Requests for travel souvenirs have changed quite dramatically here at 4imprint. My co-workers used to ask me to bring back chocolates when I was heading home to London. These days, they’re all about Percy.

If you haven’t yet been introduced, Percy Pig® is an international superstar of the confectionary world.

Percy Pigs® were introduced by British retailer Marks & Spencer back in 1995 as a simple gummy confectionary. Percy’s rise to stardom is quite a story. Marks & Spencer wasn’t really known for its confectionaries at the time. The desserts it offered were higher-end chocolates and the like. Candy was considered something for children. But, this children’s product caught on with adults. And, over time, the product’s loyal following grew.

Seventeen years later, Percy Pigs® have spawned all kinds of additional products. The preservatives-free candy comes in flavors like raspberry, strawberry, cherry and grape. There are the lemon –flavored Penny Pigs® (Penny also happens to be Percy’s girlfriend), and the smaller-sized Percy Piglets®. There’s also Phizzy Pig Tails®, Percy Pigs and Pals®, and Reversy Percys®. The list goes on and on. In fact, the appeal of this little, cute, smiling pig is so strong that Marks & Spencer has extended their offerings into tote bags, umbrellas, key chains, and even Percy Pig piggy banks.

Percy proves that sometimes all your customers are looking for is something fun. And, perhaps that’s the real reason my co-workers have come to love Percy, too.
-Suzanne

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Pig
http://www.marksandspencer.com/Marks-and-Spencer-Percy-Gift/dp/B007TDK1W8?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_2&nodeId=42966030&sr=1-2&qid=1340117012&pf_rd_r=1E2SN5AC0GV1267SCPYY&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=0&pf_rd_p=215485807&pf_rd_s=center-3

NOTE:  Hi, Kevin here…below is a  guest post from John, a teammate of my here at the office. It’s a post about a project he and I both love:

Making Life Difficult For Our Company President

I’m John Van Den Brandt, a National Account manager at 4imprint. You may also know me as our wildlife photographer. My wildlife images have been featured in the 4imprint exclusive Wildlife Calendar for the past five years.

As a wildlife photographer, it’s my goal to make life difficult for our company president, Kevin Lyons-Tarr. You see, every May, Kevin joins our art director and a few graphic artists in pouring over scores of my wildlife images to narrow their favorites down to just twelve for next year’s calendar. My objective is to make that task as tough as possible.

From the far reaches of North America to the grasslands of Africa, my images are the product of hundreds of hours in the field, not a few days at a game farm photographing trained animal models. (Ever wonder why that bear in some calendars looks like its fur was just shampooed and blow-dried?) Instead, I seek to capture remarkable moments in the natural world that will elicit a gasp from the review team and delight our customers when they turn the calendar page each month. Here are the 2012 calendar images:

We feature those images in a calendar that is a cut above the ordinary. Saddle stitching (no spiral), larger size and premium grade paper (25% heavier) make this an art-quality calendar that we’re all proud of.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Meanwhile, I’ll be out in the field, capturing photos that will give Kevin a headache next May.

Reaching out to a crowd of early adopters, young people or technophiles? Consider trying QR code marketing!

I’ve been seeing QR (“quick response”) codes everywhere from raisin boxes to business cards to the latest sneaker ad. These black-and-white, pixel-y squares (or colored triangles for Microsoft’s Tag codes) use a mobile phone’s camera and a reader app to link phone users to online content. QR codes are free to create via many online generators.

Who’s Using QR Codes?
Up to 6.4% of the mobile population, or about 14 million users, have scanned QR codes from their smartphone, says the latest comScore press release. Among this group, the most likely to scan QR codes are males (60.5%), or those in the 18-34 age group (53.4%). Is this your audience? Then read on!

Though the codes are traditionally confined to print media, product packaging or storefront signage, innovators can find plenty of cutting-edge ways to distribute QR codes elsewhere using promotional products. Get around limited imprint areas with the endless promotional space QR codes lead to: the internet!

