Scarves come in all shapes and sizes including, knitting, tatting, and sateen applique. The promotional applications are possible with the growing sophistication of knitting technique. Great item for sponsorships too!

We found this cool little innovation that is perfect for an American pasttime – tailgating. Check out The Car Scarf! Suction cups adhere to car windows giving you a huge live area to display your brandmark or team logo.

Who knew a winter accessory could be so versitile? 

One event involves a motorcycle parade around Pikeville. Part of their awareness building campaign was a terry cloth wristband give-away.

Kudos to event organizers for coming up with such a perfect promotional idea for the event. Choosing a product that reflects the spirit of the event will drive engagement with the brand.

What can spur higher levels of engagement?
    – Pride in belonging to a group, organization, or cause
    – Novelty in the way that pride is expressed (the coolness factor)
    – Usefulness to the recipient

Ability to achieve the sponsor’s objectives is the end game of any promotional outreach. Just throwing something out there with a brand label on it does not always serve the greater purpose. Thoughtful reflection can make a whole lot of difference in the return on your promotional investment.

For more information regarding this event, visit the website at hillbillychristmasinjuly.org.

Headwear is a popular accessory that can be fun and functional!

According to a recent PPAI study 69% of respondents would pick up a promotional product if they found it to be useful. 

In fact, usability is the #1 reason for recipients to keep a promotional product. Pop-up Hats provide portable shade in a fun and festive product. 

For access to the complete 10 page study conducted by PPAI and fielded through MarketTools, Inc., Effectiveness of Promotional Products as an Advertising Medium, visit www.ppai.org.

CLICK HERE for more information about Pop-up Hats.

This was a seriously fun ad specialty to produce. A favorite “wear around the office” product for the IMC staff. Who knew that the real deal would be walking right down our street! One of our Reps spotted him and paused to snap this photo.

They really do tend to cut through clutter. I was at a Science Fair (yes, I am geeky) this weekend and was pleasantly surprised at the number of promotional products at the event. People were beside themselves to sign up for a variety of give-away items. The assortment went from jersey’s and plush, on down to small items like pens and magnets.

Too bad I forgot my flip video camera. It would have made a great “real life” interview opportunity. Instead you will have to make due with my second hand account of happy people glorying in thier good fortune of obtaining another promotional product.

I have to say, I was quite disappointed that I left empty handed and I am in this business. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Retention rates for promotional products are very high and people do use them in everyday life. See my previous blog post for some real life “open your purse” moments underscoring the power of promotional products.

Welcome to a new series of posts about promotional product trends. It is a series that focuses on unscripted interviews, real people, and thier opinions about promotional products. The short video clips are connected to data points that underscore the conversation. Hopefully this is a more entertaining way to get the point across. The video technique needs work, but I think the concept is sound.

A special thanks to my friends Nancy, Kelly, and Mary who allowed me to torture them with a video camera in a public place, while we were eating.

The data used in this post has been gleaned from the ASI Advertising Specialties Impressions Study, released in November of 2008.

Let me know what you think of the new format.

Linda Whitteaker-Hanson

Our application was submitted through our association with the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a global network of more than 7,300 business owners in 42 countries. It is very satisfying, albeit humbling, to be selected by a panel of your peers. We thank them for their trust in our ability to represent and develop American business relationships overseas.

What was really cool about this concept is that it underscores the value of the human connection in business development. Accounts are not just names or numbers on a spreadsheet. True innovation comes from a meeting of the minds and an exploration of the needs of others. We are very excited to be part of this outreach initiative.

It hit me today that this is why social media has been embraced so quickly, by so many. Particularly in the B-to-B space. According to a recent www.counselor.com poll of distributors, use of social networking has more than doubled over the last year. Sage software/AMI-Partners “North American Small Business Social Networking Study” revealed that use of social networking for customer service (answering customers questions) was the top activity at 61% of respondents polled, with networking activities coming in second. The promotional products industry is changing the way it conducts business as we speak.

People are reaching out and leveraging communications technology to simulate the face-to-face experience. The virtual social community may be the closest to a warm handshake we can get in an environment of tightening budgets and scarce resources.

Post written by Linda Whitteaker-Hanson

In the advertising specialties business we talk a lot about the influence and power of promotional products. We have lots of data supporting the fact that people really like getting free stuff. Not only do they like the promotional beads, buttons, bags and pens they receive - they place high value on them. According to a recent ASI Advertising Specialties Impressions Study reported that people use them regularly (81% considered them useful) and keep them for a very long time. More than 75% kept their promotional products for more than six months. This is destined to make brands very happy because they are getting all sorts of incremental impressions long after the campaign is over.

For example, IMC did this crazy student section wig for a stadium sponsor and it is still showing up on game day three years later. I can open up my kitchen cabinet and pick out 3-4 mugs, koosies, and other assorted drinkware that is at least that old or older myself. All collected by the way, before I came into this industry. The new stuff lives in my office. Don’t even ask about the closet of promotional tees, golf shirts, and jackets my family has collected over the years.

But what happens when the free stuff runs out?

Or someone gets passed over because of an unintentional error? I used to think that while disappointed, folks would just say “oh well” and move on or contact the company to see if they might have an extra lying around the office. That was until the day before yesterday. I read a post that blew my mind.

Apparently someone got passed over for the free stuff and got really upset. They got so upset they threatened an officer of the company with blackmail. The weapon a choice – a blog. Apparently the pen is still considered mightier than the sword. But blackmail? Seriously? Over a promotional giveaway item? Apparently the value propositon is greater than studies have led us to believe.

I would like to believe that this reaction was an isolated incident, although I cannot provide you with any statistical data to support that theory. The blogger in me is disgusted that someone would use the space in that way. The self-interested marketer in me hopes that it will give brands pause and they will order more robustly in the future. The realist in me knows this is wishful thinking.

Thanks to George Smith Jr. for the most unlikely blog fodder I have come across related to the promotional marketing. Link to the “blackmail” post http://bit.ly/IUWmP

The study used for this post is a great tool to illustrate consumer behavior and interaction with promotional products and the ROI potential. Released at the ASI Power Summit November 10, 2008, the “Advertising Specialties Impressions Study” is made available through the Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) at http://www.asicentral.com 

 Submitted by Linda Whitteaker-Hanson

Check out some video clips from the event!

 Shotgun Start

 One of the more challenging holes on the course . . .

A new perspective on boating . . .

It takes a professional . . .

Blog Author: Linda Whitteaker-Hanson (aka imcmarketer)