It's holiday crunch time...

All the bells are jingling and black friday marked the official start of the retail shopping season. Heck, Santa's been at the mall since the beginning of November! It really was early this year, because I never get that excited about the big guy.

But don't think that it's too late to squeeze an imprinted holiday gift in the stockings that are hung by the chimney with care! While we've been working on the holidays since the summer (think Christmas in July), we haven't taken off our elf hats just yet.

Thousands of our promotional products are available for rush service and can be in your hands intime for the holidays! So check out our rush collection of products today!

And if you're debating whether or not your business could benefit from doing a holiday promotion, check out this great article about small businesses and holiday promotions. And if you're still not convinced...I'm wearing a sweater from Old Navy, that I only purchased because of the holiday promotion they did on Black Friday.

NFIB Article

The Motivators Holiday Express! Promotional Holiday Express Items

Food=Happy Customers!

So let me set the scene. It's about 8:30AM on Black Friday. I'd been up since 3:30. I had gotten to Best Buy at 4:30 only to see the line of over 1,000 people wrapped around the building. I should have known it would have been that bad considering the fact that as we entered the parking lot, the Eyewittness News van was in front of us. My best friend and I declared Best Buy a bust and walked to Walmart. Same situation. So we walked back to the car and headed to Target. We waited on line for an hour, avoided the massive hoards in electronics, got what we wanted and left. We had then hit a few other stores, including a Best Buy, which was practically sold out of everything by the time we got there at 8.

So it's now 8:30 and we decide to hit up Old Navy, simply because it's right next to Best Buy. Another fun fact in this equation is that I've only had 1 and 1/2 cups of coffee and I didn't get any of the things I really wanted so far. Also, I'm more a fan of Old Navy's slightly upscale sister store, The Gap. I really had no intention on being pleased with this shopping experience. But I was. And why you ask? One word: FOOD.

As we walked in an unusually cheery employee in a Santa hat greeted us and handed us an Old Navy "Steal, Deal and Unreal" gamecard and a breakfast bar. Imagine my surprise, when this store that I don't even really like basically says "Hey, we know it's been a long morning. Have some fun with this little gamecard and eat a Flapjack Breakfast Bar." The gamecard left me with nothing but free old navy gift tags, but the bar made me happy. It tasted like PANCAKES!

Old Navy capitalized on the fact that consumers were going to be entering their store later in the morning, since their sales were til 10PM. They didn't expect people to be lined up outside for hours on end, just to get their hands on a ten dollar fleece. Because when put up against a $474 52" LCD TV...the TV wins. They did however, anticipate that the people entering their store would perhaps be disappointed and most definitely be hungry.

So think about feeding your customers this holiday season when the lines get out of control. Greet them as they enter with a coupon and a custom imprinted power bar. It's the perfect energy rush they'll need for spending! Or it just may entice them to spend in the first place. Normally I can go into Old Navy and deal or no deal, I can leave with nothing. But when you give me something that tastes like pancakes, I buy boots and a fleece.

But if you don't feel like giving out a Power Bar (some people just don't like the taste), try some Chocolate Snowmen! Everyone loves chocolate and remember, food = HAPPY CUSTOMERS!

Imprinted Chocolate Snowmen: 1 oz. Chocolate Snowmen

Imprinted Overwrapped PowerBar: Overwrapped PowerBar

Brr it's cold in here!

It really is cold in this office, though. It's actually quite freezing because I sit right under an AC vent and it gets a little brisk by my desk. So for Customer Service Appreciation Week in October, we all recieved custom embroidered fleeces with the Motivators logo on them. And I'm quite the fan. It's so comfortable and so warm.

And let's be real here...long gone are the days when you'd prefer a Tonka truck over clothing.

So check out our great collection of fleeces!

Promotional Fleece

And for more fun facts about fleece, check out: cozycreature.com

Happy Cyber Monday!!

