A Pigeons Right To Choose!!!

Comedian Eddie Izzard once commented during a gig in San Francisco, "Careful California, you're supposed to be the crazy state." If there was ever any doubt, the state ruled by the Govenator just redeemed itself. According to Yahoo, California plans to handle its "unmanageable pigeon poop problem" by placing new feeders on rooftops. Don't scratch your heads just yet, because while giving birds food doesn't seem like it would HELP a poop problem, a key ingredient in the food will: birth control pills. Umm...can we ponder this a few moments? Doesn't Hollywood have enough drug problems with the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton? Do they really need to start drugging up their pigeons?

I'm making a rash judgment. I shouldn't assume that all pigeons are against this. I mean they're might be some busy birds out there that just aren't ready to settle down yet. It's gotta be tough being a pigeon in today's modern day world. Maybe they want to have a career before they have a family, who am I to say? So to this I say, Bravo female independent pigeons! To you we offer:



The Pill Box Keychains. Now pigeons won't have to worry about having to find a "Planned Pigeonhood" sponsored rooftop feeder and they can take their pills on the go, by just looping one around their little pigeon feet. (Brilliant product placement courtesy of Art Department Supervisor, Keri).

Finally, A Burrito Centered Game!

Ok, so I saw this post on AdRants.com and read the review of this online effort put forth by Taco Bell to advertise the concept of "4th Meal" and I thought it was a little harsh. I mean, if you look at the image it loos like a game right? I thought, "Cool. A game centered around burritos and chimichangas? I'm in!" It's really not all that interesting. At all. It's dizzying and nothing happens. Literally you get in a "taxi cab" and the driver makes a few comments and then drives you to the late night "hot spots". And the next thing you know, your character (who by way you don't even get to choose), is sitting on a bench outside a Taco Bell, eating something. Quel uninteresting if you ask me.

And speaking of games, I just have to put this out there: Has anyone tried to Simpsonize themselves? The process takes forever and for 10 people I've talked to, doesn't even work! I waited and waited and waited last night as the countdown ticker went from 600 seconds (10 minutes) to 1...and then proceeded to stay at 1 for another 15 minutes! 25 minutes waiting to see what I'd look like as an extended member of the Simpsons family and then: Error message. I would be furious but the movie was really good, so I can't be.

But instead of making people sit in front of their computers for 15+ minutes and trying to convince Americans that they desperately need to adapt to the concept of adding ANOTHER meal late at night that's jam packed with calories, why don't advertisers just try and challenge people? A little promotional custom sudukogame? A mind scrambler? A Mental Block Puzzle??

The only thing they don't have going for them is that they aren't as delicious as a Taco Grande at 1am. But they're fat free!!!! :)

Geek Speak!!!

So this should be as popular as the Staples Easy Button but I know it won't be. Our brilliant IT wizard Danny found this blog this morning and passed it along, since it's true in his case. If an accountant has a math problem, they can talk it out. "Ok...so I need to find the percentage of this, so I have to divide this by that and...ok I'm good." If a copywriter needs to write something, they can easily talk that out. If an IT person needs to talk out a problem, it would probably sound something like this:

"Open carat, the letter A then a Href tag, then I gotta do quotes and hyper text transfer protocol..."

If they're speaking to a civilian of the non-geek denomination, they talk it out in their heads and all that ever comes out of their mouth, , is what this fun little geek guy says when you bang him on the desk:

"I'm Thinking Right Now!"

Two of our IT guys said this to me yesterday, so I don't need a Geek Speaker on my desk since I hear it often enough but I wouldn't mind having a custom bobble head that could fix my computer when ever I want.

I need this in my living room...

Ok, I really don't need this in my living room but it's definitely proof of the power of logos. This 6ft neon Apple logo is going for $4500 on eBay. Granted the morning discussion was "How much is too much for a purse?", but that's because Coach launched their new fall collection a few days ago. For some this isn't even a debate. But how much is too much for a giant piece of Apple memorabilia? I'm going to say $4500. Of course, there are some that would say it's something that could never be recreated. But if Apple wanted their logo recreated, our art department could easily do that! The going rate these days is a one time fee of $30.00, but that's only if you want your logo on a promotional product. If you want a 6 foot glowing version of your logo on your wall, then you may have to call for pricing.

