Stay Connected with Wearable Technology

Wearable technology in your promotional products provides a wide variety of benefits including connectivity through phone, text, or email; access to directions and GPS information; monitoring of fitness and health levels; and so much more.

Keep your brand top of mind with these tech items that are sure to be worn regularly by your recipients. When a promotional product is this useful, the impact is enormous!

Bluetooth Speaker Hat

This beanie will keep your head warm while you listen to music or make calls calls hands free, via the latest bluetooth technology. With a two hour charge time and six hour play time, this solid or striped hat is sure to be popular. Hat comes in a variety of colors to complement your one color, embroidered logo on the front.

BIC Graphic® Sunglasses w/Bluetooth® Speaker

The sunglasses with a Bluetooth® speaker are perfect for the jogger or those who just can't fit or keep earbuds in their ear. Wear them at the beach, jogging, doing yard work or whenever you are on the move and need your hands free! Your logo appears on top of the case.

Phonebrella

Now when it's raining, you can answer and talk without actually touching your phone and possibly getting it wet with this new Phonebrella promotional product. Leave your phone in your pocket or bag and just tap on your umbrella to answer and be connected. You can even listen to music through the umbrella. The Phonebrella features exclusive Bluetooth technology coupled with a microphone and speaker in the handle. The umbrella comes in three colors with a large area, one-color imprint of your brand or marketing message on the outside for all to see. This makes for a very cool, very high impact gift.

Heat-Panel Vest

The Shefford Heat Panel Vest delivers lightweight, water-repellent warmth with a shot of exciting technology. Available in Men's and Women's styles. The chest and back have interior heat panels powered by a power bank. Control the temperature at the touch of a button. The three temperature settings are: Blue = Low (100°F), White = Medium (113°F) and Red = High (131°F). A power bank with a minimum of 5,000 mAh is required to heat the vest. Power bank sold separately. Your logo will be embroidered on the front left of the vest.

Garmin™ Forerunner® 35 GPS Running Watch

With the Forerunner® 35, your watch is all you need to run your heart out. It monitors heart rate at the wrist using Garmin™ Elevate wrist heart rate technology. Connected features when paired with a compatible smartphone include smart notifications, automatic uploads to Garmin™ Connect, live tracking and music controls. This is an impressive gift for your VIP customers or employees.

King Cobra VR™ Virtual Reality Viewer w/Head Strap

The King Cobra VR™ Interactive Viewer comes with a built-in trigger that allows you to interact with your apps and games. The full-size headset is designed to shield eternal light to enhance the realism of your virtual experience. Now with an optional head strap, you can experience virtual reality, hands free. Works with Google Cardboard. A full color epoxy label with your logo or marketing message can be attached to the front of the viewer.

These items will help people stay connected on the go, while sharing your brand message in a useful, manner that will provide long-term visibility. To add one of these tech items to your offerings, or to find another item that is the perfect fit for your needs, contact me today at dona.blunt@newportpros.com or 847-398-5500.

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Tumbler Insulation 101 - Choosing the Right Promotional Product

It’s important to know the different kinds of insulation used in beverage containers, so you can make an informed purchase decision when buying promotional products to represent your brand. The type of insulation chosen can cause a difference in price, length of sustained temperature, and overall product quality. Below is explanation and ranking of Good, Better, Best, and Premium insulation characteristics.

Your Employees Deserve the Best!

Whether they are new to your company or have been with you for years, your employees deserve the best. Welcome them, thank them, and reward them with with branded company swag they will be happy to show off!

Logan Computer Backpack

The modern slim backpack has tote-style grab handles, a zippered main compartment with organizer, smartphone pocket, padded tablet pocket, rear zippered laptop compartment, and a zippered water bottle pocket. Everything an employee needs to stay organized on the go! Imprint your one color logo on the front panel so your employees can show off where they work with pride.

