Glorified Chia Pets Strike Back

I never had a Chia pet and I'm wondering if thats why I don't really like this promotional campaign. In India, ceramic pots were molded in the shape of people's heads. Hairstylists from the salon running the promotion then took them to the streets and "styled" the plants growing in them into cool hairstyles. I wouldn't want to go to a salon that specializes in Chia styling. However if they were giving out items like promotional hairbrushes or promotional mirrors, I could be swayed to remember their name long after the potted person has gone bald.

Welcome to Flip-Flops

I am a self proclaimed flip-flop addict. It happened in college, when my friend Krystal absolutely insisted that I try them. Now I have more pairs of flip-flops than I do of any other type of shoes. Hence the reason I love this promotion. If I went to a hotel and my welcome mat turned into flip-flops, I would enjoy my stay 10 times as much. Granted, these don't look like the very comfortable brand of flip-flops. I much prefer NY and Company's brand, or the old school simple Gap flip-flops.



Still it's a great promotion all around, and it goes to show that promotional items can be as custom as you want them to be.

Not Quite Godzilla

So this promotion came across my desk, and I couldn't help but blog about it. I love stuffed animals, but I'm not always a fan of promotional ones. Sure they're cute and cuddly. They're tangible products that surely everyone has gotten and given to their niece, nephew or their own children. Because honestly, a stuffed monkey being given to a team of adults at a meeting isn't really going to make them use the product or service that it's advertising.




However, this guy would definitely make me take interest. An indoor climbing center had promotional stuffed animals attached to the outside of windows on high rise buildings. Attached via suction cups, this adorable little guy "hung out" and drew attention for the climbing center via a promotional t-shirt that he happened to be wearing.

Just goes to show you, there's a right way and a wrong way to use promotional stuffed animals.

Save the Mug, Save the World

Ecological messages are everywhere these days, much more so than they used to be. Organizations that don't have a direct stake in the environmental market are choosing to send out promotions regarding recycled materials, saving the planet and other environmentally friendly messages. However, the WWF (World Wildlife Federation) has a stake in the environmental market, so they needed a promotion that would send a message that would really make an impact.



Promotional mugs appeared to be the answer. These mugs were coated with a special ink which changed the color of the mug when hot water was placed in it. The dark blue paint (representing the land) faded when the hot tea or coffee was placed in the mug, so it made a drastic impact on the user. The mugs did just that when they were given out at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. In fact, the Dutch Environmental Minister Jacqueline Cramer said "The WWF cup dramatically captured the critical nature of the Global Warming issue."

To see how you can send an eco-friendly message at your next trade show, be sure to check out our article about eco-friendly trade show giveaways. If you want to see what we've got, be sure to check out our eco-friendly promotional products. Send a message about saving the world, because the fact of the matter is: we've all got a stake in the environment.

Don't Get It? Watch It!

So, one of the cool things that we see working in our office is all the promotional products. Being an online supplier of promotional products does have its downfalls though. For example, you see a really interesting promotional water bottle online and it boasts a pill box. Now you could read through all the product features to find out how it works, but it's not the same as seeing it in action. So we've rectified that problem.

To help you fully grasp the features of the wide selection of products we offer, we've enlisted a little help from YouTube.com.



The rest of our videos will be offered on youtube in an effort to help you fully grasp the features that our products offer.

Motivators Promotional Product Videos

Zippo Comes to Motivators

As you may have noticed, there's been some changes on Motivators.com. Thanks to the IT Department we have a whole new look to the site itself, as well as re-designed product pages, and new banners. Our number one goal is customer satifisfaction so we've taken your comments and critiques and tried to make our website as user-friendly as possible.

In addition to all the other changes we've made, we added brand-new brand-name products to the site. We've added lines from Zippo, Everlast and Sportline. In fact I saw this ad a couple weeks ago, and was so excited that we were going to be offering the Zippo Hand Warmer, I just couldn't wait to blog about it. I haven't seen it in person, but I'm absolutely thrilled about this item.



It keeps hands warm in the winter. Definitely a useful item, especially for a football game, like the Superbowl, which the NY Giants are playing in! (I was just informed of this fact.) I will attempt to expand my minimal football knowledge over the next week so that I can do the obligatory GO GIANTS!!! blog post that was just requested of me.

