The Importance Of Proofs For Customized Promotional Items

When it comes to your marketing & promotional custom products--sweat the small stuff. It's those minute details that can make or break your advertising campaign......or worse, make or break the public's image of your company.

Advertising is the main contact that you & your business have with the outside world. Therefore, you & your company must always be "on", making sure that your image professionally reflects your company & what it stands for. Above all, this must be consistent--don't waver. You have just one chance to make a first impression & once you make it, you have to keep it. Don't bank on your customers' loyalty.

Reputations & impressions can take a long time to build but can evaporate in an instant!

What do you think a client could do after spending $600+ on 1000 pens that read:

Jon Peters Hair Salon & Spa

Come To Our Saloon & Treat Yourself Royally

I changed the name of the hair salon, but that actually happened to one of my customers (before he became a customer of mine). He was terribly upset over the mistake, but owned up to the fact that it was his error & eventually saw the humor in it. Very few people have his forgiving temperament.

Below are some examples of errors in printed material--costly errors. These are actual, not made up. They're funny......we've all seen them & we've all laughed at them. Jay Leno constantly flashes them on The Tonight Show.  But they're far from being humorous when it happens to you. That's why it's so very important to be meticulously observant when you get a proof for the promotional imprinted products you order.


I don't have examples of the errors my customers have overlooked when they received their proof, nor would I ever show them to the public. So all I can show you are the mistakes that were made on other printed advertising material, but keep in mind it can just as easily happen with customized promotional items. The only way to avoid it is to carefully look at the proof.

The only cereal that can change your skin color......with that in mind, do you really care how many grams of fiber it contains?

So all it takes is a cool 5.5 million dollars & this could be yours!

Play your music & wash your clothes all in one cycle. Something I always wanted to do.

This gives new meaning to fast food......combine your entree & dessert in one course.

And just what are the 15 best things in these schools--anyone care to guess?

What a huge difference that 1 missing letter can make. Luckily the company that misprinted the billboard corrected it by the end of the day. This can happen with any printed item, including promotional products with your name & logo on them, but rarely can they be corrected within 24 hours. Some can't be corrected at all because by the time they were printed & noticed, the damage was done or the client's budget was exhausted.

It's not just typos you have to look out for. Check your graphics carefully.

Got an extra hand?

When my customers order promotional custom products, I ALWAYS make sure a virtual proof is emailed to them. It is imperative to ALWAYS thoroughly check over the proof for simple mistakes such as the above.


A customer may approve the proof after only a casual glance & like the way it looks. He'll then be irate when he gets the final product & it's misprinted. What about the proof he approved? Color looked great & the layout was what he wanted; but the phone number or the website......how conscientiously did he check the actual copy? Please make sure to carefully read all text & ensure the layout & spelling is 100% correct before approving your proof.


A proof will take the guess work out of your advertising specialty. I hope this helps you with your next order.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY........SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Promotional Imprinted Products Made It To The NY Times

Last month the NY Times ran an article promoting customized promotional items. They summarized how to decide what to give & why promotional imprinted products are effective......a new slant from the reason I've stated in previous articles. This one is called the Rule of Reciprocity.

Here is the article that was in the NY Times last month:

July 18, 2011, 1:00 pm
The Surprising Power of Promotional Products
By MP MUELLER

Branded: An insider’s guide to small-business marketing.

When my grandparents moved into a retirement center, I helped with the garage sale. My cousin Claire and I were joking about how best to display the odds and ends from their 60 years together when I stumbled upon a gift from the gods of high kitsch. It was a letter opener, but this was not your typical letter opener.

In the clear acrylic handle floated a mini uterus with two pills strategically placed where ovaries normally reside, alongside the drug’s name, Hormonin. This promotional product was a gift from a drug company representative to my granddad, a doctor in Laredo, Tex. I tried to imagine how this token must have been received by the taciturn Dr. Puig. “Thanks Hal, I’ll put this next to my collection of kidney stones.” Or, “Do you have that on a T-shirt in an extra large?” Highly doubtful. He probably focused on its utility and kept it right there on his desktop. Which is probably what the drug company’s marketing department was counting on.

Promotional products are, some say, the oldest form of advertising. American businesses spend $20 billion a year giving away stuff with logos, according to Jerry McLaughlin, president of Branders, one of the largest sellers of promotional products online. Which is pretty good evidence that it works. Mr. McLaughlin credits the effectiveness of promotional products to centuries old cultural norms around the rule of reciprocity. “If you give something, the recipient is honor bound to give something back,” he said. “In every language and culture, research has found there are really derogatory words for people who get and don’t give back. We humans are hard wired to respond if we get something.”

