Are you ready for square beverage bottles? Turns out the square-sided sports bottle is so much more than eye-catching.

• Square bottles actually hold more liquid than round bottles of the same height and width.
• The square shape actually allows for a more efficient use of storage space. This is valuable for both shipping and storing.
• Square sports bottles are stackable, and they don’t roll.

According to the design and environmental blog Inhabit, designer Andrew Kim developed this biodegradable concept bottle to show the impact Coca-Cola® could have simply by changing the shape of its bottle design.

This design change is coming to promotional products as well. Here’s the first example: Our exclusive PolySure Squared-Up Sport Bottle. The 24-ounce promotional water bottle comes in vibrant colors, both translucent and opaque.

The trend towards square shapes in sports bottles is still pretty new. So, be square. Your promotional items will really stand out from your competitors.

-Suzanne

Tech giveaways can be tricky, if you have a limited budget.  There are lots of great tech options for business gifts and employee incentives.  But, finding a tech giveaway that is affordable enough to hand out in a larger quantity can be challenging.  (Screen sweeps are an obvious exception!)

But, every now and then, a really useful and inexpensive tech giveaway comes along.  The latest is an easy-to-use MP3 player or smartphone stand.  This one is called the iWrench.

If this is something that would appeal to your customers, prospects, employees or volunteers, check out the Ear Bud Buddy (coming soon to 4imprint).  Like the iWrench, these promotional products work as an easel for your MP3 player or smartphone.  The Ear Bud Buddy also conveniently holds the ear buds used with the device.

Your logo is imprinted along the edge of the Ear Bud Buddy, which means your organization will be top of mind every time someone pulls out their ear buds.

-Suzanne

It’s unusual to see a trend move in two directions at the same time.  Usually, things get really big (think big hair, bell bottoms, SUVs and McMansions) all at one time.  Or, they go the opposite direction and get really small (skinny jeans, compact cars and miniskirts).

Right now, headphones are breaking that conventional design wisdom.  Both oversized and nearly invisible headphones are hot right now.  I spotted these oversized headphones at American Eagle.

These mini-headphones from www.japantrendshop.com are a sharp contrast.  While the oversized headphones make a strong statement with their bright, look-at-me color, the mini-headphones are understated with just a bit of color.  But, the decorative design style on the end of the headphone, makes these stand out.  I’ve seen ladybugs, skulls-and-bones, and penguins.

And, though this trend started in retail, we’re seeing the same thing in promotional products.  The Silly Ears Headphones are a statement piece.

On the other end of that trend, mini-headphones, with the ability to subtly imprint a logo on the edge of the earbud.  The packaging for these mini-headphones also adds to the style.

Because headphones are so hot right now, the perceived value of this promotional product extends beyond the price.  With both high school and college students sporting both trends, either style of headphones makes a great giveaway.

-Suzanne

While it’s been warmer than usual this winter (at least for those of us here in Oshkosh), that doesn’t mean spring and summer aren’t already on our minds.

Are you feeling like you need a break from winter’s gray skies and colder temps?  That’s the perfect frame of mind to be in when you check out the Navigator Sunglasses.  (If you’re a child of the 70s or 80s, these sunglasses might remind you of Tom Cruise in the movie Risky Business®.)

These handy promotional products come in a wide variety of colors, with space to imprint your logo on the frame. Sunglasses like this are really big right now. They’re hot because they’re fun. Because they’re both stylish and useful, they make great giveaways for sports promotions and outdoor concerts and events.

And, even if you can’t use them right away, they’ll definitely take your mind off winter and get you thinking of sunny skies and warm-weather styles.

-Suzanne

When you think mylar balloons, do you think birthdays, anniversaries and sweetheart holidays?

The iconic bag brand, MulberryTM, took a different approach.  The store took a twist on the classic balloon bouquet and turned a basic gold mylar bag balloon into an attention-getting display.

Each balloon was imprinted with the outline of a classic bag design. Several dozen of the imprinted balloons were displayed en masse, creating a simple, yet eye-catching window.

This concept would be striking in not only retail stores, but also at trade shows, job fairs, community events, open houses and more.

Simply choose a balloon shape related to your event or industry.  We offer a wide array of promotional mylar balloons, including round, square, heart, tennis ball, football, golf ball, soccer ball, baseball and volleyball.

Round and square balloons are offered in a variety of colors.