Black Piano Finish Floating Glass Plaque

This lovely award offers an elegant black piano finish with an acrylic or glass engraved plate floating 1/4" above the plaque wood for a three dimensional look and feel. Perfect for display on the wall or on a desk. The glass can be digital printed or laser engraved on the back.

Vacuum Insulated Stemless Wine Glass w/ Lid

Keep wine, coffee, tea, and other beverages at the perfect temperature for hours with this powder coated, stainless steel, double wall wine tumbler. It's a great item for events, commemoratives, celebrations, giveaways, and more. Get the most out of your investment with a permanent laser engraved imprint, which is not as likely to wash or peel away. Second side imprint and slide lid options available too. Available in a variety of colors.

Crew Length Custom Socks

How fun to see your logo on socks! These premium fully-knitted customizable socks use the finest materials and are made in the USA. We can help you design these socks, offering responsive guidance from mock ups and virtual proofs by the industry's top design team. This product also has the fastest turnaround times and some of the lowest shipping costs in the industry, with a 10-day standard turn around and no rush fees. Great for corporate gifts, product launches, employee celebrations, and other special events, these fantastic socks come with options for fully customized packaging.

If you'd like to place an order or discuss other options for your employee appreciation efforts, contact me today at dona.blunt@newportpros.com or 847-398-5500.

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Promotional Products for People Who Love to Pamper Their Pets

Did you know that U.S. consumers spent nearly $73 billion on their pets in 2018? People absolutely love their "fur babies" and treat them well. Make sure you are hitting this lucrative market by sharing something for the Fidos and Kitties in your sphere!

Stainless Steel Pet Bowl

This bowl has a long shelf life - showing your brand over and over again - with up to four imprint areas available! It's constructed from galvanized stainless steel with a powder coated finish and features a non-skid ring on the base. The four possible one color imprint areas include three on the side and one in the center. Holds approximately 24 ounces of pet food. Available in multiple fun colors.

Catnip Kite Toy

This catnip cat toy is made of durable poly-cotton fabric featuring a pouch with catnip embedded in the center. A colorful ribbon is attached as a "kite" tail to entice feline friends. Price includes a one color screen print on the front of the toy. Available in red or blue.

Pet Food Can Lid

These colorful, rubber lids fit most standard sized pet food cans. They help keep food fresh and reduce odor while sharing your brand message to your audience every time they go to the fridge. Available in six colors with a one color imprint. Best yet, this is a valued item for under $1.

Flat Polyester Dog Leash

Dress up your pup with this durable polyester dog leash. It's perfect for veterinary offices, kennels, grooming services, humane societies and specialty breed associations as a valued gift or promotional item. This versatile leash comes in a variety of colors and features a repeated one color imprint for your logo. Get your paws on this great promotional product!

Dog Pickup Bag Dispenser

Be a good neighbor! This cute bone-shaped dispenser holds 15 waste bags and comes with a carabiner for attachment to a leash, tote bag, backpack or purse. Your one color logo will appear on the front of the dispenser for maximum visibility. Available in four colors.

Big Doggy Bandana

This 100% cotton Triangle Bandana has a large imprint area that will become a billboard for your brand on dogs all over town! This is a great giveaway for outdoor events, dog grooming salons, kennels, and veterinarians. Appreciated by all dog lovers!

Buddy's Pet Gear Bag

Taking your dog to the beach, on a hike, or to the dog park? Pack all you need for your pet in this functional travel tote. This bag includes a zippered main compartment, expandable front pockets with additional elastic strap to secure contents, and a rear flap that unzips into a placemat for placing food and water bowl on a clean surface. The removable shoulder strap is even designed for use as a pet leash! Includes a one color, screen print of your logo on the front of the bag.

Remember to reach out to pet owners to make sure you are hitting all demographics with your messaging!

If you'd like to place an order or discuss other options for your business, contact me today at dona.blunt@newportpros.com or 847-398-5500.

If you like these items, you might want to check out a few more:

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Wine Themed Promotional Products

When you want to show your appreciation to clients, potential customer, and your team members, these wine related gifts are sure to make an impression on the recipient bringing them cheer, while sharing your brand message!

