Part of the challenge of marketing is directing the budget to where you can get the best ROI. While I am not a fan of buying something that doesn’t represent your brand just because it’s cheap, that doesn’t mean you can’t buy strategically.  These sale, clearance and budget branded products will help your marketing dollars go further.

COVER UP
Express Event Shelter
If you’re planning an outdoor event or need a portable trade show shelter, grab this limited-time markdown on a lightweight, portable and reliable pop up.  Its’ cross truss design gives the shelter added strength and support for multiple uses. Show off your wares to your customers beneath the shade that attracts attention and shades you, too. On sale through 5/31/2012.

RETRO COOL
Surge Tumbler
This double-wall acrylic tumbler is a great all-purpose product.  From welcoming a new employee to making a summer event even better, this tumbler’s subtle soda fountain look makes it memorable.  The product features an acrylic straw with stopper and  ergonomic design on base for easy gripping. Product ships with matching color straw unless otherwise specified. BPA Free.  On sale through 6/16/2012.

SMART PAPER
Credit Card Web Key
A great buy any time of the year, this full-color giveaway makes printed promotional materials interactive. The device is punched out and plugged into a USB port where it directs web browsers to your website or  landing page. Full color printing inside and out. Excellent for pharmaceuticals, the automotive industry, schools, travel, corporate, real estate, retail or any use requiring printed information and a website link. On sale through May 31, 2012.

ROCKPACK
Tunes Sling Bag
Get ‘em while they last!  This unique sling backpack features integrated stereo speakers to turn any situation into a party.  Compatible with almost any mobile device.  Great for students!  Zippered and padded main compartment with interior pocket, front zippered pocket with battery pack, MP3 hook-up and 2 accessory pouches, stereo speakers, carry handle and 37″ padded adjustable shoulder strap. (3 x AAA batteries not included) Clearance item, based on availability.

We keep close tabs on what our suppliers are promoting and discounting. Send me an email with some details about what you need and we’ll find a way to make your marketing budget go further.

Do you have a favorite brand? A company whose products you love? Good news: you can put your corporate logo on retail quality products from Brookstone, Ralph Lauren, Cross, Cutter & Buck, Apple Adidas and more.

Brand name products have a higher perceived value and are perfect for conveying generosity, thoughtfulness, appreciation and gratitude. Studies have shown that business improves when employees and customers are rewarded. Adding your logo to a name-brand product will only add to the positive effect.

Brookstone
If you are looking to make some noise with your promotion, this wireless Bluetooth speaker is always a huge hit. It features a built-in rechargeable battery with approximately 4 hours of playing time on a single charge, and is compatible with Bluetooth-enabled devices including iPod®, iPhone® and iPad® as well as Android™, BlackBerry®, laptops and more. Great for a sales team incentive or client gift.

Nike Golf
Upgrade your golf tournament with this brand-name polo, featuring Dri-FIT moisture management technology for a more comfortable day on the golf course. This is a shirt your recipient will wear again and again. The contrast Swoosh design trademark is embroidered on the right chest, so we recommend your logo go on the sleeve on on the back just below the collar. Made of 5.6-ounce, 100% polyester Dri-FIT fabric. Golfers will wear this over and over again.

Igloo
Featuring an innovative, travel-friendly design, this deluxe Igloo cooler is built to last. It collapses into a disc when not in use, so there’s no reason not to take it with you.

* Collapsible for easy storage when not in use
* Leak resistant, heat-sealed antimicrobial liner
* Igloo metal bottle opener attached to bag
* Dual zippered storage pockets
* 36 can capacity

This is a great item for corporate outings,  sponsored sporting events and the company softball team.

Callaway Golf
Why leave just a business card when you can make a much bigger first impression with this golf ball kit? Includes two Callaway golf balls in a linen box with a slot for your business card. Includes 2 logoed Callaway(R) Golf balls contained in this high quality linen box.  This is the ultimate method of handing out your business card to an important client or to reinforce your golf tournament sponsorship.

There are lots of other options from well know retailers that could give a high-profile lift to your marketing efforts. Let us help you find the products that will boost your program. Call us today at 781-281-1430, or email branded@sophwell.com.

Promote Your Business and Be Eco-Friendly  

How would you like to create a more positive impression of your company in the community and attract more business? With Earth Day quickly approaching (April 22), now is the perfect time to show your concern for the environment and promote your business. Studies show that companies that support sustainability practices (i.e., practices that support a healthy environment) are viewed more favorably by consumers.

Here’s the good news: there are many cost-effective ways to promote your company while practicing “green marketing.” Our featured promotional items encourage environmental responsibility and span a range of price points to fit any budget.

When you make the decision to use environmentally friendly promotional products, you are letting your customers know about your commitment to a better future and a healthier planet. Want to get even better results with your next environmentally friendly promotion? Consider including tips for “”living green” or creating a continuity program of monthly gifts using eco-fiendly promotional items.

Social media is another great way to get the word out about your eco-consciousness. Consider giving a free earth-friendly promotional product to everyone that becomes a fan on Facebook, or to anyone who posts something positive about your company in LinkedIn or Twitter. This will serve as a reminder about your commitement to our environment and promote your product or service. The sky is the limit when it comes to creative ways to promote your business and be eco-friendly.

