More than Trinkets and Trash

In the past year, I’ve heard the phrase “Trinkets and Trash” used to describe the promotional product industry more than ever before.  Usually I enjoy a catchy phrase, but this one just isn’t at the top of my list.  Our industry is so much more!

 

Promotional products are powerful items!  Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) research shows that over 80% of recipients recall the advertiser on promotional products.  That recall rate is outstanding, and it leads to a larger ROI for your business than other advertising mediums.  Promotional products can help your business create brand love and loyalty as well as creating traffic.  Using promotional products is good business! 

Don't Act Like You're Not Impressed

We’ve all heard about impressions as they relate to online advertising.  There’s a lot of strategy, time, and money that go into getting more impressions and making them meaningful.  These impressions also relate to advertising “offline” through mediums such as promotional products.  When it comes to purchasing promotional products it is important to take a similar approach so that your impressions actually impress (see what I did there!?).  Promotional products that impress are more likely to be used/worn and talked about by people that see them while creating more bang for your buck. 

Farewell

Welp, my time here is about up. And it’s been a busy 2 months, so I don’t want anybody to simply write them off as partying with Mike all day, everyday and not doing any actual work.

Because while I did party with Mike all day, everyday, part of the partying was work. No, I’m not referring to the ice cream Snickers bars or Ralph on the Big, Red Couch. I’m talking about real, bona-fidehahahaha I’m sorry, I couldn’t even type it with a straight face. Let’s just say I’ve got the impression that most of these Sunflower employees don’t know what work is.

Because this was fun, not work. So much so, in fact, that I’m starting to worry about putting it on my resume. I’m afraid someone’s going to find out and say “that’s not work, that’s fun.” And I won’t know what to say. Mike didn’t prepare me for that!

Promotional Product Industry is Alive and Well

I went to a Kansas City Royals baseball game last Friday evening.  No, they didn’t win.  In fact, they didn’t put up much of a fight until the ninth inning.  Except for the companionship and fireworks after the game, the experience was a flop, with nothing much to hold my interest.  So, I watched the fans, nearly 35,000 of them in all shapes, sizes and colors, most of them wearing printed T-shirts, or embroidered caps and polo shirts.  Some of the decorated shirts were ancient, sporting old Royal’s designs and colors.  Maybe they were wearing their “lucky” T-shirts, though they didn’t do the trick.

Intern vs. The Red Paper Clip Project: Part 4

The flatscreen TV’s gone and it’s not coming back. Let it go. All is not lost.

It’s true – I’ve traded the flatscreen TV away in search of better days. I may not have a flatscreen TV any longer, but what I do have is the “Ultimate BBQ Package.”

After a plethora of e-mails and texts not all necessarily lining up linearly, Rhianna and I finally settled on a date.

No, not like a date date. She was married. With children. Children who had no idea they’d soon be inhabiting a bedroom populated by a new flatscreen TV; and their determined mother made it happen - convinced me.

Now, I’ve been fielding many offers over the past week for the TV, it was a hot item – even hotter, I can say with prideful determination, than the entertainment projector before it. I’m making progress and man, does it feel good? Yes. Yes it does.

Intern vs. The Red Paper Clip Project: Part 3

I believe it was the great Western philosopher Jay-Z once said “would you rather be underpaid or overrated?” I apply this mantra to my daily lifestyle and my unpaid internship, and look where it’s gotten me: I now have a flatscreen TV and an HP printer available for trade.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, my internship is proving to be quite the adventure, and I am its captain, sailing the seven deadly seas of Craigslist.

Maybe I should elaborate. Ever seen The Craigslist Killer? Well add it to your instant queue. You’ll never want to use Craigslist again.

Personally, I haven’t seen it, and that’s why I met a guy in the parking lot of the Holton Walmart Tuesday morning to trade a Wonderwall entertainment projector for a 27” flatscreen TV. His was the 3^rd of several “too good to be true” offers, which also included a 750GB external hard drive and a “limited edition” Tippman paintball “marker.”

But back to the flatscreen – my brother and I pulled up next to the silver minivan and carried the projector over to the other side to meet the man. The most compelling detail of the encounter (besides his incredibly friendly demeanor) was his shirt – one that I would rather not elaborate on. Let’s just say it was… “totally inappropriate.”

Intern vs. The Red Paper Clip Project: Part 2

Look, the alarm clock radio is gone. I know, I know, your great grandmother had that same one in World War II and you've never been able to find another one just like it until now. I've heard it all before, old man. But it's gone. Quit calling here.

I got rid of that and now I've got an antique unicycle.

You that read right. 

But you didn't read that right!

 

I traded the alarm clock radio for a motherfuedin' antique unicycle. It's got just the one wheel which, I've learned, is how you can tell it's a unicycle. Now if you recall, I traded a Sunflower iPhone handset for that alarm clock radio (and if you don't recall, you should probably go see a doctor because that was only a week ago dude). So I essentially traded that Sunflower promotional product for the unicycle. 

Intern vs. The Red Paper Clip Project: Part 1

It’s now my second week here at Sunflower Marketing and I’ve already learnt an excess of new things, adding to my already diminutive knowledge of marketing! My head hurts.

For instance, Mike has taught me that he doesn’t take lemon in his ice water and that he’s got a very short temper – valuable knowledge I could have only picked up here.

As I’m sure you are already well-aware (having subscribed to mine and Sunflower Marketing’s Facebook and Twitter updates), part of my job responsibilities here include a re-enactment of the One Red Paperclip Project. For those of you who are unfamiliar with said project, I will not elaborate. Google it – you’re not helpless!

I’m kidding of course. You’ll get to know that about me. I’m never serious. Except for right now; I’m 100% serious about never being serious.

Brand Love: Don't Leave 'em Hanging

Love.  It’s a powerful word.  It makes me think of my wife and kids.  I think of my job.  I think of the company that I work for.  It conjures up thoughts and feelings of food, destinations, and even products and services.

Love comes in an abundance of forms, some more obvious than others.  Romantic love.  Puppy love.  Unconditional love.  Brotherly love.  Twoo love.  Even Guy love.  A big focus at Sunflower Marketing is Brand Love, or the sincere passion that customers/employees/shareholders/vendors have for an organization.

Halftones: A Heroic Solution to Saving Money

Besides being a graphic artist, I am also an unabashed comic book nerd. And if you’re like me, you’ve probably stared at superheroes and action-filled pages long enough to know that comics are printed using only four colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (abbreviated CMYK—K stands for Black).

These four colors are printed in patterns of small dots that visually mix together to create every color of your favorite superhero’s dashing costume.

 

What you might not know is that this pattern of small dots is called a halftone, and it has saved printers of comic books—and nearly every other printed publication—money on ink for over a century. As it turns out, halftones work just as well when screen printing apparel.

How can halftones help you save money on your branded apparel? Keep reading to find out.

Moody Sumo Aromatherapy

The month of April is known for many different things:

• April Fool's Day (a favorite among me and my sisters!)
• Arbor Day-April 5th
• Tax Day-April 15th
• Earth Day-April 22nd

And let's not forget the often overlooked National Stress Awareness month!

Super Pens

In the Pixar move The Incredibles, Syndrome’s goal is to give everyone access to super powers in order to eliminate the gap between the “Supers” and everyone else.  A similar phenomenon is being orchestrated in the world of promotional pens, but let me first tell you why pens have super marketing powers according to a recent study.

·         Pens are used 18.2 times per month

·         Pens generate 437 impressions per month

·         Recipients keep their branded pens for 4.9 months

·         Pens have a total Cost per Impression (CPI) of $.001

·         90% of recipients keep branded pens because they are useful