Are we really that easy? I visited with Dr. Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University. Dr. Cialdini, who has written a book on the topic, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” became interested in studying the rule of reciprocity out of self-defense. “All my life I’ve been a sucker,” he said.

Dr. Cialdini observed Hare Krishna Society members in airports, watching them foist paper flowers upon travelers. As soon as travelers accepted the flowers, they became more likely to reach into their pocketbooks and reciprocate with a donation. Sociologists and anthropologists have found, he said, that there is not a single society in the world that doesn’t train its people from childhood to this rule. “Marketers take advantage of this all the time,” he said. “Tupperware parties — one of the things that happen very early on — they play games so every one at the party wins a prize from the Tupperware representative. And they feel very obligated to give something back in return.”

A well-known veterans’ nonprofit group, the Disabled American Veterans, is a case in point. When the group sends a mailing for contributions, Dr. Cialdini said, it gets an 18-percent response rate. When the same letter is sent with personalized address labels, which cost about eight cents, the response rate goes up to 35 percent. “For the cost of the address labels they get almost a doubling of return,” he said. “It’s very powerful rule and very small things can trigger it.”

How do companies find the right promotional item? Here are three suggestions:

•  Give items that members of your target audience will use in the environment where they make decisions about using your product or service. If you go after executives in corporations, give them something they will use in their offices, around their desktop so your company can be top of mind when they make decisions. Golf-related items are exceptions because lots of business happens on the golf course.
• Have it underscore your marketing message and differentiate your company. Mr. McLaughlin recounts a computer software client who makes antivirus software. The client put its logo on boxes of condoms and sent them to information technology types with the message, “Protect yourself, protect your computers.” Results? “Most I.T. people are male,” said Mr. McLaughlin, “and don’t really have girlfriends so that’s particularly titillating. They believe they got pretty good results.” A bit edgy for most companies, but you get the idea.   
• Personalize them.  While we are fond of our company logos, customers really like to use items that have their names on them. “People like seeing their own name above all else", said Mike Linderman, president of Express Pens, and former chairman of the Promotional Products Association International. His company makes pens in small quantities that can be imprinted with both your company’s logo and your client’s name.

Some of the most popular promotional items these days are pens, flash drives, aluminum sports bottles, reusable grocery bags, and anything green or American made.

Did receiving the uterus-enhanced letter opener prompt my granddad to write more Hormonin scripts for menopausal patients? Can’t say, but this promotional product made it 40 years without seeing a trash bin. And it’s now in a prominent place on my desk, right next to a Charlie the Tuna desk lamp.




I think MP Mueller, of the NY Times, summed it all up rather nicely.  Now it's your turn......what can you do to make your business stand out with promotional custom products?

IT'S YOUR COMPANY........SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Flash Drives As Promotional Products

USB flash drives, sometimes called USB memory sticks, have been becoming increasingly popular to hand out as marketing items. They are available in a huge selection of shapes, sizes & colors, not to mention memory sizes--all having ample imprint space for your company name & logo.

Some people are not sure of what flash drives are. Here is a simple explanation: they carry the information that is stored on your computer, from data files & photographs to Powerpoint presentations. If your computer crashes, all your data is stored in this one little devise so you won't lose any of your information. It's your back-up for all your files & whatever else was on your computer. They are great for moving data from one computer to another or to simply have important information on hand.

When flash drives are used as customized promotional items they can be incredibly powerful as one of the best marketing tools to promote your company identity. Keep in mind this is something everyone with a computer absolutely needs, but only a few people actually go out & buy. Your clients & future customers will appreciate & use it. The big plus for you is your company logo & name is imprinted boldly on the flash drive, itself, & your business will most likely be held in high regard every time it's used.

Here are a few examples of how to utilize these effectively 
as promotional imprinted products:

1. Handing them out with your preloaded information in the flash drive. This is especially effective at a trade show, seminar, convention or presentation. Besides imprinting your logo on the flash drive, you can customize it by preloading your information into the device. The recipient walks away with your latest brochure & pricing, a summary of what was laid out at the seminar or a preview of the presentation. A realtor can showcase homes that are up for sale, a gym can have a trainer demonstrate simple exercises to do at home or a bed & breakfast can show a virtual tour of their facility. A dentist can give tips on dental hygiene on a flash drive that's in the shape of a toothpaste tube. The options available to you are endless.