While I go attempt to understand the difference between an Offensive Pass Interference and a plain ol' Pass Interference, you can go check out all our Hot New Promotional Products.

For the official scoop about our brand additions, click on the banner below.

Have Cell Phone, Will Travel.

My cell phone is currently in my back pocket and the only reason I know that is because I can feel myself sitting on it. However, when it's not there I usually struggle to find it. Case in point: last night I left it in my jacket pocket. Two hours after coming home, my phone started ringing but I was at a loss. My dog's stomach seemed to be making a noise that sounded awfully similar to Don't Stop Believing. I realized at that moment that he was sitting on my jacket, because the only other option was that he had in fact ingested the hit 80s legend Steve Perry. There have been other times when I marvel at how cat like my dog is because he's purring, when in fact he's nearby my phone and it's on vibrate.

My first solution is to get a bigger phone, but second to that is a cell phone holder. A desktop holder will be perfect when I'm at the office so that I can sit comfortably and another one for when I'm at home so that my dog can sleep comfortably. Of course, I'd want a cute one like this Lufthansa cell phone luggage cart. It's compact and it's eye catching. I'd gladly put this on my desk and I know several people who would as well. That's why desktop accessories make such great trade show giveaways.

Prevent the Cold

When I say prevent the cold, I'm not talking about the weather. Although I could easily blog about how helpful gloves and scarves are during the freezing winter months and how it's a brilliant idea to imprint your logo on winter weather items, I'm not.



I'm talking about the nasty, evil little rhinovirus that takes a normally healthy individual and turns them into a sniffling, coughing, cranky person who wants nothing more than to curl up and sleep. That's right. The common cold has hit Motivators and it has hit hard.

It first surfaced a few weeks ago, with one person after another getting sick. It made its rounds through Customer Service, took down the Art Department, and I heard musings of it surfacing in Accounting. I popped significant amounts of halls Vitamin C, but to no avail. My office mate got it, and while I thought I was safe since she was out all last week attending a trade show in Vegas, she brought it back stronger than ever. So here I sit with a cup of tea, Tylenol Cold and Sinus, and a large bottle of water. The Halls Defense drops sit next to the bottle of Purell, mocking me. I stopped using both last week when I thought I was safe.

Truth is, nothing will ever take you down harder than the trade show cold. All the hand shaking and touching products that other people have touched. Let's face it, a germophobs worst nightmare is a trade show floor.

I heard the stories of the trade show, as my 3 coworkers followed our fearless leader around the floor in search of the hottest new products and trends. Apparently, there were frequent breaks to use the hand sanitizer that seemed to be the hottest of the trade show giveaways. But there was no hope for Sarah. Going to that trade show with an already weakened immune system? She was gone before she got there.

So my healthy tip of the week is this:

You are never too good for Purell Hand Sanitizer. Sure, you may think "It's just gel, what can it do?" or "I never get sick." Take it from someone who never knew that eyes could feel like they weigh 10lbs. That rhinovirus...it can get you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find some of that Daytime, Non-Drowsy, Congested-Stuffy Head, Sore Throat, Cough, Aching, Fever So You Can Get Through The Day Medicine.

Is there a doctor in the House?

I can't resist blogging about this promotion that was done in Portugal to promote the world's crankiest M.D. Now I used to love House, before the 3rd season but not anymore. So it's only fitting that I'm blogging about a promotion that I'm not exactly in love with either. Giant promotional stickers shaped like band-aids were placed all over Portugal with information about the show's fourth season premiere. While I'm of the belief that the fourth season needs some help, I'm also of the belief that the corresponding promotion done in Portugal, also needs work.



Hospital masks imprinted with a smile and info about the premiere were placed on statues. Personally, when I see promotions like this they never stick in my head. maybe if they had given out promotional bandage dispensers with imprinted bandages, I might be more impressed. that way, every time I looked down at that paper cut I would be reminded when Hugh Laurie would be back. Sometimes an excellent promotion for an Emmy-Award winning show can be executed with something that's one of the most common trade show giveaways.