Want more ideas and expert help with your eco-firlendly promotion? Call us today!  We’re “green marketing” professionals and can create just what you’re looking for on time, in budget and using sustainable materials.

Earth Day Seed Paper Bookmark

The more unique your giveaway, the more memorable it will be.  This innovative bookmark is made of 100% recycled paper and will grow wildflowers when planted and watered.  Choose from hundreds of stock shapes for the seed paper component of the bookmark, or create your own custom shape (extra charge applies for custom shape). Price includes full-color imprint on one side of the bookmark. This item works well for promotional themes around growth and new beginnings.

Recycling Bin Tote Set

Convenient recycling starts here! These bins stick together while collecting and back apart while toting around.  Set contains three bins to separate metal, paper and plastic.  Velcro on each bin allows for them to be carried separately as totes or attached together as bins.  Each bin has a pre-printed icon on the front. This item works well for real estate companies and other businesses that are involved in home decor and organization, or for organizations that want to encourage recycling in the workplace.

Little Green Guide to Greening Your Office

An alphabetical guide (A-Z) to energy and resource saving tips for offices of all sizes, from energy use to better supply purchases, to recycling and reusing materials, plus summaries of a range of renewable energy options, commuting techniques, and more.  Made from recycled paper. Includes one-color cover imprint with your logo or message, with the option to tip in a custom page 1 branding message. This item can be used as part of a company’s internal program for encouraging employee to conserve, or for property managers to share with their tenants.

Eco-Friendly BPA Free Sport Bottle

Plastic bottle and lid will break down in 5 years in an industrial composting unit. Flip-top lid with ergonomic bottle shape. BPA free. 22 oz.  Price may vary based on decoration. This item can be used in conjunction with an employee wellness program, or to discourage the use of disposable plastic water bottles.

The daffodils outside my office are growing a little bit each day. It may still be March in New England, but the warm weather will be back again soon enough. Time to start planning ahead for promoting your brand outdoors.

Picnic Blanket
With this roll-up fleece picnic blanket with nylon backing, you can leave the red and white checkers at home. This colorful gift is a memorable way to liven up a company picnic. They use it during the event, and then take it home and continue to promote your brand at the beach, lake or soccer field.

sol® Performance Golf Towel
Featuring a unique waffle-patterned microfiber, this towel offers upgraded performance and a striking look for your next golf event. This is a great item for the golf tournament schwag bag.

Carbon Filter Bottle
Not only is this sleek, squeezable bottle a great way to stay hydrated in the sun, the activated carbon filter lasts for 200 refills, meaning fewer plastic bottles in landfills.  The activated carbon filter removes contaminants from tap water, reduces chlorine and improves taste. Use this as a gift for employees on your charity race/walk team.

Three-Piece Grill Set
If you’re looking for a grilling-themed gift, this stainless steel set is just about the best value out there.  Three essentials to barbeque delight! All stainless steel, it comes with a serrated spatula with a bottle opener to get the barbeque going, a brass grill brush, and scraper tongs. Use this to reward your volunteer “chefs” at your Rotary, Lion’s Club or charity “Town Day” barbeque.

The warm weather is a great time to loosen up with your brand and make it fun. Call us for help on how to make it happen.

Sleek Tritan Bottle
Just because it’s a water bottle doesn’t mean it has to be boring.  This durable, BPA-free bottle features contemporary design and shatter, stain and odor resistant construction. Water bottles are popular because they have a long, productive usage life that promotes your business or message for a very low cost per impression. Use for office wellness programs,  a conservation campaign, or package up with a tshirt inside as part of a health club welcome package.

Tech Pique Polo
Polos are a popular corporate apparel item because they work for nearly any purpose.  This versatile polo is a great compromise between style, features and affordability. Moisture wicking 100% polyester fabric provides lightweight comfort for retail employees or tradeshow exhibitors.

Recycled Cotton Tote
This 85% recycled cotton tote has tons of potential for dialy, repeated use, and its perceived value is much higher than its actual price.  While supplies last! Great as a trade show handout or an event swag bag for your guests.

Duracell USB Flash Drive 1GB
Any time you choose a promotional product with a well-known brand name like Duracell, you add value and impact.  This flash drive features a sliding mechanism and includes a gift box. USBs are a great way to share content with your clients, and are always favored by tech-savvy recipients.

The key to selecting effective promotional products – even the ones that are proven successes like these – are to make sure they reflect the message you are trying to convey. Talk to us about your next project and we’ll make sure to find the items that will get the results you want.

Now is the time to re-energize your wellness program with fresh ideas and branded, health-positive incentives. Here are a few promotional products that will help any human resources department get employees interested in signing up.

Sport Mesh Cap

This sporty, six-panel mesh cap with accent piping offers serious sun protection for serious (and not-so-serious) athletes. This also makes a great giveaway at corporate outings and golf tournaments.

