LOGO Expressions Blog

Happy Thanksgiving from Logo Expressions!!! 

Don’t wait until the last minute for your Holiday Gifts and Holiday Promotional Items!

Travel mugs and thermos-type drink ware are great ideas for corporate gifts, fall promo items, event planning products, and more. These popular and widely used products will go a long way with your client/customer.  Whether driving to work, going to weekend soccer games, or attending your next corporate meeting, they definitely come in handy. I love my travel mugs and more than half of them that I own are in fact promotional gifts.  I am still using some for years; and make note, that quality is important.  I have had some of my favorite ones with logos that have rubbed off in a matter of weeks and months.

Good logo placement and quality artwork will make that last impression with your customers. Here are great ideas for Travel Mugs, Thermos items, and Fall Promotional products

As noted in relation to my previous posting here on the popularity of golf apparel, I just read an article on the ASI website, “Apparel on top” by Shane Dale, stating that apparel was the top product in 2005 for promotional products. “For the sixth year in a row, wearables are the number one product category sold by promotional product distributors. In fact, of all the products ordered by clients, 73% of distributors say that shirts were one of the top three items bought last year.”

Down the list according to distributors goes… writing instruments at 44%, desk and office accessories at 28%, and fourth place were glassware/mugs at 21.8%. A couple things mentioned that contributed to apparel’s success were; drop in price of T-Shirt manufacturing, good exposure for advertising, and a good return on investment.

According to ASI (Advertisting Specialty Institute), Reporters from around the nation are interested in learning more about the promotional products industry and the emphasis they have in marketing. They have featured ASI members and a variety of promotional products in more than 100 media outlets, ranging from television, magazines, new media and newspapers.

2 examples: May 26, 2006 - The legendary Don Polec, of Action 6 News in Philadelphia, highlights the new Logo Bean, the rocket pen, and imprinted roses at the ASI Show.  May 8, 2006 – Advertising Age published a two-page story about the power of promotional products.  The magazine has a readership of 240,000 executives.

More evidence of the important role of promotional products to marketing…

Lately we have been discussing how promotional products can help boost company advertising and the importance for  using them properly, especially at tradeshows, events, promotions, etc. Well, according to a recent Media Release article on the ASI Central website, the Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) released results of its annual promotional products industry sales analysis, “indicating revenues jumped 5.1 percent from 2004 to $17.8 billion in 2005 -the third year of continuous increases and a new record.” This analysis, conducted by ASI, shows growth in 2005 was driven by “increased recognition that promotional products should be included in marketing campaigns and by the overall strength of the U.S. economy.”

Another news note from ASI’s Website… The Arizona Republic ran a survey that found that cities are following in “corporate footsteps by spending more on promotional products for public events; Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs have more than tripled the amount of money spent on promotional items from 2001 to 2005″. Well, it’s nice to know where to look for collections of new and popular promotional products for any occasion.  Thanks to all that have helped our industry thrive to succeed!

Here is another excerpt from our online article “Promotional Products Build Brand Awareness at Trade Shows”

In order to determine the best product for the trade show we must first understand the types of trade shows. In an article “Upselling in the Trade- Show Market” in PPB magazine Julia O’Conner, President of Trade Show Training, Inc. lists three types of trade shows. 1) B2B Marketing is one type of trade show where buyers and sellers get together to discuss problems, explore solutions and advance the sales process. 2) B2B Sales shows are retail oriented shows, in which the buyer is the direct retailer or involved in the distribution chain. 3) B2C show caters to the end user of a product or service. For example, fairs, shows and events that are open to the general public are B2C shows. Once you determine the type of trade show you plan to exhibit at you can then strategize to choose the proper promotional product for the event.

You must also understand your target market and determine what types of promotional products would appeal to them. Choose products that have lasting impressions with your customers and make yourself stand out from the competition. Heavy items are not suitable to carry around at trade shows. Items that can be used in the office tend to keep your company name and logo in front of the potential customer during working hours. Creating the connection between the trade show, your company’s product or service and the promotional product will help you have a positive impact at the show.  Click here to read entire article

Our ecomm sales manager, Frank Tecca, explains the strategy behind using promotional products at trade shows in a recent article posted on our website. Here is the first of a few tips we will be posting here in our blog

Trade shows can be one of the most productive marketing methods driving sales. Therefore, how you use promotional products at trade shows greatly influences how well you increase brand awareness and return on investment from your trade show exhibit. With so many companies now attending trade shows, exhibitors have the opportunity to extend their corporate image and make a lasting impression on their target market. The correct use of promotional products to make an impact at trade shows is essential.

Realize the importance of branding. The promotional products you choose identify your company, product or service. Understanding your target market at the trade show helps you determine the best product for building brand awareness, which is vital to the success of the trade show. Understanding the types of trade shows and how to differentiate yourself from the competition will be discussed next… We have a selection of unique trade show products to help with ideas.

Promotional products, when used wisely, are a highly effective (and cost-effective) way of reaching an individual on a one-to-one basis. Promotional products build and strengthen relationships, create awareness, enhance the recall of traditional media advertising and have real staying power. Give a product that people use, and you will be remembered. Get helpful ideas from some of our many products.

Happy New Year from Logo Expressions!
Start the new year with some high-tech gadgets for promotions. High-tech items and electronics are among some of the predicted popular promotional products for 2006. The electronics industry’s biggest U.S. conference kicks off this week in Las Vegas. This year’s tradeshow will feature gadgets ranging from advanced satellite car radios to luminescent fibers that can turn clothing into wearable lamps to camera phones that can take nighttime pictures without flashbulbs. Our selection of Technology products can help promote your company for 2006.

Helping those who are less fortunate is always nice during the Holiday Season. Logo Expressions helped with a recent toy drive sponsored by the Shadow Ridge Rotary Club in Vista, CA. The toys go into gift baskets that the club gives to needy families at Camp Pendleton Marine Base, here in Southern Californina. Get some great ideas from our toys and gift dept.

According to the 2005 Event planning has become increasingly more popular for businesses and corporations to advertise and market themselves. Marketers spent an estimated $166 billion on event marketing in 2004, a 9% increase for the year.
“Companies earmarked an average 25% of their 2005 budgets for event marketing, up from 10.7% last year” according to PROMO’s survey of event marketing executives.

Using promotional items such as executive pens, flash drives, padfolios, and more is a great way of giving people a useful product to remember your company.

Also popular, guerilla marketing has been helping small businesses promote themselves with unconventional methods and achieving their goals without expensive advertising campaigns.

During a recent publication of the “San Diego Business Journal”, Logo Expressions, Inc. has been added to the list of the 100 Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies in San Diego, California at number 36. These 100 companies generated $13.16 billion in revenues in 2004 and range in size from six full-time staffers to 4,784 employees. While a large portion of the companies were high-tech firms or in and around the real estate industry (mortgage brokerages, construction firms, etc.), the list overall is indicative of the diversity of the San Diego economy including firms in various industries and services. Logo Expressions, Inc. was at 75% growth in revenue from year 2002-2004 specializing in the promotional product industry.

We recommend that you add our blog to your favorites to keep up with the latest promotional products, corporate gifts and tradeshow giveaways!