Finished Work: Embroidered Polos for Safe Home Systems

By Fausto Mendez

    Our partner AnyPromo.com is a promotional products retailer/supplier, and the company’s graphic team and production team love to show off their #finished work. This is just another design of the many, many designs they finalize on a daily basis.

   ADT reseller Safe Home Systems reached out to us this month for a set of custom polo shirts featuring the company’s embroidered logo on the left chest and ADT’s embroidered logo on one sleeve. We just upgraded our in-house production team, so we’ve been itching for an opportunity to test our new, state-of-the-art embroidery machines. 

    The ADT logo is a perfect test of our new production capabilities. Though it is a relatively basic logo, the letters”ADT” within the logo cross over each other, making it a difficult logo to stitch for some embroidery machines. But with our state of the art machines and experienced and production staff, complicated logos are not a problem. 

    The above photos are of fresh polos straight off the production line, so you’ll notice a ring around the embroidery. This ring is where the machine held the shirt down. It’s only temporary, and it quickly disappears like a wrinkle would (some customers just wash it or iron it out if they need to wear the shirts ASAP).

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

27 Truths about Advertisers and Marketers (and the People that Work with Them)

By Fausto Mendez

    The advertising and marketing industry is a stressful, fun and all-around weird place, but its inhabitants share a few common traits - even with their clients too.

    Below, we unpack a couple of our favorite’s from “27 Things Advertising People Know to Be True”, but we’ll start with our own original truth about advertisers: we sure do like memes, don’t we? Anyway, here’s our five favorites from the Buzzfeed post:

9. QR codes often disappoint us.

20. Your friends and family in other industries assume your life resembles a Hollywood production.

21. You’ll find a stereotype in every department.

27. Drinking happens… a lot. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

#MarketingMonday: Coca-Cola’s “Small World” Machines Aim to End Wars While Boosting Soda Sales

By Fausto Mendez

    Many brands engage in social welfare as a way to pursue bigger profits, but the reality is the charity ploy often takes a backseat to the profit ploy. In the hopes of reversing that trend, Coca-Cola launched several soda machines that actually have a tangible, instant and witness-able effect on the company’s larger and more charitable goal of world peace. 

    Coca-Cola’s “Small World” machines are soda machines that feature a Skype-like interface, which enables one machine to launch a video call with a second machine as long as the second machine is located in a country that is currently at war with the country of the first machine. To reward users for initiating a Small World session, it offers both recipients a free can of sweet cola.

    The soda company installed the innovative soda machines in some of the busiest parts of India and Pakistan, which are currently locked in a state of brutal war against each other. As a result, a session instantly connects two supposed mortal enemies as they both pursue a good time and a break from the feud.

    The concept is rather cute, and I wouldn’t blame you if you cried during the video. More important to the bottom line, the marketing buzz the campaign continues to generate since the machines launched in late May seems to cover the cost of the free soda and the machines themselves. Furthermore, Coca-Cola has an interest in keeping the peace: warring nations don’t often waste precious resources on the luxury of soda. But the same can be said about most other businesses, so I guess we can all profit from some good-ol’-fashioned peace. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

How Wendy’s Uses Social Media to Influence (Good) Business Decisions

By Fausto Mendez

    It’s probably safe to say that we haven’t seen everything that #social media can do for businesses. Most brands use it to post company updates and engage customers with sharable content, but Wendy’s is thinking way outside the box for social. And the rest of us should be taking notes.

    Beyond marketing, Wendy’s employs social media to influence important decisions, and it’s becoming a core component of the company’s decision-making process. That’s because effective social-media management involves a ton of listening, so Wendy’s leadership listens to the customer base via Facebook, Twitter and other social channels to find out what motivates them. Then, they act upon the information they gather, according to Brandon Rhoten, director of Digital at the company.

    At his recent BlogWell presentation in New York, Rhoten described Wendy’s fresh, effective approach to social, and we beak down three of his more eye-opening examples below. 

+ Earlier this year, the “pink slime” issue hit the news with full force. Fast food chains, supermarkets and restaurants that sell the cheap, disgusting slime quickly came under public scrutiny. As the beef industry clamored to keep everyone quiet, Wendy’s was more interested in what the company’s fan base had to say about it, and the fans had a lot of negative things to say. As a result, Wendy’s determined that it had to effectively spread the word that it doesn’t serve pink slime, and the company did this successfully through its various channels, including social media.

