This week at Sonic Promos, we're working on...



... water bottles, spiral notebooks and mouse pads for Elevation Burger, to be distributed at their national conference in Las Vegas this May.



... reusable tote bags, flexible flying discs and colorful highlighters for Lockheed Martin, commemorating their centennial year.



... and business card holders with sticky notes for CapRelo, Columbia Books and Dorsey Ridge. Popular item, it seems!

"This Week at Sonic Promos" is a regular feature on our blog.
Read all past posts here.
Check in every week to see some of the work that's going on in our office.

Where will you be on April 22nd? Helping your neighbors? Beautifying the community? Making a difference?

More than 10,000 Jewish teens around the world will be!

J-Serve, the International Day of Jewish Youth Service is scheduled for April 22nd this year.* Taken from the J-Serve website- "J-Serve provides teens with the opportunity to fulfill the Jewish values of gemilut chasidim, acts of loving kindness, tzedakah, just and charitable giving, and tikkum olam, the responsibility to repair the world. Across the globe, teens will join each other to make their community and the world a better place."

For several years now, Sonic Promos has been proud to be involved with this great event. Starting in 2008, Sonic took on the job of designing an event T-shirt and organizing a national order to unite community projects around the country. 

Each year, all shirts share the same front design...

... and information about national sponsors on the back.

Communities have the option to customize the shirt's upper and lower back with their city name(s) and local sponsors.











There are several advantages to group purchase programs-

1. High total quantity and a great price for all: As is true with all promotional products, the higher the quantity of items, the lower the piece price. Some parties might need a large order of 400 pieces while others require just 50. By grouping everyone together, they all benefit from a lower price. 

2. Branding consistency: Printing all materials in one location ensures that there will be no inconsistencies in artwork. Avoid color variations, size discrepancies, proportion distortions and other errors by centralizing production.

3. Centralized invoicing and customer service: This feature of group purchasing is especially advantageous when a central finance department foots the bill for purchases made by multiple branch offices. Would you rather receive invoices from 12 different suppliers in 12 different cities or a single invoice from a single vendor? Easy decision.

If your organization could benefit from group purchasing, contact us at info@sonicpromos.com to organize a program.

*Several communities conduct their community service activities on alternate dates.

In recent weeks, several projects at Sonic have revolved around Bryn Mawr College's rebrand.
 
The college's new logo has a fresh, updated look, and it serves an important role in the school's efforts to engage and connect with students, alumni and faculty. Sonic will be working with BMC closely to ensure that all promotional materials adhere to their new branding guidelines. 

Whether your organization is currently rebranding or not, consider developing a set of basic logo standards or more detailed branding guidelines to protect design integrity. At a bare minimum, develop 1-color, 2-color and full color versions for both light and dark backgrounds, define allowable sizes and proportions, call out PMS colors and list font styles. 

More developed guidelines often include clear examples of how the brand should look across various media, a "Don't Do" section highlighting common errors, and guidelines for copywriting and tone of voice. 

Check out this very helpful article to learn more.

This week at Sonic Promos, we're working on...



... infant onesies and T-shirts for Redtail Technology.



... colorful posters for client Southern Management. Each poster highlights a different core value, and they will be used as part of a scavenger hunt at an upcoming spring event.



... and 10 foot outdoor tents for the USO.

"This Week at Sonic Promos" is a regular feature on our blog.
Read all past posts here.
Check in every week to see some of the work that's going on in our office.

With Earth Day just around the corner (April 22nd this year), I've been seeing a lot of earth-related, green promotions in the mail, on the street and in stores.

The other week, I received an informational booklet, membership offer and a packet of wildflower seeds in the mail from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

I like a lot of things about this promotion: free seeds, cheerful copy, bright, beautiful photos. Most of all, I applaud its relevant timing. 

Now, it might seem like a no-brainer to send out wildflower seeds during the peak bloom period of Texas wildflowers, but I'm consistently surprised at how many poorly-timed promotions I see everyday.

Planning a large scale mailer or promotional campaign takes a lot of time, and unfortunately it's very easy to get behind schedule. Identify the day, week or season during which you'd ideally touch your prospect, and work backwards, building in one to two months to get logistics sorted, materials printed and mailing lists compiled.

Day, week or season? That seems like a really wide range...  

Well, it is. The timing of your promotion really depends on the type of event or service you're promoting. Something like a nature center membership or a discounted car wash is relevant across an entire season. An invitation to a charitable gala, on the other hand, has a much smaller window.

It would have been very easy to ignore the Wildflower Center's seed packet had beautiful scenery like this not been top of mind. 
 
Instead, they succeeded in getting my attention.

I really can't stress enough the importance of good timing. Sometimes even just a week or two can make all the difference. The longer a person leaves your mail on their coffee table or desk thinking- "I really should remember this for that project next season"- the less likely it is you'll ever hear from them.