December 14, 2006

Promotional Merchandise: Yahoo Answers Gifts

Yahoo Answers, a popular service that allows users to submit questions and answer other users' questions just celebrated it's birthday. As part of their one year anniversary, they are offering promotional gifts to their answerers, and they've done a really great job with their gift program. For starters, it's the perfect service for a gift program because the answerers are really part of a community that enjoys being a part of the service. Likewise, Yahoo Answers really depends on it's answerers to have a service at all, so Yahoo benefits from rewarding them and giving them a tangible reminder that they are a part of a community. (In fact, while Yahoo Answers has been remarkably successful, Google Answers was recently shut down.)

The gifts were determined by the level of participation from the answerers, from stickers and magnets all the way up to mugs, custom embroidered caps and logo fleece jackets. The variety of products allows them to give gifts to the widest possible range of participants, while recognizing the most active ones with more valuable gifts. Although they haven't committed to doing it again next year, it also gives the Answerers something to work towards for next year.

There are couple other things I liked about this gift program. One is that they have the Answerers log in to give their desired shipping address, which brings them back to the site and cuts down on sending gifts to the wrong place or to Answerers who aren't interested anymore. Another is that, at each price range, they chose visible gifts, like hats and stickers that will promote the Yahoo Answers service. The answerers who are eligible for gifts and promotional merchandise are also the most likely evangelists for the service, and Yahoo just made it a little easier for them to promote. (via Search Engine Land)

Posted by mark at 9:40 AM. Permalink: Promotional Merchandise: Yahoo Answers Gifts | Comments (0)

April 7, 2006

How Cool Can a Calendar Be?

Pretty darn cool, I would say. I saw this one in Communication Arts, and it was originally done for Dow Canada. I think the combination of original illustration and design with the usefulness of a calendar makes it a great employee gift, and goes to show how unique and personal a customized employee gift can be.

Posted by mark at 9:04 AM. Permalink: How Cool Can a Calendar Be? | Comments (0)

January 9, 2006

Contact Info That Melts in Your Mouth

Make a custom chocolate business card and people, like Tom Coates, will praise it on their blog. After they eat it, of course. As he says, "it sure as hell made me remember the company." It's not just brand recognition, it's sweet, chocolatey brand recognition.

Posted by mark at 4:55 PM. Permalink: Contact Info That Melts in Your Mouth | Comments (0)

January 2, 2006

Employee Gift Tips

Some employee gift tips from the Madison State Journal. For starters, they're important:

"There's always a gap between the appreciation and recognition employees want and what they get, so any opportunity to show that appreciation is one to take advantage of."

Also, make it personal and make it look nice:

"You really want it to look nice. Part of the actual value in giving a gift is when people feel like it was thought about. Maybe include a card or a note with it so they understand there was some thought given to the selection."

And put your logo on it:

"Corporate logos are on everything. They're very important for employee recognition, especially if it's an office gift."

All good ideas if you ask me, and we can help you make it happen. Check out our awards and recognition products, our holiday gifts and our promotional packaging. We can help you put it all together for a great gift.

Posted by mark at 12:36 PM. Permalink: Employee Gift Tips | Comments (0)

December 21, 2005

A Tale of Two Holiday Gifts...

A Detroit-area copywriter posted images of two holiday gifts received by his agency on his blog, a box of chocolates and a gift wrapping set. Both were nice, but as he says about the gift wrap "I got this box of gift wrap and supplies from one of our vendors (Unlike the Yahoo chocolates, when you don't slap your name on it, people forget who it's from... oh well)" The branding didn't make the chocolates any less tasty, but it did make the difference between being from Yahoo! and being from "a vendor."

Posted by mark at 8:35 AM. Permalink: A Tale of Two Holiday Gifts... | Comments (0)

December 20, 2005

Graceful Corporate Gifting

A recent Dallas Morning News article discussed how companies can give corporate gifts gracefully. According to the article, "For the past four years, the largest segment of corporate sales has been in the under-$30 range," but "This year, more companies are opening up their wallets to at least $50 to $150." One of the keys to giving gracefully is to give something that of quality that isn't over the top. One way of doing this is to find something creative and relevant to the recipient that isn't expensive or showy. For some great business gift ideas, check out our corporate gifts department.

Posted by mark at 8:39 AM. Permalink: Graceful Corporate Gifting | Comments (0)

December 17, 2005

Creative Corporate Gift Ideas

Kelli Mitchell at the Tampa Bay Business Journal has some corporate gift pointers:

Make it stand out, be creative and make it meaningful.

