Falkins Advertising Specialties

How Promotional Products Compare

Christmas is approaching so fast and I was wondering what to report for my December newsletter. I decided to do a 3 part “Promotional Products 2011!

 The first being “What is a Promotional Product?”

 The words “Promotional Products” is actually a blanket term for a wide range of items. I’ve tried to narrow this down to 5 groups.

 AD SPECIALTIES – An ad specialty usually comes with a logo or promotional message on it, and has a practical use. A few examples would be, mugs, pens calendars, key tags etc. The list can be endless but the important thing to remember is that Ad Specialties are generally given with no obligation.

PREMIUMS – Premiums on the other hand, come with strings attached. These Premiums are offered as an incentive for your clients to respond in a certain manner; for example “Purchase this bike and receive a free water bottle”.

AWARDS – These are usually in the form of lapel or service pens, jewelry, watches, clocks crystals etc. The recognition is often more important than the award, but it is a symbol of the honour received. These awards usually have an inscription showing the individuals’ name, the reason for receiving the award and the date.

BUSINESS GIFTS – These are usually given to customers, employees or suppliers, to thank, recognize performance, or develop new business. About half of all corporations give these business gifts and find them very effective. A few examples of these gifts would be Clothing, Golf Accessories, or Pen and Pencil sets.

MISCELLANEOUS PROMOTIONS – This is a catchall for any items that do not fit a specific category. These might include products for membership in a club or sponsorship; for example the company name or logo imprinted on a jacket, hat or shirt etc. Souvenirs for tourists, such as coffee mugs, key chains, hats or towels. Promotional events very often use logoed balloons and banners to promote their events.

If you would like to discuss these and any other Promotional idea to “Brand” your business please feel free to contact us at 250-317-4333.

People are constantly telling me that they have to cut back as business is slow and the one thing they always cut first is advertising. Cutting back (or eliminating) your advertising budget when business is slow is certainly the easiest thing to do, but it isn’t the right thing to do.

Advertising is not something you dabble in when things are good it should be a constant that you do throughout all of the ups and downs in the marketplace. Your advertising dollar is not what is left over after you’ve paid your “important” bills; it “is” one of your important bills.

You have to constantly tell your clients and the people you want to be your clients that you are still here and ready to do business with them. You need to be shouting from the roof tops that you are here.

I read recently that businesses should be spending between 3% and 5% of their gross sales on advertising. If you are not perhaps you should reexamine your advertising strategy. You can’t afford to stop advertising now.

Remember, this is part of “Branding” your business and “Promotional Products, help you Brand ‘YOUR’ business”.

Please feel free to call me to discuss different promotional ideas for your business.

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

At Falkins Advertising Specialties our specialty is in Corporate Apparel Wear, Beverage Containers, Bags,
Business Gifts, Writing Instruments Tools and Knives.

What is the mission of your nonprofit organization? Most non-profits exist to spreadthe word about an important issue or to raise money to meet a need. Promotional products can serve as an important part of your strategy in many different ways.

The purposes of promotional products usually fall into one of the following categories:
- increase name recognition
- advertise a product or services the word, promotional items can

- thank customers or contributors
- raise funds
- increase support for a cause

Non-profit agencies often find themselvesworking on public awareness advertising and marketing campaigns. While radio PSAs and flyers are good ways of spreading the word, promotional items can really launch a message in a way that it can’t be ignored. Whether your message is a greener Earth or cleaner lungs promotional items can
help create a“buzz” for your cause.

Bruce Falkins has been very involved locally on the local boards and eventually President of the “Central Okanagan Home Based Business Association (COHBBA). Bruce was also a director of the Promotional Products Professionals
of Canada (PPPC) for five years. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise and has held many positions on the board including President. In 2010-2011

Bruce accepted the position of Assistant District Governor for Area 4 of the CentralOkanagan responsible
for helping the nine local Rotary Clubs as well as two Interact clubs and one Rotaract Club. One of the
main reasons Bruce joined Rotary was its incredible scope. We can work with local organizations as well as around
the world, and my contribution “does”make a difference.One of my most fulfilling local projects is our
clubs “Dictionary” program where each year we deliver a dictionary to every grade three students at Pearson Road Elementary School. This dictionary is theirs to keep and used at home and school year after year.