2. Handing them out as a basic sale tool. Nothing is preloaded, but your company name & logo are displayed on the device so the consumer will remember who gave it to him. Like I said earlier, everybody who uses a computer has a need for a flash drive & giving them out as a promotional custom product will score big with your customer.

3. Handing them out as a business gift. What a perfect way to say thank you & to let your client know he's appreciated. These can be either preloaded with an introduction of your office staff or maybe a special promotion or they can be left empty for the consumer to load his own information in the device. Because it's a gift, I suggest a leather or metal drive that is subtly engraved with your company name.

Want to make an impact & really stand out with the flash drive you give out? Try preshaped memory sticks in the shape of people. They can be detailed to fit your occupation & logo'd with your brand. Specialty shapes are also available for every occupation or hobby......airplane, automobile, guitar, hamburger, soccer ball, tennis racket......just name it & we'll find it.

How about a flash drive that illuminates your logo when it's in use? A combination pen & flash drive? There are so many options. Be creative so your message will pop.

This time of year is probably one of the best times to hand out flash drives because school starts at the end of this month or the beginning of next month & there isn't a high school or college student who couldn't use one of these. 


As you can see, it's easy to accelerate your advertising campaign when you add your logo to a flash drive. Save, store & share files on this reliable easy-to-use device.


Advertise in a flash.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Birth Of Customized Promotional Items & Branding

David Ogilvy

This is David Ogilvy's Centennial--he was born 100 years ago, in 1911. Ok, so who is David Ogilvy? He was the most famous advertising man in the world, & to a large extent still is (he died in 1999). He was the most important man in the business, changing it in fundamental ways.

In 1955--56 years ago--he delivered a speech to the American Assoc of Advertising Agencies in Chicago where he injected the concept of brand imaging into the marketing world. Brand & brand image are so common in our conversation today that it's hard to remember when they were not with us. With that one speech, he turned the advertising world upside down & marketing was on it's way to becoming what it is today.

"I didn't invent brand image. I pitched it," claimed Ogilvy. He took the idea from an article in the Harvard Business Review & put it into his own sweeping terms. "Every advertisement is part of the long term investment in the personality of the brand, the personality of the company."

He defined branding as we know it today, "Brand image is the personality of your company--a combination of the product, packaging, price & it's advertising style. It's a coherent message you must stick to year after year."

Ogilvy was a genius when it came to marketing & advertising; yet he had no formal training in the field. He was a good salesman & found his niche after being kicked out of Oxford in England & working as a dishwasher in France. He went on to sell stoves door-to-door to nuns, drunkards & everyone in between. When he emigrated to the U.S. he lived among the Amish & worked as a farmer in PA. This was not for him, so at 38, he borrowed money from his brother & started his own advertising agency.


Some of his famous ad campaigns that are still considered to be the best, even by today's standards:

• In 1951, a small shirtmaker, C. F. Hathaway, asked Ogilvy for help. He created the image of a man with the black eye patch & "The Man In The Hathaway Shirt" campaign was born. This creative campaign ran for 25 years.

•  For Schweppes, Ogilvy persuaded the client, Commander Whitehead, to appear in his own advertisements. This campaign featuring the distinguished looking, bearded Brit in various ads & commercials ran for 18 years.

• For Rolls-Royce, Ogilvy used the headline: "At 60 Miles An Hour The Loudest Noise In This Rolls-Royce Comes From The Electric Clock." This remains the most famous automobile advertisement of all time.

•  And remember Lifesaver's "The Candy With The Hole"......guess who?

The concept of brand image was not entirely new in advertising circles, but after putting the spotlight on it, Ogilvy was dubbed the "apostle of the brand image". Brands took on greater importance as products became increasingly similar & competition rose. Today branding is an absolute must in all forms of advertising including customized promotional items. 

Do you know when the first promotional custom product was distributed? It was at George Washington's inauguration in 1789. Commemorative buttons were handed out.

Then in 1891, The Wrigley Company took advertising to new heights. At that time they sold soap & baking powder. To get an edge on their competition, Wrigley included a promotional imprinted product in each package. Can you guess what the give-away was? That's right......chewing gum with their name on the wrapper.

