We’re proud to announce that Sonic Promos has been awarded a Gold Award in the Internal Communication Program category at the 2025 Chesapeake Promotional Products Association (CPPA) Peake Awards. This prestigious recognition celebrates our comprehensive new employee welcome kit program for Southern Management Companies, a nine-year partnership that has transformed their onboarding experience and contributed to exceptional employee retention rates.
The Challenge: Creating a Memorable First Impression
Southern Management Companies, one of the largest residential property management companies in the Mid-Atlantic region, approached us with a critical objective: welcome new employees to the company in a way that would increase satisfaction and retention from day one. They needed more than just promotional products—they needed a strategic onboarding solution that would embody their company culture and values.
With a budget of $15,000, our task was to create welcome kits that new hires would actually use, appreciate, and remember. The target audience was diverse: new employees joining Southern Management across various roles in property management, maintenance, leasing, and corporate functions. Each item needed to be office-friendly, practical, and aligned with Southern Management’s commitment to creating a supportive workplace culture.
Our Solution: A Thoughtfully Curated Welcome Experience
We designed a comprehensive six-item welcome kit that transforms the first day at Southern Management into a memorable brand experience. Each new employee receives a Wave Sling Bag containing carefully selected items that serve both immediate practical needs and long-term engagement goals.
The kit includes a Textari Style Pen for note-taking, a Hand Sanitizer for workplace wellness, a Two-Tone Himalayan Tumblerfor daily hydration, a custom-designed Ambassador Journal with custom insert pages and a uniquely branded set of custom playing cards.
But these aren’t just random promotional items thrown together. Each element was strategically chosen because it’s office-friendly and useful to any position hired by the company. The items are presented halfway through Southern Management’s full-day new hire orientation called “Southern Beginnings,” creating a moment of excitement and appreciation that breaks up the day’s training sessions.
The Strategic Details That Make the Difference
What elevates this program beyond standard swag is the integration of strategic storytelling elements. The custom journal includes insert pages featuring a welcome letter from CEO Suzanne Hillman, an overview of Southern Management’s history and growth, and detailed information about the company’s Mission, Vision, and Values—specifically their “Three Rs” (do the right things, in the right ways, for the right reasons) and “Three Ms” (make the decision that is best for my mission, my team, and myself, in that order).
The custom playing cards deserve special recognition for their innovative design. Instead of standard face cards, they feature photos of Southern Management’s various properties and long-term employees who have advanced within the organization. The deck’s Joker card includes a QR code that links to a landing page highlighting career advancement stories—employees who have grown into roles such as property manager, vice president, and director.
This creative approach serves multiple purposes: it familiarizes new hires with Southern Management’s property portfolio in a fun, memorable way, illustrates the company’s commitment to promoting from within, and provides inspiration about potential career paths. During the orientation, new team members actually use these cards as part of activities that help them learn about growth opportunities at the company.
The Results: Nine Years of Proven Success
This program has been running for nine years and has proven to be tremendously successful. According to Jessica, Senior Learning and Development Specialist at Southern Management University, employees continue to use their welcome kit items long after their first day. The visible, ongoing use of branded items reinforces company identity and creates a sense of belonging.
Most significantly, Southern Management prides itself on its high retention rate, which this welcoming onboarding experience helps maintain. When new team members receive their kits during the orientation, Jessica reports that “the smiles, oohs, and ahhs, show the team members’ excitement for the items they have received.”
The program supports Southern Management’s broader culture of growth and development. As a company that operates more than 520 apartment communities with over 25,000 apartment homes across the region, they’ve built a reputation for their award-winning training curriculum and “grow from within” philosophy. The welcome kits tangibly reinforce this culture from the very first day, showing new hires that they’re joining an organization that invests in their success and values their contribution.
Why Internal Communication Programs Matter
This Gold Award-winning campaign demonstrates why internal communication deserves the same strategic attention as external marketing. Your employees are your most important audience, and how you welcome them sets the tone for their entire employment experience.