So it's officially cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year! I myself am a wee bit tired, having been up WAY too early on Friday to hit the holiday sales. I will say this...Starbucks could have benefitted quite a bit if they had been open at 3:30 in the morning when I was on my way to Best buy to get the coupon for their 7 hour holiday sale. I had to wait til 5am, when I arrived at the madhouse that was Target to get some caffiene.

But onto the sales! In my opinion, online sales are the best. You don't have to deal with standing on line. You don't have old ladies slapping you with their purses to get you to drop that cashmere sweater that's only 14.99. (Didn't happen to me, but let's be real...it's happened to someone.) In fact you don't have to deal with anyone or anything. No waiting for a price check. No clean up in aisle five. Peruse until your hearts content, and our products will still be here.

It's the best thing about shopping online! So since it's technically the online world's biggest sale day, allow me to highlight some of my favorite products (that just happen to be *gasp* ON SALE!)

We've got the polyclean 24oz. auto bottle for as low as $1.23! It's spunky. I have one in purple!

We've also got the Leeds Sound Pod travel speakers, which are totally perfect for any office! The ipod plugs in easily through the headphone port. This snazzy little guy is only $12.92! Considering the fact that you can add your logo to these really makes it a deal, because we won't even mention what most iPod speakers are retailing for!

And my last highlight, The Holiday Treats Gift Basket! It's yummy. And trust me...people in offices enjoy food. They'll complain later that they shouldn't be eating it and blah blah blah, but I'll let you in on a secret: we do eat it and we do love it!

So enjoy shopping! And keep in mind that I only highlighted 3 of over 27,000 products that are on sale...so feel free to browse around. And be grateful there's no fighting over a shopping cart!

Polyclean Auto Bottle: Promo Auto Bottle
Leeds Sound Pod Travel Speakers: Promotional Sound Pod Travel Speakers by Leeds
The Holiday Treats Gift Basket: Promotional Holiday Treats Gift Basket

Ice, Ice Baby!

I hate winter. Seriously there aren't strong enough words for how much I hate the cold. Even right now in the office, a certain someone who shall remain nameless complained that everyone was sweating and now the AC is on. My desk is under a vent and I always end up freezing.

Even more than winter, I hate the fact that Motivators can't migrate to Bahamas for the season. I have to suck it up and get prepared for the winter weather. And then there's the two things I hate most of all about winter: Snow and Ice.

Yeah snow is pretty and ice is fun to skate on, but they both are awful when driving. And I'm so anal that every year I buy the exact same two car accessories that I had the previous year. A snow brush and a ice scraper mit. The scraper mit is perfect for not cutting up your hands when getting the ice off your car and the snow brush starts the job for you.

So how happy would I be if I didn't have to visit a department store with my 20% off coupon to purchase these items? Happier than I ever have been! (Ok, not really...but still pretty happy!)

If my usual car wash gave these out as an incentive with 10 washes or if my dealership gave me one just to say, Happy Holidays Thanks for buying a car. I sometimes feel like there's really never enough thank yous in that department.

They're useful and they're appreciated, so check out our selection of logoed ice scrapers and snowbrushes today!

Promotional Ice Scrapers

Time Killer for Anxious Wii Fans

So a friend of mine recently informed me that he wasted 6 hours of his life on line for a new Nintendo Wii. Six hours didn't seem that bad after reading the news coverage about Sony's Playstation 3 release. He didn't get one, probably because people had been camped out since Thursday for the Sunday release. I kind of wanted to go to the first person on line at the nearest Best Buy and ask what they'd done for 4 days and nights in the cold. Of course, the normal questions like bathroom breaks and showers come to mind. In fact after thinking of the shower question, I changed my mind about talking to sad individual.

So I asked my freshly showered, but Wii-less buddy how he occupied his time on the line. He told me that he played Sudoku and listened to his iPod while standing there. That wouldn't have worked for me seeing as how Sudoku only frustrates me (most puzzles do, see my blog about the Leeds Mental Block) but it's an excellent time killer.

