Absolute Promotions Ecofriendly Promotional Products, Corporate Gifts, Printed Logo Items

Bike to Work Day 2013

Bring out Ye' Bikes - It's that time again, I can smell it in the air. May is Bike Month and Bike to Work day is going to be on Thursday, May 17th this year.  

Cities, employers, organizations across the US and Canada get involved, goes back to 1956. 

Have you ever heard of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition?  They're a force. They're amazing at using this event to promote awareness and safe bicycling, helping people understand that bicycling can be a way of life.  They have organized workshops throughout the year with titles like: How to Bike Anywhere and Fix a Flat, Urban Cycling, even tips on how to fold pants on the crease then roll them tightly in your bag to avoid wrinkles when you get to work. Ha,I never thought of that, good to know.

I'm going to try my hand at trail riding this year once the snow clears.  I'm looking forward to it.  I've been noticing more and more funky shaped/interesting bike themed promo giveaways. These Customized helmet covers are cute.  Especially if they're designed right.  They'll help you to be seen by drivers.

Here are a few new style safety LED bike lights that you can brand too:

 

 

This is like the deluxe  logo bike flasher. It has 7 functions, with red and yellow lights and built in belt clip.  It comes with the bike attachment you see too.

A customized bikers saddle bag or you've heard that fanny packs are making a come back, right?  It's true.

Jerseys of course

 

The day of the event there are "Energizer Stations" set up all over most cities.  Maps are offered to show the locations and best bike routes.  Snacks, beverages, water bottles, seat covers and bike bags are some of the Bike to Work Day swag given out, donated by area businesses.

 

I had a little experience urban bicycling recently in Philadelphia.  On a weekend getaway we stayed at the lovely Kimpton Palomar,  They let us borrow their bikes, including helmets and locks to hit the streets. It was our first time in Phillie and I was feeling a bit nervous, but they gave us a nice jogging/bike map to find our way around.(Great Branding tool I thought)

We followed the route which took us along the really nice Schuylkill River path.  I took this photo before descending the steps to the path. Isn't it pretty?  It was a great morning.

Our ride was one of the best ways to get the feel for an area of the city. The route looped around the Philadelphia Museum of Art (The Rocky Museum) and then through the heart of the city back to our hotel.  The air was fresh, the weather crisp and the city was beautiful.  Bikes really are so much fun.

 

 

Modern comes to the desk

Location, Location, Location - The desk.  8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's where decisions are made. Calls take place, ideas are born, companies are built. It's where you want your brand to be if you could. Right in the center of it all, being useful.  Making your client happy, helping to make their life easier. Giving off all warm and fuzzy positive Brand feelings.  

Here is a cute new tech giveaway that I've been using. It's a smartphone/tablet holder that acts as my screen cleaner too.

One side can be completely branded, four color process and the other side has a protective smart cloth that's treated with an antimicrobial shield.  Smartphone holder and screen cleaner that helps to keep screens smudge free.

 My tech tool to keep my iPhone easy to get at and allows me to quickly recognize incoming calls.

Branded Water Bottles are Breaking Out!

A lot of new product designs were launched at this year’s international promotional show.  Just in the water bottle category, we had some true branding rogues.  Promotional water bottles that are refusing to play by the rules!   They are demanding our attention with new colors, smart design and unexpected details..  What say you?  They will not be created from cheap plastic!  They will bunk the worn pull-up top path and blaze new promotional trails.  Twist-off cap?  Screw that they say– we’re going flip!  We demand you look at us.

 

Standing out, differentiating, choosing their audiences, these are some of the challenges for branding.  In a crowded event with so many yelling at the masses finding a promotional product that can get some attention doesn't have to be so hard.

Every event, every brand calls for unique circumstances. It’s great to see the promotional water bottle world catching up.  How about this for SXSW swag? Where it's a water bottle and a speaker for the iPhone.

At the TED Conference this year they had these great water refill stations.  All who attended were given a branded water bottle in with their swag, eliminating the need for plastic containers. Everyone felt good about helping to cut down on waste and got to take the good brand feeling home with them.

The styling is cleaner, easier to carry, more attractive to hydrate hydrate hydrate - love the vertical imprint capability too.  Sleeker look with more room for Branding. Unexpected helps to stand out.

This year Nivea introduced new retail packaging for their body lotion bottles.  Contoured the bottle, domed the cap, textured the logo, and used less plastic, all great Branding ideas

 

 

Texting gloves with a logo?