What Can QR Codes Do For You?
A QR code pointing to a landing page for your special event, email opt-in page, catalog request or latest product “buy” page provides an effortless conversion flow for your target audience.

The biggest consideration when choosing promotional items for QR code marketing is that the imprint method is clear enough to render the code, so opt for digital printing that can provide enough detail for the average phone camera to read. Contrast and size are also important factors. The code should be printed in a dark color or black on a light-colored, opaque background, and the code should be at least 1.25” square (32mm) to be properly scanned. Always be sure to consult with your customer service rep about a particular product before ordering to be absolutely sure your QR codes work as intended.

This new method of connecting businesses to potential customers is yet to reach widespread use, but for the right demographic, the QR code is a familiar and flexible way to promote services and products, with the added benefit of using an opt-in (voluntary) marketing approach.

Some of my favorite ideas for QR code marketing include custom mouse pad notepads and everyone’s favorite acrylic cup, the Spirit Tumbler!

Outdoor concerts, picnics and community events are right around the corner!  Get ready for fun in the sun with these color-changing promotional products that bring more excitement to outdoor adventures.

UV-sensitive giveaways blast off with color when exposed to sunlight for instant “WOW!”-factor. Color-changing lanyards and the caps on imprinted sunscreen bottles change from white to bright — a surprising transformation they won’t be expecting!

UV-sensitive cap reacts to sunlight with a colorful display!

Do warm temps and long days in the sun leave you moody? Maybe you need a nice, cold drink! Serve ice-cold refreshments in color-changing sport bottles – the color change is activated when bottles are filled with cold liquids. Hand these out at community run/walk events, parades, farmers’ markets or picnics to make sure all attendees stay happy and hydrated. (Color-changing stadium cups are also available!)

Looking for new and exciting ways to let the sun shine in for your outdoor event? Take a look at our Promotional Products for Summertime store. It’s loaded with imprinted gifts for barbecues, picnics, beach events and all kinds of summer fun!

The best promotional products are the ones that get used. Your logo gets the most exposure over the longest period of time – in other words, great value.

As I was preparing my shopping list for all the cooking I plan to do over the holidays (I enjoy working in the kitchen, it’s a great stress-buster) that got me thinking of all the cool-and-useful promo items there are for the cooking enthusiast.

So, here’s my unofficial ‘Top 10 Promo Items for the Kitchen”:

10. The Indispensable Kitchen Spatula

9.  Really any bag clip – you just can’t have too many. Here’s a great one.

8. It’s old school, but it’s still one of the best value-for-money promo items ever invented: the jar opener.

7. Kitchen tidiness is a must. These color-coded cutting boards help that cause.

6. Pan scraper. So simple, but so effective.

5. Can you have too many measuring spoons? I think not.

4. Same goes for measuring cups.

3. Here’s a ‘no-brainer strainer‘ – hangs right of the center divider in your sink. Super-simple!

2. Pizza. The foundation of the food group pyramid in our house. Therefore this item is a must.

1. Ok, technically not a kitchen gadget, but you need the ability to toast a successful meal with family and friends.

Happy Holidays!

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be able to take part in a tour of Zappos headquarters in Las Vegas.

The company Tony Hsieh has created has been highlighted many times for its exemplary customer service and fun working atmosphere. They are also big believers in using promotional products. Zappos gives out t-shirts every year to commemorate sales achievements.

My favorite was for 2007; they were so proud of hitting their first $5 million sales day that they ‘splurged’ on long sleeved t-shirts!  What an inexpensive but fun way to reward teams for doing a great job, celebrate employment anniversaries or meet sales goals.

To highlight their company growth each t-shirt had been framed and hung – they looked great.
-Suzanne

A phrase that we have been hearing quite a bit is ‘transparency in government.’  As a public we expect to hear what is going on within our government agencies and offices, and much of the information we get is from the internet.  While the internet is a great resource to find information, there is so much out there that it can be difficult to find complete and current information.

Where can we go to find information regarding what is going on in our government?  With email available, as well as social media options, there are many opportunities to communicate clearly and accurately with the public.

