Business Card Innovation

You may have read my last post about business cards. It touches on the formalities that surround business cards and Japanese Culture. That is all fine and good, but what about our free-spirited ways here in the USA?

I was pondering this when I stumbled into this quaint little shop in SoHo called Scrap Yard Inc.. This shop was really cool and the owners were likable and friendly. I didn't want to forget the place so i asked for a business card on my way out. This is what i was handed:

The clever owners of this store got a rubber stamp and some "hello my name is" stickers and created an inexpensive Business Card that is very memorable. I really like what they did here.

Something like this is functional in a off-the-beaten-path retail store. However, I'm not really sure that it would work in the Business to Business world. But who knows, maybe I should get a rubber stamp made and try it out!

Pill Container for Organization and Convenience

This particular Promotional Product is so convenient that I feel like I must share it with the world. I don't take any medications, nor do I have arthritis, but I see the uber-convenience that is this pill case:

Organize your meds Monday through Sunday, or even lay out your meds for the whole month. Unlike some other pill cases, you will not have sore fingers from trying to open it. With the simple push of a button you can access your meds for that day. This item is perfect for pharmacies, hospitals, and pretty much any kind of health center or any place that services the elderly. They have a very significant imprint area and will remind the recipient where to go to refill their prescriptions.

Lens Cloth Update

Tamar Weinberg of Schwag Addict received one of our direct mail pieces from below and liked it so much that she posted it on her own Promotional Products Blog. She is quite the Promotional expert...

Thanks Tamar!

United's Newest Self Promo

Everyone loves free schwag. This much is obvious. So how do we get people to love it even more? Easy! We send it right to them. Check out our newest self promo / direct mail campaign:

Brightly colored and beach themed, when one of these bad boys arrives at your office it's like an instant vacation. Now, who doesn’t want to be associated with taking vacations? Really though, when people receive what’s commonly referred to as; 'bumpy mail', they are instinctively drawn to it. The curiosity is too strong and they are overtaken by the desire to learn what surprise could possibly await them beyond the saliva-adhered envelope flap.

If you see one of these brightly colored envelopes make its way into your mail room, you are in for a treat. If you don't see our vacation-in-an-envelope, well just post a comment and we'll make sure one gets to you.

Reusable Bag Maintenance

I recently came across this article in Newsday about Reusable Shopping Bags. The article mentions that bacteria can grow in the bags when they are stored folded for hours and days before they are used again (the study was done by the plastics industry, big surprise). So I thought it might be appropriate to talk about a few things you can do to keep your bags fresh.

-Make sure that the meat and poultry that you buy are sealed well. Even wrapping them in another containing bag to ensure that there is no leakage.

-When you are done using the bag, turn it inside out and hang it up until the next time you use it. The reusable bags that I go shopping with are hanging on a hook behind my door. They are never folded up and shoved in a drawer. Especially if I use them to hold foods.

-Try to have some bags that you use for groceries, and some bags that you use for everyday items.

- If the bags smell funky, its not a big deal! Throw them into the wash. To dry; turn inside out and hang to dry.

If you have other tips about keeping fresh bags, send a comment!

Deliciouos, Delicious Promotion

A colleague of mine recently attended a soiree hosted by Hurley Capital . They are a financial advisory run by a good friend and colleague of UPG's. The purpose of the gathering was kind of a way to say 'thank you' to friends and clients, as well as a networking mixer. Fun was had by all.

One of the parting gifts was this delicious logo'd cookie. What a brilliant way to be remembered. We have seen plenty of "food gifts" in the past, but rarely do we see a snack (other than maybe a piece of chocolate) that gets imprinted directly. I think they used the same delicious technology that enables Carvel to put Disney Characters on their cakes.

The cookie was wrapped in a clear cellophane bag and tied with a nice ribbon that also held a card with the company's logo and website. Quite the complete package. We look forward to attending more of Hurley Capital's events.

More pics in the album.

You may just want to LOOK smarter

So because of these economic times, I've had to cancel my subscription to the New York Times. It is ok though, since I never really read the thing anyway. Actually, the Time's main function in my life was to help me look smarter. Which it did. When I would bring the paper onto the subway, even unread, I would get stares of admiration at the thought that I would be enjoying such a high-end publication. All bets were off as soon as I would try to open the thing and do the classic refold, only to drop the paper all over the subway floor. This would dash any hopes I had to impress people with my intellectual ability.

So in lieu of the paper and ink version of my intellectual status, I am now carrying the free bag that I received with my subscription. This contains; My peanut butter sandwich, my copy of The Queens Ledger news paper(no folding issues here), and a slew of the Recycled Pens that UPG has been using as our self promo.

The bag itself has a nice design and a beveled bottom for holding... Probably a newspaper. As far as the handles go, I like the look of them, but if the bag has some weight to it the metal ring handles induce arthritic pain in the hands. The colors are good, and the embroidered logo looks nice too. And there is a nice little zippered pocket on the inside.