Man's Best Promotional Product?

Want your prospects to love your brand? Show their pets some love! Big or small, we love (and pamper) them all--pets that is.

According to the American Pet Products Association in its 2013-2014 National Pet Owners Survey, we are sharing our houses with a lot of pets. The total number of pets owned in the U.S., in millions is as follows:

Freshwater Fish        145.0
Cats                           95.6
Dogs                          83.3
Birds                          20.6
Small Animals             18.1
Saltwater Fish             13.6
Reptiles                       11.5
Horses                          8.3

Given our love for pets, it's no wonder that there are so many promotional items that are pet related. Sure pet stores and vets use these items to promote their business because pets are their business. But here are some ways that clever businesses can advertise their brand while endearing themselves to their pet loving customers.

Practical items are always appreciated, like pet collars, pet food covers, travel water bottles for pets, pet bag dispensers, doggie t-shirts and even pet bowl placemats. These items will get used and used again.

Our furry friends shed and that doesn't look so good on a dark suit in an important business meeting. So help those pet lovers with furry friends to catch those few stray hairs at work or play.  The hairs can be easily cleaned up with a 3M Brand Lint Sheet Pack. These disposable sheets are more portable than a lint roller and are just as good at removing pet hair from clothing and other surfaces.  With a logo or message imprint area on the packet cover, this item will advertise your company to a wide audience who will definitely appreciate this useful item. Best yet, this item isn't limited to pet owners as it is universal enough for everyone to use.

If you want to have a little fun with a branded promotional item, these novelty pens in the shape of cats or dogs are adorable.  Who wouldn't find either one of these fun pens to write with?  The uniqueness of these items will make your logo stand out and be noticed and the recipient will have a useful item that brings out the kid in them.

But wait, don't forget the kids! How about an adorable drawstring backpack for children with different animal designs that even include the ears! There is both a dog and kitten drawstring bag, as well as other animals. Parents and Grandparents will line up to grab one of these promotional items for their kids or grand kids whether they have a pet or not. With a large imprint area under the cute face, these bags are a unique way to reinforce your logo and build brand goodwill. 

Most people find puppies and kittens to be irresistibly cute, so how about an appointment-style Puppies & Kittens Wall Calendar with twelve different images?  It's just one of many useful items that appeal to both pet owners and pet lovers while advertising your business.

We have quite a few other pet-related options so give me a call to brainstorm how to promote your brand to your pet-loving prospects and customers at 847-398-5500 or email me at dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

Have you ever received a pet-related promotional item? Did you use it? What item would you appreciate the most?

Get "Set" for Promotional Success

When it comes to promotional products to thank your customers, use as  raffle prizes in your trade show booth, or award an employee for exceptional service, sometimes just giving out one item is not sufficient. That's when a ready formulated gift set is appropriate and really makes a statement.

For example, if you are greeting a new employee or visitor, this 5-piece Road Trip Set makes for an impressive gift.  The insulated cooler bag holds a plastic tumbler with matching straw, a mini notebook with pen, as well as an LED flashlight plus a stylus pen. Not only do you save money when buying all of the items bundled together, every item is imprinted with your logo for multiple exposures of your brand.

Want something even bigger? If five items are not enough, this 10-piece Road Trip/ Mobile Office Set contains all of the items listed above but then adds a drawstring backpack, an insulated coffee cup, a journal book a gel pen plus a tech case, perfect for phones or other tech devices. Wow! Anything you could possibly need for a road trip or to set up your mobile office is covered.

Here's another thing to consider. Break the set up to go small, but reap the cost savings of a bundled promotional product. This grouping of best sellers can be given as an entire set or split up into individual items used for different events. Give a few items to "C" level clients, more items to "B" level clients and all items to "A" level clients. A winning promotional giveaway strategy!