Healthy Tip of the Day:
Greener lettuce is healthier for you. In fact, darker green lettuce leaves are more nutritious than lighter greens, like Iceberg lettuce which is mostly made up of water. So when making that healthy salad for lunch be sure to add a variety of dark greens like baby spinach, mesclun, and the darkest parts of Romaine lettuce.

Street Golf!

OK so street golf may be a stretch in terms of actually using it as a viable form of exercise, but I'm still counting it as a healthy activity! SEB bank created mini golf courses using outdoor advertising signs (adshels) as obstacles. So instead of the dastardly windmill, you can curse an ad for SEB bank because it's the obstacle that will be blocking the path to a hole in one. Of course there are obvious dangers like hitting the ball into oncoming traffic, but they can be easily avoided. All in all, I'm a fan of this promotion. Of course I don't know if I could stop my daily activities after going to the bank so I could play some mini golf, but if it was on my list of things to do that day, well then 2 birds with one stone!

The best thing about this promotion? So many promotional product tie-ins! Imprinted golf balls, promotional t-shirts for winners, imprinted golf pencils...they could even hand out promotional pedometers so players could track how many calories they burned while walked around the city.

Any sort of exercise is an excellent way to celebrate Healthy Weight Awareness Month and golf themed promos for trade show giveaways are also excellent ways to attract attention to your booth.

Toyota Goes Green With Eco-Themed Promotional Ornament

OK, so I'm taking time away from the week that I planned on dedicating to Healthy Weight Awareness Month to talk about something equally important and popular. Two words: Eco-Friendly.

Let's face it. Green is the new black. If it's not organic, recycled, made from corn plastic, or created from natural fibers, it's just not hot. From hybrid cars to organic grocery bags, going green is the new trend these days. And we all know how important it is to follow trends. Toyota certainly knows. Their most recent promotional venture? A holiday ornament shaped like the planet enclosed in a box marked fragile.



Yes, it's been done by other companies before and you could even say that Toyota has taken to recycling ideas. The fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter. Toyota sent an eco-friendly reminder to consumers who are so bombarded with the green movement that Kermit the Frog's message of "It's not easy being green" has lost all meaning.

It's TOO easy to be green right now, especially at Motivators. Our eco-friendly promotional products section is available with all sorts of cool environmentally friendly promotional products. We even have eco-friendly trade show giveaways. So take a cue from Toyota and Go Green.

Make a Run For It!

There is always something to be said about the way products are displayed. An intriguing and unique display can bring in customers, attract attention from on-lookers who otherwise could not be bothered, and even bring in some sales. Keeping up with the trend of Healthy Weight Awareness Month, I had to blog about this promotional display of Reebok running shoes.



They were displayed in a glass case, similar to one you would see at the Smithsonian. The shoes are displayed as if they are butterflies; in a "fanned out" position showing only the soles of them. It draws attention to the product simply and elegantly, especially because its not everyday that you see a display like this in your local neighborhood Foot Locker.

So take a hint from Reebok when you're planning your next trade show. Truth be told, trade show giveaways are important but there are several other factors to be considered. Display is definitely one of them. The way you present your products and services to potential customers or business associates can play a big role in whether they decide to work with you.

Buff Bodies For All!

So as part of Healthy Weight Awareness Month, our managers launched our first ever group gym membership discount program. The participating gym is right down the street from our office which is totally convenient. It's pretty hard for the "The gym is too out of the way" excuse to work now. So far several members of our staff have joined and everyone's loving it so far. Of course, I'm expecting that some of the gym goers will eventually get bored with the gym and not go as often as they have been. It's the circle of life: Man joins gym, man works out for anywhere from a week to four months, man gets lazy and stops going as frequently. WIth this knowledge, I thought I'd post a little promotion for Gold's Gym that is definitely inspiring.



The cardboard that keeps the shirts stiff was digitally printed to look like a buff chest. Personally I've never seen any one use that piece of cardboard as an advertising medium before, but it's an excellent idea. It's an extra added advertising space for companies who chose to give promotional apparel as trade show giveaways. They can use the cardboard space themselves, or they can do a joint promotion with another company.

And the winner is...