With the holiday season approaching, lines will be abundant. And if you give consumers something to take their minds off how long it's taking to get to the register, they'll be mighty grateful. So give out imprinted Sudoku games and an imprinted pencil! This is also an excellent giveaway for the poor husbands who have just been dragged along.

Promotional Sudoku Game

And for tips on how to play Sudoku, check out sudoku.com

Keri's Art Tip of the Week!

When printing on dark colored products, make sure you pick a light imprint color. We want to be able to see the imprint! White is always recommended on darker products. It’s vibrant and noticeable.

For more about artwork, check out our All About Artwork section.

Promotional Product Decoration Techniques

And be sure to check back every week for more helpful art tips from Motivators Art Director, Keri!

Holiday Coffee! Mmm mmm good!

I headed into the city the other night to see a friend's band play, and while walking to Applebee's to grab a bite, I saw the most glorious thing in the world: a red starbucks cup.

Now to those of you who are starbucks addicts like myself, you know that the red cup is the holiday cup. Now plenty of places do customize their products for the holiday season, but like I said I'm an addict so I know exactly what this means. Ths starbucks seasonal flavors are here! Right after leaving the restaurant, I darted through traffic and chatted with a friendly employee, while ordering my very first egg nog latte of 2006. It was absolutely phenomenal, although I forgot to ask for whipped cream.

I thought of this because I just popped in our break room and grabbed a cup of coffee from our one cup coffee maker. It really made me think...one and two cup coffee makers are absolutely necessary in life. In my family, I'm the only coffee drinker and my one cup coffee maker is my saving grace. They're a great thing to have in an office, they're easy to clean and they get plenty of usage.

So be sure to check out our exclusive Melitta Take Two Coffee Brewer and custom imprint it with your logo today!

Promotional Melitta Take Two Coffee Brewer

If your office already has a coffee maker, and you just want to jingle the bells a bit check out coffeeam.com. They've got some great holiday coffee flavors including egg nog and christmas cookies!

coffeeam.com

Gobble gobble!

So they say that for every pound of turkey, it needs one hour of cooking time. Now that's a general rule, but I was reminded of it while watching a commercial last night. Apparently this year, I'm going to be the one in charge of the turkey. It's just sort of fallen into my lap as my responsibility. Now don't get me wrong, I love turkey. Love it on sandwiches and in chef salads, it's rather tasty. But I've never made a bird. And it's a little frightening. Like why me? Let me handle the pigs in a blanket, I'm pretty good at those. Cresent rolls, I can do those. And as anyone here can tell you I make a mean chocolate chip cookie. But turkey?

I actually called my aunt last night for advice, because a couple years back she made an AMAZING turkey. It was so tender, and clearly it had some sort of marinade on it. So I called her and asked for help. And she told me that the turkey that we all enjoyed so much, she couldn't take credit for.

She's one of the vice presidents of a bank in Manhattan, and two years ago they had an extremely busy fourth quarter. So to give the "higher ups" a rest for the two days they had off for Thanksgiving, the CFO order precooked turkeys for about 25 executives. He let his employees know in advance, so they wouldn't start cooking turkeys ahead of time for their families.

Knowing our products, I asked if the turkey came with a logoed cutting board and she said it hadn't but that would have been a greatly appreciated gift. So be sure to think of your employees that are working harder than usual this holiday season. ANd remember, you don't have to gift a turkey just at thanksgiving. You can gift a turkey anytime!

Promotional Applewood Smoked Turkey Gift Set


Oh, and even though I'm scared about making my first bird, I'm thinking I'll be ok. This website, eatturkey.com is a saving grace for the unexperienced turkey cook! With everything from thawing tips to carving tips, it's got everything! Now I can focus on the cranberry sauce...

eatturkey.com

How Bands Use Promotional Products!

So a few weeks ago I went to see Rascal Flatts in concert (highly recommended, by the way they were AWESOME). As I walked into the stadium, I decided to stop and see what I could blow my money on in terms of logoed merchandise.