You can also get smaller sets that still save you money. This Technology Promotional Pack includes a tech pocket for protecting your smartphone or iPod, a ballpoint/stylus pen as well as a matching screen cleaner cloth. It comes in so many colors that it will be easy to find a set one that compliments your logo or company brand color.

Another technology related promotional gift set is this Executive USB Technology Gift Set, which contains a dual-zippered, hard, black leatherette case, a mini matching padded mouse pad, 2 Black retractable USB cords, a black leatherette 3-port mini hub, a slim, black leatherette optical mouse and attractive black and Silver ballpoint pen.

Finally, more does not always mean merrier. You can still make a huge impact with only a two piece gift set, like this attractive Hot and Cold Beverage Set.  It's a great gift that you know will get used in winter or summer, giving your brand  a lot of exposure. It comes in a lot of attractive colors to tie in with the theme of a promotion or your brand.

If one of these gift sets is perfect for an upcoming meeting conference or other occasion, give me a call to brainstorm some ideas and get you some pricing. You can reach me at dona.blunt@newportpros.com or 847-398-5500.

You Might Also Like:

Top Promotional Products for Golf Events

5 Unique Promotional Pens to Help You Promote Your Brand

Gift Sets Make Buying Promotional Products Easy and Impactful

Top Promotional Products for Golf Events

Summer is almost upon us and that means Golf Season! While it's a great time to grab your clubs and have some fun, golf season is also a great time to promote your company. There are numerous Golf tournaments, charity golf events, or even travel incentive golf trips during the summer months that provide advertising and brand building opportunities for large and small businesses. Whether you are participating in or sponsoring a large national tournament or supporting your local community charity golf event, you are going to need logoed promotional products to help advertise your company.

We provide our clients with a huge selection of golf-themed, logoed promotional products. Why? Golf events offer your company EXPOSURE. As long as there will be people at the event who represent your target market, it's a strong marketing tactic to get your name in front of people. And, it is easy to find your target since there are so many industry association golf events during the summer. If you target real estate agents, check for association golf outings. If you target financial advisors, there are probably quite a few options. If you target women business owners, check to see if the women's business groups in your area have an event planned. They probably do.

You do not personally have to be a golfer in order to effectively promote your company at a golf occasion. From a business perspective golf events are most often associated with sales meetings, team-building exercises, key client thank-yous, chamber events and charity fund raisers. Becoming a sponsor for part or all of one of these venues is a great way to get your name and brand in front of your prospects.

To get you thinking, here are 5 of our top selling golf promotional products. 

1. Rain Wedge

What is it? It's a waterproof golf bag hood cover. Tournament Directors across the country have praised the Rain Wedge for its ability to brand their organization long-term and for the compliments they've received from their tournament participants. Unlike golf balls, tees and towels (which get lost, used up, or tossed away) a Rain Wedge will be kept and used for years.

2. Golf Shoe Bag

This high quality golf shoe bag makes carrying your golf shoes a breeze. There is a side mesh compartment for golf balls or shoe spikes as well as a separate compartment to accommodate polish, shoe mitt, etc. Nylon webbed carry handles make it easy to hook to your golf bag or carry. Plus, there is a nice, large space for your logo or marketing message.

3. Golf Ball Cleaner

This unique golf ball cleaner fits in your pocket and stays wet to clean your golf ball while keeping your pocket dry. It can be imprinted in a variety of colors!

4. Golf Umbrella

I have to say that I use a golf umbrella all the time. The extra large coverage area is perfect for golfing or just bringing in the groceries on rainy days. Which means it will get used and offer your company exposure on and off the golf course. It's lightning and wind resistant. You can print your logo on the umbrella and/or engrave your logo on the wooden handle.

5. Golf Event Sponsor Gift Pack

While the above items are great to give as gifts to VIP customers or to offer as raffle prizes, you may not want to hand these out to just anyone. That's why this Golf Event Sponsor Gift Pack is perfect to hand out as a promotional giveaway or include in a swag bag for all registered golfers at an event.

