Want More Exposure, Get a Great Pen

Do you have that pen that may as well be one of your prized possessions?  One that you will not let anyone borrow because it might “disappear”?  I know that you do, or did at one point. That pen is THE ONE. Why did you like it so much? Was it gold and fancy?  Did it write smoother than any other pen? Was it one with cool features?  Whatever the reason was, you remembered it.

That pen probably had a logo or company name on it.  I know that my favorite pen did. Since it was my favorite one, of course I remember the logo that was on it too.  It turns out that the pen was branded with the AC/DC logo.  It was a shiny metallic blue that lit up when you clicked it on and off.  The letters were white and the logo was iconic, with the lightning bolt in the middle. It was the best pen and it “disappeared”.  Just like I remember the logo on that pen, other people and potential customers will remember the logo on their favorite pen as well.  And wouldn’t it be great if that logo was yours?

All companies ask themselves; “How do we get ourselves out there, how do we gain more exposure?”

Clearly AC/DC has moved on from branding only Pens

A great pen could be your answer. That pen may be the reason you get a new customer. You will be exposed to potential customers, as well as those “magicians “who pull their “disappearing acts.”  Which is unfortunate for the pen owner, or should I say previous owner now, but great for companies who want that exposure. Something as simple as the right promotional product can do wonders for your company. Something as simple as a great pen can help increase your exposure to the right people and help you increase your sales.

You can find some amazing pens and other great promos at UnitedTSC.com.  Samples are free, so please let us know what we can send you!


(written and submitted by our guest blogger and marketing intern; Shanelle Simpson.)

Lead the League in Attendance.. With Custom Gifts

The bobblehead is credited as one of the most coveted and valuable custom gifts - but how does that translate into actual sales? Take a look at the LA Dodgers, who, despite not having the best record in baseball, have the highest attendance in the league. Leading the pack at nearly 46, 000 attendees per game, the west coast team neatly beats out their competitors, the St. Louis Cardinals, by about 3,000 people per game. 

The reason is simple; more people come to games when there is a custom gift. A unique item can bolster attendance by as much as 15,000 to 20,000 people, and a bobblehead is an envied custom gift among fans. Give attendees and clients a custom gift, and you'll see a boost in sales.

Personalized Water Bottles

Ever drink water?  Me too!  Nowadays everyone is carrying a water bottle around with them, whether it be to the gym, to classes, or on the subway.  It's an eco-friendly option to plastic bottles and also serves as a multitude of traveling advertisements.  Personalizing water bottles with your organization's insignia will allow people to take notice as the these mini-billboards are carried around in public.

We have a variety of bottle designs, each capable of honoring your organization with a personal inscription.  Take advantage of this plentiful media opportunity by getting your name out there while quenching the thirst of the masses.

Personalized Survival Kit

Give the gift that keeps on giving...you a chance of surviving in the wilderness.  Let's face it...no matter how many episodes of Man vs. Wild you may have watched, you my friend, are no Bear Grylls.  But we have the tools to give you a fighting chance.  This well rounded collection of wilderness tools comes packaged in a rugged canvas case available in an assortment of tactical colors.  The front of the case features a leather emblem eagerly awaiting your personal inscription.

Unzip your custom case and....BOOM!!!  

Hello there personal wilderness armory.  

Inside you'll find:

-Multi-Tool

-Flashlight

-Shovel

-Saw

-Hatchet / Throwing Tomahawk

This survival kit is the perfect promotional item for the: casual outdoor enthusiast, wilderness explorer, doomsday prepper, or anyone who prefers surviving the inevitable zombie apocalypse.   

Nostalgic Promotional Buttons

A presidential election button is inarguably the greatest promotional item ever crafted by the hands of mere mortals.  If Nixon’s iconic handsome smile could gain national recognition from such a successful advertising tool, imagine what this item could do for your organization. 

The design of these buttons clearly announces useful information while simultaneously evoking a pleasant euphoria of “the good ole days” via their retro imagery.  No action proclaims such a deep unwavering support than brandishing this shiny circular piece of Americana.  Emblazon your client’s attire with a nostalgic promotional button, and remember that at these prices “I am not a crook.”

Custom Umbrellas Make Great Corporate Gifts.

If your Monday morning was anything like mine today; you barely made it in the door before it started absolutely pouring rain outside.  Rainy days like this one always remind me why I really enjoy working in the promotional product and corporate gift world.  We have literally dozens of umbrella samples strewn about the office at all times.  I am never stuck in the rain without an umbrella!