Original Package of Juicy Fruit

The gum that was included in every package of baking soda was more popular than the product it was designed to promote. A year later, William Wrigley Jr introduced a new gum called Juicy Fruit. And so began the world's most popular & successful chewing gum business. Now that's a 5 billion dollar history lesson in promotions & marketing.

There's no way you can now give out the first customized promotional item nor will you reach the level of success that The Wrigley Company did; but you can still be successful in distributing promotional products with your logo on them. If you do nothing, you are missing out on an efficient & economical way to gain company recognition.

Promotional items  should be part of your brand. If David Ogilvy was still alive, I'm sure he'd agree.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY........SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Spend Less & Gain More With Promotional Custom Products

Using as an example, a Volkswagon dealership promoting their line of economical, gas-saving vehicles......which one of these forms of advertising will make the most impact & give them the biggest bang for their advertising buck? A 60 second advertisement on TV interrupting your favorite show? A color 1/4 page ad in a magazine you're flipping through? Their name & logo on the pen you're writing with now? Most people might think the ad on TV, but read on before you answer the question.

People process advertisements that they have seen or heard on television or radio in 30 seconds. For this reason it is pointless for a company to just place one ad on television. This type of media advertising requires long term strategy & investment in several slots throughout peak periods for it to be successful. Naturally this also means spending lots of money & although it is clear that TV & radio advertising is effective for many companies, the cost per sale is enormous in comparison to other marketing methods. That cost is added to the product or service & the consumer pays.

How many of you actually sit & watch the advertisements shown on TV? Think about it......isn't that the time to get up & run to the kitchen for a snack or a drink or do another quick errand that will get you back in front of the set just in time for the show to begin again. A large percentage of programs are now recorded & can be watched with no advertising. That's not exactly getting your money's worth.

Newspaper & magazine advertising is effective provided the reader actually sees the advertisement. To be noticed, an ad should be placed on the front or back page or the top right hand corner. That's very expensive & very few companies can afford it. There is a huge chance the reader will skip a page littered with advertising or merely not bother to look at something that's of little interest to them. Again, one advertisement is useless & long term strategy needs to be applied for a marketing campaign to be successful.

A study was done where readers of a magazine had no recall of the advertisements in the issue. If they could remember the company advertising, most could not remember any details from the ad, itself.

If you really want to leave your mark on the consumer without spending a fortune, you should seriously consider promotional imprinted products as your long term strategy; because the items you give will remain in the possession of the recipient for a very long time--an average of eight months.

A study by A.C. Nielsen Co., found that six months after receiving customized promotional items, 42% of the recipients could recall the name of the advertiser on the product when it wasn't in view. A survey with impressive results showed that 75% of people who had promotional products in their possession could recall the advertiser's name without looking at the article.

There are thousands of promotional custom products on the market which are proven to retain the loyalty of existing customers & attract new ones. Imprinting your name on pens & markers, notepads & sticky notes, ceramic mugs, memory drives, mouse pads, hand sanitizers & lanyards are just a few of the options available to you. All of these items are used frequently & for as long as they are utilized, your name will be seen & remembered.

Promotional clothing such as fleeces, t-shirts, jackets & baseball caps, together with imprinted bags & totes are great for allowing your logo & name to "walk around". Saying "thank you" with these types of items will truly impress your customers & you don't have to pay them to take your advertising everywhere they go.  Chances are they're going where you're not--how's that for great coverage!

Spend less & gain more with the use of promotional imprinted products.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY........SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Health Care Products As Customized Promotional Items

Health & beauty products are used by everyone; not just those in the medical, pharmaceutical or personal care professions. Health care products are utilized regularly in treating minor ailments & in preventative care, so it's only natural to distribute these items with your company name & logo on them. They become the ideal promotional imprinted product because they will be appreciated & used by everyone.

Here is a list of 8 best selling personal care products that can help you spread your company identity when you use these as customized promotional items:

• HAND SANITIZERS: help in cleaning hands quickly & stop the spreading  of germs. They come in bottles of all sizes that are handy & portable. They are also available in a spray or roll-on tube.

•  SUN SCREEN LOTIONS: containing Aloe Vera, Vitamin E along with SPF 15, 30 or 45. This will be a popular & often used item as we head into these sun-filled months.

•  LIP BALMS: are needed to protect lips from dryness & from the sun. They also come with Aloe Vera, Vitamin E & SPF 15.

• FIRST-AID KITS: come in a variety of sizes & can fit in the car console, gym bag, purse or desk drawer. You never know when there will be a sudden emergency so these are much needed items to have around just for those unexpected occurrences.