To keep the cost down, you can even team with up with another company to co-brand the kit. We can provide total customization with a different sponsor logo on each product in the kit for no additional cost and free setup. If you are an event planner, you can offer this option to budget-conscious companies. Each kit comes equipped with a 24 oz Polyclear water bottle, a 15" x 18" golf poly blend towel with grommet and hook, six 2-3/4" tees, two ball markers and divot repair tool.

Summer is almost here so give me a call today to help you get in the swing of effective golf promotions.

Dona Blunt, MAS (PromoDona)
847-398-5500
dona.blunt@newportpros.com

You Might Also Like:

Swinging Golf Promotions

Promotional Products Work Week!

It's Promotional Products Work! Week and I wanted to share some great facts with you on why promotional products are so effective in helping businesses build a strong brand, create trade show buzz, generate referrals and repeat business, and boost response rates on your marketing investments.

Here's a fun video that shares why promotional products have so much staying power.

Check out these examples of how using promotional products helped these companies create trade show buzz and boost sales:

Polish Your Way to Trade Show Booth Success

Recharge Your Trade Show Booth Traffic

A Powerful Promotion to Create Trade Show Buzz

Do you use promotional products to help grow your business? What has worked best for you?

Attract Women to Your Brand with these Hot Promotional Products

If you are targeting women to grow your business or promote your event, you will definitely want to take a look at these hot promotional products designed to catch and hold your target's eye. Some are practical, some are whimsical but they are all effective for advertising your logo.

1. High Heel Shoe Desk Stand. Perfect for holding business cards, a smartphone, or a tablet in the kitchen. You can never have too many shoes, right ladies?

2. Leather Jewelry Roll. Perfect as a travel incentive gift or to promote a fashion or accessory brand, this leather jewelry roll will protect her jewelry for years. Plenty of exposure and goodwill for your company!

3. Super Fun Lipstick Pen. A fun twist on the old promotional pen, this lipstick pen will become her favorite "go-to" purse accessory. Your screen printed logo will appear around the base of the pen. It's the perfect promotional item to be included in a swag bag!

4. Nail Polish Highlighter. Perfect for college students or teen girls, this highlighter that looks like a bottle of nail polish is fun and flirty. At less than $1 a piece, this is effective and affordable advertising, perfect for a trade show giveaway.

5. Nail Polish Set. This time give away real nail polish with your logo on the packaging. If your company hosts rock star, princess, or spa birthday parties for little girls, tweens and teens, this is the perfect party giveaway item that will help promote your location well after the party.

6. Metallic Fashion Tote. We have all received the eco-friendly tote bags to carry groceries and move away from plastic bags. However, if you want to make an impact and give your client a stunning fashion tote bag for day trips or weekend getaways, try this silver fashion tote. Perfect for women's getaway events or fashion/ beauty conferences.

7. Wristlet Wallets. Cute, fashionable and perfect for beach or summer themed travel or conference incentives. This wristlet wallet is designed for those times when you don't want to bring a bulky purse. It holds a smartphone, money, and offers 5 plastic card slots.

8. Shrug Sweater. The perfect accessory for women and THE perfect raffle gift for women sitting in a conference with too much air conditioning. As an alternative to the fleece jackets or golf gear, consider the feminine and stylish shrug sweater to make your brand stand out by offering a gift designed for your female target market. You can also get some made up to serve as the "uniform" for your trade show booth staff.

If you are interested in learning more about these promotional products or any other of the other items we carry designed for women, I'd be happy to help. Give me a call at 847-398-5500 or email me at dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

You Might Also Like:

Put the Promotional Power of Swag Bags to Work at Your Next Event

7 Steps to Prepare for a Successful Trade Show Season

Use Promotional Products to Promote Healthy Eating Habits

Does your company have a Wellness Initiative going on? Trying to encourage your employees to have healthy eating habits? Or, do you run a nutrition, fitness, wellness or insurance company? Try using these 5 promotional product ideas that promote healthy eating habits as giveaways at your next trade show or as thank you gifts for new or exiting clients. It's a great way to brand your business and provide value to your clients or employees.