Having been to many concerts and different events I've seen plenty of merchandise, but working in the promotional products industry, I'm always impressed with the variety of products I find.

So they had the typical stuff: t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, keychains, and of course their cds. But the one product that really made me take notice was this.




Their merchandising team capitalized on the idea that country music fans love their beer and they chose to custom imprint a bottle cooler. It's made of wet suit material so that the moisture from the bottle doesn't drip through. It even comes with a handy zipper pull so you can get the bottle nice and cooozy (get it?) and then zip it up tight to ensure that it stays that way. It's definitely agreat giveaway!

You can get out the rest of Rascal Flatts merchandise and check them out if you've never heard of them on their official website, rascalflatts.com

And to be just as cool as they are. Click the link and check out the bottle buddy.

How Bands Use Promotional Products!

A Good Office Time Killer...

So I don't exactly remember when, why or how this schnazzy little guy ended up on my desk, but it did. I believe I saw one on a desk in customer service and found one for myself. I twisted it into some oddly mangled shape (all the blocks are connected by a rubber band) and then set in for some fun, trying to put it back together. Yeah, NOT as easy as it looks.

It's like a Rubik's Cube, but significantly easier. This clearly makes me the stupidest person on the planet. So it sat on my desk looking like a train wreck for a while, while I did my other work. Our art director Keri came in to go over something and while I was searching the site for an answer, she picked up the evil puzzle. She solved it in under two minutes. I chalked it up to it being an "art person" thing.

But then Tony, our sales manager, re-mangled it and solved it too.

I decided not to destroy the puzzle, knowing that it would only cause me mental anguish (which is funny seeing as the product is named the Leeds Mental Block). Then this morning Kristen popped in with a product question and picked up the puzzle. Morphing it completely out of whack, she procliamed "Abstract! I love it!" And then walked away leaving me with my block of mental anguish.

But I just spent about 5 minutes and SOLVED it! The lesson here is: Only let Kristen mess up the puzzle.

Promotional Mental Block by Leeds

And I suppose I should thank Erno Rubik for the headache. Check out this cool article about the history of the Rubik's Cube!

A Low Minimum Quantity Holiday!

So you look for the perfect holiday item for your staff of 12-20 and you want it logoed. But the minimum quanity on most promotional product websites is too high! So rather than spending your days searching for promo products with low minimum quanities, look here! We've created an entire section in our holiday collection catalog specifically targeted to small businesses and customers who don't need 150 logoed gifts!

We're offering minimum quanities ranging from 6-12 pieces on some of our hottest holiday items, including iPod accessories, tool sets, games and more!

Promotional Holiday Gifts

Spa Gifts!

Give the gift of relaxtion this holiday season. After everything's been cleaned up and put away, sometimes the only thing you want to do is just flop down on the couch and relax. Encourage pampering this season with custom imprinted spa gift sets.

A luxurious time will await you with a logoed bath and beauty set. Relax with one of our custom imprinted massagers and some incense. Light a promotional candle. Put on a soft logoed bath robe and matching slippers and you'll be all set!

Promotional Holiday Spa Gifts!

For more information on relaxation and stress, check out
relaxation.com for some great tips for relieving stress!

Holiday Gifts for the Tech Lover!

Need holiday gift ideas for your IT staff? Have clients in the computer industry? Techies online and offline will LOVE any one of our great promotional tech products! From logoed USB sticks and wifi hotspot finders, to iPod speakers and MP3 players, we've got all the tech gizmos and gadgets their hearts desire! All our items are availble to be custom imprinted with your logo for the maximum branding effect!

Promotional Technology Gifts

Gift Cards Don't Pay Off!

They're some of the most popular holiday gifts simply because they're easy. Gift cards abound during the holiday season, and for a corporate buyer they're simple. Break down the budget and buy gift cards for the entire staff. Obviously executives and managers get more than other employees, but is it enough to make them use it?

According to an article from Consumer Reports, more often than not gift cards given as holiday gifts don't get used. A recent polled asked 1,000 consumers about their holiday shopping habits and gift cards came in at number 2 for the most popular gifts given. But research shows that 23.3million Americans have unused gift cards from the last holiday season.