I remember last year how psyched I was when I learned there were gloves made that I could text with.  This year I was even more psyched to learn that I can customize them.  Check out the pair of touch screen gloves we just Branded. 
I did two location embroidery, so I could fit our little lizard guy on them.  They're made of acrylic and spandex with little PVC dots on the palms so you can grip things easier.  The tops of the first three fingers are tipped with conductive fibers.  They're not treated, they are woven in. 

These gloves have all my favorite promotional characteristics:  New - so they get the wow factor, Useful - they make the recipients life easier, Innovative - keeping up with trends, Quality - well you know what I mean here

They take embroidery well, nice clean lines. I can't wait to wear them. They give off that nice warm fuzzy Brand feeling.

These would rock at CES this year for a technology giveaway. Vegas in January is colder than people think. But the heck with Vegas, these gloves just plain rock.  Colleges? Sporting events?  Tailgating?  Volunteers? Tech companies? They come in black, brown, grey, navy, royal, and white.  They work with all touch screens, minimum is 72 pieces and they're about $10 each + set-up.

We have an extra pair of AbsolutePromo text gloves to share.  If you'd like a shot, send me an email or sign up in the upper left corner with your email address for updates.  We'll randomly select a winner next week.

Thanks for reading friends, hope you have a nice weekend.  Brand on

Transform Body Perspiration into a Promotion (Yup, you read right)

Smart phones, Smart cars, Smart T's?  Ooooh we have another good idea for unique Branding.  I know it sounds crazy but it's cool - especially for branding at the gym. 

Picture this, we customize a shirt where the fabric has the ability to offer double Branding by reacting to your body's temperature.   The shirt is branded twice.  One message will appear at all times.  When you're working out, as you intensify the burn, heating up your body, working up a sweat.... BANG... the t shirt speaks again and your second message pops out.    

You have the opportunity to motivate, inspire, educate, but most of all create a buzz about your business. It's like a sweat activated technology that's made in the USA.  You can transform body perspiration into a promotion.

Could have a lot of fun coming up with some snarky branding ideas for your Tribe at a Corporate Challenge.

Colleges would be good.  Have the University name as the full-time message and then when it heats up the mascot would appear. 

Or how about for a music promo?  Been to many a hot concert in my day -

 

Not into the sweat factor?  We have custom tech pullover rain jackets too.  We can decorate them so that your message reacts to the rainy weather rather than body temp.

 

It's Veteran's Day here in the United States.  I wanted to share this story, and to all our Soldiers and Veterans say  Thank you for your service, very much. 

Have you seen these new promotional mobile stands yet?

Different right?  Simple, functional and fun. 

 

Display stands for cell phones have come a long way.  Remember when one of our only options was this style for mobile phone accessories Branding?  It was new and worked for us at the time.

 

I like these new promotional stands.  I see them called the iStand.  (It seems people are putting an "i" in front of anything tech related these days, hoping to ride on the cool factor.)  This new little tech design suctions onto the back of your mobile device.  I know it would work better than my water bottle; balancing my iPhone when I'm trying to follow along with my ab video at the gym.

Minimum to customize is 250 pieces, including a one color imprint they run around $3.75 each. 

 

Here's another style that's fun, logo plunger cell phone holders.  Branding these will depend on your business, your sense of fun and your message.  They'll definitely get some smiles and discussions going.

You could get all high tech retro customizing this for your clients.  They can answer the phone and use their touch screen features at the same time.

Customized ideas for Monday - Brand on friends.

Crap Holiday Ideas -

 - Warning  -  I'm about to get all Andy Rooney on you.

It gets me mad (Or maybe I should say sad, so I don't sound so negative) I keep getting all these emails from promotional manufacturers with misleading subject lines like: "The BEST new holiday idea"  "Here it is - NEW Corporate Gift that Rocks". I'm shaking my head, yeah right.  I finally break down and open a few of them, hoping of all hopes that somewhere - someone has a new cool thought but alas - more crap ideas.

Vinyl business card holder anyone?

I can't even bring myself to post this as a full size image.  Sure there can be a need for these in the world, but not as a "Killer New Custom Holiday Gift".  Maybe Inexpensive Gift for Insurance Industry would be better. Companies should really make their subject lines match their message.