• BAND-AID HOLDERS: come with a supply of bandages & are refillable. How many times have you needed a bandaid & you were someplace where you couldn't get to one? A paper cut in the office, a skinned knee at the park or some other minor mishap......your customer will appreciate this small, compact holder that can be taken everywhere.

• STRESS RELIEVERS: make managing stress easy no matter where your client might be. They come in all shapes, so you can find one to fit your business.

• PEDOMETERS: promote the importance of fitness. These help people keep track of the miles they've covered & some even record the calories & heart rate.

• HAND MASSAGERS: another way to relieve stress is with these massagers. They come in a variety of shapes & can be found in brightly colored plastics or sturdy wood.

Using these items as promotional custom products can help you get  your company noticed effectively. You're showing more than just your advertising message......you're showing you care & that's a big plus when it comes to business.

Have a healthy & safe summer.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY........SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

My 10 Favorite Promotional Custom Products

I have customers ask me all the time what my favorite promotional items are. That's a tough question because my favorites may be the wrong promotional wholesale product for you & your targeted audience. I even had several people who read my blog ask me to write an article listing my favorites. There are well over 500,000 marketing items to choose from so I thought that was a topic I'd never go near.

Well, believe it or not, creating the list was actually fairly simple. There are a few items that are staples in the industry. These are things that just about everyone or every company can use or need. Items that have stood the test of time. Products that people love to give, & likewise, like to receive.

I've stressed over & over that whatever you select to hand out must be relevant to your business & still be useful & of value to the recipient. So, with that in mind, I came up with a list of ten customized promotional items that are my favorites. Let me introduce you to my top 10 picks:

#10 Flashlights: Every home, school or office should have a couple of flashlights handy in case of a power outage. Every car, briefcase, computer case or purse should have a small one in case of an emergency. Ask parents of bored children......they're great entertainment & spark imaginations of kids of all ages. Flashlights are unique because everyone will need them at one time or another. Let your logo shine in the dark!

#9 Flash Drives: These are something everybody absolutely needs, but only a few people actually go out & buy. Yet, they are a must-have item to save, store & share files from their computer. Your logo can be boldly imprinted on the flash drive, itself, & you also have the option of loading your own information on them before handing them out. These are indispensable to anyone with a computer--& today, that's everyone!

#8 Beach Balls: These appeal to people of all ages. They're bright, colorful & have large area to show off your logo & company name. They're attention-grabbers. When not inflated, they're easy to tote to trade shows, conventions & sporting events where they'll be an instant hit. Watch your name bounce up & down the coast or around backyard pools!

#7 Stress Relievers: Stress is evident in the work place because offices are confined & don't have the space to work off steam when tension builds. A quick fix is giving out stress items as your next promotional imprinted product. Because stress has become a primary health issue in our society today, your customers will use these more than you think. Your logo will always be visible. These are fun items that are usually left on the desk top......& could very well be squeezed by those who pass by!

#6 T-Shirts: Do you ever wish you could buy a traveling billboard & have it move around town promoting your business? Well, when you put you name & logo on a t-shirt, that's exactly what you're buying. Design something unique & appealing & your company will make an impact. They will be noticed--if they aren't being worn, they're being read. People tend to read them when they would ignore almost everything else. It doesn't get much easier than that!

#5 Letter Openers: Ok, this is not the most exciting out of all the customized promotional items, but it gets an A+ on promoting your company. These are constantly used at home & in the office. What's the one thing you do everyday, but Sunday......open your mail. They're economical, they fit into any budget, they come in a variety of colors & shapes. Every time a piece of mail is opened, it's your company name that is seen!

#4 Drinkware: Water bottles, insulated travel tumblers & ceramic mugs......so much to choose from & all are very effective. Go to the park, the beach, the gym, the mall, look into parked cars as you walk past them & what do you see? Insulated drinkware for hot drinks or trendy sport bottles for cold. Whether at home or in the office, people carry their mugs around with them all day like a security blanket. No matter what you select, your company will be vividly displayed for all to see!

#3 Note Pads & Sticky Notes: Some people like note pads; others swear by sticky  notes. It's six of one & 1/2 dozen of the other--either one is a fantastic marketing tool & both equally do the job of advertising your business. The sizes & variety of styles are endless. Don't forget about the cubes & hard covered notebooks. Notepads & sticky notes are one of the most economical promotional items you can invest in; yet, they have the largest imprint space--the entire pad. That's getting the biggest bang for the buck!