You're in Good Hands...Good, Strong Hands.

Interesting idea in the above ad for allstate. Apparently this does exist and there are cars dangerously hovering on parking structures across the country. Awesome. Although, if a person on a street saw a car teetering above them, I doubt they'd take the time to read the ad below it (which is hard to read anyway). I'm going to say "Good try allstate, hope it doesn't fall" I'm also going to suggest that a good product they might want to hand out on ground level would be a Promotional Accident Investigation Kit. That way people on the ground can take pictures of the car should it fall...

Most Annoying Office Habit: SHUT UP!

So according to Yahoo, who said "According to Forbes" the most annoying office habit is one that would have probably been a welcome change to Jerry Seinfeld in the infamous "Low Talker" episode. The most annoying office habit is the loud talker. The one who chats the day away on the cell phone or with fellow employees is the one that drives everyone crazy. The office loud talker wins the poll of 2,318 people as the most obnoxious offender with 34%. Surprisingly the next two biggest offenders are an annoying cell phone ring and the infamous speaker phone conversations. I have to admit, I am on accusations guilty of interrupting office decorum when I forget to put my cell phone on vibrate. Although, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" does seem to put everyone in a good mood...

But the one thing that did make the list, although not in a top spot was the obnoxious smelling lunch! Our old office fridge was literally like something out of a horror movie. I was occasionally afraid that one day I'd open it and something would attack me. Just jump out and punch me in the face. But that has since changed with our new promotional lunchbags. Now instead of the fridge smelling bizarre and freaky, just the inside of this washable cooler tote smells...bizarre and freaky.

Oh, Look a Giant Straw!

I enjoy advertising especially when it makes little to no sense. An Italian ad agency has introduced this campaign to promote its soft drink, Chino. Giant straws have been placed all around a city. They're on street corners, they're in fountains, and they’re next to famous artwork! Of course, the straws will get people talking but you want a secret to selling drinks, especially in hot weather: GIVE PEOPLE A DRINK! Walking down the street in Times Square on a hot summer day, everyone accosts the Gatorade guy or the propel guy or the random unknown guy who's handing out beverages. Putting straws on the street corners is just a tease cause here's an update: concrete does not quench thirsts.







A smart business man would stand next to the straws and hand out promotional water.

Don't Let Your Message Be Impaired!

Ok so everyone loves promotional products and everyone loves free stuff, but sometimes the marketing team overrides and the budget that you would like to have spent on an imprinted promotion goes to that handy dandy new invention, the internet. "Everyone is online," they say and I can't argue. Hey, we are a web based company after all so yay for the internet. But regardless of how wonderful it is, it does have its downfalls. Computers can't control EXACTLY where your ad will show up. So you're Folgers coffee (not literally) and you're sitting at your desk and you see a story on Yahoo about how Coffee could trigger the first heart attack in some people. Like anyone concerned about their business, you click on the story and you see this:



Oh that's just bad. And this is why you should have gotten some key chains or bags. And now, they may just have to spend some more money on advertising since Folgers and heart attack will go hand in hand for some people.

Christmas in July!!

So being that we are a promotional products company, we're pretty good at doing events. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but we can put on a good show when we need to. Take for example, our party planning committee's most recent shindig: Christmas in July. We hear every day about the fun events that our clients are doing that they need promotional products for, so they decided we needed to have some fun.

The morning started out with everyone recieving an imprinted Motivators Duck. Those of us that weren't delayed by the rain were given a choice of Santa Duck or Snowman Duck. I enjoy the snowman, so that's who is currently atop my cubicle. Those that were delayed by the rain arrived and were greeted by a happy little duck on their desk.

