Argon Promotional Products and Promotional Gifts. » Promotional Gifts

Recycling items to create promotional gifts is a good way for companies and businesses to be economical. In this day and age, caring for the environment is a recognised need, and this act of caring for the environment is a great opportunity for the companies to promote their name and market their brands.

Not only can the process of recycling be economical and cost-effective for the company, it will also prove that they are indeed socially responsible. Nowadays, people are leaning towards companies that contribute to the improvement of society. Recycling as a way to care for the environment and save Mother Earth and is now a very effective tool to enhance the image of any company.

Making use of recycled materials for promotional gift items is a good way for companies and businesses to achieve cost-efficiency. Recycled promotional gifts are great alternatives to the usual gifts that companies give out and with Trade Associations advocating the eco effect it gives businesses an opportunity to fly the green flag.

Among the materials, paper is the most commonly recycled material. Notebooks are just one of the promotional gift items that companies can give away using 100% recycled paper. But making notebooks out of recycled coupons, scratch papers and old newsletters is not the only thing companies can do to create gifts and save the environment at the same time.

Caps and shirts can also be made from used materials such as recycled cotton and recycled bottles. Other gift items such as pencils can be made from old newspapers, toys like boomerangs and frisbees can be made from recycled milk cartons and yo-yos from recycled CD cases.

Not only are these recycled items cost-efficient marketing tools, but the act of recycling also advocates to the public that we must conserve our resources. Recycling can help the company save on materials like paper, metal, plastic, glass and rubber that won’t be of use anymore. Recycling promotional gifts not only promotes brand or business recall, but also attaches to the company’s name the social responsibility on behalf of the environment.

Through these recycled promotional gifts, the marketing effort of the company is doubled. Aside from promoting the company’s name, recycling can also make it gain recognition among customers as the company that cares about the environment and saves the earth.

This marketing effort of using recycled materials as promotional gift items is very effective since not only does it promote the company’s name and business, but also serves as a excellent PR sending an ethical and responsible message to customers as well as to competing companies.

Promotional gifts and business gift items are very effective tools to use in promoting a brand. Giving away gift items to associates, customers and even employees would give them the sense of belonging and will make them feel special. This will help create a strong bond and loyalty between your company and the people you deal with.

When selecting customized gift items, you should consider what kind of customers you are going to be giving these gifts to. Always remember that not all gifts are created equal and appropriate in every occasion. Today, businesses are built around tourism and the best way to connect with customers who are mostly travellers is to hand out tourism related goodies. Some companies can advertise their brand by giving out printed gift items like travel bags, watches, passport holders, travel mugs, water canisters, vacuum flasks, flashlights, wallets and many other products that could be brought along whenever the recipients would travel.

You may provide additional information about your company as well depending on the available space. The promotional gift items selected should be functional to the customers and your message should be visible therefore constantly reminding them of your brand.

Whenever the client would use the personalized gift items, he would always remember the company and the products and services you provide. The brand name must be strategically located so that the consumers and everyone else around them will see it. This way, they would also be aware about the brand and can be attracted to it.

There are a wide variety of products that you can use as a promotional gift item to travellers that would suit their needs. One best example is to provide disposable cameras with your brand name printed on it. This way, your name is carried far and wide anywhere your clients would go. (And enjoy free promotion as well!)

To learn more about promotional gift items suited for travellers you can always check online shops or even travel websites to find out the best gift giveaway you could provide your customers. This way, you can have an idea on the latest designs, colours and even choose the finest products for your giveaways. These items could range from sweaters, jackets, umbrellas, bags, and even a skiing set if ever your client would decide on going to a winter wonderland. These goods will certainly provide you ample promotion and will make your brand world famous.