+ You can say the 1” x 1” real estate on a smartphone’s home screen is more valuable than 100 highway billboards. That’s because every time a fan opens his phone, you have an opportunity to make a connection with him, so when Wendy’s found out that its social audience was complaining about the restaurant’s lack of healthy meals, the company was quick to respond with an app that features each menu item’s nutritional details. Though it’s technically not a nutritional meal, Wendy’s understood that the app would alleviate many concerns of the healthy conscious. 

+ Wendy’s recently set a goal to raise sales of value items, and it would do this with the help of social media. Unfortunately, value items don’t make for great social content, and the company’s social channels seemed to be hush on the topic. But the company wouldn’t give up so easily. As a result, Rhoten’s team came up with a new plan: ask customers to rename the value items through its social channels. When the company finally decided on the new names, there was a significant increase in orders of items from the value menu. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

(Source: smartblogs.com)

#DIY Promotional Giveaway: Two-Tone Concrete Letters

By Fausto Mendez

    If you’re a fan of #DIY crafts for personalized gifts, promotional giveaways and event supplies, you should consider adding a personal touch to your next gift, giveaway or event with two-tone concrete letters.

    While browsing the Web for interesting fonts this morning, we stumbled upon a handy DIY guide for two-tone concrete letters. Wit And Whistle has the full guide, but we break it down to the essential steps below.

Step 0 - Hit the Shops for Some Essential Ingredients

+ Hollow Cardboard Letter(s), found at many craft shops

+ Box Cutter

+ Breathing Mask

+ Disposable Gloves

+ Two Plastic Spoons

+ Two Disposable Plastic Bowls

+ One Disposable Cup

+ Concrete Mix

+ Cement Color

+ Water

Step 1 - Hollow Out the Letter

+ Cut the back of the cardboard letter off. This will serve as your concrete mold.

+ Remove any filler material from the inside of the letter.

Step 2 - Prepare the Concrete and Letter’s Interior

+  If this filler is simply cardboard strips, you can use it to create the divider for the two tones. Otherwise, you’ll have to find another solution. 

+ Mix two separate batches of concrete using your gloves and mask. You don’t want to breathe in any toxic dust. Don’t forget to add some color to at least one of your concrete mixes; the goal is two achieve a two-tone look. 

Step 3 - Add the Concrete

+ Fill in the letter interior.

+ Once you’ve filled in the interior as much as you can, remove the divider and add any concrete to any holes or gaps that are left. Don’t forget to check the sides for gaps too. 

Step 4 - Remove the Mold

+ Wait 24 hours for the concrete to dry.

+ Finally, cut away the mold to revel the letter.

    If you’re going to use the letter as a promotional gift (that raises brand awareness) to a special client, lead or partner, I recommend bundling it with other promotional giveaways that actually show the name and logo of your brand. Check out AnyPromo’s no-minimum page for promotional products that can be ordered in smaller quantities, such as iPad Cases, iPad Cases with built-in keyboards, Built Messenger Bags, leather shoulder bags and high-end  portfolio / writing pads - all of which feature your own logo, name and message. 

    The letters can also make for some very interesting, custom supplies for events and parties. For example, you might assign guests a letter or number, and they would then sit at the table that features the letter or number. You can also make a whole name or sign from several letters, such as “happy birthday”. You might also use the letters to make an attention-attracting sign for your booth at the next trade show.

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

3 Smarter Promotional Giveaways for Trade Shows, Expos

By Fausto Mendez

    At massive trade shows, like CES in Las Vegas, promotional giveaways have morphed into an art form as companies from around the world aim to outdo each other with more effective giveaways, and it’s become clear that the best promotional campaigns are more creative, utilizing a strategic combination of products, messaging and distribution.

    Below, I list three (smarter, more effective) promotional giveaway ideas that can apply to most trade shows. We haven’t seen these ideas out in the real world - not exactly as we present them here - so they might give you the winning edge over the guys at the next both. 

Flash-Drive Bracelet as a Contest Entry

    We’ve seen wearable flash drives at CES and other press-heavy shows, but they are almost always used to distribute basic information, like brochures and links. These are especially popular with companies that target reporters because they make it easy to deliver press shots, link lists and other important details while allowing the reporter’s attention to stick to whatever’s more important. This is a pretty smart tactic, but you’re limiting the bang per buck if you stop here. 

    Remember that the main goal of most giveaways at any trade show is to act as a billboard for your brand, so you should design your campaign in a way that keeps these bracelets on your targets’ wrists. One way to do that  is to launch a contest around the bracelets.

    As you hand out the bracelets, tell your targets that one of your employees randomly delivers prizes to people that wear the bracelets on the show floor, but you won’t know who or where he is because he’ll be dressed like everyone else.

