Cookies Grow Sales and Awareness

Cookies grow sales and awareness! Yes, it's true you've heard in moderation chocolate is good- so why plan some sweet promotions?!

Marketing without a plan is wasting time and money! Promotional products invite conversation
and interaction; they make your brand memorable.

What are you planning to do for 2017?

Benjamin Franklin once said,"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". While your company is
likely not going to derail over a few quick purchases, we find our company often positioned at a
community event, career fair or expo where the neighboring booth is giving out "stuff" with no
understanding of why those items were purchased.

If your company promotes good health, your products should reflect healthy living,
antimicrobial properties, food storage and drinkware offer ways to control portions and
content. Non-woven grocery bags have a large imprint area; include a food pyramid or
suggestions for ingredients to avoid when making product selections.

In ten years of business we have tried a variety of ways to market our own business. Like
many businesses we too "over think" or "over reach" our internal goals. For any business
converting conversation to actionable generates income. As a result, its not uncommon to meet
with a company and find that they would like to find new customers, convert leads to
customers, increase order size, increase the frequency of orders and obtain referrals. Whew,
that is a lot of focused attention!

How does your goal become a marketing campaign? 

Let's take a cookie

Do you want to start a referral program? Aren't you "SWEET" to refer our company

Do you have a new product or service that is more competitively priced that your
competitors? Then you have a "SWEET DEAL"- as direct mail to invite your prospect to try.

Does your company offer services to both residential and commercial;duality in a cookie with cracker like surface on one side and chocolate covered on the other side provides you the opportunity to point out that your existing clients might only be looking  at you "one way".

Re-branding?
Our logo looks different ( full color cookie) and once you get a "taste" of our new benefits with
the recent merger, you want more than one product!
 Do you offer additional services that keep another business running efficiently?

A one stop shop? Support staff or software that leads to stronger outcome? When others
"crumble" we deliver, we provide...well you get the idea.

What is the sweet spot in your business?

Are You At Risk with Lithium Ion Batteries?

Consumers were shocked after finding out that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was overheating and catching fire. This news was a major revelation for the tech world as well as for the promotional products industry. Item that include lithium ion batteries like rechargeable power packs are widely used among distributors but are now under serious examination because of the potential hazards they can cause.

What is a lithium ion battery?

·         Positive electrode- Lithium iron phosphate

·         Electrolyte (Flammable)

·         Negative electrode- Carbon (graphite)

What does this mean? In layman’s terms, lithium ion batteries are considered high energy density, meaning the cells within the battery are pressurized. If one of the cells becomes thermally unstable, this can create a domino effect causing all other cells to become overheated. These cells contain the flammable electrolyte and if tampered with or exposed to high heat, can cause battery failure or an explosion.

Consumers should be aware that most of these products are imported into the U.S from Hong Kong, so the products are not held to the highest standard as other countries may be. Per Rick Brenner, former CEO of Prime Line, states that some factories adhere to the UL regulations and perform proper testing but believes that many factories out of China do not adhere. Promotional Partners makes sure to provide clients peace of mind by partnering with supplier that perform rigorous testing such as: Prime Line, Leeds and Hirsch Gift- our “go to” sources for technology items.

Starting January 1, 2017, new regulations will be enforced in regards to shipping multi-cell power packs. They are now considered a battery rather than “equipment in a battery.” Products that contain lithium ion batteries do come at a risk but providing customers with a useful product is profitable all around. Keep in mind the potential hazards and safety standards involved in choosing power packs that contain a lithium ion battery.

Promotional Partners stays on top of safety for our clients!

                                                            Sara Adam- Promotional Partners Team Member

Source PPAI and ASI Publications

The Future of B to B Marketing- Dive into another reality!

Did you play Pokemon Go this summer? If you are over 21 your Facebook feed was probably full of women posting a twist on the summer fun, with finding wine!

Pokemon GO uses a smartphones GPS, the camera and a clock setting to enhance the fantasy world with reality.

Augmented Reality or AR for short is not new technology, large brands such as General Electric, BMW, Ray- Ban, Adidas and Stella Artois were using it to animate product images and highlight them in a 3-D world. Some companies have used this technology to train employees. Applications currently being used in the marketplace:

Lego- offers ways for consumers to see 3-D versions of some of it's finished Lego toys.

IKEA- allows shoppers to put furniture they are considering in an electronic 3-D room using an app.

Ray-Ban -uses an app to map your face to see what various styles will look like on the consumer.

Brands like Apple are investing in this technology, according to Apple CEO, Tim Cook- they find it "exciting'.

What does it mean for you as a consumer and how does it effect the promotional world?

Some industry professional see applications in the next couple years to:

 1. Make websites more interactive with visual elements that can more effectively tell stories
 2. Showcasing samples electronically and 3-D.
 3. Education "hot spots" which allow consumers to watch videos, see applications for the products and virtually view how a product will look scaled to the space in which it will be used.

For example if a retailer of appliances or cabinetry can show you different finishes or installations within your kitchen space- why not look at how your trade show booth pieces will actually fit into the space you place to display them? We would find that exciting!

For the moment our industry is offering AR glasses and headsets like the one in this video; by the way our participate is on a roller coaster ride. We are also seeing paper and vinyl products using AR much like a QR code to re-direct consumers to a menu of choices to stand out from competitors. As we learn more about how to use this technology as part of your promotions and branding stories- we will share ideas. Read our newsletters for expanded tips.

Are you using AR? Share how; we'd love to hear from you.

* Source ASI- Advantages November 2016