Giving promotional gifts works wonders to a business. It takes a company to new heights. Various products offered by promotional product suppliers are given by companies to employees to serve as incentive to attain company goals and as a reward for a job well done; to clients and customers as a token of appreciation and gratitude for continued patronage.
Promotional gifts given as prizes to local contests and tournaments would create goodwill for the company. If given to employees it would make for improved and increased levels of productivity, If given to customers it would improve customer loyalty and if given as trade show giveaway it would create brand awareness and would serve as an advertisement for the company. The list is endless and these are but a few of the benefits a company could get from giving a promotional gift.
Because of the innumerable benefits of giving promotional gifts, most companies have used this marketing strategy. While other companies gained the benefits expected from giving promotional gifts, others miserably failed to do so. This could be due to the fact that the chosen promotional product failed to gain the interest of the target audience or the product failed to create the desired company exposure. Whatever the case may be here is a list of the best seller promotional gifts. It is hoped that this could help you in making the right choice and ensure a productive and effective marketing campaign.
1.    Desktop products –desktop calendars, clocks, organizers would provide the company maximum exposure as these are on the eye-level of the user. Every time it is used, company name recall will be generated.
2.    Mugs – At home or in the office a person would always reach for a mug filled with hot beverage. A sip of hot coffee would provide a respite from mundane tasks.
3.    Umbrellas – A big hit especially in UK where it rains most of the time. Provides an ideal imprinting space.
4.    Pens – Aside from being affordable it is most wanted because of its usability
5.    Key rings – Maximum exposure of company name is generated because of its constant use.
6.    Bags – travel bags, sports bags, grocery bags… being carried anywhere and used over and over again, name recall is generated not only for the user but for other people as well.
7.    Mouse and mouse mats – most people use computers these days and every time they do they will be reminded of your company
8.    Apparel – these products would serve as your walking billboards
9.    Stress toys – would provide amusement and relaxation
10.    USB flash drives – although quite high end, this would be most useful as spread sheets and documents can be carried anywhere with ease.

The success of your business depends on keeping abreast of the latest business news and developing and maintaining a wide and varied customer base where your marketing targets will vary from dealing with a casual enquirer to maintaining a trusted and valued client so you need a variety of promotional gifts to reflect these different needs. You can also ensure wider exposure and greater take-up of your promotional gifts if your range gives you flexibility in selecting the right gift for each client.

It’s always a good idea to have a variety of promotional gifts of various types and values, from basic, budget items that you can order in quantity and distribute freely all the way through to select items for truly favoured customers.

It’s equally important to have access to promotional gifts that suit a varied demographic for men and women of different ages and family statuses. Don’t forget, too, that your promotional gifts can appeal not only to the client, but to their families, friends and colleagues.

So when you select your promotional gifts, consider your client base: their age, their interests, their family status and their relationship to you. It can help to consider a cross-section of your typical customers and what kind of gifts they would appreciate. It’s always helpful to have some items you can freely give out to casual enquirers and more substantial gifts for established customers.

Everything today comes with a budget especially as we find ourselves in an economic downturn. Budgets help you manage in all sorts of ways it maybe the construction of a new house, a week-long vacation to the Bahamas or your children’s college education. Even daily trips to the supermarket require a budget. The same goes for choosing the right promotional gifts to be distributed to your customers and employees.

However, one should never compromise quality when picking the right item. High quality gift items give the message to your loyal customers that you value them and consider them part of the family. Here are a few tips that can help you choose the right item with the best value.

Wholesale Purchase. This only means that you should buy in bulk. A lot of companies offer promotional gift items for a lower value if you buy more. If you have developed a lifelong partnership with a company specializing in promotional gift items, you can even get a lower price. Websites and catalogues offer you a wide range of items that you can order wholesale.

Thinner or Thicker. Companies usually mail some of their promotional gift items to loyal customers especially on holidays like Christmas. Bulky mail may add more to the overall expenses so opt for thinner items like mouse mats or foldable desk calendars instead of large ones that can be hung. It’s also a good idea to incorporate your company holiday greeting into the calendar versus having a separate greeting card enclosed. This will surely save your company a lot. A brilliant idea is to get vacuum-sealed pillows that will inflate upon opening. These can be easily sent instead of paying more for shipping large fluffy pillows.

Think Plastic. If you are thinking of giving your customers mugs, it’s best you choose the plastic spill-proof ones. They are fast becoming important items that a company cannot forego giving away. They are since replacing the ceramic ones which are fragile and heavy to carry around. Although they are a bit pricier than ceramic mugs, they are easier to transport and store. They can be sent to the customer’s home in packages and will last a lot longer time than ceramic ones. They are also handy items. Being spill-proof, they can be carried around, even in cars. They reduce risks of getting your laptop or papers wet. They can even be ordered in all colors available. The company logo can be printed in vivid texts and images on its face. Whatever the promotional gift is, always be sure that there is a suitable budget tailored to your specific needs.

When we think of promotional gifts, we usually associate that phrase to promotional mugs, pens and notepads we have lying around the house with the company’s logo etched or printed on the object. We always find these items useful and they can easily be used for day to day activities.

This is exactly what one should consider when creating ideas for promotional gifts.