Do you really want to give a gift that gets forgotten about? Gift cards are essentially money, and people aren't using them!

So be wiser and give gifts that people will use this holiday season. Our holiday collection ranges in price and includes a variety of personal gifts, as well as corporate gifts!

Promotional Holiday Collection

To read the full article on Consumer Reports visit:
this link.

Digital Photo Frames...the hottest holiday gift yet!

So its about that time. The time to start picking holiday gifts for clients, customers and employees. You want to give something that they'll truly appreciate. You want to give something that's fun and trendy. You want to send a message to your recipients.

You have no idea what to do.

It happens. With everything that's out there, it's easy to get distracted by glitz and glitter. Let us make it easy for you.

The Digital Photo Frame.



This digital photo frame is the HOTTEST gift this holiday season. Its a perfect desktop item. It features a clock with an alarm and a snooze function. It displays the date and the temperature. But the draw is the fact that it's a digital photo frame! The 256MB frame holds up to 60 pictures that are easily loaded onto the frame via a USB cord. It couldn't be simpler! Just install the software on to your computer, hook up the frame and add your pictures! It even comes with two AA batteries included so you can start using it right away!

So solve all your holiday quandries right here and now with this great Digital Photo Frame!

Promotional Digital Photo Frames

Picking the perfect holiday gift.

Holiday shopping is hard enough, but when you have to choose one item to give to multiple recipients it can be impossible. So here are a five easy tips to help you find the perfect gift.

1. Think of the end result first. What is the message you want to send to your customers and clients? What will they think after they open it?

2. The sooner you order the better! To avoid rush charges and expedited shipping costs, place your orders as soon as possible. Though it's tough to make a decision under pressure, ordering sooner will save you time, money and unwanted hassles later.

3. Make a statement. It doesn't hurt to take a chance when gift giving. Give a gift that really represents who you are and what you want people to think of you.

4. Follow the trends. USB sticks, digital photo frames, and MP3 players are hot holiday items, and they'll not only show that you're up on the trends, but that you care enough to give them what they want.

5. Personalize it! Not the item itself, but send a personally signed card along with the gift.

For personal holiday gift ideas, check out this article from The Washington Times:

The Washington Times

And for all your corporate gift giving needs be sure to visit Motivators!

Picking the perfect holiday promotional gift

Auto Accessories Under 1 Dollar

Need a quick and easy inexpensive promotion? Check out our collection of auto accessories under $1! License plate frames are sure to get your branding seen. With the upcoming winter season, imprinted ice scrapers will definitely get use. These items are perfect for the budget conscious buyer who wants to provide something that's useful. So take a test drive and see for yourself!

Promotional Auto Accessories Under 1 Dollar

Holiday CD Cards

There's no better way to get in the holiday spirit then listening to some holiday music! So give the gift of music this season and sent a custom imprinted CD holiday card. Each card will be printed with your logo and message and accompanied by a cd of holiday music. Your recipients will be pleasantly surprised when they open a lovely card and find a CD including such classics as Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, White Christmas and more! They'll be singing your praises in no time!

Promotional Holiday CD Cards

It's Turkey Time!

The holidays are all about food, which is probably the reason why most people's New Year's Resolutions is to lose a few pounds. A few entries ago, I already told you how to capitalize on that trend by giving custom imprinted exercise kits as a holiday gift. But there are always going to be unhappy with whatever they get. So what do you do? Remember the age old addage: The best way to the heart is through the stomach!

Turkeys make excellent corporate holiday gifts, more so than a snack tower or a box of chocolates. Giving a client a turkey provides a feast for their family, which gives your gift a more personal touch. Each of our turkeys comes with a custom imprinted cutting board that can be used time and time again, long after the last piece of turkey has been gobbled up.

It's Turkey Time!

But if you want to make it even more personal, add a couple side dish recipes from All Recipes.