Ok so you have taken your first step in the right direction and have decided that you want to use promotional t-shirts for marketing purposes whether it is general advertising, or you are holding an event or new product launch, whatever the reason, you have made a great first choice. Unfortunately a marketing campaign does not just magic itself out of the air once this choice has been made, much more thought and many decisions have to be made in between selecting t-shirts and sending them out to customers.

The first dilemma you will come across is which type of t-shirt to use; many people would wrongfully dismiss this stage, and think a t-shirt is a t-shirt what decision needs to be made. Well to put in short, there are several variables, from material, to style, to colour, brand and size range.  There is no default choice for this, it really is important to think long and hard about these choices, they can affect, the final price, the final look of the t-shirt, your desired demographic and even the success of the item.  Best case scenario, you pick a style and material that is fashionable to the majority of your demographic, you pick a well-known brand and at affordable price, and you pick a colour that makes you design look amazing.

This leads us onto our next big decision, the design of your t-shirt. When it comes to design it is kind of a 4 way balance, and finding the perfect equilibrium on that four way balance, one that is perfect for your company, campaign, event day etc.  The first variable that you need to think about is how many places you want to print on, a standard t shirt has 4 places, front back, left sleeve and right sleeve. The next variable is what you want designed, this is a very important part, you do not want something too corporate so people will not wear it, at the same time you do not want something to fashionable where the message you are trying to deliver is lost.  Finding the perfect balance in branding, design and message is very important, if done correctly can be the difference between a failed campaign, and a super successful one.

Now for the pricing, the first thing I would suggest is creating a ballpark range at the beginning, there is no point diving in blindly and then finding out at the end that your campaign is just not feasible. Setting the price, limits yourself, and makes your choices easier. Once all choices are made it is important to do a further price review, see if there are any areas you can save a little money, for example the difference between a 4 colour print and a 6 colour print, if you can bring your design down to four colours, without affecting the final piece, that this is a smart move to save money. Now be smart when budgeting, do not cut corners, this seems to be where many people go wrong, many people go for the cheapest garment, with the cheapest design, and then order several thousand of them. They may think they are spreading the message to a thousand potential customers, but all they are really doing is making a thousand potential rags.

Be smart with your promotional t-shirts, if you have to reduce the quantity to up the quality, do that, because at the end of the day it is all about how many people will see this product, and if it is never worn, then your marketing campaign will fail. At every stage you should evaluate your decisions and how you can improve them, because at the end of the day your end product will reflect back onto you as a company, and at the end of the day, if your promotional t-shirt conveys your message and makes people see your company in a good light, then that will be a successful campaign.

Design

At first glance the Gripsta in full packaging really does look like a top quality product. The packaging screams contemporary mobile product with the aesthetic advertising, very vibrant and eye-catching! Once easily unboxed the first thing you will notice about the Gripsta is the material, which I believe is made from the same foam as stress balls, making it almost impossible to break unless you really want to intentionally do so. The shape of the Gripsta allows this item to hold most smart phones, and similar sized mp4 media players. Very simple product, very sleek design, definitely aesthetically pleasing!

Functionality

If this products was a simple standalone mobile phone stand I would still rate it highly, this due to the fact that it is virtually unbreakable, great to hold your phone vertical when in a speaker phone call or just resting on your desk, and amazingly horizontally when you want to watch a video. Some phones can really be cumbersome when holding let alone texting, the Gripsta give you that extra grip and is a great comfy cushion whilst texting or even playing games on your phone. To push this product to absolutely amazing is, I believe quite inadvertently I find this as a great product without even having a mobile phone, and this is due to the material being the same as a stress ball. If I’m having a stressful day, I do literally take it out on the Gripsta (obviously when my phone is not In it) and thanks to the material it can take a great squeeze.

Promotional Effectiveness

The first time I saw the Gripsta I really only thought it was a retail item, and I thought made for a relatively good retail item, when I found out that it was a promotional item I was quite amazed. I was even more astounded to find out just how great of a promotional item it can be, the big back makes for a great printing surface that many desktop items can only dream of. To even ad to this Gripsta have upped their game in the world of promotional merchandise and added 4 more print areas, by making possible to have print instead of the Gripsta engraving, this really is such a phenomenal and well played move made by the Gripsta team.