Functionality should merge with the aesthetic. Mugs, pens and notepads are staple items which can never go out of style but one should consider items that appeal to our technologically driven lifestyles. It’s always great to pick gift items that can also be used around the office and will help ease the receiver’s workload.

A very popular item today is the mouse mat which has endless marketing potential. Most companies usually give these away in all shapes, color and sizes. A company’s logo can easily be printed on its face together with some basic company information such as URL addresses, fax and phone numbers. Related to this are USB or flash drives that can be bought in bulk with the company’s logo printed in them. They can range from 64MB to 1GB, depending on the giver’s budget. They can be used to store information and compact enough to be carried around as a keychain or worn around the neck for safety. The perfect companions to flash drives are lanyards with the company’s name or slogan stitched on it to hold IDs and access cards. You can even have the option to get an ID and access card holder that can be clipped on.

To help relieve stress and frustration, everyone will appreciate a good sturdy stress ball. Companies even incorporate their logos into the shape. They can be manufactured in the shape of cars for automobile companies, light bulbs for electric companies, even miniature copies of a company’s mascots. They are fun and functional ways to pass the time and relax. Laser lights incorporated into flash lights and key chains are also brilliant promotional gifts. They can function as pointers in client presentations and they are within easy reach.

Giving away promotional gifts that can be used around the office will ensure maximum advertising for your customers. They are also highly appreciated considering their usefulness. Going with items that can compete with the times and the needs of the customers assures the business’ survival in the long run.

An eye-catching mug filled with a steaming hot drink atop a working desk is not an unusual sight. Coffee, for instance, ranks highest among the beverages consumed by most people around the world. Employees and workers are known to reach for a mug of this hot invigorating drink while mulling over reports. At home mums would reach for a mug of beverage in between chores. Companies launching advertising campaigns should bear this in mind.

A mug is an ideal promotional gift since it provides ample space to imprint the company logo, company slogan as well as website URL. Being constantly used, a promotional mug would create name awareness. A mug on top of a desk would catch the attention of other people especially if the shape is quite unique and the graphics and imprint is attention- grabbing.

The most common earthenware mugs can be made into attractive and eye-catching promotional mugs by glazing and by using striking colors for the imprint. These kinds of mugs are ideal as giveaways for product launches, for seminar and convention giveaways, and as trade fair freebies. But if you are thinking of giving your business associate or a CEO with a promotional mug, the more upmarket bone china mug is a good choice.

Promotional mugs are also used as gifts to employees during anniversaries, retirement, promotions, and birthdays. Giving promotional gifts during these events fosters good employee-employer relationship. Giving out mugs as promotional gifts for completing a project or for attaining a sales target would boost employee morale. Because of this employee recognition continuous dedication to the company will be assured.

Promotional mugs are also used as a part of a mailing campaign package. Mailing campaigns are done by companies to gain new clients. This campaign is aimed to boost sales. Mailing campaign letters will most likely end up in the dustbin as many people are too busy to bother with letters introducing new products and services. But try to mail a promotional mug along with the sales pitch. Your introductory letter will surely be opened because lumpy mails would attract the attention of the recipient. They can’t help but take notice of the mailing campaign more so if the mug is pretty unique and attractive. A draw back of this idea is that mugs could be broken while in transit. Using polystyrene postal cartons will address this concern.

Mugs are ideal promotional products because of it usefulness. Users could get attached to pretty promotional mugs so that once chipped, these mugs would still occupy desk space and be used as pen holders instead of being thrown away.

We all can name adverts that use celebrities to promote their brand. But how effective are they and how beneficial is it for companies to endorse their status with celebrity appearances. Well, here are 5 key attributes of using stars in ad campaigns:

Firstly, the adverts are memorable as everyone remembers a famous face. Adverts that are memorable are more likely to increase brand recognition and the propensity to buy.

Celebrity adverts are like sponsorships. They are worth millions, and help to create a united brand message. Sports brands, if they can afford it, will employ the sports personality of the moment to promote the view that their brand is powerful and you can be a winner by wearing their merchandise. Barbie employed last years twins from Big Brother to promote their products, only to link themselves closely to their target market and find stars that would drive in profit and demand.

Using celebrities in advertising campaigns can break down the corporate/ consumer barrier. Everyone can relate to their favourite stars, and it makes the brand more personable.

Trust is also built, as companies will always try to find stars that are loved by their target market. Fans are in awe of these celebrities and have respect for what they say. Thus the brand equity will therefore increase. It’s simple- if the consumer trusts the celebrity, they will also trust and be more likely to buy the brand.

