Dunkin to Starbucks: Its On!

After reading a tweet from the CEO of the popular frozen yogurt chain Red Mango linking to a story that McDonalds is attempting to expand their McCafe offerings to compete with the Starbucks, I was reminded of a t-shirt I encountered over the weekend. I had stopped at Dunkin Donuts to equip myself with some java for a long road trip, and happen to notice the apparel of one their employees.



The new promotional t-shirts read "Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Starbucks" and include the Dunkin Donuts logo. It's a pretty strong move for the company, even though Dunkin did beat Starbucks in a national taste test.

How Strong is Your Dog?

Great custom frisbee done by IAMS dog food. Great promotion, great execution. Fabulous all around. Really, nothing else needs to be said.

Stay Healthy in Style

Considering the fact that our lovely little Carolina is currently out sick, this custom tissue box resonated with me. It could also be resonating with me because I occasionally want to throttle the printed when it eats my paper, but I'm leaning more towards the first reason.



Then there's this cute tissue box cover, and while somewhat fitting for the current swine flu outbreak, not entirely sure how well it would be received. It's darn cute, though.



And if you want to be really personal, mykleenextissue.com lets you create your own custom tissue boxes by uploading a picture.



As you can see, these ones were done for a wedding. Definitely a cute idea for wedding favors considering how many people cry at weddings.

My Business Card is...

So we all remember our good friend that claimed his business card was the best ever. His business card was debossed. His business card was foil stamped. His business card didn't fit in a Rolodex because his business card didn't BELONG in a Rolodex.

Well this business card is...cut up into pieces?



The folks over at Loctite Glue company decided they wanted a cool way to promote their product. Business cards were cut and placed into small clear envelopes. If recipients wanted to contact the person, they could always use the Super Attack glue that the company is promoting. Problem is...they could also use tape OR they could simply throw the business card away. Even though the tag line is "Don't throw it away, repair it," people might not like having to work to contact your company. It fits with the product but I can't help but think that maybe promotional pens might have been a better deal in this case.

Eco-Friendly Point Taken

Everyone is all about being eco-friendly these days and everyone's all about their business cards too. But here is a meeting of the minds with this eco-friendly promo. Talk about recycled paper! This company chose to use pieces of cardboard and then stamp their contact information onto it. It's a unique way of saving the environment, and definitely gets a thumbs up from the tree huggers here at Motivators. We may be all about eco-friendly promos, but we know a great idea when we see it.

And the Platinum Twitter Award Goes To...

After seeing our video about the ASI Show in NYC, and watching our wonderful CEO make people laugh with his mock acceptance speeches, it's only fitting today that I'm blogging about custom awards. Well, one custom award in particular: the Platinum Twitter Award, otherwise known as the PTA.

Created by Ashton Kutcher during his race to a million followers, the Platinum Twitter Award was developed just as a means of highlighting people on Twitter. There's a whole story behind it and if you want to see it watch Ashton's UStream video explaining the PTA process. They chose the top 3 twitterers with the most nominations. *And the nominees are:

Mike Wesely: Video + Optin = Success, Internet Marketer, http://TwitTalk.tv Twitter SEO/Business Positioning Expert, Life Coach,Trainer, Author,Google Marketing Secret

New Kids on the Block: The official New Kids on the Block Twitter! Follow us!

Jason Mitchner: Christian author, artist, songwriter, speaker, and aspiring screenwriter. Physically disabled but mentally thriving.

And the winner is....

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! They posted a twit pic of Butters the PTA. So if you happen to be wondering what it looks like see below. It may not be a custom award, but it's definitely awesome having been given to them by Ashton Kutcher himself.

Beware of Swine Flu...

Somehow I'm surprised that it took me this long to find an imprinted swine flu mask promotion. While there have been massive industry wide sales for things like promotional hand sanitizers and promotional anti-bacterial products, I hadn't come across any straight up masks. *Eats hat. Stands corrected.*




According to Ads of the World, the company behind the promotion was afraid that people would be reluctant to wear them hence the reason they were imprinted with the message of goodwill (translation: we don't need to kiss each other to feel our support). Considering the fact that 5,000 face masks were given out within 30 minutes, I'd say people weren't as reluctant as they thought they would be.

