Tuesday, December 28, 2010

SNOWPOCALYPSE!

No, I don't mean the Foursquare venue that helped so many people unlock the Super Duper Swarm and Epic Swarm Badges.  I mean when I look out my window, and all I see are cars that are up to their antennas in snow, I can only think Promotional Products!  Lets take a look at a few items that you could have given to your target market that might have saved them from this year's Snowmageddon.

Telescoping Ice Scraper.
Portable Ice Scraper

The Telescoping Ice Scraper is a serious tool that will be loved and kept by any one with a car.  The Portable one is a handy device that can be kept in the glove box.  The words that we would have heard from the wielder of these tools yesterday would have been something like; "Thank goodness that (your company name) gave me this ice scraper!  This thing totally saved my life!"

Check out this big Mamma-Jamma!
This Folding Snow Shovel is freaking amazing!  Any person who was equipped with this thing over the weekend had absolutely no fears about the snow.  Just knowing that I had this would have helped me sleep more soundly while the snow was pouring down.  Give this one to your target demographic, or to your clients when winter is upon us, and they will surely say; "Good thing I have this freaking awesome snow shovel.  Boy, (your company name) really saved my life"!

The moral of the story is to Never Stop Promoting!  And, if you keep your promotions seasonal, you can end up saving a life and generating a very loyal client.



Monday, December 20, 2010

The Season of Giving

I want to talk about one of my most favoritest gifts.  A personalized, etched wine bottle.  These bottles are gorgeous!  But not everyone drinks, so what now?  Well, you also have the option of Maple Syrup, Champaign, and Olive Oil...  something for everyone!  These bad boys are machine etched and then hand painted to make every word and logo really stand out.  Check out the pics:


Once your logo and message is etched into the bottle, you can then personalize the bottles by name.  Imagine your 40 best clients receiving a bottle of wine with your logo etched directly into the glass, and underneath your logo is a message of 'thank you' and their name.  This bottle will probably sit on their desk for years, untouched until that day when 8 feet of snow forces everyone to stay overnight at work and every last drop of every thing is drank.  Even then though, the empty bottle will persist.
   

Monday, December 6, 2010

The 12 Days of Swagmas!

As New York's premier Marketing Materials supplier, United was in charge this year of writing the industries' holiday theme song.  So, after all of the creative sessions and band meetings, here it is; The 12 Days of Swagmas!

On the First day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
A Pen in a Box for me!

On the Second day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
2 Turtlenecks
and a Pen in a Box for me!

On the Third day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me.

On the Fourth day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me.

On the Fifth day of Swagmas, United gave to meeee:
5 Golden Things ! !
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me

On the Sixth day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
6 Fleece Embroidered
5 Golden Things
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me.

On the Seventh day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
7 Totes a-toting
6 Fleece Embroidered
5 Golden Things
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me

On the Eighth day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
8 Mugs with Logo's
7 Totes a-toting
6 Fleece Embroidered
5 Golden Things
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me

On the Ninth day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
8 Mugs with Logo's
7 Totes a-toting
6 Fleece Embroidered
5 Golden Things
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me

On the Tenth day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
9 Lanyards Hangin'
8 Mugs with Logo's
7 Totes a-toting
6 Fleece Embroidered
5 Golden Things
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me

On the Eleventh day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
10 Lens Cloths Wiping
9 Lanyards Hangin'
8 Mugs with Logo's
7 Totes a-toting
6 Fleece Embroidered
5 Golden Things
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me

On the Twelfth day of Swagmas, United gave to me:
11 Pencils Drawing
10 Lens Cloths Wiping
9 Lanyards Hangin'
8 Mugs with Logo's
7 Totes a-toting
6 Fleece Embroidered
5 Golden Things
4 Calling Cards
3 Flying Discs
2 Turtlenecks
And a Pen in a Box for me

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

How do you say "Thank You"?

One of the things that we do best here at United is saying 'thank you'.  We say thank you a lot, sometimes we say it on behalf of ourselves, and sometimes we help others say thank you on their own behalf.

You can thank someone in the form of a card, or a gift.  One of the most popular ways that businesses say 'thank you' this time of year is by sending food gifts to their clients and friends.  We all keep an eye out at the end of the year for the giant basket of delicious treats that someone sent in to the office to say thank you.  Sometimes, though, they substitute the cookies and candy for a big basket of fruit.  But that's OK too.