#2 Shopping & Tote Bags:  Bags are one of the largest, most purchased items in the ad specialties industry. With consumers focusing on being more environmentally-friendly; non-woven, polypropylene totes are everywhere, used over & over again. They have a large imprint area......blow up your logo so it really pops & can be seen from a distance. It's been reported that ONE bag will be used an average of 10 times a month & will be seen by 1038 people. That's just one bag......now multiply that by the number of bags you give out in a month!

#1 Pens: Pens are man's best friend. They are used constantly throughout the day, carried around in a purse or pocket 100% of the time & if someone is caught without having one, they grope frantically for one until another person hands them theirs. And as simple as that your company name was passed from one individual to another!

Well, those are my top 10. What are yours? I'd love to hear from you......tell me your favorites & why.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Colors--History, Facts, Trivia & Success!

May 28, 2010, I wrote an article on the psychology of colors......how they can affect people's moods & emotions. This article is so important to any business owner or anyone running a marketing campaign because color is probably one of the most significant aspects of your company's identity. It would benefit you to look at the post & read about the colors you're using in your brand. What message are you giving to your targeted audience? You may be using your favorite colors, but are they doing justice to you in representing your business?

Below I listed some fun facts about color. Much of it is just for fun, but read on because it can also help you in selecting the colors for your brand whether you're designing a logo or website, printing a brochure or handing out promotional imprinted products. 


For instance if you're marketing a sports team or sporting apparel, even for girls, you should think twice before picking bubble gum pink. If you're a new catering company, what should be your main color--orange or blue? Of if you have one of the popular food trucks, do you want to paint it blue even though that's your favorite color? What is the best color your promotional custom products should be if you're a yoga studio?


Later in this post, I used 5 very well-known corporations & illustrated how color worked for them & gained them company identity worldwide. You may never rise to global status, but color can give you recognition if you choose the ones to properly represent your business.

Some fun, yet important facts on basic colors:
RED: When the Bolsheviks overthrew the tsar & seized power in Russia in 1917, they used the red flag as their emblem & ever since red has been considered the color of communism.
Red is used in more national flags than any other color.
ORANGE: This sparks more controversy than any other hue--it's a hate-it or love-it color. It stimulates appetites & therefore, is widely used in the food industry. 
To many Americans it denotes "cheap" products or services (in fields other than food) while it's just the opposite in the Netherlands. There it's the color of royalty & the royal family is called the House of Orange. Children like this color & will often pick it as their favorite.
GREEN: This color has a strong calming effect--suicides dropped 34% when London's Blackfriar Bridge was painted green.  
The Green Room, the room guests on TV shows wait before their appearance, is actually green in most studios.
BLUE: It is the color most preferred by men & a survey showed that blue was the bestselling color in women's sweaters because women think men will like it.
It's also an appetite suppressant & some weight loss plans suggest putting a blue light bulb in your refrigerator & your munchies will disappear. This is because blue food is a rare occurrence in nature. Except for blueberries & a few blue-purple portatoes or plums, there aren't blue foods.
VIOLET: It's a peaceful color & one that inspires learning, concentration & reflection of life. Because of this Richard Wagner used this color in his surroundings when composing his operas.
 PINK: Drunk-Tank-Pink or better known as Bubble Gum Pink, is used to calm violent prisoners in jails. It suppresses angry, antagonistic & anxiety ridden behavior among prisoners when in a cell painted this shade of pink. It's been reported that people try to be angry or aggressive in the presence of this pink, but can't--the heart muscles can't race fast enough. This color literally saps your energy. But these reactions are short-term & once the body returns to equilibrium, the prisoner may regress to an even more agitated state. It is only this exact shade that creates such behavior among people.


Did you know:
That there is no word in the English language that rhymes with orange or purple?


That the first box of Crayola crayons was sold in 1903 for a nickel & included the same colors available in the 8-count box today: red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black & brown.  The names of the colors rarely change........only 2 have ever been changed: Prussian blue to Midnight blue & Flesh to Peach.


When it comes to achieving company recognition, some of these facts are significant & some aren't--but one thing you can count on........color is one of the most important factors in attaining company identity. These five corporations used color to gain global recognition. They are known, world-wide, for their colors.