I'm Huge on Twitter...

Perhaps the best promotional t-shirt that I've seen in a long time, is this one. Twitter is now taking the promotional t-shirt world by storm with this one of a kind tee.



We don't like to toot our own horn, but we're huge on Twitter too. As Ron Burgundy would say "We're kind of a big deal..." So be sure to follow us on Twitter.

Motivators on Twitter

De-Inflate Yourself!

Here's a fun promotion for a Monday morning: Gas-X wanted to express to potential consumers that their product really can make you feel better if you feel bloated after a big meal, especially a fast food meal. Everyone knows that stuffing yourself full of McDonald's or Burger King french fries can result in that uncomfortable feeling. To quote my best friend this past weekend: "Two hours ago, I was craving a Big Mac and fries, so I got some. And now I'm like, why did I do that to myself?"

Gas-X chose to target the bloated feeling with a unique idea. Balloons were inserted in french fry containers. On the back was a sample of Gas-X and the words "If You Feel Full, Deflate Yourself."



Definitely not the type of promotional item you'd expect, but it works well for its purpose.

Solving the Noise Problem with Lollipops

Special thanks to Sara (one of the three Sarahs here and the only one without the H) for finding today's fun blog. According to this story on CNN.com, a few pubs in the UK have come up with a unique way to get pub crawlers to be quiet when leaving their favorite haunts. The answer: lollipops. When leaving the pubs, individuals will be given lollipops to enjoy, and hopefully be reminded of the importance of being quiet.



I have one main concern with this being that I have several friends that are bartenders and in college, had several friends who were RAs and had to deal with intoxicated people on a weekly basis.

Intoxicated people don't realize how loud they're being. Ever. And if they want to speak they will, therefore giving them something that will hinder their ability to speak will only make them speak louder when they have the lollipops in their mouth. And secondly, the loudest individuals are usually the ones who have drank the most and you expect them to associate a lollipop with being quiet? They're lucky they know their own names half the time.

Who knows, this could work. After all, several people compare intoxicated adults to children, so you could consider these just pacifiers for drunk people. I don't know if these are exactly the next big thing in promotional giveaways for bars and clubs though.

Not Just Your Average Paper Towel

Here's a weird one. in order to promote Nazol, a nasal spray the company sent imprinted paper towels in envelopes to potenial customers. The text read: Tired of using handkercheifs? Try Nazol. Not entirely sure that I'd be loving this promotion. I mean I'm all for getting promotional products, but paper towel? That's not that great.

Best Product Description...Ever

We've featured some pretty cool business cards on this blog, and even perhaps the best business card ever (highly debatable). But they are all topped by...



Featured on Attack of the Show last night (and then posted by a Motivators fan on Facebook, thanks Mike!) these really are a one of a kind item. Best description ever:

Screw die-cutting. Forget about foil, popups, or UV spot lamination. THESE business cards have two ingredients:
MEAT AND LASERS.

Really, does anything else need to be said?

Also feel like we should give a Facebook shout out to Motivators fan, Michelle who posted this picture, with the question:

What to do with all these custom koozies Our answer: Drink Up!



Want a shout out in our blog? Be sure to head on over to Motivators Facebook Page and become a fan!

TARGETted Marketing

Here's something different: a private security company wanted a unique way to reach new potential customers. They sent boxes filled with empty shell casings from bullets to them, and inside each shell casing was a note that read: "Make Sure the Other Part of this Bullet Never Reaches You."



I never thought to use a bullet or a shell casing as a promotional item, but it's most definitely a unique idea. It easily conveys a powerful message to the recipient, much more so than something like promotional sports bottles or promotional pens.

Put Yo' Name On It...Please?