Around noon the mass email went out that lunch was in the kitchen. Such delectable specialties included taco dip, spinach dip, buffalo wings, penne ala vodka, salads, and sandwiches. While none of those were imprinted promotional products, it's just a fact of life: bring food and they will come.



But the real fun started at about 3 o'clock when Santa arrived. The office was interrupted with the sound of a cowbell and a rather boisterous Ho Ho Ho! Tony, our sales manager made his way to everyone's cubicles and let them pick presents from the sack if they had participated in the grab bag.

The cowbell rang again an hour later signifying the start of the pinata. I took a swing myself and I have to admit it was hard to break Santa. (Sidenote: definitely impressive of Jennifer to be able to get a Santa pinata in July). Santa was finally broken when Kristen had enough of the blindfold and wanted chocolate. 4 hard whacks with an imprinted Motivators umbrella and then there was candy!




All in all it was a great day and a fantastic reason to use promotional products! Thanks to everyone who made it happen!

A Promotional Phenom: Harry Potter!

I swear on my life, who ever it was that turned down J.K. Rowling when she first attempted to publish Harry Potter has got to be kicking themselves. Everyone that I know has seen the movie and is currently re-reading the book in preparation for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . But the thing that gets me is...you guessed it: PROMOTIONS!

When a book of this magnitude launches there's got to be some serious promotions going on. And sure enough, there are. Across the country this weekend it will be Harry Potter madness. People dressed up in costumes camping out to get the first copy of the book. Of course, spoilers have been leaked (even though the books probably had more guards than the President or the Queen), but I'm not giving those out.So knowing this was all going on, I headed over to my aunt's house for dinner last night because my cousin was going to beg to go to the midnight release with one of her friends. I sat back with a glass of wine and enjoyed the fact that her entire argument was based on getting free stuff.

"But Mom, there are linmited edition keychains just for the release!"
"But Mom, I need a Harry Potter tattoo for school!"
"Mom Chiara;s sister works there and she said they're giving out like prize packs with Harry Potter bags and mugs and stuff!"

The whining eventually got to me and I went to go watch The Bill Engvall show, but she kept up with it eventually convincing my aunt that if she didn't get a promotional keychain or an imprinted bag, her life would be over.

So Harry Potter strikes parents everywhere with dramatic teenage angst. Gotta love it.

For Real High Rollers!

This Venice Airport has the right idea! They've transformed the luggage carosel into a giant Roulette table as an ad for the Venice Casino. Of course it's difficult to place bets on where your luggage will come out, because there are some times when it doesn't come out at all! Or if you have bet on your suitcase landing on green 21, make it easier to tell if you've won with a luggage spotter.

Old Spice is the Pits...Litterally!

This is probably as interesting/disgusting to talk about as bathroom advertising, but I simply have to comment on this new take on promotional apparel. NASCAR is like a promotional goldmine. The cars, the helmets, the tracks...there is advertising EVERYWHERE. And when I say everywhere, I'm now including Tony Stewart's armpits in that category.



Old Spice launched a new print ad showing Stewarts suit branded in the armpits. The burst design makes it look like it’s a burst of freshness. And if I was on the fence about bathroom advertising, I REALLY am on the fence about this one. NASCAR vehicles can have internal temperatures of more than 100 degrees with high humidity (Thank you cnn.com, I did not know that one off the top of my head!), so Old Spice has got to be pretty confident that their product is the best out there. But good idea to put the branding on Tony Stewarts armpits. He's a winner so his arms will always be high! Of course, it is just a print ad, but it makes you wonder if armpit-vertising will be the next big craze...

The Phone that Could Take Down the iPhone.

So many props to Danny in IT for sending me this link this morning. This hysterically conceptual product could litterally kill the iPhone. It's a transformers type cell phone that changes into a little robot when someone is trying to steal it. The video is extremely amusing (I had about 7 motivators at my desk watching this bad boy go from phone to robot!) and it just reminds people that conceptional promotional products can be fun too!