Overall

Overall I love this item, have one on my desk, and have suggested others in the office to have one also. This product really does combine the best qualities of a desktop item, a mobile accessory and what I believe inadvertently, stress items also! I would not hesitate to recommend this item to anyone!

(Due to being a relatively new item, it is not on our website just yet, but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, and don’t forget to watch this great promotional video for the Gripsta)

One thing that sets this group of products away from the rest is functionality. If in this day and age your company is not using a computer at least at one level of your business, you are seriously technologically behind. Some people are scared to move to computing due to the risks of loss data, yet if you back up regularly your data should be in fact less volatile then paper based information. One great tool to back up files is flash drives, which coincidentally are also considered as the number one useful promotional item on the market according to new industry research by the BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association.)

The design behind computer and IT Merchandise really does keep itself updated and keeps with the times, you will always know when purchasing an item in this category that you will be getting something that looks good and will be used, because the moment technology changes, the products change with it, and immediately the previous defunct products leave the market.

Now just because the word technology is used, generally people have the pre-assumption that these products are going to be expensive, and yes it is true, some of these products do have a higher budget bracket range, but you don’t have to buy from this range if you don’t have the budget for it, there are lower budget items also, which are still technologically great. Flash pens are very affordable, although they may be slightly more expensive than your average ball point pen; the increased functionality of this item is undeniable. If you do have more room in your budget don’t be afraid to use it in IT Merchandise because when used smartly you will definitely be satisfied with the results.

Computing and IT merchandise, doesn’t just mean computer components, it can also be mousse mats, cd holders and wrist rests, the great thing about this category is the budget is so widespread there really is a product for every budget and every person.

Sweets and Confectionary

Being British, it is common knowledge that we are known for having a sweet tooth! So it is only right to celebrate such a British event through the likes of sweets and confectionary. The type of thing that would capture people’s attention would be things like chocolate tins, mint dispensers and especially jelly beans. Now rolling with the jelly beans idea, could be a huge hit, you could have them coloured in red white and blue, coming in a nice themed tin, and have them at your desired British flavours.

Umbrellas

One thing you can always guarantee is that you can never guarantee good weather in Britain, one day you could have full glorious sunshine, the next day could be flood warnings, and so it’s always best to be prepared. This is why a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Umbrella would make for a great piece of Jubilee Merchandise. Even though the event is due to take place in the summer, Britain is known for summer showers.

Teddy Bear

Here is a bit of an oddball when it comes to promotional merchandise especially for such a big event. But what you need to remember, events like this are for all the family, and a Queen’s diamond jubilee teddy could be just what is needed to gain family devotion to a company, if a person you are rewarding promotional items with has a family, why not give them a gift for their family members too.

So just with these three products you are covering all bases, from reusable goods, to consumables and promotional products for the family too. This gives you and your family the chance to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee together, and togetherness is just one of those unbeatable concepts.

On the day of the Queen’s jubilee why not throw a party for your staff members, using and distributing promotional jubilee merchandise. For example you can decorate the party area by hanging bunting all around the party location. Diamond jubilee bunting really gives that party feel, all common festivals and parties decorate with bunting, so having specialised jubilee bunting gives that extra touch. Also having mini Union Flag flags distributed across the area, really gives the proud to be British feel, how much more British can you get than the Union Flag?

During your party you can play on British traditions such as afternoon tea. Have all your guests sit at the table, with scones and cakes, drinking your finest earl grey out of official licensed Queen’s jubilee mugs. If you would rather your party be a bit less formal, why not emulate the traditional British pub, serving beer into Queen’s diamond jubilee tankards, or even wine into Queen’s diamond jubilee goblets.

One of the most unpredictable things about Britain is the British weather! It would be all good and fun to have your party outdoors, with a great barbeque going, and drinks flowing, but you can just never predict when rain will be on its way. You can solve this problem with in two promotional merchandise ways… the first is a diamond jubilee marquee. If your budget will allow, a Union Flag marquee would be a fantastic option and a great centre/talking piece for your party. The second option is distributing Queen’s diamond jubilee umbrellas, you can still fly the red white and blue, just do it whilst protecting yourself from the rain.