Every day when clients call asking for advice on what products they should choose for their events or promotions, our promotional consultants offer a bevvy of suggestions based on varying factors, one of which is imprint area. We know that the reason people need promotional products is to PROMOTE themselves, therefore, the larger the imprint area, the better. And when it comes to completely custom products that are being designed from scratch, the possibilities are endless. That being said, take a look at this one.



Unique take, Champagne in a spray bottle. It reminds me of the scene in Big Daddy where Adam Sandler puts milk in the Johnson and Johnson lotion bottle. Even he had the smarts to label it MILK. This is also clearly labeled...but who is it from?

If this item was placed on your desk, you'd have absolutely no idea who it came from. You wouldn't know that this extremely funny, unique idea came out of SBS TV in Australia. I only know that from viewing the original post of this ad at Ads of the World.

So, in closing, consider imprint area because it's important. And if size doesn't matter and your working with a custom design, don't forget that no matter how awesome your product may be, it doesn't mean anything unless people know its from you.

Missing the (Pin) Point

While the World Wildlife Federation has had some excellent promos in the past, not everyone can be a winner. take for example, this campaign where they distributed mylar balloons covered with regular balloons. Their point? Pop the outer balloon to see the Earth with no interference. In essence, it makes complete sense.



Unless you want to be technical about it. If you were looking at this promotion, that outer balloon is the ozone layer and we shouldn't be popping that.

And then there's the fact that they choose to hand out balloons, which are not eco-friendly at all. Sorry WWF, but you failed me on this one. There are plenty of eco-friendly promotional products out there but these types of balloons are definitely not.

That's Some Strong String...

As much as we love promotional items, we really are all just generally fans of cool marketing all around. And this definitely falls under the category of "cool." When Proctor and Gamble needed a buzz worthy way of distributing press releases for their Pantene Pro-V hair care brand. The initial point was to "reinforce Pantene's strong hair equity. I'd say they succeeded.

Giant Envelopes are Taking Over the World!

Here's a unique idea that Sandisk did to advertise their new 4GB memory card. Going with the theory that 4GB memory cards can hold lots of pictures, they re-designed the typical envelopes that people get when they go to pick up their pictures. Instead of a standard size photo envelope, they received giant envelopes imprinted with an image of the Sandisk 4GB memory card. The point? "There's space for 4,000 photos." So you get an envelope that can hold 4,000 photos. An envelope that is large and bulky. An envelope that doesn't have a handle. Definitely not one of the most eco-friendly promos I've ever seen, interesting nonetheless.

Punch Your Teeth Out

Here's a fun promotion for a candy store called The Chocolate Bar. Their loyalty cards are designed to look like dental x-rays, and each time you visit you get a "cavity." It's really a cute way of having fun with their branding. I'm sure they could come up with some promotional items for dentists who will be benefitting from all their business.

Washing the Blood Off Your Hands

With the recent outbreak of swine flu all over the world, hand washing is suddenly more important than ever. Even today, in our bathroom there's a printout hanging up about the importance of washing your hands. But imagine if you went to wash your hands and blood came out of the soap dispenser!



It's not real blood, it's just red colored soap put in the dispenser courtesy of Amnesty International. They want you to know that if you don't do anything to eradicate domestic violence, you're nothing but an accomplice to it. So it's like washing the blood off your hands.



Great promotion that truly makes an impact. But I think I would want promotional antibacterial products after using this...

I Always Feel Like...

Somebody's Watchin Me!



Here's an interesting one. Recently in Natal, Brazil, city officials have been looking to raise awareness about their new "Adopt the Green" campaign which allows people to "adopt" green areas in the city. Their solution? Putting giant fake eyeballs on trees, and then adding a sign that says Adopt Me, Please. You have to admit, little guy is kinda cute. I'm always ready to push for promotional items, and in this case I'd be willing to go with eco-friendly promotional items, but there's just something about this tree...

Bottom line: half creepy, half adorable, but it gets the attention it deserves.