Branded Black Faux Leather Box with Custom Etched Wine Bottle

Our branded black faux leather gift box fits a single bottle of most wine. Your logo is etched on the bottle with a one color fill and imprinted on the box as well. The wine is nestled in with our crinkle paper with a magnetic closer. A beautiful and classy way to display any wine or champagne.

Champagne Bears

Made with Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne, these sophisticated bears sparkle in flavors of classic Brut and fashionable Rose. Named "the perfect party favor" by Cosmopolitan magazine, these grown-up gummies are the finest bears in all of candy land. Made with no artificial colors or flavors and with no GMO's. Your logo or marketing message will be digitally printed in the circle on the top of the box.

Leather Wine Pouch

Our chic leather wine pouch makes an elegant statement every gift-giver will be eager to present - and every lucky recipient will be sure to appreciate. A mini bag tag can be added for with a special seasonal or celebratory message. For an even more personal gift, we can monogram the pouch or the tag with initials which will surely elevate the gift-giving and gift-receiving experience.

Optical Crystal Wine Stopper

Wine stoppers serve both practical and decorative purposes. This Optical Crystal Rectangle Wine Stopper is a perfect gift for Holiday Gift Giving, Birthdays, Weddings or a gift for the wine enthusiast in your life. It is sure to add sparkle to any party. Preserve the life of your favorite bottle of wine in style! Your logo and text will be laser engraved on the crystal for some brand recognition.

These wine related items will be a sure hit with your clients, potential customers or valued employees. To place your order for one of these promotional products or one of our other popular gift items, give me a call at 847-398-5500 or shoot me an email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

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PPAI Addresses Coronavirus Concerns

In a recent webinar, Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) addressed the economic impact of the coronavirus, which is already being felt along global supply chains that run through China. Customers have been asking about two main concerns, "Are there going to be delays on shipments of promotional products?," and "Can I catch the coronavirus from touching a product manufactured in China."

The webinar, entitled “The Coronavirus: A Conversation With Leading Global Experts,” was hosted last week to address these two main concerns. The webinar was facilitated by Jonathan Isaacson, CEO of Gemline, a leading promotional products supplier, and featured the expertise of top specialists:

• Dr. Joseph Eisenberg, chair of epidemiology, University of Michigan;
• Dr. Mary Gallagher, director, Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan; and
• Peter Martin, vice chairman, FocusPoint International Crisis Management

Coronaviruses are fairly common, causing the common cold for example. This outbreak is different because it was transmitted from animals to humans and the way it spreads is different. Another factor here is that since it is a new virus, people do not have any prior immunity to it to help fight it.

A concern addressed by the panel centered around the potential risk of the coronavirus being transmitted on products and packaging being imported from China. Eisenberg noted that flu viruses can survive on surfaces for just a few hours. With a general transit time of three days (up to 14 days if by sea), it is unlikely that the virus can survive on surfaces for these shipping durations.

When asked whether we are seeing the right response to the coronavirus from a public health perspective, Eisenberg said, "In respect to risk in the U.S., yes, the risk is incredibly low—especially when you compare it to the flu, which kills of tens of thousands of people every year in the U.S. Thinking of that relative risk, there should be little concern about the risk of getting coronavirus in the U.S.”

According to Gallagher, the Chinese government is considering whether or not to postpone two large governmental meetings in March. She said there is quite a bit of political sensitivity on the issue. From a crisis management perspective, Martin noted there is still a lot of indecision and that approaches are changing often during this time.

Gemline recently sent a letter to promotional products representatives discussing possible production implications, stating "In terms of production, we are unsure as to how this will affect our China production, or freight movement within and leaving China." A few of the factors that could impact delivery include the location of the factory, shopping ports, staffing levels, and other internal restrictions placed by the Chinese government. Isaacson ended the letter saying Gemline will continue to keep its customers updated as the situation evolves.

You can continue to follow this developing story in Promotional Product Business Newslink.