compete in tournaments that don't give away fancy prizes. Congress proclaimed the only acceptable awards in youth competitions were: scholarships, trophies, medals, ribbons and symbolic certificates. Now you know, so don't say we didn't warn you.
Posted by mark at 1:55 PM. Permalink: Congress Updates Rules: Youth Bowlers Beware! | Comments (0)
July 27, 2006Sports Illustrated Celebrates Top Baseball Promos
Professional sports in general have been avid users of promotional products to promote fan loyalty and game attendance, but baseball has probably done it best through the years. John Rolfe at Sports Illustrated recounts some of his favorites:
Baseball history is loaded with inspired promotional events -- from Cleveland's infamous Nickel Beer Night in 1974 to my personal favorite: the annual Jay Buhner Buzz-cut Night in Seattle during the '90s. Bald fans, or those who agreed to have their noggins shaved -- sometimes by the beloved chrome-domed outfielder himself -- got in free and were awarded a crisp "Take me out to the Bald Game" or "Bald is Buhnerful" T-shirt.
On August 10th, lucky Minnesota Twins fans received John Mauer sideburns as a special promotion. Which, of course, mostly reminds me about how Don Mattingly got kicked off Mr. Burns' softball team for his sideburns.
Posted by mark at 1:42 PM. Permalink: Sports Illustrated Celebrates Top Baseball Promos | Comments (0)
July 26, 2006Branding in the Kitchen
| This item is very much like the ancient Roman baking mold, except it's modern and it allows you to, according to the web site: "Put the image of Jesus RIGHT ON FOOD!" Technically, the image of Jesus is not a logo, but the same underlying technology can be (and is!) used to imprint a logo on food. At any rate, this will go perfectly with my Harvard waffle maker. If you're looking for other logo kitchen gadgets, you can check out a range of imprintable George Foreman products. Unfortunately, though, they DO NOT grill an image of George Foreman's face into your food. |  |
Posted by mark at 4:05 PM. Permalink: Branding in the Kitchen | Comments (0)
July 25, 2006Can't Stop the Childvertising
 | The childvertising continues. The latest incident comes to our attention courtesy of adfreak via Ilise from our Merchandising Department. It seems an enterprising mother is auctioning off the rights to clothe young Jake in corporate logo apparel for a year for a paltry $100,000. Presumably this revenue will be set aside for Jake's college education, where he will presumably study marketing.
Of course, as Helen Lovejoy might ask, "Won't somebody please think about the children?" Given the relative recency of the childvertising explosion, it may be years before we know the effects it has on the children involved. I suspect it may turn out to serve as a form of "gateway marketing" that eventually leads to headvertising. I hope I'm wrong. |
Posted by mark at 11:28 AM. Permalink: Can't Stop the Childvertising | Comments (0)
July 24, 2006Ancient Product Branding
This is perhaps the most retro of all retro promos, the ancient Roman baking mold imprinted with the name of the baker and some gladiators. Below is a a "squeeze" of the inscription, created by rubbing wet paper into the inscription and letting it dry. It can then be removed and will maintain a relief of the original image. In this case, bread was served to spectators as snack during gladiatorial games, and the inscription reads: "Miscenius Ampilatus makes [this] in Salonae." Upon his death, his sons took over the bakery and changed the tagline to "Just like Micensius Ampilatus used to make it." By the 2nd century AD, cultural norms had again shifted, prompting a second rebranding with the motto "Bread so good...it's Ampilicious!" (via Discover Magazine)
Posted by mark at 3:36 PM. Permalink: Ancient Product Branding | Comments (0)
July 17, 2006CBS Takes Eggvertising into Primetime
We've done some posts about eggvertising before, but the NYTimes just did a feature about CBS adding eggvertising to their fall advertising lineup, which is the first widespread application of this technology as far as I know. These eggs will promote CBS shows with some tasty ad copy. According to the president of the CBS marketing group, they've "gone through every possible sad takeoff on shelling and scrambling and frying." Eggcellent!
Posted by mark at 2:35 PM. Permalink: CBS Takes Eggvertising into Primetime | Comments (0)
July 14, 2006One Year Old
This blog turned 1 on July 11th, and although I'm a little late to celebrate, here are some highlights from the past year:
- Cartoons, done in collaboration with our art department.
- Reklamepenner!
- The Weinerwhistle.
- Cartoons, done in collaboration with our art department.