Everlast Resistance Band Kit

Tones and strengthens the entire body. 3 bands (light, medium, and heavy resistance). Includes circular band, resistance tubing and figure 8 band. Foam-covered handles for comfort. Includes 60 minute training DVD and portable drawstring storage bag with adjustable shoulder strap. Bands are made of durable TPR which are latex-free.  Price includes custom decoration with your artwork. This item is perfect for encouraging employees to join your “Biggest Loser” competition.

Compressed Athletic Socks

These unique socks make unforgettable event giveaways. Just add water and they’ll expand from pocket-size to full-size. Choose from a catalog of stock shapes, or create your own! Price includes full-color imprint on socks and full-color insert card. There are various stock shapes available, or we can customize it to match your logo. Small enough to fit in an envelope, this is a great way to announce your wellness program.

Cereal To Go

Does your office have a gym or an early morning fitness class? Make it easier for employees to get there on time by helping them bring breakfast along.

* 18 oz. cereal bowl
* 10 oz. freezer gel filled milk cup
* Folding spoon snaps into lid
* Easy pour spout

Interested in seeing samples of these items, or looking for help setting up your company wellness program? Give us a call!

Tablet accessories are a huge emerging trend in branded merchandise.  This innovative case/stand combo starts as a standard neoprene sleeve, then magically converts into a dual-position stand. This is a great item for promoting to techie clients, or can be used to thank customers for purchasing your SaaS products.

Looking for a backpack with all the bells and whistles?  This is it.  Not only does it feature oodles of gadget-friendly pockets and ports, not to mention being TSA-compliant, it includes a removable iPad TechTrap — a product you can’t get anywhere but inside this bag! This is a great incentive for college students.

Corporate gifts with recognizable brand names are always popular, and we’re proud to add another premium brand to our 2012 catalog.  This cooler features high end details like diamond weave accents, contrast piping and branded hardware. This is a great product for corporate outings.

This eye-catching mobile phone holder is perfect for office working who use their phones all day.  It can be sent flat as  a dimensional mail item.

Yep, this tumbler has fabric inside.  This unique piece features a branded liner made of jute (an eco-friendly vegetable fiber).  It’s both memorable and attractive! Use in an HR wellness program to encourage employees to stay hydrated, or when you want your logo to travel with clients on the go.

OK. Before I say anything, I am going to just tell you to watch the video.

This event was orchestrated by Status Creative in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 22, 2011 in response to a comment in Newsweek that Grand Rapids was a dying city. It took massive amounts of coordination to bring together the mayor, fire department, sponsors and hundreds of volunteers to film this in a single 9+ minute take.

So, you think you can’t make your creative idea happen? It can.

My friend Jay Wallus forwarded the link to this great commencement speech given by Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls) to the graduating students this year at the New England Institute of Art in Boston. Those of you who work in any kind of creative field will recognize what she is talking about.

I love the idea that creative people figure it out as they go along, without knowing what the end result will be when they start. Amanda talks about having the courage to move forward anyway. Great stuff.

I am a big fan of direct mail, when it is done right. That’s often easier said than done. Here’s one I got from a company selling their direct mail/integrated marketing services, and they did everything pretty well except one thing.

That one thing killed their credibility as a direct mail services provider. Let’s take a look (click on the image for a larger version).

1.) An unexpected image with a relevant tag line. Good for creating interest. Nice job.

2.) A clear call to action with a nice incentive (iPad giveaway!). Nice job.

3.) A PURL, or personalized URL, designed to integrate print media with an online experience. The URL “OnlyHalfTheJob.com” reinforces the theme. It all ties in with their message of creating cross-platform communications. Nice job.

4.) The text here is pretty generic, with no real compelling story to get people to act. It doesn’t answer the reader’s question, “What’s in it for me?” (other than Free iPad!) Meh.

5.) A QR Code provides a way for the reader to opt in via their smartphone – also a good tie-in with their message of cross platform communications. Nice job.

6.) A First Class Mail permit. If you are investing money in a cross platform mailing like this, you don’t want to skimp on standard mail postage when up to 10% of your mailing list might not ever receive your offer. Nice job.

7.) Uh, oh. This is my old office address. I moved from there five months ago, and this company has quoted projects for me since then. Someone hasn’t kept the data base up to date. Not good.

8.) A follow up reminder of the call to action, along with an expiration date to encourage action sooner. Nice job.

9.) Repeating the PURL to make sure I remember how to opt in. But wait, go back and look at #3 more closely.  BIG FAIL!!!!!

For a company to spent several thousand dollars on production, photography, data integration, URL purchases, website development and postage to tell the world how great they are at direct mail services, and then have them botch matching the name from one location to another is deadly to their message.

I don’t mean to pick on this specific company, and I blurred out the name intentionally. They are the mailing division of a printer I like a lot. I met their sales manager in 1981. I once slept overnight on the couch in their customer lounge during an extended press OK, and then had a beer with the 3rd shift pressmen at 7 am after they quit work for the night. Great bunch of guys.

The truth is, mistakes happen, even to really good companies. They probably weren’t as careful checking their own promotion as they would for their clients. Ironically, the “only doing half the job” theme describes what they did to themselves.

But companies can’t afford to waste time and resources. I bet if they had an outside resource do this for them, this mistake never would have happened. Ouch.