One of the best ways that we have ever said 'thank you' to our clients is in the following video.



How do you say thank you this time of year?  Happy Thanksgiving from United!


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Lanvin Halloween Party

United was asked to produce a Gigantic banner for the opening of a very high end Fashion designer’s Flagship store in NYC.  This banner is a mesh material so that it can be displayed outside for a period of time without being ravaged by the wind and can withstand other elements.
Produced in 2 days, the printing on this banner is such great quality that the details of the artwork could be made out across the busy Manhattan street.  During the day one can hear comments being made by passers by.
This outdoor piece is 15’ x 20’ and had to be installed by professional banner installers.  This banner was mounted the opening day of the store which happened to be Friday, October 29th.  Lanvin threw a Halloween party and Janet Jackson was there.  Rumor has it; she stood outside and just admired the banner for 10 whole minutes.


Friday, October 29, 2010

The Best Part About Politics is the Promotional Products.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are having a rally in Washington DC this weekend called "Rally to Restore Sanity" slash "The March to Keep Fear Alive".  Thousands of people are currently en route to the National Mall to show their support for the Comedy Central duo.  And even more, in the hundreds of thousands, have shown their support on facebook and twitter.  Don't miss the CNN article, and live streaming of the event.


ASI (Advertising Specialties Institute) just came out with a study of the effectiveness of promotional products in the political arena.  What excellent timing.  If Colbert and Stewart are the cutting edge of politics, I would love to see what kind of Swag they are giving out.  Then I will compare and contrast with the ASI study.  Let's  see who is the better swag expert (swaxpert?, swagspert?).

If you happen to be down there this weekend, send me some pictures of the swag you get!  I'll send you a prize!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Showcase 2010 Follow Up!

This year's showcase was spectacular!  We want to give our thanks to the Cornell Club and our wonderful friends and clients who were there to support us.  We could not have asked for better people people to join us at our Annual Event.  Check out the pictures in our Picasa gallery.

Didn't get an invite?  Send me a message, email, or comment, and I will make sure that you are on the list for next year.  We hope to see you there!  It is the absolute best way to pick out your holiday promotions.

Friday, October 1, 2010

United's Annual Gift Showcase is Back!

I know it has been a while since I have been on here, but we have been busy.  Next week is United's Annual Gift Showcase!  This year we are holding it at The Cornell Club on 44th St in NYC and it is going to be amazing!

Check out our Save the Date and Invite mailings, where we promote our greenlyness and show off some of our printing and direct mailing ability.



Ohhh, pretty!

There will be free food and drinks.  It will be the perfect opportunity for you to come see, touch, and actually use the items that will be on display.  Don't know what your holiday gifts to your clients will be this year?  Come to the showcase and we will show you the perfect thing.  Do you want make corporate gift buying easy?  This is the best opportunity you will have to make that dream into reality. 

See you there!
Thursday, Oct 10th, The Cornell Club 44th St. NYC.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Summer Stories: Target Harlem

Whenever Jerry Seinfeld shows up to a New York event, you know it's important. For example, Target just opened a location in Harlem, and yes, Jerry Seinfeld was there.  Along with Jerry, were other celebs like classic hip-hop artist Doug E. Fresh, and the famous, and adorable, Target Dog.


I was lucky enough to acquire an invite as well, but i was not United's only presence there.  Check out the Target napkins that we printed:


The next item we did for Target turned out to be a favorite at the event.  Target tote bags were a hot item.  Below is a pic of a well known fashion blogger sporting Target's superb tote:





Monday, June 7, 2010

Summer Stories; Inflatables!

Memorial Day, the landmark weekend which most people have come to associate with their kick off of summer, has come and gone. Although the season's actual starting date isn't until June 21st, with temperatures hitting beach weather almost every day lately, who cares?

So what better promotional product to roll out (no pun intended) than the blow up beach ball featured at last weeks PAPERMAG/H&M Beautiful People party in Los Angelas. Half concert, half fashion show, everyone had a blast and United played our part by supplying the branded inflatables

Whether you're hosting a company pool party or a weekend long event, these fun balls with your name on them are sure to make an unforgettable splash.


--submitted by lovely guest writer; KD

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Pens? Pens. PENS!!!


