Daniel

That time of the year is here once again. The snow has finally melted, the birds are chirping, and the temperatures are beginning to rise. For tons of Americans across the country, that means one thing, and one thing only – golf. People have been playing golf for centuries as a competitive sport. However at some point, the connection was made between golf and business. Once people realized that major deals were going down between players, the golf course exploded as a venue for branding opportunities. Today, any company knows that people with money and a head for business frequent the golf course, and are often looking to make investments in good products and services. So, any way that you can get your brand name recognized by these powerful entrepreneurs and tycoons will benefit your company in both the short and long runs. Remember that the more prepared you are for these opportunities, the better chance you have of someone remembering your brand name. Ideally, a potential new client would see a promotion for your company before they even tee off, so they have 18 holes to think about what your company can offer them. You can get your brand name out on the golf course in a variety of ways. One of the most popular ways is using promotional items which are specifically related to the game of golf. These might be anything from embroidered golf shirts with your company name, to imprinted golf balls. Some other great examples are golf towels and custom hats and visors. There are literally thousands of these products available, but they all serve the same purpose – to position your company in a way that appeals to golfers. If you don’t believe what rich branding potential the golf course offers, just take note of all the advertisements you see. Sporting goods and athletic apparel companies like Nike will get their name out on the golf course every chance that they get. They will either sponsor an outing, or buy up some advertising space in the form of crowd barriers and billboards placed around the course. Financial institutions like AIG also take advantage of golf course exposure, since they know that their services will be desired by most golfers. Sure, buying a huge advertising space at the U.S. Open is probably not a realistic option. The main purpose of discussing these companies is to show that they recognize the advertising potential at golf courses, and you should too. Just stick with some simple golf products, get your company name imprinted on them, and start giving them out to golfers and attendees of golf events. Before you know it, your business will begin to grow and you will know exactly where to give the credit to: The Promotional Items Buzz.

Wow, the weather is super warm today in most of the United States. People are outside for much longer, soaking up the sun, staying in good moods, and generally enjoying life. As a business owner, whenever people are in good spirits you should recognize the fact that this leads to open-mindedness. And when people are open-minded, they want to spend money. So if you want those people to spend their money with you, then you need to take full advantage of the weather by launching some early spring promotions.

How do companies go about attracting customers in the spring? Well there are countless ways, but consider some of the most important aspects. Since people are out walking around when it’s warm, it’s all about foot traffic. In other words, how can you get people to come into your store? You want to start by creating some sort of enticing visual prop or image in an area that people are going to frequent. Here’s a great example from the wireless company Cingular, which has now been acquired by AT&T.Cingular used to set these wavy inflatable tube men outside of their stores during the warmer months of the year to attract people as they walked or drove by. A promotion like this created quite a buzz around the Cingular brand because of its attractive appearance and fun-loving nature. Now of course this particular item costs money and your company is probably not part of a major corporation, but it’s being used as an example so you get the basic idea – people want to be entertained while they’re hanging out outside. When they start coming out of hibernation this spring, you need to capitalize.

Another way to get people interested in your brand during springtime is by distributing some hot promotional items that are expected to create the biggest buzz. If you think about it, the products that are going to gain the most attention are the ones that can’t be used until the spring comes around. So think warm weather, think outdoors, think physical activity.

One of the first things that comes to mind is a promotional flyer. Available in all different sizes, colors, and shapes, these discs surely can’t be tossed around while standing knee-deep in snow. However, once that thermometer breaks 50 degrees or so, people are outside ready to run around and make something happen. That is exactly the point at which you need to put an imprinted flyer in their hands. The feeling of playing outdoor sports will feel fresh, and so your brand name will ride the coattails of this novelty. As the disc gets tossed around the park or in the street, more and more people are going to get exposed to your brand.

The picture above was taken in Central Park, Manhattan. So think about all the people that may come across your brand name when it’s floating around the grounds of a park. Now that you get the idea, there are thousands of other spring-themed items to consider. Anything including promotional T-shirts, custom water bottles, or any other sports-related products will work just as well because of their tendency to be used more during the spring. Good luck building that buzz around your brand this spring!