 UPS: Over the decades, UPS's brown has provided the most consistent color personality for any company that exists. Even their logo design is secondary in importance to the color. It's highly unusual that a business can boast that one simple color can bring their company to mind instantly. Yet, when you see a brown truck, a brown uniform or the brown tail of a plane, you most likely know it's UPS without looking for the logo. Brown tells you who they are......they're conservative, they're dependable, you feel secure. This is the feeling you get when you see the color & this is what UPS is known for.


TIFFANY: The Tiffany blue box originated in 1850, when Tiffany & Co. opened it's first foreign branch in Paris. The designers selected this light turquoise-blue as the perfect color to attract the fashionistas of the day. This specific color was the signature color of the Diva of Fashion at that time, Empress Eugenie, Napoleon III's wife. The color has remained the same for over 150 years. If you see that famous blue box, you don't need to see Tiffany on it to know who's box it is & what's inside.

BMW (Bavarian Motor Works):  The logo was created & registered in 1917, a year after the company was founded. The logo has remained the same ever since as well as the controversy surrounding the colors. There are two versions regarding the meaning of the 'sky blue & white checker box':
1. It's meant to represent the silver & white propeller blades that engineers of BMW were working when the design was created. Those who believed that's what the logo depicted wanted to change the colors from blue & white to silver & white.
2. The other meaning relates to Bavaria where the product of the company are manufactured--their national colors are sky blue & white, the same as the logo.

MOBIL OIL: Their logo is nothing more than the name of the company in simple, clean lettering. It's the use of the red O in the center & the use of red & blue that brings out their company identity. The red O represents the circular pumps & canopies at their stations which has brought immense popularity to their brand. The use of red evokes energy & strength while blue give the consumer a feeling of faithfulness & security.  

McDonalds: This couldn't be complete without including  McDonalds because their logo is probably one of the most recognized world-wide. The company's reputation is synonymous with the golden arches & while they went global, they are still identified as being All-American. When someone thinks of fast food, what's the first name that comes to mind? This isn't an accident or because they were the first to deliver instantaneous hamburgers & fries........it's because they took marketing to the nth degree when they designed the arches & selected their colors. They used color psychology wisely when they chose red & yellow as their colors. First of all that vivid combination stands out in the day as well as night when it's dark. Red encourages diners to eat quickly & leave & that's exactly what they want you to do. Yellow stimulates the appetite so you'll feel hungry & will probably eat more (thus spend more) than your original intention .

Color is so powerful--it influences much of what we do in our daily lives, whether on a conscious or subconscious level. Therefore, don't eliminate it or underestimate it when it comes to promoting your company. The color of your customized promotional product is just as crucial as the item, itself. 

I hope this helps you stand out.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman      

Hidden Messages In 20 Well-Known Logos

I've talked a lot about your logo & how you can gain company recognition by putting it on promotional imprinted products & then distributing the items to your clients & prospective customers.  This is one of the best ways to attain logo identity.  You may not get the notoriety that Toyota, Apple or McDonalds has; but if you continually circulate your customized promotional items, you will be recognized by your targeted audience.

Did you know that many companies have objects & symbols hidden inside their logos or incorporate their logos to be a part of a hidden message?  Below are 20 logos hiding a subliminal message.  How many can you depict just by looking at the logo?

Some of the trade marks will be easy to recognize, though the subliminal message may not be as obvious to you.  It doesn't matter if you've seen the logo before or not........just for fun, try to find what the hidden meaning is in each one. The answers are at the bottom of this post, but don't scroll down until you've looked at each one carefully to see how clever you are at discovering the subliminal message.

Hanuet Wine

Bison

FedEx

NBC

Portrait Photos Studio

amazon.com

Raven Financial

Sun Microsoft

Goodwill Industries

Skittles Candy

Wisdom Spa

Toblerone Chocolate

Tostitos

8 Fish Sushi Restaurant

 Eight

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream

This was just for fun. I'm not suggesting you do this to your logo.  The important thing is that you keep it simple & it's easy to be recognized--especially when used in advertising & imprinted on promotional custom products.

