Julie, Crystal and John from our team are working our booth at the 2011 SHRM Conference and Expo (booth 2952). SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) is a fantastic organization and the show is always a big hit. Each year we have a different promotional tote bags to give away (here’s a link to the one for this year) – and as you can tell from the photo below, we go through a bunch of them!

Got this picture from one of our customers – Rhonda – who found a great use for the Color-Me Shopping Tote. This item has really taken off. It allows you to have a logo or a design on it that people can color and decorate on their own, but essentially the whole bag is a big ‘canvas’ for coloring, doodling and designing – it really gets people interacting with the product and more importantly the design you put on it.  We’ve seen it used in a wide variety of ways for a wide range of events – and not just for kids.

As you can see Rhonda put the sample we sent her to good use for a fundraiser she and others at her office are putting together for a co-worker battling breast cancer – awesome!  She said the idea came to her in the night.

And I thought I was the only one that spent the night dreaming of creative ways to use promotional products….

We are now carrying a select line of products from the award-winning design studio, Blue Lounge.

This is big news!

Blue Lounge is all about modern technology accessories—things like iPad® stands, mobile device charging stations, cable clips and more.

Everything is beautifully designed with an eye for practicality. This stuff is bound to stay on people’s desks, which means your logo will be seen again and again.

Tech accessories – think screen sweeps and mousepads – have long been popular items. But, this is an area where there hasn’t really been a lot of innovation. You could argue the last “new” item that people really talked about in this category was a cell phone holder.

Not anymore.

The first Blue Lounge promotional products we’re rolling out are a series of cable management accessories—namely, Cable Clips, Cable Yo-Yos and Cable Drops—all designed to keep unruly cords and cables tidy.

These look sleek and are multi-tech; use ‘em with any computer, printer, home entertainment system…you name it. Your cables will love you for it.

-Suzanne

If you have a lunch-time promotion on your mind, it’s Tiffin time.

The latest addition to our collection of colorful, reusable lunch bags is the Tiffin Insulated Lunch Tote . The Tiffin is fun and spacious. It has a handy pocket on the front. And, its name has a fun story behind it.

The word “tiffin” entered the English language in the early nineteenth century India. Apparently, we Brits had a habit of eating dinner mid-afternoon – but that habit was giving way under the influence of the Indian climate to a main meal taken later in the day, requiring a lighter midday meal and a new name for it – Tiffin.

The English in India borrowed from the word “tiffing”, an old English dialect or slang word for taking a little drink or sip.

Today the word Tiffin is still common. It’s still used to refer to the lunch time meal but also for those that deliver it – “tiffin-wallahs” and also in the restaurant names of those that sell it.

We don’t all have the luxury of a hand-delivered homemade hot lunch, but with the Tiffin Tote your meal can still arrive to the lunch room in style.

Anyone else hungry?
-Suzanne

We can all think back to the days when filling a jumbo coloring book was our top priority, and the biggest worry we had was that the green crayon would go missing. (How would we color the grass?)

Now, regardless of your age, there’s a tote that sparks your inner artist. Dubbed the Color Me Activity Tote, this nifty bag can be ordered with or without crayons.  The color-able surface on the promotional tote bag’s exterior is made of craft paper and backed with durable polypropylene. 

The bag is literally a blank canvas, ready to be filled in with imagination.  Just think of all the possible places this could make a splash in. From banks to supermarkets, fitness centers to schools … this tote isn’t just for children. Adults will have fun with it, too!

Consider the ways your company could turn these into great promotional products:

• Give it away blank (except where your logo is imprinted on it, of course) with the small box of crayons at a trade show or other event. Hold a contest to see who can decorate their bag most creatively. Then, award the winners with a special grand prize.
•  Add a picture or other graphic to the bag first. Then, give it out to customers, clients or staff members to color in the images and shapes. Think creatively here, using a photo they’ll think is funny, interesting or unique (maybe a caricature of your CEO ).

In fact, we have something fun planned here at 4imprint for this tote.  Stay tuned!
-Suzanne

PS – If you end up ordering this tote, please e-mail me a photo of how you or your customers have decorated it in style.  You just might see it in a future blog post!

If you’re launching a new wellness initiative with a predominantly female audience, the Annabelle Lunch Cooler might be the perfect way to kickstart the program. 

These lively little lunch bags are made with laminated polypropylene and features contrasting trim in a stylish pattern of circles.

Or, if you are looking for a lively option in a larger size, check out the Annabelle Tote. 

The Annabelle Tote retails for $1.50-$2.00 each.  The Annabelle Lunch Cooler retails for $3.00-$3.70/each. 

-Suzanne

I love seeing promotional products in action.  While some ‘people-watch’ in airports, I watch promotional products. 

Recently, I ran across two creative examples of companies including reusable tote bags in their marketing campaigns.

Budweiser® is giving away a free 18-can cooler bag with every 18-can purchase of Bud Light®. What a perfect summer promotion!

Kellogg’s® gifted a reusable shopping tote with every 2-box cereal purchase. I’m sure this was a big hit with families.

Are you a promotional products spotter, too?  Do you look for them in airports, outdoor events and other places crowds gather?  If so, share what you’re seeing.  Post them as a comment below. 

-Suzanne

Visit my cube and you’ll see I’ve already posted the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ schedule.  Because I’m English and most of my teammates here are Americans, I expect a little extra drama this year, when England and America meet June 12th.

The popularity of soccer is growing rapidly in America, particularly in cities with soccer stadiums.  And, just like American football, liquor stores, supermarkets, bars, restaurants and other retailers can benefit from soccer-themed promotions that coincide with the tournament. 

If soccer is as foreign to you as American football is to me, check out our Soccer Store for ideas for your soccer-themed campaign.  The store includes some great products and some nifty phrases you can use to jumpstart your campaign planning.

Soccer Sportpack

Sport Ball w/ Rain Poncho – Soccer Ball

Sport Foam w/ Lanyard – Soccer Ball

Sport Can Holder – Soccer Ball

-Suzanne

While I dropped my daughter off at daycare yesterday, I found a note in her cubby outlining some new things for the summer months.  First, and of most interest to her, was that we should bring in swimsuits, swimmers, and towels.  In the hot dog days of summer, which we have to take advantage of in Wisconsin, they will be splashing around in sprinklers and wading pools.  The second item was a request that all kids have mesh bags for their swim clothes, so the wet clothes and materials can breathe and not get moldy.

I thought this was a really great idea!  So I dug through my vast selection of bags and found a Soft Mesh Tote, which is the perfect size for my daughter’s swim gear.   It’s stylish as well, so, as always, she and I will look good as we carry her wet clothes home!