When you give the gift of a custom umbrella, not only do you reinforce your branding, but you are also giving the recipient something so useful that they will want to keep it as long as possible.  This works even better when the gift of an umbrella ties in perfectly to the message that your company is trying to send.   Take Rand for example:

Their umbrellas are covered in messages about 'stopping leaks' and list some of the services that they offer.  This is a brilliant way to use an umbrella as a gift and as a billboard.

United has umbrellas at all styles and  price price points.  Are you giving your clients something that they will use and keep this rainy season?

Unique Party Promotional Product.

Jello is delicious.  Vodka is delicious.  Jello shots are spectacular.

However, if you have ever been presented with a jello shot at a party, you know that you must either tear into the cup and use your oral dexterity to take the shot.  Or - at the cost of sticky fingers - do what is colloquially referred to as 'the finger scoop'.

If you have ever seen a delicious spread like this one:

You know you are in for a treat.  And your hands will probably smell like jello for a while...  (at least until your hangover wears off).

Not any more, folks!  With this new Promotional Product, your parties will never be the same.  Its called the Twist n' Shot.  And its less than $1 at about 1,000 pieces.

No more sticky faces or fingers.  Just twist the rim and your jello shot is free of any hindrances or obstacles. With a sleek imprint surface, your logo will look great and will probably be the only thing remembered the next morning anyway.

Sorry, Bill.

My favorite Unique Custom Pen

I picked up a pen from a bar recently.  This awesome, unique, custom pen jumped right out at me.

The pen itself writes splendidly.  I noted as I was leaving a generous tip and signing my check.  And the soft-touch coating on the barrel was a nice surprise.  But the beauty of this pen is the clicking action.  You see, the clicking apparatus seems to be designed after the new resealable top that the beer has recently adopted.

This Czech beer, Bernard, clearly has a handle on what makes a great and unique custom pen.  It's not like this is a pen that they picked from a catalog.  Barnard clearly had to design this pen from scratch and completely custom manufacture it.  Great work guys...  Now, I'm regularly pissing off my coworkers by continuously clicking away at this pen because it is so much fun to use!  

Now if I could only find a bar that stocks the beer so i can give it a try...

Tote Bags to Replace Plastic Bags. Time to Give a Great Promo Item.

Well, we here at United called it.  Reusable and eco-friendly tote bags are going to replace the ubiquitous bodega plastic bags.  Its happening slowly, but it is happening.  This particular article points to Toronto where, soon enough, plastic bags will be banned from stores all together.

Just like with getting rid of the penny - and in turn saving millions of Canadian dollars (commonly referred to as the Loonie)- our neighbors in the north are once again one step ahead of us.  Canada can no longer be called just "America's Hat".

Promos in Japan Part 2

It is important to always consider your target demographic when choosing which promo you should be giving away.   If you have ever read my blog before, I'm sure that you already know this - and you're probably sick of hearing me say it-.  Here at United Print Group, we love listening to our clients.  It is how we are able work together to figure out the best way to increase brand awareness, and boost sales.

On my recent trip to Japan, naturally I grabbed all of the promos that I could.  Specifically whilst strolling through the city of Nagoya in the shopping district of Sakae, I picked up a couple of items:

These are packets of tissues.  Clearly, they are a useful item.  But what are these packs of tissues even telling me?

This one seems to be for a pachinko  arcade.  Arcades in Japan are ridiculously awesome, by the way)  This piece was simply a small packet of tissues with a full color insert.  Not the highest quality.  Its bright and cull of cute characters (it is from Japan, after all), but the poor print quality is mildly unsettling.

 But what the heck is this pack of tissues promoting?  The branding is printed directly onto the plastic tissue container.  and the quality is way better than the paper insert.

There is printing on the front and back.  There is plenty of room for info on this promo piece, but who would take the time to read it all?  Not me (not like I could read it if I wanted to, anyway).






So what is the point of all of this?  It is really easy to give out a promo that you know works because 'everyone else is doing it'.  When you work with United Print Group, it's about more than just an effective promotional product.  It's about connecting with your audience in a specific way.  Not just
catering to anyone with the sniffles who might need a tissue.

Japanese Promotional Products

Promotional Products are ubiquitous.  In our daily lives, we rarely pay attention to how many promos we interact with.  That is part of the beauty of promotional products.  We are constantly interacting with, and taking note of, brands who provide us with promos.  And all in a subtle and useful way.