So in honor of Healthy Weight Awareness Month, this week my blog will be dedicated to all things health related. So while scouring the world wide web for topics, it hit me like a ton of bricks! I can't believe that I haven't discussed the final results of the Motivators Bowling League! I'm sure everyone has been dying to know. While my team didn't take first place, we still had a great time and enjoyed ourselves quite a bit. So who took gold?

The First Place Team was 4 Balls and a Lady: Anthony McNally (Sales Manager), Kristen Gaubatz(Prep Team Supervisor) and Michael Jolly (Art Department). They played hard and it was obvious from the get-go that they were going for the gold. The final game was impressive, and they definitely deserved first place.
Our bowling excitement has come to an end, but Motivators will be taking to the lanes again in just a few short weeks. I will not be participating in the fun this time around. I think I'll miss it though. I got a little misty on Friday when I saw a bowling pin stress reliever in our trade show giveaways section, but I think I made the right decision. Keeping up a 67 average just isn't as easy as it looks. :)

The Power of Mailing

So Scottex Paper Towel in Belgium truly values the strength of their product and decided to prove it by sending paper towel letters through the mail. There were no envelopes involved; just plain pieces of paper towels with a letter on one side and a stamp and an address on the other. A great line of text in the letter read:

"P.S.: We do hope the postmen have treated this letter with the utmost lack of care."

So since we don't offer custom imprinted paper towels, what's my real purpose behind this blog? The power of snail mail. Everything is electronic these days and everyone can receive email on their iPhones, Blackberrys, and regular cell phones. Receiving something (other than a bill) in a mailbox that isn't electronic can be cause for raucous joy and celebration. Perhaps, that's a slight exaggeration but did you know that mailing offers for an imprinted gift or a promotional product itself can increase booth traffic?

According to a study done by the Promotional Product Association International (PPAI): "including a promotional product with a pre-show mailing increases the likelihood of an attendee stopping by the booth to see the exhibitors product offerings." The study they conducted showed that of all the people who stopped by the booth, 78.2% more responded because they had been sent an offer for a t-shirt. The facts are out there: people love trade show giveaways and the power of snail mail before a show is definitely strong.

There's Gotta Be a Better Way to Say That...

Plenty of logos and messages come through our office since we specialize in imprinting promotional products. No one has a better idea of all the interesting imprints that have passed through Motivators than our very own Art Department Supervisor, Keri. It's because of this that Keri is always dumbfounded when she sees an imprinted message that's confusing. About two weekends ago she and I were getting some lunch, and as we pulled into the parking lot we saw the following sign:



Now I'm not sure if it was the wording, or the fact that Keri and I had already had a weird and random morning, but we just stared at the sign. We completely understood the intended messages: "Don't park here overnight, don't park your car here for extended periods of time and go elsewhere," but the wording of the sign itself just made us burst out laughing. To quote Michael Bluth from Arrested Development, "There's gotta be a better way to say that."

So with that in mind, I heed this warning. Choose your words carefully. Make sure the messages that you choose for your promotional items and trade show giveaways are clear and concise. So many people try to have clever messages on their promos and because of unclear wording, the messages get lost in translation. And from that confusing sign, it's clear that even people who are just trying to send a message can have difficulty with simple sentences.

Sometimes the Best Giveaway is Nothing at All

I'm currently in love with this advertisement done for 96.3 rock radio in the UK. They wanted a creative outdoor promotion, so they left a guitar stand outside. A sign above simply read: Free Air Guitar. Take One.



Now I love this for two reasons. Firstly, it reminds me of the Scrubs episode "My Half Acre," where Turk, Janitor, Ted and Lloyd (the UPS driver) form an air band to win tickets to a water park. They rock out to Boston's "More than a Feeling" and it is one of the funniest Scrubs episodes ever. I highly suggest downloading on iTunes. Secondly, this promotion is great because it shows that being creative doesn't have to be expensive. I'm not positive that they would make successful trade show giveaways, because we haven't yet figured out how to imprint an air guitar. However, if you are anti-air guitar, you can always profess your beliefs with promotional t-shirts.

