What's Your Name?

Greeting new people at a large event is easier with name badges. Immediately attendees can match names with faces, connect with individuals from companies they want to meet and make small talk easier with help my name is.....Will. Will was a good sport, we recently shared his image on a Facebook post inquiring was it the suit or the badge that made Will look sharp? 

While a small purchase, a badge is a huge impact. 

Yes, we can do as few as one badge for a company, but often find for larger companies a badge program makes sense and saves cents! 

How do you know when a program is right for you? 

• Do you have new employees or members joining your team frequently?
• Will you have a need for at least 25 or more badges over a 2 year period?
• Do you like saving money?
• Do you like quick turn?
• Do you like managing your own account? 

If you answer yes to most of these questions- a program is right for you! 

What styles are popular? 

We have many styles in the showroom including: plastic, metal, full color, wood, write in name for special events and unique shaped badges like surfboards and leaves! 

Badges can be customized to your needs in terms of size, shape and fastner; pin back, alligator clip or magnetic. 

We can explain how a program will save you both time and money.

What's the Benefit Of A Team Approach?

If we are to understand the value of a team, perhaps we should start with what's the meaning of the word team?

As a noun-

noun: team; plural noun: teams

1.

a group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport.

synonyms:

group, squad, side, band, bunch, company, party, gang, selection, crew, troupe, set, lineup, array

 As a verb- 

verb: team; 3rd person present: teams; past tense: teamed; past participle: teamed; gerund or present participle: teaming

1.

come together as a team to achieve a common goal.

"he teamed up with the band to produce the album"

synonyms:

join (up), join forces, collaborate, get together, come together, band together, work together

Hum...there we go again, breaking rules, at Promotional Partners we are a team that is both a noun and a verb! 

We work as a "group, unit or crew". We join forces, applying our collective talents and roles, collaborating with you and working together to put your brand first. 

Here's an example of what happens with a team effort:

A local business needed a giveaway for their clients. They knew they wanted something techy, but none of the pre-built tech kits offered them the product selection in the colors they needed. 

Why not build a custom kit? 

We worked with the client to find the items they had always envisioned and tech case that would hold the products perfectly. Once the selections were made, we ordered the pieces; then our team kitted the items together saving time and delivering a great package piece!

Part of creating a great campaign starts with the imprint on the product.

You've got a product and a logo, but you want to add a bit more? 

Perhaps your want to add phone numbers, websites, taglines......but do they work with your imprint area? Unfortunately many products have a limited imprint space. It’s important that the content be readable and have no printing issues. We adapt; in fact for the project referenced here we worked behind the scenes to clean up art issues prior to printing. 

Our ability to guide you through the art process and suggest imprint options is important. We help to maximize your imprint area. This part of the order process saves time and creates a happy outcome- a great reason to take advantage of our in house design services!

Keep following our blog for more behind the scenes stories! 

Advantages To Jumping In Feet First

As a mom of boys, I've had plenty of " feet first" moments over the years, from cannon balls into the pool to sliding into home in baseball. In Saturday's blog post I suggested that there was HUGE marketing potential in developing food campaigns. Untapped marketing exists in many areas. This past year, some of our favorite promotional campaigns revolved around feet- specifically fun ways to cover the foot!

When long time educator, innovator and champion of the community college system, President Dr. Stephen Scott announced a pending retirement in August last year- those close to Scott knew no ordinary "send off" would suffice. It was important to capture his impact by spinning off his personal style; a sock man! 

Purchasing a pair of these socks as part of the annual foundation fund drive provided the ideal motivation to support the college, his legacy and the annual foundation fundraising efforts.


Socks are fun! Even for the timid, socks are a way to introduce some corporate spirit, raise awareness or funds while unifying the team. Are you interested in accomplishing goals without stepping too far outside your comfort zone? Yep, I said stepping out of your comfort zone. 

This past year we've done several fun sock promotions- sports teams, trade show give away items like these socks from SolarWinds MSP or just plan fun for employees and donors to the YMCA.

Regardless of your style or need we have solutions ranging from digitally printed YMCA socks to woven in styles like these dress socks shown here.  We even did some athletic  "digi camo" socks for a local Pop Warner football team. One of our favorite NC suppliers has several options featured here.