Choosing the right celebrity that fits tightly with your brand message helps build consistency of message and brand perception. Kerry Katona, former Atomic Kitten and winner of ‘ I’m a Celebrity get me out of here!’ has become a well known face of all Iceland ads. She is generally perceived as a busy, young mother who would look for easy, but nice meals to make the kids. This is exactly in line with what Iceland stand for and the target market that they aim to impress. Therefore, the partnership has been very successful and a lucrative one at that.

However, celebrities come at a high price. You have to have the money to support such ventures. Generally only the big brand players can afford celebrity endorsements, and the more money you have; the better the celebrity you can buy! So always make sure you are going to get a ROI on the extravagant venture!

You have to prepare for celebrities stepping out of line. We all know about Jamie Oliver’s rant over Sainsburys allegedly not supporting his TV programme on battery hens. Resolved as it now appears, companies still have to be wary of employing celebrities that may dent their reputation. Iceland are currently under strain to drop Kerry Katona as there are claims she consumed alcohol and continued to smoke whilst pregnant. It’s certainly a dilemma when you bring human error into an advertising campaign!

What are your views on celebrities heading advertising campaigns? Which are the best ones?

Remember, celebrity advertising is for the big players, Argon Promotions can offer more affordable solutions through our great Promotional Products!

We hear a lot in commercial jargon about ‘brands’, ‘brand loyalty’ and ‘brand awareness’ but where does this phenomenon arise from and what is a brand? Well, let’s firstly look at the history of a brand. In the English language, to ‘brand’ historically was painful and involved burning an impression into the flesh with a hot poker or iron. The impression held great symbolism and was used as an identity system.

A commercial brand is similar but less painful! Consumers buy into brands and own certain branded goods as they hold symbolism and say a great deal about them as people. They become an identity system and purport values that the consumer wishes to portray about themselves to others.

In comparison with traditional branding procedures, where a brand was burning an impression into the flesh, corporations now strive to burn impressions into the memory. They aim to make sure that their brand is recalled first against their competitors and maintains prominent positioning in the human memory cells.

Brands have become really powerful and generate millions of pounds within the industry. They have become so iconic that the big players in the field obtain a mass following and create deep, underlying meanings that can be used as identity systems.

The status of brands does not stop at products and companies. Celebrities have even become brands and very powerful marketing tools. Think of Brand Beckham and how just associating a brand with David Beckham greatly enhances its sales figures and prestige.

Alongside the age of celebrity branding, is also the notion that countries and places have become like brands. Consumers are given a clear idea of what it is like to visit a place before they’ve even been there. This is known as place branding. London is currently working on its image as a city in order to promote the London 2012 games.

So is there anything that is not susceptible to branding these days, and just how powerful are brands set to be in the future? In a sense brands help compile the contemporary day make up of consumers. They hold great symbolism, hold importance and appeal in the consumer’s mind and generate a huge amount of money in the business.

Are brands a good thing, or do people place too much emphasis on brand identity and symbolism?

Don’t forget, you can get into the branding game by branding your company logo on our promotional products!

Promotional gift giving is the magic ingredient in any marketing mix and is a crucial part of customer relationship management.

However, care must be taken to choose the right gifts to suit the level of business contact. Spend too much and it could look a bribe; too little and it may appear that you don’t care enough. Categorising contacts will help you decide how to choose the appropriate level of promotional gifts:

Existing customers Existing customers are where the majority of your business comes from, with the least effort. Keeping these customers happy is of utmost importance so that the relationship can develop and you can make sure you don’t lose the customer to a competitor. Gift type: reward. Gift level: top range.Referrers Generally they won’t use your services but they are prolific recommendation makers. A referral is hundreds of times more effective than any advertisement. Referrers should therefore be rewarded every time they refer a good quality lead. Gift type: reward. Gift level: high.Prospective customers and referrers Not yet a part of your customer or referrer base, but you want them to be. You want to entice them to recommend or buy from you. If they are the type of prospect that would make a lucrative customer or referrer, then good quality, medium range promotional gifts should be chosen, although care should be taken to ensure it doesn’t appear you are bribing them to do business with you. Gift type: incentive. Gift level: medium.Using promotional gifts is an effective way to gain and maintain business contacts, develop and nurture relationships and encourage more business and referrals. However, care should be taken when choosing gifts so that they don’t over or understate your message.