    Make sure that you have the prize on display at your booth to tempt your audience. Of course, the more valuable the prize, the more likely that people will wear it, so it’s probably better to hand out a few big prizes than many low-quality ones. Still, there may be situations in which your target audience might prefer an inexpensive prize. For example, condoms might be a very popular prize at SXSW.

 Promotional T-Shirts, Tote Bags or Backpacks as Coupons

     This idea can work for any trade show where you aim to sell to attendees, and all you need to do is print a coupon on your promotional shirts, tote bags or backpacks, preferably next to a very large version of your logo and slogan.

    The key is to hand out shirts away from your booth and to require the customer to wear the promotional item during purchase in order to redeem the coupon. As a result, attendees will put it on and later walk to your booth to make the purchase. The result is crowds of people wearing your logo and buying your stuff; of course, that’s assuming you have a product that people want. 

 Mugs, Tumblers or Cups for Access to Free Coffee, Alcohol or Water

    Promotional mugs, tumblers and cups are some of AnyPromo’s hottest sellers, but if you hand someone a free cup, you’re not pushing your campaign to the max if he hides it in his tote bag right away. As a result, your best bet is to offer free drinks to attendees that have your mug, tumbler or cup in hand. 

    Whether you offer caffeinated drinks, alcohol or water depends on your specific situation, but the goal is to create a buzz of “that brand that is giving everyone free drinks if you just use their cups.” Furthermore, you can use the opportunity the catalyze important conversations with individuals that may be interested in your product, brand or cause, and the cup will serve as a friendly, non-intrusive ad after the show. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

3 Copywriting Tips Supported by Scientific Research

By Fausto Mendez

    Copywriting is very much an art, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hard science behind some of the principles used by more successful writers. These scientifically-backed #copywriting tips should graduate your game to the next level, no matter your skill level.

    Teaching copywriting is difficult. You can only lay some ground rules that point people in the right direction, and most tips and advice are merely opinions based in anecdotal evidence, relentless practice and educated guesses. So it can be hard to know what works and what doesn’t. Thankfully, Gregory Ciotti put together a list of seven copywriting tips that are supported by some level of scientific research. We summarize three of his more useful tips below.

1. Leverage an Emotion That’s Already There.

+ Tip: Find an emotion that your target often feels, and make them feel that again. Don’t tell them what to feel. Like a novelist, the goal is to craft copy that leads them to that place on their own. Then, mix your message into that good emotion.

+ Science: Mirror neurons can make you feel what you see. It’s why men cringe when they see another man get hit in the balls. Make your target relive the emotion by showing them a scene that takes them back to it. The emotion makes your message more attractive and more memorable. 

2. Don’t Sell Money. Sell Time.

+ Tip: Even low-quality brands hardly advertise their low prices. It’s something stores do for brands, but you almost never see a brand thumping its chest about its absurdly low prices. That’s because it doesn’t really work. Time is a more precious resource, so sell good times, not good prices. Miller’s slogan (“It’s Miller Time”) is the perfect example. 

+ Science: Customers are willing to pay more for good service, which means they are generally more concerned about quality than price. That doesn’t mean lower prices can’t help you outsell your competitors, but it does mean that you’ll have to convince your target audience that your lower prices don’t mean a reduction in quality as well. Focus on the quality of the product. The low prices market themselves.

3. Don’t Avoid the Counter Argument

+ Tip: Your product, service or brand is not the answer to your target audience’s every problem. More importantly, there is usually a clear argument against it. Don’t ignore the opposing argument because it will be recalled by the target when you present yours. As a result, it’s best to tackle those opposing viewpoints head on. Think about it: Pepsi doesn’t ignore the existence of Coca Cola, not even in its own ads. Apple doesn’t ignore the existence of Windows, and I’m sure you’ve seen car commercials that feature the competitors’ products. 

+ Science: Psychologist Charlan Nemeth tested two styles of debating, one that acknowledged the opposing viewpoint and one that didn’t. Of course, the arguments that did better are those that didn’t pretend there is no opposing viewpoint. That’s because when you’re “real” with your target audience, they are more likely to trust you, and when you answer their questions, they don’t have the opportunity or the desire to find answers elsewhere.  

   Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

Finished Work: Vinyl Slap Bracelets for iKon Lounge

By Fausto Mendez

    Our partner AnyPromo.com is a promotional products retailer/supplier, and the company’s graphic artists love to show off their #finished work. This is just another design of the many, many designs they finalize on a daily basis.

