All things promotional marketing including industry news, trends, product features and more.
The Value of Apparel as a Promo Tool
Nov 10th
What could possibly be better for advertising for your brand than a promo tool that goes wherever your clients go, without you having to be there? That is the beauty in using apparel as a promo tool. With your brand on a piece of clothing, people will think about your brand, and your logo will be right there for everyone to see.
Apparel is arguably one of the most effective promo tools to give out at a trade show or another corporate business event. The reason for this is that apparel goes beyond functional. While people may not use other items right away, the chances that people are going to put on a piece of clothing soon after receiving it are high. This is particularly true when it comes to things like jackets and sweatshirts during the winter months, and even during summer when an unexpected rain storm or cold snap could leave potential clients needing an extra layer.
There are also those random food accidents that have people scrambling for a change of shirt. And what better way to make yourself remembered than by being the one who came to the rescue with a fresh shirt?
Sweatshirts have been an “in” trend for apparel for a very long time. So no matter what style you go with, you’re going to have something that your clients – prospective and current – will be able to wear. Some of the most popular styles include full zip fleece sweatshirts, because the fleece keeps the wearer warm without adding bulk, and the full zip allows for ease of use. Another great idea is this nylon hooded jacket. Nylon is great for the outdoors, keeping the wearer dry during any kind of weather.
When you’re considering choosing apparel to use as a promo tool, one of the best rules of thumb to go by is to consider what types of clothing you would wear. If you would wear it or use it, or if it’s something commonly needed in your industry or geographical area, there will be plenty of others who need it, too. It’s just up to you to make sure that they’re wearing your brand logo, keeping your brand at the forefront of their mind in fair and foul weather.
Custom Awards Fit for Any Event
Nov 10th
Awards are so very meaningful to their recipients. They can be physical tokens of appreciation for hard work, or beautiful ways to mark a milestone in someone’s life. How, exactly, can you make use of custom awards? Here are a few suggestions to help you.
Team Awards
No matter whether you’re a child or an adult, getting an award at the end of the season is a momentous occasion. The last game of the season is usually shortly followed by a banquet dinner and an awards ceremony. During this ceremony, of course, you’ll give out awards. The reasons for these awards can be anything from most valuable player to best water boy. Assistants love awards just as much as the players. And adult teams love getting awards just as much as kids’ teams.
School Awards
Probably the only thing more exciting than bringing home a perfect grade in a class is being able to bring home a trophy for scholastic excellence. This is something that can be put up on a mantel and displayed for anyone to see, or can even be kept on the student’s desk as inspiration later on in life. From perfect attendance to honor roll or valedictorians, there are an endless amount of opportunities in which to use custom awards for school.
Company Awards
It doesn’t matter if you’ve graduated five or twenty years ago. Awards still mean a great deal, and perhaps even more so when you are working for a company. Think about how much it would mean to your employees if you presented them with a custom award commemorating a promotion or retirement, an anniversary of years of service, or even a department transfer. You can also get even more creative and make some just for fun awards for holiday parties.
The importance here in getting custom awards rather than generic awards is, of course, the word custom. You can always go find generic awards in your department store. But taking the time to customize an award will make sure that not only will it be displayed for years to come? It will carry that much more meaning and importance.
Promo Objective & Solution – Mugs
Nov 3rd
Objective: A corporate gift for shareholders at an annual meeting
Solution: Full Colour Digital Ceramic Mug
As December approached, so did the annual shareholders meeting. Shareholders received tote bags filled with meeting materials and gifts of appreciation each year. This year’s organizer could not decide upon an appropriate gift.
The organizer called a meeting with her promotional consultant, and the two of them began a brainstorming session. They combed through newsletters and press releases to discuss each newsworthy event the company had seen over the past year. Many events were noteworthy, but not one stood out enough to form the basis of the gift.
They stopped thinking about celebrating the accomplishments of the past and began looking to the present and future. The most exciting new endeavour, which would be announced in the near future, involved expansion: the opening of several offices overseas. The organizer and the consultant agreed the gift needed to reflect the excitement of the new business opportunities global expansion would provide.
The gift also needed to suffice as a reminder that going global was a positive venture. As happens with any change, there were bound to be a few shareholders feeling slightly nervous at the news. Much of the upcoming meeting would include detailing the benefits of the expansion. With this in mind, the promotional consultant suggested coffee mugs as functional desktop accessories that would provide a tangible reminder of the progressive action of the business.
The mug chosen as best representing the concept was a full colour digital ceramic mug. A Mercator projection with the city of each new office circled in white imprinted on one side of the mug would call to mind that expanded business is good business.
The executives in charge unanimously approved of the organizational details of the meeting. The only suggestion for improvement was to have Expanding Our Horizons printed on the other side of the mug. The order was placed with rushIMPRINT and the organizer was able to relax.