Make it personal, by considering the interests and tastes of the recipient.

Pick something that will serve as a lasting reminder of your relationship.

Some of her top product picks were:

Leather goods, especially travel products are tasteful. Silver plated clocks are a classic, and a good gift basket works well, too, especially if it's a group gift to an office. Or, just check out our site for great business gift ideas.

Posted by mark at 10:55 AM. Permalink: Creative Corporate Gift Ideas | Comments (0)

November 22, 2005

Small Business: Are You Giving Holiday Gifts?

According to the Miami Herald:

A new American Express survey finds that small business owners are planning to open their wallets a bit wider this holiday season. According to the OPEN From American Express Small Business Monitor, budgets for client and customer holiday gifts are up 15 percent to $1,064 this year, and 71 percent of business owners will be giving holiday gifts -- up from 61 percent last fall.

If you're one of that 71%, check our the Corporate Gifts section of our site for some great holiday business gift ideas.

Posted by mark at 10:30 AM. Permalink: Small Business: Are You Giving Holiday Gifts? | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

Golf Promos: Fore Choices That Beat a Dozen

Golf balls are a popular promotional and corporate gift item. They get used and they get lost, so golfers always need them. We're certainly not going to take them off our site any time soon. However, I am going to give you four great golf-related alternatives that will probably last longer and make more of an impact than golf balls, and they're all about the same price as a dozen brand name balls.

1. Golftool by Victorinox Swiss Army: It's great quality, a great brand name and includes all the tools you need on the course.


2. Callaway Golf Deluxe Shoe Carrier: Again, a great brand name and a great product that will be long lasting and useful to any golfer.


3. Putter on the Go Golf Set: Okay, this one does include a golf ball, but it also includes a precision putter and a solid wood target hole. Bonus point: They can keep it in the office where they make purchasing decisions.


4. 62" Vented Square Golf Umbrella w/ Gel-Filled Handle: Simply put, a terrific golf umbrella, and a great golf gift that also comes in handy off the course.


Of course, we have lots of other great golf products on our site. These are just four products that show golf promos can be more than just logo golf balls. Of course, if you still want logo golf balls, you can get 'em by the dozen, or in unique gift packaging.

Posted by mark at 4:20 PM. Permalink: Golf Promos: Fore Choices That Beat a Dozen | Comments (0)

August 1, 2005

Holiday Gifts: Creating Your Recipient List

If you're giving holiday gifts this year, the first thing you'll want to do is figure out who your recipients are. Your recipient list will depend on your business and your clientele, but there are a few important things to consider that are applicable to almost any company...

Gifts for Individuals
1. Remember to count individual contacts rather than just client companies. Especially amongst your top clients, you will probably find there are multiple contacts. You may find that your needs double when you count contacts rather than companies, which will make a big difference when you're budgeting.
2. Consider breaking your list down into tiers. This allows you to maximize your budget and give appropriately to different clients. A typical breakdown would look like this:
a. Tier One: Your very top clients. You have had a long relationship with them and without them you may not even be in business. They would receive the most valuable and most personal gifts.
b. Tier Two: Good clients and new clients with potential to grow. These are either steady clients who will never be top clients, or new clients who aren't there yet.
c. Tier Three: Other clients and promising prospects. This tier may include some or all of the rest of your clients, who would receive an inexpensive gift as a reminder that you work together.
3. Figure out your recipients' demographics. For example, figuring out the number of men and women will help you determine if you want to pick two different gifts or something unisex.

Group Gifts
1. If you're planning to give group or shareable gifts, you'll want to have an idea of how many people at each company will be sharing them and if there are multiple offices or departments you should be giving to.
2. Having a tiered list may be less important when giving group gifts, but for shareables like food, you may want to break your list down into larger and smaller companies and have an appropriately-sized gift for each.

Additional Considerations
1. Identify clients who may not be able to receive gifts, such as government organizations and some large companies.
2. Budget a little extra. Whether it's for the client contact that you accidentally forgot, or the new customer that really started ordering more after you came up with your initial list, chances are you'll be glad to have a couple extra gifts.
3. When determining your lists, don't just look at total sales. To find out who your relationship clients are, take a look at the number of times they order and the length of your relationship.

Posted by mark at 3:44 PM. Permalink: Holiday Gifts: Creating Your Recipient List | Comments (0)

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