Research consistently shows that effective onboarding programs improve employee retention, increase productivity, and accelerate the time it takes for new hires to reach full performance. Yet many organizations treat onboarding as a box-checking exercise rather than a strategic opportunity to build engagement and loyalty from day one.
Southern Management understands that promotional products aren’t just freebies—they’re tangible expressions of company values and culture. When thoughtfully selected and strategically deployed, branded items create touchpoints that reinforce key messages throughout the employee journey.
The Boutique Approach to Internal Communications
This award-winning program exemplifies the difference between working with a boutique promotional products partner versus ordering from an online catalog. Southern Management didn’t just need someone to fulfill a product order—they needed a strategic partner who could understand their culture, objectives, and audience.
Our approach began with deep discovery conversations about Southern Management’s onboarding process, company values, and retention goals. We considered the full employee experience: What would make someone feel welcomed? What items would they actually use? How could we integrate promotional products with the broader onboarding curriculum? What touchpoints would create the most impact?
The custom playing cards with QR code integration showcase our creative problem-solving and design capabilities. This wasn’t a standard catalog product—it required custom design work, strategic thinking about how to gamify company information, and technical execution to integrate the digital component seamlessly. Large online distributors simply don’t provide this level of creative development and strategic consultation.
Over nine years, we’ve maintained this partnership through consistent quality, reliable service, and ongoing optimization of the program. When you work with Sonic Promos, you get a dedicated brand manager who knows your organization, anticipates your needs, and proactively brings ideas to enhance your programs year after year.
Best Practices from a Gold Award-Winning Internal Program
If you’re developing internal communication programs for your organization, here are key lessons from this Gold Award-winning approach:
Integrate with existing programs. The welcome kits aren’t standalone—they’re strategically timed within the Southern Beginnings orientation to maximize impact and reinforce training content.
Choose quality over quantity. Six thoughtfully selected, high-quality items create more impact than a dozen cheap giveaways. Every item in the Southern Management kit serves a purpose and will be used.
Tell your story. The custom journal inserts and playing cards transform ordinary promotional products into storytelling vehicles that communicate company history, values, and culture.
Bridge digital and physical. The QR code on the playing cards seamlessly connects physical branded items with digital content, creating a modern, integrated experience.
Think long-term. Items that employees continue using months and years later extend your program’s impact far beyond the first day, keeping company values top of mind.
Make it experiential. The moment when new hires receive their kits during orientation creates an emotional high point that makes the day memorable and reinforces their decision to join the organization.
Creating Internal Communication Programs That Drive Results
Whether you’re onboarding new employees, recognizing service milestones, launching internal initiatives, or building company culture, strategic promotional products can transform your internal communications from forgettable to remarkable.
Effective internal programs require understanding your organizational culture, identifying key touchpoints in the employee journey, selecting items that align with your values and will actually be used, designing custom elements that tell your unique story, and integrating promotional products with broader communication strategies.
At Sonic Promos, we specialize in developing internal communication programs that go beyond products to create meaningful experiences. Our dedicated brand managers take time to understand your organization’s culture, objectives, and challenges, then design custom solutions that deliver measurable results—whether that’s improved retention, increased engagement, or stronger cultural alignment.
Ready to Elevate Your Internal Communications?
If you’re looking to create welcome kits, employee recognition programs, or any internal communication initiative that truly resonates with your team, Sonic Promos brings the strategic thinking and creative execution that transforms ordinary promotional products into powerful cultural tools.
We’ve been helping organizations like Southern Management build stronger cultures and more engaged workforces for nearly a decade. Our approach combines deep discovery, creative strategy, quality sourcing, and flawless execution to ensure your internal programs achieve their objectives.
Ready to create an award-worthy internal communication program for your organization? Contact us at info@sonicpromos.com to discuss your employee engagement goals and discover how strategic promotional products can strengthen your culture and drive retention.