Looking for more inspiring ideas? Check out the case studies link on our website. Innovative ideas are abundant in our blog posts- follow us!

Hungry For More Business?

Food is a basic human need, but it's also a huge part of our celebrations and events.Think about it, when was the last time you went to an event that did not serve food? I'd also bet you talked to someone about the quality of the food while at the event.

Food is cultural too; just this past Friday I attended a networking breakfast and the gravy/biscuit option on the buffet lead to a discussion about what types of breakfast foods we'd grown up eating. Three of us found ourselves trying to explain liver mush to an non North Carolina native. 

There's no doubt that food is a powerful social connector. Besides comparing food memories, there are emotional connections. A couple of us at that breakfast had grown up being able to eat pie at grandma's house for breakfast. ( My MeeMaw's was the best!) If your looking for a way to stand out among other competitors in your industry; food might be your meal ticket!

While visiting some of our larger business partners office spaces, I find that the break room and cafe areas look similar to the gathering spaces in a hotel. There are tables to gather, places to warm up what your brought from home, beverages and snacks. Food gifts are a simple way to connect with a basic human need, show some personality and connect your brand to a crowd!  

Think beyond the holidays when it comes to food.

There are fun packages for individual mailboxes, candy dishes for the reception desk, platters for the break room, consumables for the coffee station and treats stuffed inside functional desk items to be used after enjoying your treat. We can even kit together some of your existing marketing materials with food gifts.

 

The items featured today are offered on our website under the food gifts tab on our website. Keep in mind that we partner with suppliers that ship fresh made, not prepackaged gifts. What about the ease distribution? We can have all of your gifts drop shipped to each location for you.

Oh, are you still wondering about liver mush? No need to google it, follow our Facebook page, I've shared some images there.

Is Your Data Safe?

I LOVE IT when people make me look smart!

Our friends at PCNA have done just that, made me look like a tech expert!
I know what a wireless charger is, the basics on how it works, but I did not know all these facts. Did you know a wireless charger:

1. Reduces wear and tear on your phone?
2. Keeps your data safe?
3. Is cable free?
4. Loves all phones?

 How does it work?

 The wireless power transfer occurs through electromagnetic induction. The inductive charging the required power reaches the device not through a traditional cable but rather wirelessly through the use of electromagnetic fields. The principle is very simple: the sender (Charging Station) transfers the required energy to the receiver (the mobile phone).

What's FOD? 

It's forward thinking from partners with a "brain"-  PCNA builds Foreign Object Detection (FOD) into all wireless charging styles.

Wireless charging uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects through electromagnetic induction. Foreign Object Detection(FOD) is a safety mechanism that automatically interrupts power delivery if there is interference caused by a foreign object. This reduces the concern of the device transferring energy to a non-chargeable item and becoming a hazard.

 Looking for faster charge?? Up to 25% faster??
 

Hard to read these images? Ask.....we will send you copies to review.

Ready to go wireless? Here are some popular styles from our friends at PCNA.

Creating Red Carpet Moments

When I was a kid, our class took a trip to downtown Raleigh to the legislative building. If you've been there, you know there is a long wide staircase leading up to the second floor. The middle of the staircase features an impressive expanse of red carpet. The carpeted part of the staircase is roped off to the general public; only to be used on special occasions.

Now you have it, that is my brush with red carpet fame. Red carpets are associated with awards ceremony's like the upcoming Oscars or local fundraising gala's, but red carpet "treatment" is appreciated anytime. Connecting your brand message into a memory and incorporating into a product only requires thinking like a celebrity on the red carpet.

Logo-light up products were new last year and expanding this year. A brand launch or the grand opening of an anticipated venue space are both perfect reasons to "put a spotlight" on your branding. Let's start with the campaign space. A light up logo display offers your message to stand out to attendees. Perhaps you have a call to action that requires downloading an app or requires guests register electronically. A light up display like this one will capture attention and provide directions.

No red carpet event is complete with out "swag bags". Attendees to a gala night will appreciate being treated like royalty with glam kits.

Do you provide a service or benefit that is better than your competitor? A direct mail campaign that includes a cinema marquee announcing that your company is what's "playing" in the community; highlighting your service is a fun way to introduce your company and acquire new customers.