    New Jersey’s iKon Lounge just put in an order for red vinyl slap bracelets, customized with the night club’s famous logo. Though they didn’t share with us how they’re going to use the bracelets, we can imagine several  possibilities, such as tickets to an event, an indicator of membership, a coupon, or a VIP marker.

     These promotional bracelets measure about 9.5” x 1”, and they are available in a variety of colors. They cost about $0.66, depending on the quantity ordered, and the print itself features one color. When you slap these bracelets onto your wrist, they automatically and securely close. They are often used as children’s toys for that reason, but as iKon Lounge illustrates, you are only limited by your creativity. 

    Promotional items like these take advertising to a whole new level because they convert customers to walking billboards for your brand, cause or organization, so take the opportunity to one up your competitors with an out-of-the-box promotional campaign. Need help finding the best promotional giveaway for your specific situation? Don’t worry, our experienced customer care reps are only a call away. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

How SoBe® Used Promotional Giveaways to Go Mainstream

By Fausto Mendez

    John Bello used promotional giveaways to grow his beverage brand, SoBe®, from a niche set of bottled drinks to a mainstream phenomenon that PepsiCo eventually bought out. Today, he’s building up new brands with strikingly similar marketing strategies. 

    Promotional giveaway campaigns work. Need proof? Just ask John Bello, founder of SoBe, which he sold for $370 million, and the architect of SoBe’s wildly successful promotional campaigns. How’d he do it?

Promotional Products 

    Bello leveraged the power of promotional products and a fascinating and unforgettable logo. Combine the two, and you have a series of high-quality promotional products branded with SoBe’s iconic lizard. Here’s how it went down.

    His team would deliver a box of promotional giveaways, such as keychains, to as many SoBe dealers as possible, and the SoBe dealers would hand out the branded products to SoBe customers. The SoBe customers are already fans of the product, and the iconic lizard logo is beautiful and striking enough that it can be appreciated on its own. So the giveaway has two main effects.

Customers as Brand Ambassadors

    First, it makes the customer feel appreciated, and in the customer’s mind, it creates an association between those positive feelings and SoBe (and sometimes the store itself). That effect makes SoBe more memorable, so the customer is more likely purchase SoBe products in the future. The store owners tend to appreciate the free marketing as well. 

    Second, the customer would wear or use the promotional product in his or her day-to-day life, and the eye-catching lizard logo would attract others’ attention. As a result, the product becomes a conversation starter for the customer’s friends, family and acquaintances, and this introduces the brand to new fans.

Rinse & Repeat

    As Bello continued SoBe’s relentless promotional campaign, his effort slowly paid off as the brand grew to mainstream proportions, but he’s not one to take too many days off. After selling the company to PepsiCo, Bello launched a new beverage brand, and he’s using the same proven marketing strategies all over again. 

    In similar fashion, the new company’s logo is often sought for the mere fact that’s beautiful. “Part of the trick is having cool giveaways and a cooler logo,” says Marketing Officer Bruce Burke. The second half of the trick is getting those products into the hands of the target audience.

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

Finished Work: Custom Notebook w/ Strap Closure and PVC Cover

    Our partner AnyPromo.com is a promotional products retailer/supplier, and the company’s graphic artists love to show off their finished work. This is just another design of the many, many designs they finalize on a daily basis.

    L3 Technologies of of McAllen, TX is purchasing a fat stack of custom, high-quality, 5” x 7” notebooks featuring a strap closure. With the cloth bookmark, this 80-page notebook is the perfect note-taking companion for any professional, and the PVC cover will help the notebook last well beyond the lifespan of the notes inside the book. 

    Though these books may be used internally, they are also the perfect promotional giveaway for past clients, potential customers, loyal partners and generous vendors that take note-taking seriously. The recipient would appreciate the high-quality, long-lasting nature of the notebook, but more importantly, your company’s logo and message should be often viewed by the owner of the notebook and everyone around him or her. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. 

Check Out This Interactive Image of Obama’s 20lb bag of Promotional Gifts and Giveaways

By Fausto Mendez

    The White House held a Correspondent’s Party with People & Time Magazine at the end of April, and as usual, businesses from all walks of life were eager to get their swag in front of the House’s top brass. 

    The above image of Obama’s 20lb swag bag from the Time/People WH Correspondent’s Party is making its way around the Web this week, courtesy of the Washington Post. There’s a ton of stuff to check out, and it might even give you ideas for your own promotional giveaway campaign. Hover your mouse over the image to reveal red markers (dots), and when your mouse hovers over the red markers, it reveals some basic details of the promotional giveaway. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ orLinkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you byAnyPromo.com.