Man That's Good!

Food as a promotional tool works on so many levels...Whereas most promotional products stimulate one, maybe two of our five senses, food on the other hand, does much more. It stimulates taste - "mmm mmm", sight - "that looks delicious", sound - "now that's crunchy", and smell - "that smells amazing". That's four out of the five senses!

Custom Engraved Chocolate

As a thank you, or as a holiday gift, a nice basket filled with chocolates or nuts... Or both, is always welcomed. But, have them topped off with a custom printed ribbon, and you've now made it your own, personalized it, and turned it into a great way to get your brand or name out there. A custom printed box or jar of goodies, whether chocolate, nuts, candy, etc., can also go a long way. 

However, if you are looking for full customization or personalization, custom engraved chocolate or custom printed candy is sure to stir up a conversation... That is, in between bites :).

Bamboo Cheese Board

Food items don't always have to actually be food. We recently provided bamboo cheese boards with their logo laser engraved on them to a client out west that builds high end custom homes. The idea here is when they complete a home, they present a cheese board as a sort of house warming gift for the buyers. I bet those clients of theirs will remember them for a long time. What a great way to leave a lasting impression.

Question: Have you ever received a food item that was used as a promotional tool? If not, what food item would love to receive most? Feel free to add your comments below.

Branding Your Clothes - The Basics

As one of the most popular categories used for promotional purposes, apparel provides a wide range of items, looks, and fabrics.
But knowing which printing method to choose can sometimes be a tad confusing. It's important to understand which method best suits not only your needs, but also your budget. 
I am going to attempt to decipher the more common methods for you in this blog post.

Digital Printing


This process is growing in popularity and can be easy on your wallet for smaller size order because it allows you to print a full-colour image with much lower set-up costs than screen printing, which we'll get to in a minute. It also lets you do more custom designs much more easily. Although many processes use digital printing as their base, a common method is when a file is simply digitally printed onto transfer paper, and then heat applied onto the piece of clothing.

Screen Printing


This is one of the oldest methods. It can cost more up front because of all of the prep invloved.  Here an image is produced by separating the design into a series of different colours. The more colours in the design, the more expensive this method gets, as each screen needs to be set up on a press. This method is more cost effective with larger quantities, because once it's all set up, you can print as many shirts, or other clothes, as you need.

Embroidery

In this process, an embroiderer takes the image file and sort of translates it into the proper stitches needed to recreate the design. The machine can then read the file & sews out the image. This process offers a great look, however may not be best for designs that have a high degree of detail.

Dye Sublimation


This is another digital printing method where special sublimation paper is run through a specialized ink-jet printer. The paper is then placed on top of the garment being printed on, and then pressed using heat. The heat from the press coverts the ink into a gas that injects itself into the fibres of the piece of clothing, rather than sit on top of the fabric. This method works well for oversized images, but only works on white or light-coloured polyester fabrics.

Question for all of you...

What is the coolest design you've seen on a shirt that you can remember?

Stubborn Promo Items

With such a huge selection of promotional products out there for us to choose from, it's understandable that over the years many items have come and gone... Yet others seem to be timeless.

But why do some items remain stubbornly popular even over the long-term? When I recommend (or receive) promo items, I get excited by those items that are actually useful. In my mind, it's simple. The more useful an item is, the less likely it'll end up in the trash can soon after it's handed out. And isn't that the point of giving promotional products to your associates, customers, business partners, employees, or prospects? You want those items out there being used, being appreciated...Being seen!

Below is a list of the most popular promotional products in Canada as well as other fun facts. It's no coincidence that they are also highly useful, with writing instruments at the very top;



Click here for a list of reasons for keeping promotional products. Where does usefulness appear on the list? You guessed it... The top.

Question for my readers...

What promotional item would you love to get?

You Can Put a Logo on That?

After years of searching for a way to combine my love for helping people and my creativity, I found myself drawn to the wonderful world of advertising specialties, a.k.a promotional products. I love the hunt for that "cool" item for a client, and the wide-eyed look on their face when I present it to them. Letting my imagination run wild in finding perfect solutions for my clients' marketing needs, gives me gratification. I thrive on building long-term partnerships, and at Promo Promo, I can do just that. Promo Promo is a promotional products distributor based out of Toronto. We try to avoid being simply order takers and work hard to nourish our client (or as we like to call them partner) relationships, and to take on a more consultative role.

I decided to start this blog in hopes I can open my readers' eyes to the promotional products world that I am so passionate about. I'll be sharing product ideas, new insights on product trends, and the industry as a whole, all while hopefully keeping it fun and engaging for all of you...And myself. 

So... Here goes...

When I ask people what they know about promotional products, many answer pens, mugs, or T-shirts. And really, who can blame them? These are some of the most common items used as a promotional tool. I must admit, before I got started out in this industry, those would have been my go-to answers too.

The truth is that the possibilities are as limitless as your imagination. Now that doesn't mean that there aren't unique pens or mugs out there, or that you can't be creative with how or what you choose to imprint on a T-shirt, for example. But, the vast choice in promotional products should allow you to match a product to your brand, message, event, or simply to what catches your eye.

Imagine this. You're in the healthcare industry. You have an event coming up where awards will be handed out to a number of winners, and you're looking for that special item to give to them as a gift in addition to the award itself. You reach out to your promotional products consultant and they suggest a Fitbit or activity tracker. And you think to yourself... "You can put a logo on that?"

Question for all of you...

What promotional product have you received that surprised you the most?