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.

Do you remember learning about fixed costs and variable costs in high school economics? Fixed Costs (FC) + Variable Costs (VC) = Total Cost (TC)

In short, the total cost of a project is comprised of fixed costs that are independent of output and variable costs that vary with output. 

Why the lesson in economics? The reason I bring this up is to help explain certain aspects of promotional products that people sometimes find unfavorable. Chiefly, order minimums and set up charges.

We often have clients request a small number of an item, only to be discouraged by a large minimum. Minimums are in place to protect the manufacturer's profitability. If they incur X amount of start up costs to burn a screen or create a die, set up the machine and prepare the order, they have to recoup that cost in some way, or it makes no sense for them to take on the project.

Does that mean you have to scrap the idea when you had your heart set on branded reusable bags for a 50 person event? Absolutely not.

It might just mean you have to think creatively and use the same item on multiple occasions.

Here's a creative example from client Victory Fund. At a brunch event in San Diego, they used branded Flexi Vases to hold flowers as a centerpiece for each table. Flexi Vases are an inexpensive item, so you can't just run 25 of them for each of your 25 tables. No, a larger order was placed, and the extras were either stored for future brunches or gifted to guests. 

Another good example is paper napkins. Instead of ordering the minimum for a small event, think ahead to your needs throughout the year. Place one large order at the start of the year, and reduce your inventory through events, cocktail hours, and breakfast or lunch sales meetings with clients. 

I'm sure most of you have seen and used paper placemats printed with small business ads at some point. I often spot them at local diners, right before they meet their demise at the hand of my 7-year-old, armed with a fistful of crayons.



Cristy's, a fabulous breakfast spot on the Connecticut shore, has raised the bar from the placemat co-op and put the results in thousands of thirsty hands. The resulting branded coffee mugs received plenty of "grown-up" eye time at our table as my family attacked a pile of "crunchy" pancakes and  some delicious French toast during vacation. I think I downed at least three cups of joe myself!



Clearly, the mugs are popular among hot cocoa drinkers as well.

For retailers who carry major brands, many take advantage of co-op advertising to maximize their marketing budgets. If they include a partner brand on their in-store advertisements- a banner, tabletop display, printed counter mat, apron or hat- the partner provides funding for the campaign and offsets some of the cost of the printed goods.

The co-op partnership can accomplish significant goals for small businesses like Cristy's too. An inexpensive item, like a mug, becomes an engaging advertisement that benefits several local establishments looking to reach a targeted audience. At the same time, Cristy's saves a bit of money on the cost of drinkware and builds a feeling of community.

That's a win for all parties involved, especially the cocoa drinkers.

It's no secret that buying in bulk lowers the price per item. Anyone who has joyously departed Costco with a hundred rolls of toilet paper or a 2-gallon bottle of ketchup can attest to this. Bargain shoppers, unite! Quantity price breaks are often summarized in a price grid, frequently with the minimum quantity listed in the left-most column. For many small businesses, the left column is a familiar place to be. If your average order generally leans to the left, read on to learn a few tricks that can help you reach preferred price breaks.

Request a copy change. A copy change is just that- a change to the copy/written text of a design. With many promotional products like screen-printed T-shirts, magnets and awards, you have the ability to change a portion of the imprint on some of the order for a small charge. Keep in mind that there may be some restrictions- you will likely need to order at least the minimum quantity for each imprint, and the imprints may need to use the same color ink(s).





Organize a group buy. Another way to use copy changes to your advantage? Consider group buying.

Many organizations have multiple branches/offices, and they all require marketing materials. Unfortunately, more often than not each branch makes their own ordering and purchasing decisions. A smarter strategy would be to organize a group buy with copy changes. Not only do you achieve a higher total quantity and thus better price break, you also ensure consistent branding. 

For a great example of a group purchasing program, read more about the J-SERVE T-shirts here.

Consolidate your orders. Many of our clients order promotional items several times throughout the year. A couple hundred T-shirts for a spring clean-up event, another couple hundred for a company picnic, and a few dozen for summer kickball on the National Mall or in the park. With a little advance planning, it's relatively easy and very cost-effective to consolidate those three orders into one order with two copy changes. Even if you save just $0.75 per shirt, across 400 shirts that's $300 left to spend on other marketing projects throughout the year!

Spend some time reviewing your promotional plans for the year, and consider where you might be able to save a few dollars. If you need additional guidance- 301.869.7800- we are here to help. 

Though most of us recognize December 31^st as the end of the year, many businesses complete their fiscal year on a different date. Retailers, for example, tend to complete their 12-month accounting period in January to allow time for collection of December sales.

Why is this important? If your fiscal year-end is approaching, we have several suggestions to help you use up the remainder of your marketing budget. Branded materials like trade show displays, corporate tents and banners serve as ongoing tools for engagement and outreach. Basic office items and corporate décor are also a great investment any time of year.

In preparation for renewed budgets in 2011, please review this helpful form:

We are here to help you plan!