Here are the answers:

1. Hanuet Wine:  two wine glasses in the H
2. Bison: the word shapes a buffalo & was designed for a rock band from Vancouver, Canada
3. FedEx:  space between the E & the X forms an arrow pointing right, meaning moving forward & it depicts speed for which the company is known for
4. NBC: showing the peacock looking to the right, again symbolizing looking forward--not back
5. Portrait Photos: the negative space under the camera & the lens forms a person
6. Amazon.com:  the arrow is in the shape of a smile & goes from A to Z, depicting a happy customer & that they're a company that will sell anything from a to z.
7. Raven: (a Dutch financial company) the negative space between the 3 ravens forms a 4th raven
8. Sun Microsoft:  4 interwoven copies of the word sun that can be read from any direction
9. Goodwill Industries:  the letter "g" is also a smiling face
10. Skittles: look at how their token red Skittle is placed on the package & the prominent "X"
11. Body Wisdom:  (high end day spa) the hands convey a relaxing massage while forming an owl's head meaning wisdom
12. Toblerone Chocolate:  from Bern, Switzerland. Bern means City Of Bears & a bear is incorporated into the Swiss Alps
13. Tostitos: the T's form two people eating a chip over a bowl of salsa--the I--& gives the idea of connecting, having fun & being social.
14. Piano Forest:  piano keys on a keyboard shaped like trees
15. Yoga Australia: (my favorite) look close & you'll see the body posture creates the map of the country, Australia
16. 8 Fish: how many fish do you see--4 or 8?
17. Treacy Shoes: there's a shoe in the negative space between the T & the S
18. Eight: various parts of the figure 8 are used to form the word "eight"
19. Baskin Robbins: 31 for their 31 flavors is incorporated in their logo (B & R)
20. Hope For African Children Initiative: (definitely another favorite!) what do you see first--the faces or the map of Africa?

How did you do?  If anyone got them all correct, let me know in the comments section.  Also send me logos that you've found that have a subliminal message.  There's definitely more than 20 out there--I only chose the ones I thought were the most creative. 

IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Traveling With Promotional Imprinted Products

Do you really want to get your name & logo out there for everyone to see? Have it go places where you won't be going? How would you like to advertise your business nationwide, worldwide inexpensively--sometimes for under a dollar?

That's not an exaggeration. It can be done simply by putting your logo on a promotional custom product that would be used while traveling. Think of the exposure just one luggage tag, umbrella or backpack can get.

Summer is less than a month away & it's one of the heaviest travel seasons. Take advantage of this time & hand out promotional items that people will use when they go on vacations. Wherever they go, they're taking your business right along with them!

You can distribute them among your targeted audience who travels, whether for pleasure or business. They're ideal to give out at trade shows, seminars & sporting events. You don't have to be in the travel industry to hand out these logo imprinted products.

Here are some ideas for customized promotional items that will spread your company name around while the recipient is traveling:

Luggage Tags:  Yes, it is the obvious; but you don't have to hand out just an ordinary rectangular tag. They're now available in all shapes, including the shape of your logo. Make your company name pop with the multitude of bright colors that are available. My favorite has motion-sensored lights & lights up as it goes down the baggage carousel. Then there's the tag that is 3-D lenticular--it has brilliantly colored changing images. You do not need glasses to get the effect & it's animated........now how fun is that!

Sleep Mask:  While your clients snooze at 50,000 feet, this item will advertise your business to everyone who strolls down the aisle. The imprint space is large enough to vividly show off your logo & company name.

Luggage Identifiers:  These wrap around most luggage handles & make identifying baggage easier. Your business will travel in style as it's being wheeled around airports country-wide. They come in an assortment of bright colors & will make your company name stand out.

Back Packs & Duffel Bags:  There is not too much I can add that you don't already know. The large area will advertise your logo spectacularly. Shapes, sizes, colors, price ranges........there's no end to the options you have to choose from. Just think of the places they will go & the people who will see them.

Umbrellas:  Your customer may be traveling, but the sun may be on vacation too. These are necessary to any traveler who is not going to a tropical island. Compact, collapsible umbrellas are easy to pack & take up no room. Your company can be imprinted on one panel or all panels. You can shine on the dreariest of days.

Beach Towels: These are huge colorful billboards for your business. There is no limit to what you can put towels & enhance your company's image. The large space used for your copy & the imprint colors will attract attention for you on the beach or by the pool. Not everyone who is going to a beach area will be in a hotel that supplies towels........let's not forget about the campers.

Coolers:  And speaking of camping, everyone will need a cooler--whether its' a small one that holds 24 cans of sodas or a large one that's on wheels. Again, there's ample room to display your logo & advertising message. These are so useful & something that can be used over & over, even when not on vacation.

These are just a few ideas where you can display your company name when your clients travel. When they go on vacation, let them take your business along for the ride.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY........SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman