Each year on the last day of Expo East, one of our annual promotional marketing trade shows, a few brave souls get up (or stay up) at 6 AM from a night of drinking and hit the Atlantic City Boardwalk to run a 5K and raise money for a great cause. The Howard Blum 5K 4 5K raises money for the SAAGNY Foundation's various charities, including: its scholarship fund for industry children, Happiness Is Camping, a camp for children battling cancer, Hilltop School, a school for disabled children, and www.WavesforWater.org, a hurricane relief initiative.

Last year's race raised $7.500; the goal for this year's race was $10,000.

Mallory Scott and I were up bright and early to help the cause and burn off the last few drops of beer and tequila. Mallory did amazing... and I finished.

But what do the swag-makers get in their own swag bags? Funny you should ask- a lot. A whole lot. And it's the good stuff!

Event T-shirt, running hat, and retro sunglasses.

Zipper tote, drawstring backpack, and Foundation T-shirt.

Microfiber cloth, lip balm, sunscreen, mobile phone holder, safety reflector light, and first aid kit.

T-shirt shaped collapsible bottle, blender bottle, and sport bottle.

Great events and lots of great items. If you or your organization has an event coming up, and you are looking to rev up your swag bag, give us a call. We'll show you what's hot.

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

... tote bags and T-shirts for National Family Planning.

... lots of colorful T-shirts for several Jewish communities participating in J-Serve, the international day of Jewish youth service, this year on April 28th. Every year, Sonic Promos partners with BBYO to organize a national T-shirt design and fulfill orders for communities across the country. We are thrilled to have assisted 14 cities this year.

... and various gift items for Wilmer Hale.

"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.

Hooray! October is here!

Oh, how I love this month. I'm looking forward to fall festivals, Halloween decorations, Pumpkin Spice K-cups, seasonal beers and most importantly, 31 days of pink ribbon pins and dedicated attention to breast cancer awareness.

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we've pulled together some past posts related to non-profit marketing and promotions for races and charitable events.

Use Promotional Items to Enhance Your Charitable Event

Promotional items can and should serve a greater purpose than decoration. See how the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer creatively uses promotional items like T-shirts, ribbons, and buttons to engage alumni, educate spectators, organize staff and volunteers, reward exemplary fundraisers and cultivate a community.

The Life of a Promotional Product

Your event's T-shirt might mean more to attendees than you realize. Promotional products, T-shirts in particular, often become tangible memories.

Successful Race Promotions

Sponsors and event planners of the Nation's Triathlon know a thing or two about smart branding and successful promotional marketing. See how they used promotional products to incentivize, reward, organize and recognize.

(image source)
Non-Profit Marketing Code Name: Fundraising

Consider a creative spin on traditional fundraising methods to set your charitable organization apart.

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

... lanyards composed of recycled water bottles for PRIM&R (Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research) conferences.

... lanyards, fun clapboard picture frames and cooler bags for the Down Syndrome Network of Montgomery County, to be used at their annual Buddy Walk ® on October 6th this year.

... and totes printed with full color artwork for BBYO. The design is a combination of four posters that are being used to increase understanding of the programs and values of the Panim Institute.

"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.

What was the last sponsored event you went to? I bet you saw branding everywhere, right? How were the branded materials being used?

Sometimes, promotional materials are just... present at an event. They provide a backdrop for photo ops, decorate empty tables and watch the action pass from a merchandise display in the corner. Used in this way, promotional items are simply wallflower attendees; they stand back from the action and never draw attention to themselves.

At other events I've attended, promotional materials are the focus of attention. They interact with the audience, add character and liveliness to the event's atmosphere, prompt discussion and steal the spotlight. Compared to the wallflowers described above, these promotional materials are social butterflies.

The funny thing is, the same item has the potential to be a wallflower or a butterfly. The difference is all in how you implement and distribute the materials.

As an example, let's look at how the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer uses promotional items to enhance their event series.

Engage alumni

Annual events like the Avon Walk attract the same participants, year after year. These alumni are your loyal customers; they enjoy the experience and support your cause so much that they return annually. The Avon staff recognizes alumni with colorful buttons that are handed out for free at Event Eve, and they're always a huge hit. On the route, the buttons act as great conversation starters, enabling walkers to identify seasoned veterans. They create a big impact for minimal investment.

Educate your audience

Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. This shocking statistic really summarizes the importance of breast cancer research, so the Avon Walk staff go to great lengths to ensure their walkers remember this factoid. Throughout the event, volunteers and crew members drape imprinted ribbons around walkers' necks at 3-minute intervals. At closing ceremonies, it's very sobering to look around the crowd and take in the number of "marked" individuals.

Play with color

Screen printed T-shirts for staff, volunteers and attendees are pretty standard at athletic events for charity. Take it a step further, and change up the shirt color for different groups. At the Avon Walk, crew members and youth crew members are easy to spot in yellow and blue tees. All walkers receive a white T-shirt when they register (to wear during training walks and fundraising events), and a colored T-shirt when they cross the finish line (as a souvenir for their hard work). The Avon Walk also distinguishes breast cancer survivors with a different colored finisher tee.

Reward exemplary fundraising

When a walker registers for the 2-Day Avon Walk, they commit to a hefty amount of fundraising- $1,800 to be exact. Although this money is used to further breast cancer research and supporting services, the Walk staff understands that it's never easy to ask friends, loved ones and local businesses to donate funds. For this reason, they really do everything they can to encourage and support their walkers throughout the process.

Branded materials come into play here too, in the form of fundraising rewards. Walkers can earn things like branded shoelaces, hats, and sports equipment by achieving and surpassing certain benchmarks. During the walk, it's quite common to spot a "Fantastic Fundraiser" proudly sporting a hard-earned hat. 

Cultivate a community

Avon Walk coordinators and staff put a lot of effort into procuring colorful and memorable event materials, but they also count on walkers and supporters for further decoration. They've successfully created a culture in which participants voluntarily deck themselves from head to toe in pink accessories and witty team T-shirts. In my three years with the Avon Walk, I've seen Team Boob-Bees sporting antennae and stingers, fans of the Washington Capitals "rocking the pink" in custom tees, ladies in iridescent butterfly wings, magenta tutus and hot pink rattan hula skirts. These team costumes come at no additional expense to the Avon Walk, but they really improve the spirit of the event.

I hope these examples have given you some ideas for your next event. Focus on creative implementation and distribution to get the biggest bang for your buck.