You just can never have enough pens. In our office here at United, we have hundreds - possibly (probably) - thousands of pens at our disposal at any time. Everyone uses, looses, borrows, steals, and needs pens.

Now look at the pen closest to you right now. Where did you get it? Unless you are one of those people with a writing fetish for those "high-flow ink" pens, chances are good that it just came across your desk somehow. You borrowed it from someone, or accidentally put it in your pocket after signing the receipt at your local pub last night, or someone gave it to you at a trade show.

You can never have enough pens. There are So Many brilliant ideas for good promotional products. But think about your target market and your budget, will a pen be a gift that they will find useful (how could anyone not find a pen useful?) And will this pen enable you to expose your brand to someone almost every day? The answer is a resounding yes.

Check out some of our pen collections:





Monday, April 19, 2010

Ninja Promotion! Don't Tell Anyone...

OK, I'm just kidding, tell everyone. My friend recently posted a link to a video on my [insert social networking platform here] page.




Some of you might think that you are familiar with ninjas. Some of you might just be getting into ninjas for the first time. Either way, according to the wall street journal, the title of 'Ninja' is growing.

You might be asking yourself why I'm talking about ninjas on a blog for promotional products? Shouldn't ninjas be all stealthy and quiet? Well, there is a lot of truth to that statement. However, with growing competition in the field of being a ninja, how does one elicit more work from a shrinking customer base?? Ninja Promotions! That's how!


Here is my ninja stress-guy in various locations around my cube... You know how ninjas are sneaky like that:








Thursday, March 25, 2010

Convention Checklist Part 5/5 - The Swagg!

I had to save the best for last... Checklist part 5 of 5 is the ever important Promotional Product! United was sporting 2 fan favorites; hand sanitizer and a crescent sling bag. People loved (LOVED!) the bag, and the hand sanitizer went over swimmingly since people spent all day shaking other people's hands.

Our swag was quite popular, but i have to give credit where credit is due. The New York Times and Con Ed held it down with some of my favorite items:

Compressed Sponge

Foldable Flying Disc



I really, really love the flying disc. I'm not sure why exactly, I think it just screams; "fun is about to take place". And the compressed sponge, well, I can explain that one even less, but I'll tell you this; it will remain on my desk/ in my kitchen/ on my mind for the next few months.
What is the lesson people? Just because you are one of the most respected, trusted, and stuffy-seeming news papers in the world, doesn't mean you can't give out frisbees at a trade show.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Come out and grab some schwag!

On march 24th I will be exhibiting at The Brooklyn Business Expo. Come out and see how I set up my booth. Come by and introduce yourself and grab some schwag. I will have convention checklist 1-5 all there (what is #5? If you haven't already figured it out, come to my booth and i will show you).

Either way, it's free to attend so stop on by.

Convention Checklist Part 4/5 - Floor Graphics

The coolest thing about Floor Graphics is that you have almost unlimited advertising space and very little competition. A lot of convention centers will allow you to put floor graphics in the aisles to drive traffic towards your booth, but not many people actually do. If you use the removable adhesive type, the floor can't be carpeted, so call the venue first and make sure that it's ok.

Another cool thing about the adhesive floor graphics, is that they can be die-cut into any shape. Think of the potential with this; arrows pointing towards your booth, or footprints leading the way. You could print in four color process on the graphics and showcase your product as people walk by. Imagine printing something that looks like a dollar bill on your graphic. Talk about getting attention, you will have people literally stopping and bending over to try and grab it. Yalk about having a potential consumer's complete attention!

A different type of 'floor graphics' that I love, that not many people think about, is the customized carpet. As a frequenter of conventions and trade shows as an attendee, walking on concrete for 8 hours can be hard on the feet, back, and knees. Having a nice, plushy carpet in your booth will encourage people to come back just so they can have a sigh of relief as thepressure is relieved on their feet. (Plus, you get to stand on comfy, plushy carpet for 8 hours too).

Check out our very self-explanatory (But effective) floor graphic:








Monday, March 15, 2010

Convention Checklist Part 3/5 - Table Cloth

Ok all of you booth jockeys out there, I've got 2 words for you; Brand Everything.

It is important that you send a consistent message to your prospective clients and convention attendees. One of the nicer ways to do this is with a customized table cloth. They typically come in 6' or 8' options, and can be 'fitted' or 'throw style'. whether you get one or the other should depend on your look and your budget. I find that the 8 Ft. throw style can be re used in multiple situations, but there is something sleek about a fitted table cloth. The smooth lines curving with and conforming to the table. It's just a sexier look.