E-newsletters are an ideal way to communicate with the public.  About 79% of adults in the U.S. are online, and 90 of these use email, so it is a quick and effective way to communicate to a large group of readers.  4imprint’s recent Government newsletter offers some valuable steps for setting up your agency’s e-newsletter.

Another option is a social media site.  Facebook, for example, has over 250 million active users worldwide.  This type of site offers a great way to share documentation and articles with the public, by allowing users to ‘join’ the group.

Are you currently using technology to communicate to the public?  If so, I’d love to hear what you’re using and you’re applying it.  If you’re not, there is no better time to get started.

Got a tweet from @hollyapeterson looking for ideas for a ‘tropical themed giveaway’ for a grand opening (150 people).  Decided to just throw that out to some of the team here with the instruction to  ’give me the first idea that comes to mind’ – even though we don’t (as yet) know the budget or what kind of grand opening this is.

So @hollyapeterson – here you go – lots of hyperlinks below to have fun with! And thanks for letting us have fun on a Friday afternoon! If you need more, just say the word…

Amber – “Luggage Tags”

Lindsey – “Little Drink Umbrellas”

Jennifer K – “Beach Towel” or “Full color lip balm with beach background art”

Missy M – “Tahitian Totes or tub cooler”

Erin – “Sand Toys, lip balm, deep sea aquarium…parrot towel, Cabana Cooler”

Susan – “Stress Item – palm tree, sun, tropical fish”

Jennifer S – “Lip Balm”

Richard – “Swanky Pen”

Kristi – “Beach towel, cooler, Koozie”

Kate – “Beverage Cooler”

Judy – “Cooler”

Missy E – “Sunscreen (I burn too easily)”

Melissa – “Beach Towel”

Kristen – “Hobo Tote”

Guenevere – “Palm tree shaped items: stress balls, key chains, chocolates”

Jen G – “Sunscreen Packets”

Melanie – “Plastic coconut cups”

Emily W – “Sunglasses, towels and sunscreen, oh my!”

Randi – “anything with a Caribbean full color image…”

Carolynn – “Cabana Cooler, Bean Bag Animals with Life Raft, beach chair, towel…”

Tricia – “Koozies, Life of the Party Tub Cooler, Sea Life Beanbag w/Inner Tube”

Joe – “Tahitian Tote”

Jessie – “Sea Life Beanbags”

Steve –“Palmtree and Sunblock”

Julie –“ Sunscreen”

Niki, April – “Flip flops”

Crystal – “Pineapple or Banana Pen or Photografix Tote”

Marge – “tropical cooler”

Lori- “Sunglasses”

Trish, Nancy, Carrie – “Palm Tree InkBend”

Melissa – “…Goofy Clipz Holder -snorkel guy, Paper Photo Frame Summer”

Shelley K – “Life of the Party Tub Cooler, Parrot Towel”

Kari – “Palm tree/cabana hut beach towels”

Shelley – “…beach safe caribineer, tropical shirt…”

Marsha – “Sun care kit”

Nila – “…Tropical Camp Shirt…”

Angie H – “Life of the Party Tub Cooler- Tropical”

If you’re looking for effective giveaways, the best advice is to offer something that’s going to get used – something that has real practical value.  If your target audience is involved in cooking at home (which in this economy is something that’s grown in popularity) these new palm peelers/graters are the perfect example of a promotional item that does exactly that.

One of the fastest growing trends in medicine is not a specific treatment, but an approach to care. The existence of medical spas is on the rise, and offer patients relaxation during procedures which can be nerve-racking. Dermatologic and cosmetic treatments are the most common types performed at medical spas, but there are many other specialties that are beginning to use the medical spa strategy. Patients dealing with dialysis, cancer, and even fertility issues can find comfort and care in a spa setting. There are even spas popping up in hospitals, in an effort to provide overall health and wellness to patients.

For some ideas on making your practice more spa-like, check out 4imprint’s latest Healthcare newsletter.