This week at Sonic Promos, we're working on...

... lunch totes, lip balm, water bottles and notebooks for the eSchool Solutions Summit in San Antonio this weekend, March 6-8.

... USB car chargers for a dinner sponsored by FI Consulting.

... and lanyards and coozies for Banana Boat and Target to distribute at NASCAR events.

"This Week at Sonic Promos" is a regular feature on our blog.
Read all past posts here.
Check in every week to see some of the work that's going on in our office.

I recently had the opportunity to spend a night at the Aloft Hotel in Dallas. Aloft is one of nine brands under Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Aloft positions itself as a modern, fresh and fun destination, and I certainly felt that theme as a guest, in every detail, right down to the mini bath products and other hotel freebies.

The hotel's decor was gorgeous- my room, the lobby and common areas, truly every space- but working in promotional products, it's the little branded details that really catch my attention.

Take the notepad and pencil above, for example. How stinkin' cute are they?

They're not just cute, they're a smart use of promotional products, and they embody a best practice by which I like to abide.

The best practice I'm referring to is asking yourself, with every project- can it be just a little bit better?

With notepads, adhesive or non-adhesive scratch, standard decoration includes a 4-color process sheet imprint with optional full bleed. Many businesses just print their logo at the top, maybe a phone number or website at the bottom of the pad, and call it a day. To me, that seems like a waste. You've already paid for the entire sheet imprint, so why not get playful with design and create something more attention-grabbing?

Aloft upped the ante on a simple notepad (without upping their piece price) with the addition of the "a-list" ghost imprint. It's very subtle, and I'm sure many guests wouldn't pay it a second glance, but to someone like me who appreciates a good pun and clever design, it added a little something to my experience.

Take a lesson from Aloft, and before you sign off on your next promotional piece, take a moment to ask yourself (or to ask your trusted promotional rep)- can it be just a little bit better?

Have any of you been the lucky recipient of a Kleenex Care Pack?

(source)

This cold and flu season, Kleenex is engaging consumers by encouraging them to send care packs to loved ones in need of some extra TLC. Participants are welcomed to share their stories and connect with other buyers on the company's website.

Taken from the Kleenex website-

Every year, during Softness Worth Sharing, people come together to share the Softness of Kleenex Brand tissue. For some, it's become a yearly tradition to surprise someone they care about with America's Softest Tissue.

Today, the tradition continues to grow. The famous little Kleenex Brand Share Pack has expanded- into a Kleenex Brand Care Pack filled with goodies to help care for your loved ones during cold and flu season. It's yours to send when you buy a specially marked Kleenex Bundle Pack.

As a consumer, I love this campaign. I sure wish I'd had a pack on hand the other week when I was feeling under the weather. Speaking of that... try Zicam, people. Do it.

As a promotional marketer, I admire this campaign. It's a perfect example of what we do our best to teach our clients at Sonic- how to use promotional products to connect with your market and increase revenue.

Let's take a closer look at the Care Pack campaign, from a promotional perspective.

(source)

Each Kleenex Care Pack contains lip balm, hand sanitizer, a coupon booklet, a Kleenex Brand Share Pack of tissues, and a music download card redeemable for four songs.

From a sales perspective, what are the most important items in this box?

My answer would be- the coupon booklet and music download card.

In these two items, Kleenex has ensured they'll benefit from this campaign with increased revenue, not just through goodwill and word-of-mouth. The coupons will lead to direct sales, and the music download cards will net them valuable data about their target market.

I can't be 100% sure, as I haven't received and redeemed one of the Kleenex music cards myself, but digital download cards generally require the user to visit a custom landing page and enter some basic contact information. Depending on the complexity of the landing page, there might also be a short survey required, through which Kleenex can wisely conduct marketing research to learn more about how their consumers interact with and feel about their products and brand.

All in all, the Kleenex Care Pack campaign is a very smart initiative; one that benefits both brand and buyer. For companies looking to promote a health and wellness program and engage employees, a similar care pack would be an excellent promotion. Maybe even throw in some antimicrobial phone pads to control germs around the office!

Happy Wednesday! Let's get right to it with our third and final recap of new for 2013 items from the ASI Show in Dallas.

If you're catching up--

Part 1 (apparel and drinkware) can be found here.

Part 2 (audio, desk and displays) can be found here.