Consider imprinting more than logo on these colorful promotional products.  Showcase a product or service you provide on the balloon and add your logo as a complement.  It’s an easy yet striking way to make a mark!

-Suzanne

Perhaps you’ve seen the Rockhopper Backpack.

But, did you know where it got its name?

This 4imprint exclusive backpack is based on your participation in our first-ever Facebook promotional products name game.

We had a blast with this project—it was so fun to involve our customers in this way and the office was buzzing with excitement as the votes came pouring in. On behalf of the team, thank you for your input. We hope you love this backpack as much as we do!

For our new customers out there, be sure to ‘Like’ 4imprint on Facebook to participate in future contests like this and others and to share your input—we always love to hear from you.

-Suzanne

Fifteen years ago, nobody used the phrase ‘financial literacy.’  Things have changed.

Now, banks, credit unions, insurance agents and financial planners talk about it, schools teach it, and there’s even a week devoted to celebrating saving here in the US.

If your organization is part of this financial literacy trend, these promotional products could you help you spread the word that saving is sweet.

Take the Action Piggy Bank… it makes saving fun.  Every time you put money in, the pig’s tail goes up.

The Box Bank will be popular with those who like simple, clean design.  This classic is available in two sizes.   This inexpensive promotional product makes a great giveaway for both adults and families.

If saving for a mid-winter getaway is what you’d like to promote, check out the Globe Bank.  The novel shape and fresh colors make this bank eye-catching.

Happy savings!
-Suzanne

PS – Looking for more information on America Saves Week?  Visit http://www.americasavesweek.org/.

If you know Carhartt, you know how durable, long-lasting and tough their clothes are.  The 120-year-old company built its reputation manufacturing clothing that was made to last.

Here’s a little piece of trivia from the company’s website: Did you know that Carhartt founder added an extra ‘t’ to his last name, just to make his product stand out a bit more?  It worked then and it continues to work today.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with Carhartt to add jackets to our product line.

The Duck Detroit Jacket Blanket Lined is one of five Carhartt products in our range, which includes jackets, sweatshirts and even a Carhartt Acrylic Knit Hat.

These promotional products are the perfect work wear for employees in manufacturing, construction or other industries where durability and toughness are essential.  That’s why they make great year-end thank you gifts for employees.

Looking for ideas about which product will best suit your hard-working employees or customers? Follow Carhartt’s Everyday Icon campaign (appearing this October on the company’s Facebook(sm) page) that will highlight real working men and women who rely on Carhartt.

-Suzanne

PS – Embroidery is easy on products like the Carhartt Duck Detroit Jacket.  The product price includes embroidery in the imprint area shown and there is no extra charge for larger sizes.  Best of all you can mix and match colors and styles.  And, our tape charge is FREE for orders of 24 or more.

Like to keep a pad of paper near your computer – so you can jot down a note or two?

You’re not alone.

One of our top-selling products is a dual-purpose pad of paper that doubles as a mouse pad.  This has been a popular promotional product for years.  We’ve recently introduced some great new designs.

When it’s time to take a mental break, this pad of paper is ready.  The Take a Break Notepad Mouse Pad left column is labeled ‘WORK’ and has space to make notes.  The right column is labeled ‘TAKE A BREAK’ and has six different brain teasers, including a maze and two tic-tac-toe boards.

Prefer to get your customers dreaming about a city skyline?  The Cityscape Notepad Mouse Pad is the perfect desktop accessory to keep that dream top-of-mind.

If your customers fall into the notes and doodles camp, they’ll love this whimsical office theme of the Paper Clip Notepad Mouse Pad.  Each sheet looks like a three-ring notebook sheet. Paperclips imprinted on the top left corner add a fun touch.

These designs are so fun your customers will likely be on the lookout for refills!

-Suzanne

Sometimes it is just about the unexpected, the surprise.

That’s what this nice parcel from hotels.com was… a nice surprise. 

As someone that travels quite a lot, I’m a frequent customer of theirs and part of their FIVESTAR loyalty program. That said, I’m a good customer to several travel companies but don’t think I’ve ever had a real thank you gift from anyone else. (Plastic cards and miles don’t count!)

Perfect for today’s travelers they sent me a TSA-sized plastic travel bag, complete with a set of bottles for toiletries, etc.

The gift is useful, but I’ll remember this more for the fact that it was unexpected and made me feel that they valued my business – even though an organization like theirs probably has hundreds of thousands of customers. How very unexpected.
-Suzanne