And to finish what is a party without a party bag, giving people something to remember the party by, not only makes for a great way to end the party, but also is a subtle way to distribute promotional merchandise. All products clearly made for the Queen’s jubilee, but subtly containing your branding at the same time, if you do this smartly, you will reap great rewards.

When you think about it bags in general are used by a huge demographic of people on an everyday basis. So why wouldn’t promotional bags make for the perfect promotional product marketing tool. One thing that is important to consider when it comes to choosing promotional bags is its main purpose which is to grab attention and draw it to the advertising on the promotional bag.

Promotional bags come in all different styles, colours and sizes. From the smallest promotional shoe bags, to the largest promotional carry cases, what every type of bag your heart desires can be a promotional bag. Once your colour, style and size of bag is selected you then can think about how to compliment these already selected choices, with customisation. You don’t just want to put anything on any bag, you have to realise if a bag is a certain colour and style, and not every form of customisation is going to suit it.

The best thing to do when it comes to customising your bags is to follow fashion trends in styles and colourings. For example a popular combination this year is red white and blue to coincide with the UK celebrations of the queen’s 60th diamond jubilee. Many companies during this time are also incorporating the union jack into the designs, with some bags already coming pre-printed with a union jack design incorporated.

To justify the extra cost for a good looking promotional bag, over promotional mugs and pens, all you need to do is visit a trade show. You will see that yes there are plenty of people that are willing to take promotional mugs and pens, but then then put it in their promotional bag, already the function of the item is being used, and already your brand is being displayed on a wide area. Now if this person then takes public transport, already impressions from people seeing this bag are occurring whilst other items in the bag haven’t even had a chance to see the sunlight yet.

Promotional bags are arguably one of the best promotional products on the market, they have all the perfect qualities a promotional product should have, visibility, longevity and aesthetic quality.

It happens twice a year, and has always happened every year since anyone can remember, so why it is that still year by year, people forget about it and many mistakes are made. Have you ever had an employee in the past that has been late and used this excuse for reasoning, where really it is all down to bad organisation? Well if this has happened at your business a few too many times, you can find yourself in a win/win situation when it comes to supplying the staff with promotional gifts. Be it a promotional giveaway or a pat on the back to say well done, promotional gifts work two ways. The first way is you are giving a free item to the recipient who is glad to receive this free item. The second way is the recipient will thus advertise your company by displaying this promotional item to people.

So why not promotional clocks, by introducing promotional clocks to your promotional merchandise schemes it can avoid this excuse from being used in the future, if you buy your staff a perfectly working clock and make them aware that the change of time is coming up, they have absolutely no choice but to do so. Now the dilemma comes to what clock to select.

The first type of clock you can choose is wall clock. This makes an ideal gift on the behalf of you because a wall clock is always displayed in a place where it can be seen, therefore the item that has your logo on it will be publically on display always, and everyone who is in the vicinity should glance at it once or twice or maybe even more dependent on how bored they are whilst they are there.

The second type of clock you can go for is alarm clock, this will be less likely to give to employees because waking up in the morning is no fun deed for many people, and the last thing your employees want to see is the reason they wake up, the first thing in the morning. Or it could work the other way round, if your employees love coming to work and can’t wait, seeing your logo could be the icing on the cake of their morning. This works well as a promotional giveaway the items are small, affordable and functional, being the first company they see in morning may stick in their memory for the rest of the day.

The final type of clock is the business gift style chrome and metal clocks. These clocks are a little pricier and look great, which makes them great corporate gifts. Whether you want to award a prize to a staff member with this gift, or maybe trying to keep a current business partner happy, these business gifts not only look the part, but are generally heavy so they feel the part at the same time.
So in future, don’t hesitate to select promotional clocks for your promotional marketing campaigns, they really are the right item, especially around Daylight Savings time changes.

So what types of things are out there on the market that can show your customers that you care? This is probably the greatest time of year to go a little cheese, because at the end of the day you’re just proving yourself to be a quirky out there kind of company. One thing that I would suggest is heart shaped hand warmers, especially in the UK, when even into the second month of the year; it still is freezing cold outside. These affordable hand warmers, not only keep your hands warm for up to 30 minutes, but they are re-usable also.