There are also printing options. Spot color vs. 4 color process. Again, this will depend largely on your look and your budget. Call us, we will help you make the most of your marketing dollar.



Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Scavenger Hunt is on!!

I am pausing from the convention series for a moment to announce a new competition! A fan sent me these pics, they were covertly snapped on an NYC subway.



A random sighting of UPG's bag in a bag!

To help prove the efficacy of promotional products, United is announcing the 'See Our schwag, Win a Bag' competition!! (I know you are excited about this)

How it works:

-See any United Print Group promotion out in the world, take a picture, send it to me, win.

-It Cannot be your item that you asked someone else to hold while you take a picture. (no cheating)

-Send in a picture, and the location of the sighting.

-Make friends with the person holding the item, and thank them for helping you win a new CAR! (...shaped stress reliever), and a bag, tote, or backpack (or 2) of my choosing.

Thanks for playing, send in those pics!


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Part 2: The Booth.

After noticing your lovely retractile banner, your perspective client will probably mosey on over to your booth. Now is when we get to the meat and potatoes; your booth display.

You have many options here. You could get a large background and podium:



Or how about one of my personal favorites, the mosaic display. This one is easily set up and taken down, is very transportable and very eye catching.


You can also use the 3 angle display. It's a very simple and effective way to get your message across:
Here I have only listed 3 of many, many options. These are all great options. You can call the experts here and we can discuss which one will best showcase your business.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Convention Checklist Part 1/5 - Banners

Today begins our five part series on convention planning and materials. I will talk about what you need in terms of marketing materials to get the attention you want from the attendees. And I will give you ideas that will help you achieve top-of-mind awareness. Heed my advice and you will get more new clients from every trade show that you do.

Let's get started by talking about the piece that is usually the largest and will help attract attention to your booth or table; the banner. Too many booth jockeys (just coined it) over look the importance of having a sign at eye level. Convention attendees walk by hundreds of smiling faces. (Don't get me wrong, having a smiling face is important.) However, you will not stand out if you simply sit there smiling. You must to have some signage. Take, for example, the United banner.



A few points about our banner;
-Vibrant colors that meet our branding guidelines.
-Taller than the average person, so that people can see the banner, even if they are in a crowd.
-LARGE lettering so people can read it from almost any distance.
-Convenient and east to open, close, carry around, and store.
-Comes with its own carrying bag, and the entire package is actually very light.

Although our banner just has our logo, many companies find it useful to have their banners display some of their products and services.

There are so many types of banners out there; we can always help you find the right banner for you. I think that the retractable banner is perfect for busy convention booth jockeys because it looks great, it's light, and it's easy to set up.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our series, coming next week!

Friday, February 12, 2010

My new favorite promo.

This is it everyone! We can finally stop thinking of new and innovative marketing specialties because we will never surpass this:

The Can Grip:









I freaking love this thing. I use it at every opportunity. I believe the tagline goes something like: Adding class to the 12 oz. can. Screen printed on the outside of the handle with a 1 color imprint; Imagine getting one of these badboys when you step into your favorite bar. Or how about the bonding that will occur when you can easily spot your frat brother from across the keg party because the hand that is not fist-pumping is clutching the same "TKE" (or whichever combination of roman numerals) Can Grip as you are?! I see high-fives in the near future, maybe even a little bromance.

Are you trying to reach the beer or soda can drinking market? Oh, you mean nearly everyone? This is the perfect item...

Come to think of it actually; don't stop coming up with new items yet... I will need one of these for bottles too.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Vegas Convention

Next week is the industry's big, big show in fabulous Las Vegas!! I will be there all week, and I will be thinking of you, my reader, as I go from aisle to aisle, finding the best, coolest, funnest, greenest, newest, and most unique items for me to blog about and for you to read about.

Looking for a special promotion this year? Do you have great marketing ideas swirling about in your brain, but you're not sure how to execute? Does your company only buy promotions that are forest-green in color? Now is the perfect time for us to talk! Drop me a line, comment, or email and I will be sure to bring you back some awesome samples that will tie your marketing campaign together like magic!

Let's start oh10 off the right way... By going to Vegas. Umm, that is, by going to Vegas and owning this convention!

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