“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”

As posted in Beyond 50 Fall Edition

Ramesh Ferris – Guess Speaker

Ramesh Ferris, a man who hand cycled across Canada, will speak in Kelowna about surviving polio. Ramesh’s visit is being sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of the Central Okanagan.

A Canadian polio survivor and long distance cyclist Ramesh Ferris will speak at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna  on October 30, 2010.

Born in Tamil Nadu, India, Ramesh was infected by polio when he was six months old. At the age of two he was adopted by Canadian parents in Whitehorse Yukon Territories and, after many surgeries and physical rehabilitation, learned to walk with the aid of crutches.

Ramesh Ferris first made the news in 2008, when he hand-cycled across Canada to help Rotary raise awareness and funds to fight this disease that still threatens children in parts of Africa and Asia. Ramesh hand cycled more than 7,110 km by hand cycle over 173 days, and raised $318,000.00 Cdn. and increased the awareness of polio dramatically.

Ramesh is a Paul Harris Fellow, Vice President of the Whitehorse Rotary Club, and Chair of the Rotary PolioPlus Committee for his club. In April 2010 Ramesh released his first book entitled “Better than a Cure, One Man’s Journey to Free the World of Polio”. His book will be available, for purchase (at $20.00 per book) and for him to sign at the event on October 30, 2010. Proceeds benefit Rotary PolioPlus.

Most recently Ramesh shared Rotary’s message of Polio Eradication to delegates at the 2010 Rotary International Convention in Montréal, including  The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper,His Royal Highness Prince Phillip and Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II.

This November Ramesh has been invited to speak at the United Nations as part of Rotary International Day. Ramesh is looking forward to speaking in Kelowna and sharing his personal journey of surviving Polio and invites everyone to join with Rotary in their efforts of making our global community polio free!

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

Summer in the Okanagan; “The Heat is ON”. The summer conjures up lots of things for me, vacations, camping trips, boating, biking, barbeques, swimming in Okanagan Lake and spending quality time with my “new” Granddaughter. (Her Mom and Dad too). Summer should be all about long days in the sun and short days in the office. Golfing also comes to mind. The last thing we want to think about is work…..unfortunately, the vast majority of has still have to!

How do we make the most of the summer when it comes to an effective Promotional Product to give away at the next picnic, a trade show or meeting? Remember although the season has changed the game has not. Don’t fight the summer, use the season to your promotional advantage.

Give Promotional Products your clients and prospects will use. We all want to beat the heat in the Okanagan so why not give logoed lip bor sun tan lotion or screen, fans or the all around baseball cap is always popular. By giving your clients an item that protects them from the sun or keeps them cool on a hot day and you will also be remembered while they are out on the water or golf course.

It doesn’t pay to give away the usual items that we give the rest of the year. Planners and desk accessories may not work for you at this time of year, save these for late September or October. Try to keep it fun and light. This is the time of year golf balls, golf apparel and almost anything related to golf are welcomed.
Remembering that at this time of year people just want to stay cool and have fun and giving the right Promotional item will help you “Brand” yourself at this time of year and help you stay top of mind.

Please feel free to call me to discuss different promotional ideas for your business.

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

Doris Janssen, CHBC News Kelowna: Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Kelowna’s generosity has exceeded a local charity goal and will help people all over the world walk an extra mile or two in a decent pair of shoes.

The locally organized Soles 4 Souls fundraiser was originally looking for 25,000 pairs of shoes for needy people in the Okanagan and in 125 countries around the world. More than 40,000 pairs have been donated.

“Not only the people of Kelowna and the Okanagan have opened up their hearts to this cause, they’ve opened up their closets in droves and brought down lots of footwear,” says Jim Belshaw, the local organizer and owner of Roy’s Shoes in Kelowna.

Sorting is taking place to box up the shoes and send them to a sorting location in Nevada, where the shoes will be distributed by the world wide Soles 4 Souls organization, with the help of Telus Community Ambassadors and the Kelowna Sunrise Rotary Club.

Many pairs stayed in the Okanagan to benefit less fortunate people.

Shoe manufacturer Keen also donated dozens of brand new shoes for the cause.

“What we did was contact as many social agencies up and down the valley we could,” says Belshaw. “I was on the phone right until last night. Contacting them and reminding them to come down.”