Health & Home

In this section, I'll cover everything from kitchen gadgets to Swiss pocket tools. If you're looking for a good promotional item to be used in the home, or perhaps an item to promote a corporate health and wellness program, be sure to read on!



Man, food containers and lunch kits were everywhere. Most items boasted snap lock lids, reusable cutlery, separate containers for hot/cold or dry/wet and BPA-free plastic.


Silicone seemed to be the material of choice for most kitchen gadgets. I saw it used in everything from pint glasses to oven mitts to mini spatulas.

Speaking of those mini spatulas (Clic Stic pen held in photo for size reference), they're the perfect size for scraping every last ounce of peanut butter from the jar. Even more effective than a finger... not that I would know.

Mini units of WD-40 and Tide to Go are paired together in this Squeaky Clean Kit. Even if I didn't rely on these two products for 90% of the messes and annoyances in my house, I'd still be won over by that punny product name.


There's really not much new to discuss in magnets, but I did find these magnetic cork board and chalkboard items to be pretty fun!


Microfiber dust mitts, available in small and large sizes, are super handy for cleaning blinds, keyboards and other textured surfaces around the house. Toss them in the washing machine to clean and reuse.



I have a big pet peeve with coasters. I hate it, hate it, when a coaster doesn't absorb condensation. I have some glass and laminate coasters at my house that I love for their design, but they're completely nonfunctional. Either the glasses's condensation runs right off the coaster onto the table, or the coaster momentarily sticks to the glass when I pick it up and falls with a loud clatter. #firstworldproblems

Let's talk about these Mug Rugs. I kind of love them.

Mugs Rugs are super absorbent coasters nestled into wood or colored polypropylene shells. From a branding perspective, I love that the standard decoration is a full color dye sublimation, with no setup. They're easy to clean, durable and supplier-guaranteed to last forever.

These Jetsetter mini pocket tools from Victorinox, the makers of Swiss Army Knives, are TSA-approved for carry-on luggage. The basic model contains a pair of scissors, a bottle opener, Phillips head screwdriver, wire stripper, key ring, tweezers and a toothpick. For USB memory, upgrade to the Slim Flight model.


I was also really happy to see that Victorinox brought back their gift card program. Gift cards have a reputation for being impersonal and lame to present (I personally don't agree with that), and this customized snap case and branded card solve that problem.

Expandable hardside luggage with 360 degree spinner wheels is a great option for executive gifts. They're really lightweight and easy to navigate through crowded airports. Full coverage, full color decoration is available at high quantities.

Auto

These illuminated car chargers are really beautiful in person. If you're looking for a useful item that puts the focus on your logo, I definitely recommend this piece. The printing was really crisp and clear- just an attractive piece in general.



There are a ton of key lights out there, but I snapped a picture of this piece because I really liked how it felt in my hand. The little black roller ball acts a switch- push it forward and back to turn the light on and off. Again, it's nothing revolutionary, but with a key light, form and function are what's most important.

This magnetic emergency light would make a really great gift for a safety campaign. With 7 LED bulbs, it's extremely bright, and the super strong magnet at the base makes it perfect for roadside emergencies. Just stick it on the side of the car when you need light to change a tire.

Fun

An alternative title for this category could have been "Alcohol-related Promotions", but "Fun" allowed me to toss in eye black and lollipops too.

Novelty flasks. Available in ridiculously huge and uselessly tiny sizes.


These custom race car coolers attracted a lot of attention at the show. They would be such a hit with Nascar fans (obviously), universities... any group that tailgates, really.

They call this the Corkicle. I have no comments.

These lollipops are decorated in full color and are available in a bunch of stock shapes: heart, house, football, telephone, etc. For other picture treat ideas, check out this post.

Bored with rally towels and cowbells? Custom eye black is a fun item for schools, universities, sports teams and particularly spirited sales teams.

Here's a green item that's just plain fun. They're called Seed Bombs, and they're made of wildflower seeds and post-consumer recycled paper. They come packaged in either an organic cotton bag or cello bag with custom header.

That's all I've got for you! If you'd like more information or pricing on any of the items from our three recap posts, please email your sales rep at Sonic Promos or call the office at 301.869.7800.

This week at Sonic Promos, we're working on...

... custom woven afghan blankets for 39 West Lexington, a Southern Management property in Baltimore.

... and awards for an annual employee meeting at Sigma-Tau.

"This Week at Sonic Promos" is a regular feature on our blog.
Read all past posts here.
Check in every week to see some of the work that's going on in our office.