Volkswagon Promises a Soothing Test Drive

If there's one thing I can say about Volkswagen's promotions department, it's that they love direct mail campaigns. In the time that I've been a VW owner, I've received several direct mail pieces, in addition to a few promotional products. My personal favorite has to be my set of VW promotional coasters. Each coaster boasts a different tire design on it, showcasing all the different rims available. However, if I had received this direct mailing, I would definitely be more inclined to say that this is my favorite.



VW wanted customers to test drive the new Golf, so they sent out promotional massagers. The idea was to give potential test drivers the same goose bumps that they would experience when driving the golf. As someone who has experienced this type of massager before, I would most definitely be appreciative, even if I didn't test drive the Golf. Massagers encourage people to relax, which is one of the reasons they work so effectively as trade show giveaways. While promotional stress relievers are extremely popular at trade shows, there is nothing like a massage.

Lays Chip Promotion Makes Shoppers Ask "Where's the Hand Sanitizer?"

There's something to be said about a promotion that can truly evoke a feeling from it's target audience. The key goal of any promotion or ad is to elicit an emotion about the product or service it's advertising. You can see it all the time with successful trade show giveaways. Attendees will clamour for the giveaways that make them say "Oh that's so cool!" or "My sister would love this, can I have one?" Advertising is all about emotion. Unfortunately for Lays Baked Chips, my automatic emotion after seeing this promotion is "Oh that's disgusting."

You see, Lays decided to promote their chips as being "fresh out of the oven." That's a great idea! The idea of baked chips and ovens go hand in hand. In this case, Lays took it a step further with the "Hand in Mitt" idea. The handles of shopping carts and baskets were equipped with oven mitts as part of the promotion. Shoppers had to use the mitts to carry their baskets or push their carts. These mitts had probably been used by people before them. Oven mitts are hot and I'm sure there's plenty of sweat in those mitts at the end of the day. Now, I'm all for creativity in advertising and this is creative. However, I'm having a flash back of Kelly Ripa yelling at Clay Aiken "I don't know where that hand has been!"

What aisle is the hand sanitizer in?

Most Disgusting Sticker Ever

OK so I love custom promotional products as much as the next guy, and considering where I work, I probably love them more. However, there are certain promotions that can really make you cringe. Take, for example, this promotional sticker created by Clearasil. They really wanted a promotion that would reach out to their teenage demographic, so they created a pimple sticker. The clear decal was placed on the inside pages of a popular teen magazine. It adorned the otherwise pretty face of a young girl and was imprinted with the words "Get Rid of It." On the opposite side of this disgusting decal was the Clearasil logo. Apparently, there's been a mass re-order for zit stickers, so that Clearasil can use them as promotional giveaways. They'd work as trade show giveaways, too. Just imagine how many exhibitors could lure attendees to their booths with the zit sticker! That may be a stretch. I mean, I'm in pain just looking at the zit sticker!

Promotional Key Chains Get The Message!

Yesterday, I highlighted an amusing, but not successful promotional t-shirt. The design was creative, but the promotional message didn't stand out and wasn't imprinted anywhere on the shirt. Apparently, people in Ireland had a much mpre successful promotion. An organization called Focus Ireland scattered promotional key chains with keys attached all over Dublin. The message on one side of the key chain read: "Thousands of people in Ireland are missing their keys." Confusing? Yes. Intriguing. Yes. The answer is printed on the other side of the key chain: "Help us help the Homeless. Focus Ireland." Brilliant! Not only is a powerful message being sent, but you know who is responsible. It's easy to think of key chains as just trade show giveaways, but with the right imprint, they can be powerful marketing tools.

Making Sure They Get It

One of the best things about promotional products is that people know what they are. They understand that they are advertising materials. A pen with a logo is an advertisement, and so is a key chain with a logo. These promotional t-shirts have taken the classic AC/DC logo and changed it to AB/BA. Do you understand the promotion right away?




The problem is that just by looking at them you don't realize that they are actually advertising a laundry detergent called Ecover. The theme behind the shirts is "Ecover Softens Your Clothes." After you know this fact, the shirts make sense and the ad is creative. However there is nothing on the shirt that says anything about the detergent or the creative tag line. Keep it simple and always make sure that people don't have to connect the dots on their own.