Promo Objective & Solution – Sports Bottles
Nov 3rd
Objective: A reward for participants of a gym’s weight loss challenge
Solution: Extreme Bottle – 34 ounce
Endeavouring to increase membership sales as well as the public’s physical health, the gym decided to hold a weight loss challenge spanning three months. The concept was simple: Advertise the challenge to get people into the gym, motivate participants into a fitness routine and schedule regular weigh-in sessions with physical trainers. The winner of the challenge would receive the grand prize of a one-year membership to the gym.
The emphasis on healthy weight loss drew many participants into the contest. The owners of the gym wanted to give each participant a token that would reward their effort and motivate them to continue at the gym after the challenge; however, choosing the reward was proving difficult.
At the time of registration, each participant received a personal consultation with a trainer. The consultations covered the basics of height, weight, BMI and any health problems or concerns. The meeting continued with instruction on the proper nutrition to support weight loss when exercising. The importance of hydration and sufficient water intake topped the list of nutritional needs.
All of the physical trainers noticed a trend by the second weigh-in. The participants had been paying attention during the consultations, and each person devotedly carried water on their circuits. Travel mugs and bottled water kept challengers hydrated before, during and after exercise routines. The promotional consultant hired for the challenge used this information to decide on the ideal reward.
After searching the rushIMPRINT website, the consultant deemed the Extreme Bottle the perfect item. The 34-ounce capacity, no-spill lid and moulded grip made it an excellent choice for gym use. What really tipped the scales in this bottle’s favour was the ounce chart that allowed contestants precise visual tracking of consumed water. The gym owners placed an order and each participant received their reward at the third weigh-in.
With one grand prize and the participation awards, the owners did hope to gain additional long-term members. It worked, but they took most pride in the real reward: the reduced weight and increased physical health of each participant.
Promo Objective & Solution – Wine Gifts
Nov 2nd
Objective: Finding promotional products for an industry conference, with regional marketing considered.
Solution: Wilshire Balloon Wine Glass
An Ontario-based distributor of nutrients and pesticides developed an outstanding reputation among the agricultural, feed, garden, horticultural and lawn companies with which it had conducted business. The distributor is also a well-known sponsor and attendee of association meetings, industry conferences and trade shows.
The CEO of the distribution company, John, understands complacency harms future business, so he was searching for a promotional product to both brand his company and embody the region of the meeting, the city of Kelowna in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, at an upcoming industry conference. The promotional item needed to serve as a reminder of his company’s name, reputation and prominent status in the industry, yet it also needed a relationship to the outstanding wines produced in the valley.
John carefully considered the number of wine-related items at rushIMPRINT. There were many eye-catching, quality products, but the one that spoke to him as most suitable was the Wilshire Balloon Wine Glass. This was the product John wanted to award to the top 1,000 attendees at the conference.
The glass would highlight his logo in style and would provide a subliminal reminder of his distribution business. The bottom of the bowl rested upon four level steps. The steps conveyed John’s message that, regardless of the type of crop, his distribution of nutrients and pesticides help at every step of the growing process. From preparing the soil and planting to the final harvest, he would be there to ensure a bountiful, healthy crop.
Though it was not a deciding factor, John appreciated the other items created to match the glass he chose. He would have the ability to order complementary glasses and decanters for future business meetings and conferences, which would eventually create complete sets for his regular business associates.
The industry conference was successful, and 1,000 people walked away with a tangible reminder of the beauty surrounding the Okanagan Valley and the dedication of John’s distribution company.
Automotive Industry Promos
Oct 31st
As an automotive manufacturing capital, Windsor, Ontario plays host to a substantial amount of industry conferences. Design meetings and prototype presentations occur year-round. Automotive industry promos inspire designers, sales personnel and labourers each season of the year.
If Chrysler Canada had an all-day and all-night brainstorming session to come up with a braking system that would eliminate the hazard of black ice, the first thing the participants would receive is a complimentary mug. Of course, there would be an endless supply of coffee in the meeting room.
If the caffeine stops working, a good chuckle re-animates stalled idea generation. Handing out ice-scraper mitts with a tag that reminds people braking systems only work if you can get into the car to get it moving will result in giggles or rolling eyes. Either way, the ice will be broken and thinking can resume.
The opposite extreme of ice-covered windshields in the winter is sun-amplifying windows in the summer. Baked car interiors are not fun. When employees work longer hours to meet production quotas, Chrysler could recognize their effort with accordion sunshades that allow labourers a relatively cool car at the end of a long workday.
RushIMPRINT has the imprinted automotive industry promos that inspire from the design room to the final assembly line. Whether serious or humorous, corporate swag can work where mere words can fail.