This is not a uniquely American phenomenon.  I recently returned from Japan and I did my best to procure as many promo items as I could.  When you cannot read the language, this can be a rather tricky situation because I  didn't always know what the promos were touting.  So I was in a bar when I spotted this one:

The Japanese are infamous for their love of smoking.  This lighter (I have no idea what the website they are telling me to go to is, and I don't intend to find out- especially on my work computer-) is a great promotional product for Japan.  Most cigarette smoking goes down inside bars, restaurants, and special smoking sections of buildings.  Whenever people gather to smoke, someone always needs a light.

This, like most promo products in Japan has a QR code.  The best way to drive people to your website is to give out something that is often used and shared.  The QR code enables someone who is borrowing your lighter to visit the website without having to steal the lighter!

Are you a world traveler with a collection of foreign promos??  Send in your pics and I will feature them on the blog!  There might even be a gift reward for the participants!

Classic Promo's + Technology = The Echo Temple

When you speak to Promotional Product companies about technology, most will tell you about the most recent USB drive that they have done.  Or the automatic USB desktop back scratcher that they can send you a sample of (OK, this one doesn't actually exist...yet).

But, when an event marketing company in NYC needed promos for a high tech, innovative, interactive music display, they came to United Print Group.  Without getting into the boring technical printing details (there are plenty), I can tell you that event sponsors: Kyocera and Virgin Mobile were quite content with the outcome:




The Echo Temple from MPC on Vimeo.

Learn more about the whole project at: http://echotemple.tumblr.com/

Learn more about Virgin Mobile Free Fest: http://virginmobilefestival.com/

3 Reasons to Avoid Buying Your Promos Fom The Internet

I have recently been inspired by a slew of horror stories that people have shared with me about shopping online for Promotional Products.  Here are 3 of the most common troubles that I've heard about when people order online, and most importantly, the solutions.

- Buyer Beware

There are tens of thousands of promotional products.  If you ever try searching for a pen on one of these websites, you can get up to 80 pages of search results, no fun.  The beware part comes in when your order arrives and the pen that shows up does not look at all like the pen that was on your screen.  The pen may have looked like mahogany, but you found out the hard way that it was a cheap plastic imitation, and it doesn't even write well.

The solution: A conversation.  When we talk with our clients, we always ask them who their target market is.  You can feel comfortable knowing that if you want to impress people with your awesome pen, you will end up with an awesome pen, not a plastic imitation.

-It Was the Cheapest Option...  At First
Many online promo stores will boast that they have the lowest prices.  And that can seem to be true, until the bill arrives.  I recently heard tale of a lady who went online because the prices seemed to be better.  Little did she know that the special price that she saw advertised was for the red pen, not the blue one of the same style that she needed.  And by the time she paid extra for the laser engraving in 2 locations, she ended up spending way more than the advertised price.  That is just downright deceptive.

The Solution: Once again, a conversation with one of our specialists here at United would have cleared all of this up in an instant.  Do we claim to have the lowest prices?  No, we don't.  But we are competitive.  And most importantly, our client's invoices don't surprise them.

-A Day Late, and [many] Dollars Lost:
I cannot keep track of the number of times that someone has come to me days before an important event because their on-line store could not accommodate their time constraints.  Yes, you were able to save twelve cents per pen for your trade show giveaway, but what does it matter if the items show up even one day late.  Even after just one day, you have already lost out on potential revenue.

The Solution:  You guessed it, call United and talk to us about your time constraints.  We will go over a list of items with you that we know that we can produce in time for your event.  We wouldn't sell you something that you cannot use.

Don't Let The Holidays Sneak Up On You!

I know it's only October.  I know the weather has been really, really nice.  But, if you have not started thinking about your Holiday 'Thank You' gifts, now is the time.

Saying 'Thank You' is important.  We all have those clients who wait every year around this time to see what they are going to get as a Holiday gift.  I cannot say enough times how advantageous it is for you to give your client or prospect something tangible.  The holidays are a great reason to once again get your name in front of your prospect or client.  Give a good gift now, and be remembered the whole year.

Need help?  Need advice?  Don't even know where to start??  Call us, we'll help you in every stage, from Concept to Completion.

Dreamy Event Promotions

We recently worked with Sally Golan at Social Exposure Media on her event the Dreamside Pool Party.  United provided Sally with 200 Rubber Ducks.