It really could take down the iPhone, though. And as fun as it is, I'm glad it's not real. I'm afraid enough of dropping my cell phone, without the added worry that it would get mad at me, transform and shoot me.

Wii...are getting ridiculous.

Seriously. This is one of those products that makes me say, are you kidding me? The unimprinted promotional product deemed as an "accessory" that happens to be linked with a brand name (Nintendo Wii) and coupled with an insane price equals the brand new Nintendo Wii Party Station. Such ridiculous features for the hardcore "hand gamers" include the following:

•Multiple LCD scoreboards
~Ok fine...that's kind of cool.

•A drawer to store things like memory cards or manuals
~Feasable and practical, I suppose.

•Wii remote storage
~This is just to keep it safe, that's fine. Because I highly doubt that the makers have the belief that "non Wii" users can't work the TV with that "new white numberless remote".

•Four cup holders, complete with freezable sleeves to cool them
~Because god forbid you actually pause the game to get a bottle of water. Or perhaps the Wii generation has not heard of that old fashioned invention "the ice cube".

•Built-in fan to cool off your steamy gamer hands
~An absolute necessity. Seriously. How did Wii users ever live without this feature. Talk about an upgrade.

•Chip & dip bowls
~Thus successfully defeating the purpose of an exercise game made for the Wii. Finally a video gaming system response to the outrage that gaming addicted children are obese because they sit on the couch and eat chips, and it gets it's own accessory pack with chip and dip bowls! A word of advice to parents: carrots and low fat ranch dressing!

I'd create my own accessory pack. Imprinted water bottles with freezer sticks can replace the cups. Throw in an imprinted fan and you've pretty much got the best two features of this accessory pack. Of course to all those who actually indulge in this pack, I understand. You're talking to the person who spent $30 on iSocks.

Just Look for the...Giant Pushpin?

An interesting take on promoting their Live Search maps online feature, Microsoft has now added giant inflatable pushpins to various locations across the country. Interesting idea and it definitely makes it easier to spot landmarks. Just look for the giant inflatable pushpin. I don't know why people hadn't thought of this already, pushpins on maps have been around for years! I suppose it's easier to imprint giant inflatable pushpins than actual pushpins, seeing as how they're 8ft by 4ft. Microsoft should tack on a giveaway to airline passengers. Maybe a set of imprinted desk accessories including pushpins???

More Bathroom Advertising! Who Knew???

I'm not exactly sure why the recent craze with bathroom advertising has been so large, but after Charmin and Kleenex both did full scale bathrooms to promote their products I know it's getting bigger. Apparently, it's restrooms time to shine! Example, check out this promotional decal for skateboarding lessons, courtesy of AdGoodness.



Stuck on the inside of a sink, it looks like the skater guy is grinding on a wicked half pipe. (Or whatever skateboarders say...I'm not fluent in skate.) The trend in bathroom advertising is definitely picking up though, but it can get even bigger with the release of new website called MizPee.com. Those in need of a potty just send a text message with their location to the number and they'll recieve a text back of the closest, cleanest restroom. This is extremely helpful in Manhattan and I wish I'd had it last weekend, rather than having to go in McDonald's. I don't think the one I went to (which shall remain locationless for anonimity purposes), would rate very high on MizPee.com But for those in desperate need of a bathroom, I'd say don't wait. Just go. But if you have the time, then definitely check it out. Advertisers can use this service to find which bathrooms are the best to promote their message. And I've decided that no matter how popular this trend is, it's still weird to talk about.

Eco Friendly Concert has Eco Friendly Promotional Items!

This past Saturday, the world came together to produce a 24 hour, 7 continent musical extravaganza with an actual reason behind it. According to the Live Earth website, 100 musical acts performed across the planet to kick off a multi-year campaign for the Alliance for Climate Protection, an organization seeking to solve the world wide climate crisis. The concerts were successful and they were EVERYWHERE. Driving on Saturday, I heard live performances on the radio from the US and the UK. And I'm sure if I had listened longer, I would have heard more, from across the world. The impact was huge and it's not surprising since the executive producer of the concert, Kevin Wall was the same man behind the Live 8 concert to combat poverty.