Love can be the greatest thing in the world, but it can also be stressful, show your customers that you care for them, and you understand how stressful this day can be, and you can do all this with a simple heart shaped stress toy. Stress toys come in all different shapes and sizes, and a heart shaped stress toy will definitely be perfect for this time of year.

Promotional T-shirts are always a winner, all you need is a great tagline and this could be a real talked about item. I came up with the idea for a printing company to do, “Roses are Pantone 484 C, and Violets are Pantone 2597”. This is a great example of playing on a traditional valentine’s expression and putting a spin on it using your industry, which will always get people talking.

These three items are only the tip of the iceberg of what you could do for Valentine’s Day, the promotional merchandise market, is so huge, you could pretty much brand any item with a Valentine’s Day theme and give it to your customers. One important notice though is being memorable for the right reasons.

It is a great deal more important to keep hydrated is during high impact activity such as sport or exercise. During such activity the temperature of your body rises, and to prevent yourself from overheating, your body perspires to cool itself down. As genius as all this is, if you don’t replace those fluids that are lost during this period, you can suffer from dehydration.

Sports water bottles are regularly taken to gyms, by people to keep themselves hydrated. The problem with water bottles as such is firstly they do take up room in your bag, weighing it down at the same time. Secondly people get into bad habits with their water bottles, not washing them regularly, just filling them up and taking them to go, this can cause all different types of bacteria scares. And finally all it takes it a simple absent minded mistake of not tightening the bottle enough, or even if the bottle breaks, this can cause a failed gym session because all your clothes will be wet. Many people just buy a full bottle of water every time and throw that away after their work out, but that is a complete waste.

So what other solutions are there out there? The answer was none really, up until a few years ago. Introducing the water bag, this great item on the surface looks like a plastic version of a Capri-sun packet, but can actually be much more than that. this fantastic alternative to bottled water or sports water bottles, are re-usable, leak proof, and the best part is, when you are finished with it, you can simple roll it up and fit the whole bottle in the palm of your hand. With many water bags they come with a carabina to hang it off of anything, or even off you. With the bottle being completely translucent you can see all the way through, and see when it’s starting to get a little dirty, so you can not only wash it out, but put it in the dish washer also!

The main feature of the item is the foldable feature, can you imagine how much space you can save, not only that but how many times do you find yourself out carrying a drink, only leaving one hand free. Whilst in use you can hang the drink round your neck, and when done with simply roll it up and store it in your bag or eve pocket.

So if you’re out and about, play sports, on hiking trails or even just visiting museums, water bags make a great item to take with you, no matter the weather.

T-Shirts Printed with my Logo

The t-shirt printing industry not only rocketed, it became one of the most popular garments of all time. This leads us to our first reason to have a t-shirt printed with your logo, popularity. The printed t-shirt bears no limits in terms of demographic, it can and is very regularly worn by children, teenagers, adults, men, women, no matter what job they are in, or social status, the printed t-shirt is worn around the world. So when your target demographic is hard to buy for due to it being such a small niche, at least you know that they will always wear a promotional t-shirt.

Another great aspect of the t-shirt is the versatility of it, t-shirts come in all different shapes, materials, sizes, colours and styles, chances are if you randomly select 100 different t-shirts, none of them would be the same, as the options the t-shirt gives you is endless. Talking about 100’s of t-shirts, just to show the diversity in sizes shapes and availability, on April 24th 2008 Jef Van Dijck broke the Guinness world record for wearing 227 t-shirts at once.

But you have to think, you don’t want one of your t-shirts with your logo on it to just be used for random contests because the design on it isn’t good enough for everyday wear. The whole purpose in investing in promotional clothing such as t-shirts is so that it spreads the word of your company through the number of people that see your details on that garment. And yeah the concept of advertising your logo big and bold for everyone to see does sound great, but how many people will wear it. That is why when it comes to printing your logo on a promotional t-shirt you have to be smart, follow fashion trends and incorporate different aspects of modern styles into your design. One great example is in female garments, in the 80’s longer length t-shirts with big slogans on them, incorporating this into your promotional clothing could indeed be a winner, but at the end of the day it depends on the demographic.

So when it comes to promotional t-shirts, keep three things in mind, demographic, design, and adverting methods.