The blue ducks even became the backbone of the social media hype campaign, complete with a 2 part blog, Facebook fans, and I think the duck even had a twitter feed?  By then end of the campaign, she had well over 500 rsvp's to her party.  And everyone was excited to meet "Charlie the Duck"

Having a crazy party and need that one thing that will stand out?  Call United.  Along with Corporate swag, Golf outing giveaways, and start up swag, United loves working with party planners and event managers.  Think of us when you need that special something that stands out and you need it in a rush!

Red Cross, Non-Profit, and Charity Swag

Working with an organization like the America Red Cross of Greater NY is inspiring and uplifting.  We have recently had the opportunity to provide them with some swag with serious importance.

The sweatshirt doesnt have a lot of copy printed on it, but it doesn't need it.  These sweatshirts went to people who needed them.

And then something happened in my personal life, the lady who lived below me left her stove on.  Her apartment caught fire that quickly came up the walls and made a mess of my apt.  It was amazing how the Red Cross were on the scene almost instantly to help me out.

They wrote a blog post about my story:
http://changinglivesstorybook.blogspot.com/2011/06/they-genuinely-want-to-help-people.html

So here is my post to them.  Thanks!!

Tablet Stand for iPads, etc.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words.  Well, I don't have that kind of time, and no one wants to read 1,000 words about one of our favorite new products anyway.  So take 52 seconds and watch this video about this tablet case and stand.  It actually is pretty awesome and useful, especially if you use your iPad for presentations and videos.

Custom Knit Socks

Our friends at Wish Come True are amazing designers with some big projects currently in the works.  They called upon us to make their completely custom socks.

How freaking cute are these?  The socks are going to be sold at the newest kiosk in the Aventura Mall in Fl.  If you happen to be a Floridian and in the Aventura area of Miami, stop by the kiosk and grab a pair.  These puppies are going fast!

The design is completely knit into the sock, there is no printing here, which makes the sock a long lasting and awesome keep sake! No one does adorable better than Friends With You and Wish Come True.

Are you looking to stock your retail shelves with something completely custom?  Something that will sell like the hottest of hotcakes?  Talk to us, we can make it happen!

Corporate Beach Promotions

The seasons have started to finally change here in NYC.  Which means...  Time For The Beach!  But how can you spend quality time at the beach and still spread your branding???  Excellent question, lets go through some possibilities.

1. Write your name in the sand...

...With these awesome Flip Flops!

With Not only 1, but 2 imprint locations, these stylish flops are sure to get the attention of on lookers.  Even better, though are the debossed outsoles on the bottom of the flop.  As you walk, you can leave behind your company logo or message.  

2.  Stay Hydrated!

'Cause sea water just isn't tasty.

Water bottles are just such a great promotion in general.  People always use them, put them in their backpacks, or cars and have them for months if not years.  With a slew of styles to choose from, your demographic will definitely find something they like.  Plus!  It's hiking/camping/fishing/biking season, people need their water!

3.  Stay Dry

Or just lay down and get some sun.

Everyone needs a towel at the beach.  You have got to have one.  This beautiful lime green towel with a ghosted imprint is the perfect way to get your message out, without shouting to the world that you have a promotional towel.  It still stands out enough to send a message (and boy is this towel soft and comfy too!).

4. Remember Everything

Let's get digital, digital...

Wow, what an Epic weekend at the beach!  Uh oh, there are definitely some pictures that I don't want to end up on Facebook...  what to do??  No problem, with this branded digital picture frame (and remote), lets get the pics straight from your digi-cam to the picture frame.  No one on your Facebook page has to know what you look like without a shirt after a dozen Bud Light Limes, but you will never forget (if you can remember).

Have any Beach Promotion Suggestions?  Don't hold back, lets hear your ideas!

National Umbrella Month

As long as I could remember, the best part about March was always that it contained my Birthday.  I went on believing this for years ...  how foolish of me.  The best part about March is obviously that it is National Umbrella Month. 

And how appropriate!  If you are anywhere in the tri-state area, just look out side.  It's raining c's & d's out there.  My favorite part of a heavy rain (other than that destinct smell that fills the air on rainy days) is, of course, checking out people's promo umbrellas.  I saw some great ones this morning; some for financial institutions, some for social media platforms, and even one for Puerto Rico.  I guess if you pull out that Puerto Rico imprinted umbrella on a crummy day like today, you and those around you suddenly feel the need for a vacation to a warmer and more tropical climate.  Well, it worked on me.