“He’s got a variety of warm boots and runners and also has sandals,” says Sonja Mountain, an outreach worker with the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society. “With the warm weather coming up it’s going to be awesome for our clients.”

“Often times when our clients are going to find a job, or go to work, they need boots or decent shoes, and it’s always posed a problem,” says Mountain. “When he called us for this opportunity we jumped on it.”

The event is expected to take place every year.

The goals of your business should be kept in mind, there are thousands of different pens available so it’s important to differentiate between plastic and metal pens, stick pens and click style pens, there are so many options. The appearance of your pen needs to compliment your business and style, this is not to say that a less expensive pen is not desirable you just need to decide on its function and work from there.

The use of Promotional Pens now exceeds $2 billion. Promotional clothing is still ahead of pens, however consider how many pens with other businesses names do you find in your brief cases, desk drawers, your purse, or your home. Where did you get these pens? There’s a good chance somebody else owned them first and with the daily exchange of a pen you ended up with it.

Some people have suggested with the computer age pens may become obsolete and yet they remain a necessity in our world. Pens are needed at home, in the office, in restaurants, law firms and Doctor’s offices. Pens remain one of the most universal of Promotional Products!

Promotional pens are very reasonable especially as they travel between so many hands; the cost per impression is very low. Prices of pens vary from as low as $0.50 each to over $1000.00 each, but it doesn’t matter what your budget is, there is a promotional pen you can put your name on.

The most important thing is to display your company name and or logo proudly along with telephone or web information. I always recommend to my clients less is more when it comes to decorating your pen.

Why not try Promotional Pens for your next advertising campaign?

Give us a call!!!

-
Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
http://www.falkinsadvertising.com/

In times of the recession within the UK business is expected to struggle over the next few months to a year. Businesses whether forced to or not begin to look at ways in which they can cut their budgets and this on more occasions that not can mean cutting the spending on company marketing.

However cutting down marketing efforts does not help a company in the long run. After all people still need to know about your brand and this is especially important for new business. Alas cutting down marketing spending does not offer a simple solution but rather complicates things further down the line. Businesses should therefore be thinking about ways in which they can maximise their marketing efforts, get their brand out there and to do this with a minimum amount of spending but to a great degree of success and ROI and promotional products offer this.

Promotional products refer to merchandise that are used in marketing and communication program of a business. Promotional products, also known as corporate gifts or promotional gifts, are simple artefacts that contain your company brand logo. The beauty of promotional products is that there are so many to choose from all depending on your company’s budget and they come with no-strings attached.

When thinking of promotional products people commonly think of promotional pens and promotional mugs. However there are so much more that can really add something to your company. You can have promotional games such as Rubix Cubes to other toys and games. You can get promotional USBs, computer mice and mice mats. These are all very useful pieces of equipment to have and all contain you company’s brand that people will use on a daily basis.

The perception that promotional gifts can give to your company are also one of the things that makes promotional gifts so worthwhile. If you are an IT company and you give away free promotional USBs to customers and prospective customers it shows that your company understands new technology and people’s needs as well as having a product that is very much a part of the industry you operate in.

Promotional gifts can also make your company appear fun, zany and wacky which, in the internet age, is a good way of getting noticed. Giving away promotional sweets, games, stress toys or golf balls for example is a welcome surprise and does not give your company too much of a cold corporate perception. This is a common strategy which big corporations are using now and if you go to any big exhibition you will see well known companies such as EBay, Microsoft and Google using it.

Another positive aspect of promotional products is the cost. Promotional products are very cost effective and you can pay for what you need as you buy them in batches. On top of this there are so many varieties of the same product that range in price. For example you can get luxury metallic promotional pens or a cheaper plastic alternative all of which can be purchased in different batch sizes. So for small businesses it may be a batch of 100 and for bigger businesses a batch of 10,000 and so on-it is really up to you.

Overall promotional gifts show that there is hope in this economic climate to still advertise and market your brand and that cutting the budget altogether is not the only option. There are other ways in getting your brand noticed and heard and promotional products offer a great solution to this.
About the Author:

David Woods has worked in branding and marketing communications for a variety of businesses over the past 20 years and has much experience in using corporate gifts for various budgets. More information can be found at http://www.leighmans.com/

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Beating the Credit Crunch with Promotional Products

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