Drinkware for 2011

"Drinkware", the industry term for bottles and mugs, is exploding. A few years back it was the Nalgene(R) bottle tearing it up, then stainless steel water bottles and other environmentally friendly materials (turns out the polycarbonate in the Nalgene was bad for you). BPA-free plastics to the rescue! Here's my take on drinkware: awesome promotional product because everyone needs a new coffee mug/water bottle to replace the nasty one they are currently using. Seriously, these things do not have an infinite shelf life; your clients will love you if you give them a replacement for the brown-ringed plastic DD mug they picked up at the drive-thru 3 years ago. What to look for? Water bottles: cool designs, pop-up straws so you don't have to tilt to drink, double wall construction for thermal insulation, 20 oz. size and up. Coffee tumblers: cool design, double wall construction, SS lining, secure closure and open/close function that actually works and is easily cleaned. Brand exposure is super on all drinkware, they sit on desks and inside cars, are carried around in offices and on the weekends. When Starbucks is getting $24.00 for a coffee tumbler, you know there's a market. It's time to be the hero and offer one to your clients.

The Opener Ballcap

Hey everyone! I'm glad to be back and cranking out ideas for my clients...I'll be posting to the blog regularly, keeping everyone up to date on new products and techniques for promotional merchandise. Big show next week in A.C., NJ, so stay tuned.

A funny thing happened to me last winter up in snowy VT, thought I would share it with you. I head up for an early spring boy's weekend every year, and we invariably hit a few of the famous micro-breweries for...lunch. Yeah. Anyway, we were hanging in one of them and the crew headed over to the brewery merchandise store. Lots of very cool items, I mustl admit. Bike jerseys, tees, bottle openers, ballcaps, etc. I happened to be wearing that week's swag selection (oh yeah, we style it every year), a bottle opener ballcap. Invented and perfected by some good friends out in CA, I've been a big fan of this item since its inception. That said, it only works as a promotional piece if you can get around the not-so-subtle "alcohol" connection. So here we are in a BREWERY that sells SWAG promoting their brand all day long. The perfect client??

I made the perfect pitch to the store manager (it wasn't hard, we were all wearing the unique checkerboard patterned caps). "You sell caps. You sell bottle openers. You could be selling caps WITH bottle openers...CHECK THIS OUT!!"

Now, I was looking for a big reaction but didn't get it. But she didn't kick us out, either. Not yet. She picked up the phone, punched up the CEO (sitting around in his Birkenstock's, I'm sure) and gave him the skinny. "You have to see this, boss." I'm thinking, "Slam dunk". He's thinking..."we don't want to promote drinking". I know that for a fact, because that's what he TOLD THE MANAGER.

My buddy Bill said it was the first time he had seen me rendered speechless. I mean, how do you come back to THAT?

High Impact imprinting techniques

Why be ordinary? With so many options for high impact branding on promotional apparel and merchandise, I am often disappointed that most clients simply stick with basic screenprinting and embroidery. All it takes is a little creativity and (admittedly) a little help from the graphics team, and your item becomes a full-fledged billboard for your brand.
The tote bags shown are sporting fully sublimated four color graphics...quite a difference from spot colors, huh? It doesn't take much more to create these one-of-a-kind products, and the results are well worth the effort. Keep sublimation in mind when you are planning tote bags, duffels, even tees. The technique is perfect for high visibility events like show openings, milestone achievement dates, and press-heavy events.

It's Time for Gift Baskets!

OK, I was never too fond of the old "Basket of Cheese and Sausage in Cellophane" as a corporate gift, but times have changed. I recently struck up a partnership with one of the largest suppliers/creators of consumer gift baskets in the U.S. They basically run the show behind-the-scenes for retailers like Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and 1-800-Flowers (you didn't think there were actual people at Neiman putting these things together, did you?). Big business, especially in 4th quarter of course, but their creative gift packages work year round.

I was pretty impressed when I toured the factory. This is not a cookie cutter approach (no pun intended). After a thorough analysis of your needs, they choose a package to best represent the promotion, your brand, etc. It could be a basket, sure, but it could also be a leather photo box, a cooler, a boat tote, even an upside-down ball cap. The package is then filled, in accordance with your desired size and budget, with luxury food gifts, spa items, imprinted merchandise, or your own product samples. Branding is via imprinted gift ribbon (subtle), et voila! Your custom gift is fulfilled and ready to go.

Think about these high end gifts for low quantity, high impact events...room drops, anniversaries, milestone parties, client appreciation. Everyone loves a big basket of cheer, right?