Canada Healthcare Promos
Oct 28th
The Canadian healthcare system we know today stemmed from the dream of a young Tommy Douglas, former Saskatchewan premier and leader of the NDP. The work of Douglas and former Prime Ministers Diefenbaker and Pearson solidified the concept into the reality of Canadians enjoying medical care paid for by provincial and federal governments.
While the government ensures our ability to receive medical care, there remains a need of funding for education, research and special projects. Most of these funds arrive from annual fundraising drives, which often award spectacular prizes.
The Health Sciences Centre Foundation’s annual Million Dollar Home Lottery consistently generates anticipation and participation in Manitobans. Those that purchase tickets for this event do not do so for promotional items, but the items give each person something to hold onto while they dream of winning.
A lantern keychain given out with each ticket purchase instils a ray of hope that it will soon dangle the key to a new dream home. House-shaped calendar magnets not only keep track of days until the current drawing, but also counts down the days until the next year’s lottery.
From research to institutes for advanced medicine, fundraisers keep our free healthcare services current, improved and technologically advanced. Canada healthcare promos from rushIMPRINT do not win the lotteries, nor are they the reason for buying tickets. They do give a tangible object to hold onto while dreaming of possibilities.
Energy Industry Promos
Oct 26th
As large as they are, energy providers such as BC Hydro and Manitoba Hydro cannot do everything on their own. Almost all large projects require external businesses to perform catering, roadway construction, scrap removal and other necessary jobs. Using energy industry promos may give your company the edge when it comes time for energy providers to award these contracts.
The nearly complete Wuskwatim Generation Project involves services and manufactured components from outside of Manitoba Hydro and the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN), which are the two entities responsible for the development of the station. ATCO Structures received the contract to provide office and living shelters for the employees working on site. The contract for intake gates went to the CANMEC Group.
British Columbia Hydro recently awarded a contract to Armtec Infrastructure to provide BC Hydro’s underground infrastructure products made of precast.
What did each of these companies have in common? They backed the presentation of their winning proposals with items intended to remind the energy providers of their business names. They handed out items such as journals and pens so decision makers could take notes during the presentations. There is a great chance they also presented out business card holders that included the cards of each person in their company that would be involved in the specific area of the project.
rushIMPRINT’s energy industry promos do not take the place of proposals, but they do enhance bids that are strong, sound and financially feasible.
Banking Industry Promos
Oct 20th
Consumers of products and services in Canada demand increased value for their money. Economic fluctuation has heightened this demand in recent years. In the past, clients often transferred accounts from one bank to another. The movements stemmed from the attempt to escape paying high service fees and earning little interest.
Adapting to this trend, banks began incentive programs to keep loyal customers and welcome the new. Eliminating monthly fees if balances kept higher than a set minimum and lowering or removing charges for ATM or debit transactions were two small steps taken to extend the value of their client’s available cash. Expanding services was another step aimed to keep more of each customer’s transactions in one place.
Banking industry promos keep these new incentives and services in the minds of the customers. Key tags perform as reminders that the chosen bank is the key to an individual’s financial security. New long-term investors receive pocket lights to keep them calm when investments take a dip: a light at the end of the tunnel as a reminder that for each dip there is also a peak.
Banks and credit unions are also working at gaining loyal customers at a young age by offering teens and children young-saver accounts with no service or transaction fees. The hope is that the youngsters who walk out carrying a piggy bank gift will remain customers for life.
Reduced fees and expanded services have met the public’s demand for better value. This has provided a winning situation for banks and customers alike.
Insurance Industry Promos
Oct 19th
Often, employees receive promotional items that acknowledge their work and dedication. Canada’s insurance sector employs over 2.3 million people, which means insurance industry promos figure largely in the overall percentage of workplace rewards.
For more than a century, The Great-West Life Assurance Company has successfully administered and processed insurance claims. The company also enjoys a very low employee turnover rate. Employee loyalty stems from many perks offered by GWL. In-house gyms, subsidized cafeteria meals and corporate swag reflect only a few of these benefits.
It is not unusual for an employee to walk into his cubicle and find an imprinted coffee mug filled with a tasty treat assortment sitting on his desk to recognize a job well done or a company anniversary.
There are also times that swag has nothing to do with work. Departments that participate in the annual Christmas cubicle decorating challenge present the winners with such gifts as cheese boards for use during their home holiday entertaining.
Regardless of how small, these items go far in instilling employees with the feeling that they are valued, they are important to the company, and their hard work is noticed. Promotional products from rushIMPRINT are quality items that employees will display and use – and feel good about.
The items at rushIMPRINT can be considered an investment: Purchasing imprinted insurance industry promos to reward loyalty is less expensive than regularly going through the process of hiring and training new employees to replace those who have left.