- The Kraftwerk calculator.
Ah, the memories!
Posted by mark at 4:54 PM. Permalink: One Year Old | Comments (0)
July 13, 2006Wacky Packs Are Back
James, who manages our Art Department tipped me off about the fact that Wacky Packages are back after a hiatus. They were a sensation in the '70s, combining irreverent humor and popular product packaging. Get 'em before they're gone again, and find out more about the classic wacky packs or Norm Saunders, the artist responsible for most fo the artwork in the original series. What does this have to do with promotional products? Well, nothing exactly, but they are a unique take on branding.
Posted by mark at 11:21 AM. Permalink: Wacky Packs Are Back | Comments (0)
July 11, 2006Custom Cruise Bobblehead
| Thanks to our Art Department Manager James for tipping me off about this custom bobblehead commemorating Tom Cruise's couch jumping incident. Of course, I'm actually holding out for the Zidane headbutt bobblehead. |  |
Posted by mark at 11:22 AM. Permalink: Custom Cruise Bobblehead | Comments (0)
July 10, 2006Depression Glass
| Here's a little bit of promo history from the (not made up!) Waxahachie Daily Light about the popularity of depression-era glass. For those of you who don't watch Antiques Roadshow, "Depression-era glassware was a cheap and colorful product given away at the movie theatres or with extra-large bags of flour at the grocery store."
Apparently, the switch to mass production in the early 20th century made glass an affordable promotional product even during the depression: "Many stores used the glass as a marketing incentive. One pharmacy advertisement from the time boasts a free hostess dish with the purchase of a 25-cent tube of toothpaste (and two dishes for a 50-cent tube). General Mills created a large cross-promotion based around cobalt-blue milk pitchers with Shirley Temples face on the side." The era of depression glass is over, but promotional glass remains to this day. |  |
Posted by mark at 12:10 PM. Permalink: Depression Glass | Comments (0)
July 8, 2006Fun with Paper Promos
| A fun take on custom envelopes just goes to show that you can make anything cool if you're creative enough. These envelopes for a tire manufacturer contain a tire tread design. Lick rubber, I guess. |  |
Posted by mark at 11:24 AM. Permalink: Fun with Paper Promos | Comments (0)
July 6, 2006Getting Ready to Go Back to School at the Teacher's Convention
Sure, it's the middle of summer, but that doesn't stop teachers (and perhaps tired parents) from thinking about back to school time. Last week, the teachers went to the National Education Association's convention in Orange County to try out new products from hand sanitizer to shoes to books and school supplies. But what do teachers like best about these conventions? The Orlando Sentinel got a candid response from one attendee:
"Nearby, at the end of a row of vendors, an exhausted Nancy Wright, an elementary school music teacher from Gas City, Ind., sat on a book carrier she just bought and several bags of promotional items.
When asked what she liked about the convention, she piped up, "freebies."
And then, she added, the networking and camaraderie with fellow teachers."
Posted by mark at 12:12 PM. Permalink: Getting Ready to Go Back to School at the Teacher's Convention | Comments (0)
July 3, 2006Valley Schwag 3
Valley Schwag 3 was sent out recently, so flickr is chock-full of photos of this month's schwag. It seems like it's even more popular than when we first mentioned Valley Schwag here. Will we look back on it as an example of the execesses of the second Internet boom? As I write this, I just realized I'm wearing a promotional t-shirt from the first Internet boom. I'm not sure what that signifies. Perhaps that Internet booms come and go, but you're always going to need a clean t-shirt.
Posted by mark at 11:40 AM. Permalink: Valley Schwag 3 | Comments (0)
July 1, 2006Super Schwag Rules Metropolis
Metropolis, Illinois is already benefiting from the promotional effects of Superman Returns. The town of 6,500 ins't much like the fictional Metropolis, but for the last 30 years they've embraced the tourist value of their name. According to the Associated Press, "The Illinois Legislature declared Metropolis to be Superman's home in the early 1970s. The local newspaper was The Metropolis News until 1972, when it changed its name to echo the fictional Daily Planet where Clark Kent and Lois Lane worked."
With the new movie on the the town is bracing for record visits to the Superman museum (which contains 75,000 pieces of Superman-related memorabilia) and the store, which sells everything from shot glasses and sunglasses to coloring books.
Posted by mark at 11:58 AM. Permalink: Super Schwag Rules Metropolis | Comments (0)
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