Monthly Archives for February 2012

Style Can Still Mean Business

You don’t have to sacrifice style to be taken seriously.  The traditional woven is still in, and professionals in the hospitality, service and financial industries recognize the value of a polished appearance.

Gone are the days when women have to settle for a man’s shirt in a size small just so they can match their fellow associates at the trade shows!  Retail inspired color choices, flattering cuts, attractive design details and easy-care fabrics all combine to make today’s woven shirts a perfect choice for any professional setting.  Manufacturers have stepped up with matching men’s and ladies styles, and wholesalers have tapped into many of the retail brands that are now offered to the promotional merchandise industry.

Next time the occasion calls for a uniform look on all team members, remember that professional attire doesn’t have to be stale, and a little more style will help your company stand out.

(image via S&S Activewear)

Books + Business = !!!!

Beautiful books with incredible photography are as appropriate in business as they are in our personal lives.  And when the book’s content is tied to the theme of the annual sales meeting or business conference, the message will be carried home and shared, instead of being passed over to the stack of handouts waiting for trash day.

Coffee table books, travel guides, celebrity cookbooks, health guides and the wide selection of self-improvement publications that offer professional advice on all manner of business skills can all be customized with informative insert pages, calendar of events or a simple logo.  The subject of the book can help support the theme of the meeting, or it can be used as part of the supporting materials for the wrap-up.

It may be tempting to consider purchasing another padfolio or writing journal for the next employee retreat, but consider that buying a book may be a way to ignite the reader’s imagination, and therefore drive more creative contributions at work.

(image via National Geographic)

Concentrate On Your Core

When considering which products best represent your brand at trade shows, customer meetings, recruiting events, and all manner of marketing engagement, it’s important to start with those core items that will serve as the staples for your merchandise program.  Whether that program is a professionally managed on-line e-commerce catalog, or it’s simply a pre-determined line of merchandise that the procurement department has vetted and approved for purchase, those products should reflect both the brand and the audience.

While sifting through the seemingly endless choices of products available in the promotional merchandise industry, there are are 3 key principles to follow:

  1. Identify the market that will receive your products
  2. Understand the audience
  3. Select what the audience wants, not what you personally like

Once the core items are in place, they should represent 80% of the product movement.  From there, keep the program fresh with expanded offerings of a core item, seasonal styles and creative graphics for those favorite tees. “Core” doesn’t have to mean “stagnant”, it simply represents a tightly focused selection of product categories that will speak to your brand messengers.

Concentrate on your core, and the merchandise that carries your logo will communicate the story you want told!

Youth Doesn’t Care About Your Brand

Generally speaking, I think it’s safe to say that unless you’re sellling Apple products or Red Bull, most corporations need to be creative when marketing to youth. Building a social media presence isn’t enough to get the word out.  Every product being considered as a canvas for your brand should be carefully selected with the importance of the audience being second only to the reality of the budget.

With t-shirts being the 2nd most commonly owned promotional product, this relatively inexpensive give-away continues to be the “go-to” item for multiple types of corporate events. When a young audience is the target, a well-considered t-shirt that has the look and feel of their favorite retail brand is an item that will pay logo impression dividends many times over. The current color choices are endless; the fabric content varies from 100% cotton to moisture wicking performance polyester fabric; and – my personal favorite – the options for a fit that suits the younger market are amazing!  From men’s styles that are lean and long to ladies pieces that offer racer backs and youthful, flattering cuts, today’s choices for t-shirts are anything but boring.

If you want the youth to care about your brand, show them you “get it” with a shirt that reflects their style, not their father’s!

(Image via American Apparel)

The Ardent Golfer

“The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody put a flagstick on top.” -Pete Dye

This famous quote reminds us that it’s never too early to think about the upcoming golf season.  The perfect time to schedule a charity outing or a casual client meeting at that golf course everyone wants to play, but few have the skill to conquer, is when spring and summer seem like a distant dream.  Even though most people in business don’t have the time to be an ardent golfer, nearly everyone enjoys the opportunity to hit the ball around 18 holes with a group of like-minded collegues.  And, with every golf outing is another opportunity to gain brand visibility.

Golf balls and tees are essential, but with the inconvenient placement of small lakes on all those water holes, it’s likely those balls will not be coming home with the golfer.  Golf shirts require prior knowledge of a person’s size, and the goodies in the golf goodie bags are gone by the time you hit the back 9.  As an alternative to those options, caps remain one of the most effective and popular wearable items for any corporate give-away.  A classic golf cap with a subtle co-branded logo treatment featuring your company mark along with the golf course name will be appreciated and worn again.  Matching visors are available for the ladies, and with a breathable moisture wicking fabric, the heat won’t cause unwanted sweat in the eyes just as the golfer takes that perfect swing!

Think spring and plan ahead … it will give your guests time to hit the driving range!

(Image via Sanmar)