A brand launch is the perfect time to provide employees and key accounts a sneak peek of the new logo design and to be among the first to have new branded materials. Drinkware and technology pieces top the most requested and kept promotional pieces. Light up your message on popular gifts recipients will keep and enjoy. Providing that "staying power" is what makes branded advertising top the charts as the most regarded and viewed form of advertising.  Brand engagement is similar to creating that red carpet moment, putting eyes on your business.

Chart topping? Yes! Oscar worthy marketing, yes! According to a recent independent study from our industry partner, ASI ( Advertising Specialty Institute), an impressive 85% consumers will remember the name of an advertiser on a branded product! Take that Fiji Water Girl!

Inspired to start creating your next red carpet moment? Share your event time line with our team for some winning ideas! #Winner

Is Soap The Best Defense For The Dirty Dozen?

On the way to lunch today, I picked up a penny I saw on the ground. Lincoln....and today is President's Day! When I was a kid my mom always told me to wash my hands after touching money; filthy she'd say to me. In fact she always had a "wet nap" in her purse; her solution to hand sanitizer. I am not sure how much ole George worried about germs in the boat crossing the Delaware River or on Lincoln's pen when he was crafting legislative ideas; but germs where there! Germs have surrounded us for years and most of us don't stop to think about all the locations that harbor germs. The information in this post from our friends at The Lip Balm Company caught my attention today.

Hand sanitizers and soaps are the best line of defense against germs, especially during flu season.  Germs are everywhere, and we’ve summarized the ‘dirty dozen’ places where you’re most susceptible to getting germs. As many as 400,000 germs (per hand) can accompany you as you go about your day:




The ‘dirty dozen’ places where germs love to hide: 


1. Public Bathrooms

2. Restaurants

3. Your Workplace

4. Airplanes

5. Hotels

6. Swimming Pools

7.  Movie Theaters

8.   Day Care Centers

9.   Schools

10. Your Home

11. Your Doctor’s Office

12. Hospitals

 

Which works better- hand sanitizer or soap? 

In a recent study, alcohol-based hand sanitizer showed significantly fewer bacteria colonies compared to ‘natural’ non-alcohol sanitizer’s. Researches provide the alcohol-based sanitizers work because alcohol breaks up bacterial proteins and kills them.


What about soap? Tests comparing regular and antibacterial soap found they were about equally effective in fighting germs and bacteria. Though these soaps might have similar effectiveness, it’s how you use them that are important. Studies show most of us spend around ­­five seconds washing our hands at the sink and that's not sufficient. You have to wash your hands for a full 20 seconds to really get the bugs off.


When it comes to fighting bacteria, washing your hands with any kind of soap for the appropriate amount of time is your best option but hand sanitizers work well if you can't get to a sink. Look for a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. 

Our friends at The Lip Balm Company -  have solutions. All of their hand sanitizer sprays contain 62 percent alcohol, and all of our hand sanitizer gels contain a minimum of 65 percent alcohol (some contain 70 percent).

I'm Prepared, Scouts Honor

Earlier this month it was National Boy Scout Day and being prepared is a message that many of our industries offer their target markets. Choosing a product is a significant part of your marketing message, so we educate our clients about the importance of selecting pieces that offer you ways to bridge the message to the medium selected.

If your versatile, like a Boy Scout, perhaps with multiple services to offer, a multi-function tool like this 9-function pocket knife provides that message connection. 

Do you have services that help guide people?  Let your client know you can help them find their way with a compass.

Being prepared with products for the trail, the office or out in the field means partnering with suppliers that have quality "tools". One of our "go to" suppliers with name brand is  featured here. Kitting popular items within the line offers you a survival kit keeping you prepared like a Scout.

Want to let others know that you have a team that's consistently performing? 

Award that high performing team with custom stickers made for the modern workplace or patches like a Scout to add to field jackets or bags. Add patches to caps, gloves, blankets, headbands, wristbands for time outside the office or adhere custom stickers to products inside the office like laptops, coasters, drinkware, and desk space to remind others about company goals.

Preparing for your marketing success is a lot like making sure you've packed the write tools for a weekend camping trip; make a list, consider possible outcomes and plan ahead for success!