Seen on the Street

If you’re marketing to designers, promotional mouse pads can be a magical way to bring a piece of the showroom straight onto your customers’ desktops.

Just take a look at Duralee’s custom mousepads. Duralee is one of the interior design industry’s most exciting fabric brands, and it’s very cleverly using mouse pads to showcase its distinctive, dramatic offerings.

This isn’t your standard promotional mouse pad with a company name and logo—this has some real style and flair, just like the brand itself.

We’re swooning over the look of this promotional item. It’s pretty, it’s practical, and it does a lovely job of promoting the Duralee brand.

And think about it: Designers aren’t driving all over town to see swatches and samples anymore. The industry has changed. They’re now browsing websites and ordering samples online, making custom mouse pads smart, stylish promotional gifts that reach designers where they are: at their computers.

Promo know-how tip:

Make your custom mouse pads get noticed on the desktop by doing something different—think sand-filled wrist cushions or a mousepad that doubles as a notepad. Chat with our Brand Consultants for some creative ideas, and read on for why custom mousepads are effective promotional giveaways. 

The tennis and the swag rock at the Sony Open—especially if you’re a MasterCard Elite cardholder. MasterCard, which promises that “a world of possibilities awaits” its Elite cardholders, followed through on its word by handing out some amazing swag bags at the Sony Open.

MasterCard turned the event into a memorable, exciting experience by treating cardholders to some fantastic promotional items. Let’s take a peek at all the promotional goodness.

Cardholders received a promotional hand fan to ever so elegantly cool off in the stands, a custom tumbler to fill with something icy, custom binoculars to watch the tennis action up close and a promotional mousepad to bring a piece of the scenery back to the office. The promo items are smartly packed in a promotional bag.

When it comes to delivering some great perks for cardholders, MasterCard was right on target with these gift bags. The gifts help enhance the Sony Open experience and reinforce that when you’ve got a MasterCard Elite card in your wallet, something special is around every corner.

Promo know-how tip:

Create a swag bag for your customers to make them feel like VIPs. Talk to our Brand Consultants for some creative ideas.

We’ve seen custom t-shirts used across the spectrum, from guerilla marketing for a snack food to gym marketing to show work-out results. There’s no denying promotional t-shirts capture attention.

That’s why the Mother’s Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT), an organization that provides human milk to premature and critically ill infants, is using logo t-shirts as the centerpiece of its “Peace, Love, Share” campaign.

“Our goal is to initiate questions about sharing excess breast milk with needy babies,” says Simone Summerlin, donor program coordinator.

MMBNT gives custom shirts to all donors and also sells them for $5 a pop. Since the campaign kicked off last month, the shirts have brought in more than $1,000.

Summerlin is confident they’re spreading the word about MMBNT. “Just wearing my name badge has spurred questions. T-shirts are a whole lot more visible,” she says.

Plus, supporters have been specifically requesting promotional apparel. “We’ve had countless requests from moms, lactation centers and nurses for something they could wear to promote the milk bank,” says Summerlin.

MMBNT uses a variety of promotional products: pens, water bottles, and Life Savers with the message, “Donor milk: a life saver.” The organization even has a powder-pink, wrapped vehicle that transports donations to regional hospitals.

With t-shirts and other promotional items in play, Summerlin hopes that many conversations will be sparked about MMBNT and its life-saving mission.

“Our focus,” she says, “is all about love and sharing: Loving the babies who receive the donations, and sharing about the milk bank with other people.”

Promo know-how tip:

Custom t-shirts turn wearers into walking billboards for your message, so make the most of the opportunity by personalizing the front and back. 

Promotional products aren’t just logo gifts or giveaways to get your business name out there—they can say something about your brand and serve as an extension of your company culture.

The trick is to not think of promotional products as one-size-fits-all giveaways. Promotional items can be fine-tuned for every business and every occasion. With a few custom touches, you can turn any promotional giveaway into a recognizable, powerful expression of your company’s brand.

Take Playboy, for example. Its iconic Playboy Bunny is one of the world’s most recognized logos, and when the company uses it on promotional items, it’s instant brand recognition.

But Playboy takes its promotional giveaways one step further to fully reflect its brand. Note the black satin stripes on this custom golf towel promoting PlayboyGolf.com. It’s a classy, subtly seductive upgrade (how often do you see satin on a golf towel?) to give the towel a signature Playboy touch.

Playboy is proof that promotional products can mirror a company’s brand. When you capture your company’s personality with your promotional items, you’re sharing a little piece of your company culture with your audience and bringing your brand to life.

Promo know-how tip:

Make your custom products distinctly your own by making small adjustments. You can accent a product or experiment with different logo treatments. Our Promotions Specialists have honed their creativity—see what they can do for you.  

Branding is much more than a logo. Your brand is your company’s products and services come to life. It has a personality and character, and it should reflect your company’s core ideologies.

For a pediatric dentist in New York, branding centers around fun. From the moment you walk into his waiting room, you’re invited to have an enjoyable time. (Yes, even at the dentist.)

There are hundreds of pictures of smiling young patients gracing the walls. These grinning faces show other kids that the dentist isn’t so bad, and they’re a fun way to commemorate the visit. At their next checkup, kids can try to spot their photo on the wall. It’s like a real-life “Where’s Waldo.”

From a branding perspective, this dentist really knows what he’s doing. How many dentist offices post pictures of their patients? Not many that we know. It’s a great way to make a name for himself and make a trip to the dentist a memorable one.

Promo know-how tip: Create a great atmosphere with your business to boost customer loyalty and referrals.

Do your clients visit your office? If so, you should always be prepared with promotional items customized with your company name.

By having a selection of branded office products at the ready, you’re enhancing the client experience. No one wants to have to dig around a bag or desk drawer for an extra pen. If you keep a supply of office promotional items on hand, you’re always ready for a client meeting.

Gerstein Fisher, a New York City-based investment management firm, understands the value of having promotional items always ready for clients. Just look at this smart array of products featuring the firm’s name, logo and tagline.

Here’s why we think it’s smart: The firm anticipated what clients might need during a visit, and met those needs with branded products.

There are custom notepads along with some nice promotional pens. Both are must-haves in a meeting. We also appreciated that the firm had promotional coasters on hand. It’s a simple, effective way to keep its name in front of clients and guests.

If your office is a meeting place for clients, take a cue from Gerstein Fisher and provide them with the promotional products they’ll need during their visit.

Promo know-how tip: Display office promotional items in individual offices as well as conference rooms. When your clients sit down to talk business—wherever that may be—they should be greeted with promotional products.