1. Low Fat Cooking Cookbook. Did you know that you can imprint your logo on books and use them as promotional items? This Low Fat Cooking Cookbook is a great gift or Wellness Initiative Kick-Off prize.

2. Compact Indoor Grill. You can add a decal with your logo to this small indoor grill that encourages healthier cooking methods. People will definitely hold on to this promotional gift and see your logo for years to come.

3. Healthy Eating Appointment Calendar. A fabulous promotional item to promote healthy eating and exercising. This wall calendar features clip-and-save recipes and nutritional information. You can add an optional sticker sheet for people to mark when they have exercised or met their goals. Perfect if you have a team of people supporting each other to be healthier. Providing encouragement to your customers or employees is a great way to build brand goodwill.

4. Kitchen Food Scales. Every kitchen should have one of these food scales to promote portion control and healthier eating. Because this item is so useful, it works great as a promotional product with legs. Your logo will be front and center for many years. This item is surprisingly affordable, too, so you can use it for a variety of promotional purposes.

5. Food Portion Plates. This inexpensive promotional item is perfect for kicking off a wellness program. The durable plate is divided into three areas each labeled for the appropriate, healthy amount of protein, fruits and vegetables, and starches or grains. It comes in a variety of fun colors to make sure your promotional item gets noticed. This food portion plate is PERFECT for programs educating kids on making healthy eating choices.

If you are interested in any of these products or want more ideas on how to promote your brand, please give me a call a 847-398-5500 or email me at dona.blunt@newportpros.com. I'd be happy to help you figure out the perfect promotion to build your brand.

You Might Also Like:

5 Unique Promotional Pens to Help Advertise Your Business

How Calendars are Still an Effective Brand Building Tool

Gift Sets Make Buying Promotional Products Easy and Impactful

Polish Your Way to Trade Show Booth Success

There are several companies who can set-up a shoe shine stand in your booth, but is it a good idea?

You bet! PPB magazine, a magazine for the promotional products industry, published a case study that illustrated a successful use of this unique promotional idea. A medical imaging company, whose customers are primarily male, set up two shoeshine stands in their trade show booth. Their booth staff wore aprons to highlight the theme and they invited customers to climb up for a complimentary shoeshine. Don't worry, the shoe shine was done by a professional shiner.  You don't need to have expert shoe shiners on staff to make this work for you.

While this is a unique, traffic-building idea, you may be thinking, how does this help my brand? It does! The great twist to this promotion was that the prospects were given a custom-printed newspaper to read while their shoes were being shined. Of course the newspaper content contained the exhibitor's marketing and product messages. Then, upon completion of the shoe shine, the prospects were also given a tote bag with the company's logo to store their newspaper plus a company-branded tin of shoe polish.

This promotion was beneficial for all parties--the weary trade show attendees had a chance to slow down and rest while their shoes were being shined and the exhibitor had a captive audience with an opportunity to tell its story. In this example, the company was able to generate 69 leads, which resulted in $100,000 in new sales the following year.

Could your prospects use a little pampering? If so, this could be a good way to attract people to your trade show booth. For additional promotional products to use to promote your brand, try shoe shine cloths, shoe polish, shoe horns, travel shoe bags, or full Dopp Kits. All of these items can be printed or embroidered with your logo.

Interested in implementing this idea or want to brainstorm some other unique traffic building trade show promotions? Give me a call at 847-398-5500 or email me at dona.blunt@newportpros.com to get started.

You Might Also Like:

Recharge Your Trade Show Booth Traffic

A Powerful Promotion to Create Trade Show Buzz

5 Unique Ideas to Drive More Traffic to Your Trade Show Booth