International Promos

About one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society, and P&G is on a mission to spread awareness by using promotional products.

The multinational manufacturer of consumer products has launched an overseas campaign called “The Promise,” in which it uses custom rings for women to promise they’ll go in for a screening.

We’ve seen custom bracelets and watches used in awareness promos, and we love the new spin of using rings. They’re symbolic of making a commitment, and in the case of breast cancer awareness, that commitment can save lives.

P&G kicked off its promotion at 360 Degrees, a swanky nightclub situated off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. Hundreds were in attendance, enjoying the sunset and live music.

Then, in a sort of mass proposal, guys got down on one knee and presented a ring. Only it wasn’t for a hand in marriage—it was for a promise that their loved one would get a check-up. It wasn’t just guys presenting the rings, either. Friends reached out to friends for a commitment to get checked.

Black rings symbolized a commitment to take a woman for a screening, and pink rings symbolized a promise to attend the screening. It’s kind of hard to forget when you have a tangible reminder right in front of you, slipped directly on your ring finger.

Can promotional products help save lives? P&G shows they can—one promo item and one promise at a time.

Promo know-how tip:

Hosting an event is a great way to kick off an awareness campaign and put promotional products in your audience’s hands. Consider handing out promo items as guests arrive or including them in a bag at the end of the event.

Nothing says fun like custom rubber ducks. They bring out the kid in everyone, and they can be a creative way to start a dialogue. They’re playful, they’re unexpected, and they get people’s attention.

For U.K.-based Jackpotjoy, a popular entertainment and games site, a promotional ducky was the perfect way to make a statement. A huge one.

The site used a massive custom rubber duck—one that towered 50 feet in the air and weighed a half ton—to announce its new Facebook FUNdation.

It took an enormous amount of work to create the colossal quacker. Workers spent three months and over 800 hours on the duck. Then, they set it loose to sail the River Thames in London. The custom duck was so large that the city’s Tower Bridge had to be lifted for it to pass.

Talk about an attention-getting promotional stunt. There was no missing the 50-foot Jackpotjoy duck as it sailed past London’s famous landmarks.

For a site that promotes fun and silliness, this promotion was spot-on. See for yourself:

Promo know-how tip:

Custom rubber ducks can be as creative as you want them to be. ePromos offers sports-themed rubber ducks, profession-related rubber ducks, and more. Or, just go with the original yellow rubber duck. You can’t beat a classic.

When IT and tech giant Microsoft wanted to present Windows 8 as fast and fun, it turned to custom products. Why? Because people can see, talk about and experience promotional products.

Here’s what we mean: Microsoft installed a giant promotional slide in a U.K. shopping center to promote Windows 8. Fast? Check. Fun? Check.

Shoppers could choose: take the stairs, or go for a ride on an awesome wavy slide. Hold our Auntie Anne’s – we’d totally pick the slide.

At the top, staffers wearing custom t-shirts sent participants down the slide. During the gleeful ride, photos were snapped and shared on a giant LED screen, and then handed to sliders in promotional photo frames. If they tweeted a picture of themselves with the #fastandfun hashtag, they were entered to win some great prizes such as an HP tablet.

While you might not normally associate “fun” with an operating system, this promotion was no doubt fun and fast.

Plus, we loved seeing all the great logo products throughout. They made for consistent branding for Microsoft, and they helped create an unforgettable experience for shoppers.

Promo know-how tip:

Custom t-shirts are the ultimate guerilla marketing tool, but consider using other custom products to further drive home your message. 

For people in Oslo, Norway, the cold, rainy months of fall and winter often seem to drag on … and on. But promotional items, like a warm ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds, reminded them that they didn’t have to stay stuck in the chilly gloom.

Norwegian Air used promotional rain gauges to visually show citizens how dreary Oslo can be this time of year. The rain gauges also promoted flight deals to Norway’s sunnier spots. They showed that citizens could hop a flight to somewhere warm and sunny—and for cheap.

Well played, Norwegian Air.

The airline carrier installed the promo items on bus shelters throughout the city so people could clearly see just how much rain was falling.

We love this promo for two reasons: It’s a visual reminder of the city’s above-average rainfall, and it promotes a cheap escape to a sunnier locale.

If the rain won’t go away, at least you can.

Promo know-how tip:

Promotional items are a powerful way to convey any message or prove any point. Our Promotions Specialists will put their expertise to work to make your next promo a standout one. 

Health and fitness advertisers sometimes get a bad rap. Consumers think their ads are touched up, and they don’t buy in to the message.

Promotional products can nip this thinking in the bud. Power Vibe Studio proved it.

This weight-loss specialty gym in Nairobi, Kenya, turned to custom t-shirts to show a simple fact: When you work out there, you slim down.

The gym wanted people to see that the results were real, not photo-shopped, so it recruited two women with very different body shapes to walk around a mall wearing custom t-shirts promoting “before” and “after.” The back of the “after” t-shirt featured the gym’s logo and tagline: “Build the difference.”

We love the simplicity and creativity of this promotion: custom t-shirts to show a real-life “before” and “after” demonstration. It was a dramatic way to turn heads and get people talking about the gym.

As a result of people seeing the shirts, the gym reported a 35% jump in membership in only a few days.

Power Vibe Studio used custom t-shirts to prove that its fitness results aren’t embellished—they’re the real deal. That’s some real promo know-how.

Promo know-how tip: Consider the benefit you provide your customers, and then prove it using promotional products. Unsure where to start? We’re the promo know-how people, and we can help you develop a creative promotion from start to finish.

Promotional umbrellas aren’t just handy on rainy days—they can also help lonely souls find their match. (Who knew, right?)

JiaYuan, an online dating service in Shanghai, China, used promotional umbrellas to target Chinese singles looking for their better half. It didn’t use any ordinary umbrellas though; it used custom-made half umbrellas to promote the message: “Find your other half to weather life’s ups and downs.”

The dating service recruited talent to hold the promotional umbrellas and stand in high-traffic areas throughout the city. This curious sight attracted some big buzz—both from passersby and the media.

Everyone wanted to know: What was up with these lonely-looking people, and why were they holding half umbrellas?

Luckily, the answer was found right on the umbrellas—as a QR code. Singles could scan the code and download JiaYuan’s mobile app on the spot. As a result of the promotion, registrations on the site skyrocketed 25%.

The promotion appeared on the front page of a major newspaper, on a popular TV show, blogs and social media sites. The value of the generated media? About $2.5 million.

This campaign proves the power of promotional products, and that custom umbrellas can, indeed, make people swoon.

Promo know-how tip: Don’t overlook the tried-and-true promotional items—even the most common products can be used creatively. Let us help you find that creative spark to make your next promotion a standout success.