At the Promotional Items Buzz, we make an effort to continually highlight the hottest news in the promotional products industry. This could mean anything from a new item getting used for branding purposes, to checking out how successful companies run their advertising campaigns. Since the trade show season is about to commence, it is worth it to identify some of the promotional items which are expected to be the most successful this year. If you own a business or you are just interested in the industry, you can use this as a guide to see what makes these trade show giveaways so popular.

One of the best trade show giveaways available is the Non-Woven Convention Tote Bag. This type of item is always received with open arms by trade show attendees for several reasons. First, it has an attractive visual appearance so people will be drawn to it at first sight. Businesses can choose the bag colors that they want, so if your brand is recognized by a specific color you can keep your advertising congruent.

Tote bags are also exceptionally useful in a variety of instances including carrying groceries home from the supermarket, taking clothes to the gym, or simply using them in place of a purse or briefcase. With plenty of room to show off your imprinted logo, the Non-Woven Convention Tote Bag is catching a serious buzz at trade shows this year.Another one of the hottest trade show giveaways this year is the Sani-Mist Pocket Sprayer. This item comes in a pen-like design, complete with a barrel and cap with shirt pocket clip. The container is filled with antibacterial hand sanitizer that can be conveniently used at any point throughout the day.

What makes the Sani-Mist Pocket Sprayer so high in demand? Since it’s flu season, people are looking for any way they can to limit the amount of germs that they come in contact with. Since people live and work on top of each other in the office and at home, it is easy to get sick in the wintertime by sharing appliances and touching common doorknobs. Any promotional antibacterial items will be well received at trade shows this year; the Sani-Mist Pocket Spray just happens to be one of the best of the bunch.

Did you think we could get through a piece about trade show giveaways without mention one of the hottest apparel items this year? Of course not. It’s no secret that embroidered apparel has dominated the promotional products industry for years. So which apparel selection is catching the biggest buzz this trade show season? It’s the Anvil Adult Blended Short Sleeve Jersey Polo. The reason why this polo is so hot is because of its fantastic combination of comfort and versatility.

The shirt is made of a 50/50 split of cotton and polyester, so your body can breathe when you wear it but it will hold up to being worn repeatedly. Polo shirts are appropriate to wear in any season, so businesses know that if they give out the Jersey Polo in the winter it will be worn through the spring and into the summer. If you are looking to really make a lasting impact on potential customers in your target market, then the Anvil Adult Blended Short Sleeve Jersey Polo might be the way to go.

There are plenty of other promotional items which are catching a buzz this trade show season. The key is to catch the wave of these products at the right time. While some will continue to be popular for years to come, others are going to fizzle out after a few months. The only way to learn which trade show giveaways are the best is to experiment with different products and read as much useful information about hot promotional items as possible (the Promotional Items Buzz is a great place to start)!

Now that we have started a brand new year, it means a whole new line of promotional products are bound to catch a buzz. Some of the hottest items from 2010 will still be here, and some are on the way out.

In 2010, the promotional item with the most buzz around it had to be the Silly Bandz. These silicone bracelets could be molded into any themed shape and packaged in a bag with an imprinted logo. People of all ages enjoyed wearing the bracelets, though kids especially went crazy for them. The Silly Bandz bracelets were perfect as a back-to-school giveaway, but also worked well at trade shows and other promotional events. Because of their attractive shape, bright colors, and entertainment value, the buzz around the product created a great branding opportunity for any company.

Another one of the hottest promo items from 2010 is the imprinted cold beverage travel cup. At first glance of this cup, you would think it is made out of the same flimsy material that you would find at a fast food restaurant. However, they are really made of durable acrylic material to will hold up in just about any condition. What makes this item so unique is the fact that is is modeled after the restaurant-style cup, yet it can be reused as many times as the recipient wants. The cold beverage travel cup is great for road trips and commutes to work, and that is probably why this item had such a buzz around it in 2010.A final huge trend of the 2010 promotional products market was eco-friendly items. Since the “going green” movement began, promotional products distributors have jumped all over the idea. Eco-friendly promotional items are usually made from either recycled or biodegradable products, or constructed from a regenerative material like bamboo. Companies use these items for “green” branding opportunities. This means that when they want to position their brand name as one that follows environmental trends, these products come in handy. Eco-friendly items come in just about every type of product that the regular version does, but one of the most popular categories is eco-friendly notebooks. A recycled jotter with pen is featured in the picture below.