It wasn't surprising that the concert had eco-friendly promotional items. And with the concert so fresh in people's minds, why not join the green revolution? As the Live Earth T-Shirt says, "Green is the New Black." We've got all the eco-friendly promotional products you need, here at Motivators. Check out our Eco Friendly Section for those of you choosing to go green!

Photo Friends Come Alive...Creepy.

You all remember photo friends. The little rubber people that had a picture frame for a face. You put your picture in and grandma's everywhere collectively squealed "Oh how cute!" Well usb.brando.com has just taken photo friends to the next level. They've made them interative!



Two versions (one "girlfriend" and one "boyfriend") have 100 preprogrammed sayings and have two distinct personalities that you can choose from: "naughty" or "nice". I don't know what the sayings actually are, but it's just borderline enough to make these things creepy. I've decided this is officially creepy. Creepy like, these things could come alive and kill you, creepy.

I'm sticking to the regular photo friends. They're cute and not creepy. And you can have them personalized.

Simpsons Movie Comes Alive in Burbank! Doh!

There are a lot of great things that California has to offer. Palm trees, beaches, and if you're lucky enough to not get hit by one of Hollywood's celebutantes driving their car down the wrong side of the freeway, it's an awesome place to be. But it just got even better.


The geniuses behind The Simpsons Movie have taken promotional products to the next level by creating a promotional Kwik-E-Mart in Burbank, CA. I want to go. Custom promotional products for the Simpsons movie adorn the Kwik-E-Mart, like a custom Squishee Machine, Krusty-O's cereal (Bart's favorite) and Homer's very own "sweeeet" goodness, Duff Beer. But California, isn't the only cool place where you can go visit Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Check out where you can find your local Kwik-E-Mart. For locations, click here.





So the promotion of the week award, goes to 7-Eleven, for changing themselves to the Kwik-E-Mart!

Meeting Survival Tips!

So this morning on Yahoo, I opened my browser to find an article on Meeting Survival Tips. Now I'm not one to think that meetings are really that bad that you would need survival tips, but I have stifled a yawn or two in my years in the business world. Let's be real: sometimes it's impossible not to. So check out these awesome meeting survival tips from Yahoo. The tips that Yahoo gives are for worst case scenarios, which thankfully I have never been in. For example, if a shouting match erupts suggest that those involved step outside to take a breather. But I think my favorite of all, is the "What to do if someone falls asleep" tip. How many people does this actually happen to? Like I said, occasionally I need to stifle a yawn (which by the way is impossible to do discreetly without making a face that's completely ridiculous), but that's the worst I've done. Yahoo suggests that if the person is nodding in and out of sleep, to just leave them alone since they'll probably come to on their own. If they have actually gotten to the point of snoring, then it's just embarassing enough for them to have to be woken up. Maybe I'm a bad person, but I think if this happened to someone that I was in a meeting with I'd find it very hard to stifle a laugh! Personally, I think a great way to get people ready for a meeting is to give them stuff. When I walk in our conference room and there's bagels, I know I'm good to go! Food always wins people over, but if you want to create a mood at a big meeting, definitely use the Meeting Survival/Hangover Kit. Everyone will laugh (which puts them in a good mood), they'll be getting free stuff (which puts them in a REALLY good mood), and the things in the Meeting Survival Kit are actually useful.

Clap for Barry Bonds!!!

So the big baseball All Star game is coming up and how excited am I?? Ok really, I'm moderately excited because I completely forgot about it and really haven't been following baseball this season! But now that it's here I'm excited. I'm a little confused as to why they snubbed Sammy Sosa who just made it into the homerun club. But as long as Johnny Damon isn't there, I'm happy! I do enjoy the All Star logo, and I think it would be great on a baseball clapper! Oh you can put Paris Hilton's face on one and then clap when she gets out of jail the next time she gets arrested!