No wonder we're closing our minds to the messages all around us.  I know that I'm just hitting Delete Delete Delete. I mean, c'mon man...give me something good.  Give me anything worthy.  So it's not the hottest new item on the market at least take some time and do some research to show me something worthy and label it correctly. Current styling, up-to-date colors, retro hip - I'm beggin' you.  

Every business has a unique message for its audience, I get that.  We all have our budgets to shop within, okay. Maybe try something useful, like for the same price range a company could send out something like this - no big deal but full color -full coverage decoration capability for a Brand and useful.  People have sun glasses or prescription glasses or cheaters.  Could even put a personal message inside too if you mail them.

Here is another one that kills me "Hottest" new USB Flash Drive Shape:

Uuhm, okay,...for the same price I could get any of these below.  You can totally produce a more business specific or fun shape to go with your message:

"ALL New Items for the Holidays" - This was the subject line this morning and these were the products they advertised.  Seriously. 

These conference totes are older than me. 

 

There are so many different new styles, up-to-date materials, trendsetting colors now that this just wastes everybody's time.  I'll stop now...just really bothered me this morning.

 

New Rockin Technology Promotional Product

Have you seen the new mini speaker?  It's a little pocket size speaker, 2" x 1", that has powerful sound. A pocket size boom box I should say. Remember how cool it was when those little mini iPod or MP3 speakers came out a couple years ago? Sound was not much to write home about, but at least you could listen to music in your hotel room when you traveled. There is a new affordable promotional kid in town and he rocks. (She rocks?) The X-mini II is compact, give a turn and it opens up no more than 2" x 2".  They're available in red, black or white.  Mine is red and I LOVE it.  I use it with my mobile phone and my iPod.  It has a mini driver that projects such a rich and full sound you won't believe it. It can work for party's it's so good.  And if you have a few of them?  You can daisy chain them for a concert.  I took some photos at my desk so you can see. Here it is close up and closed up  : 

Here it is opened, just a twist and the compact capsule opens up.

The sound is massive.  It recharges quickly through your computer and you get up to 12 hours of play time or longer. 

I put it by a ruler so you can get an idea of the maximum size of the piece.  If you're looking for a cool holiday giveaway this year for clients or employees...this is it.  A little velvet bag is included with each one.  We can customize them with up to two spot colors for your corporate branding. Shoot me an email if you have any questions.

Oh you know what else they'd be good for, when you have contests at trade shows to encourage people to visit your booth?  Everyone pretty much has their own iPod now, but everyone doesn't have this MP3 party/new tech giveaway.

I'm so happy when we find worthy new products to offer customized. Hope you like it too, Brand on.....

Promotional Bandwagon

I'm in.  World Cup Soccer, Team USA had me at the first whistle. Game 2?  Fantastic.  So exciting, I'm looking for updates and sincerely happy when other countries are eliminated.  Just wishing I knew a bit more about the sport.  Doesn't matter, once every four years, my head is there. You know I'm checking out the soccer promotional gear that everyone is sporting too.  My favorite though, and I SO want a pair, is the 2010 Limited Edition Team Sandals created by the famous rubber shoe company Havaianas.  What a great idea, so much better than offering those vuvuzelas - horn things customized.  (Though, they have those too!)  Here are the customized team flip flops they offer:

Aren't they great?  Although, I'd love to have one of the customized Nike jersey soccer Tees too.

Logo gear is addictive, smile.  Brand on friends....

New Promotional Idea for Kids

It was becoming common to see signs along the side of the road: "We have SillyBandz"  I was wondering what they were.  Well, they're a new inexpensive craze for kids. As a promotional trend follower, I should've known this. You can tell my kids are older.

They are Stretchy, colorful, shaped rubber bands  (View this photo) that kids are collecting and trading these all over the US.  They are stirring so much attention from the kids, that some schools are saying no way during classroom hours.  I thought if your company wants to target kids or their parents, and since school is almost out for summer, it may be a good time to customize some for your company. Especially if your audience is families.  As you can see from the photos above, you can group them into categories.  They arrive in a Poly-bag, have four random colored bands assorted in the following themes:  Transportation, Insects, Music, Fruit, Dinosaurs, Dentist, Sea Creatures.  Each pack includes a full-color 3 inch color custom card where you place your Brand and message.  There is a small area too that includes all the safety issues for small children.

Could be really cute for a State Fair Giveaway Idea this summer or maybe a summer camp.  Brand on.....