Last week, we discussed the difficulties of deciding on a single shirt/style/color/design for a promotional apparel campaign. There are a lot of people to please- how can you be certain everyone will like and wear your garment? We recommended sticking with comfortable styles and time-tested brand names, but there's an alternative solution to guessing...

You could always ask!

A few weeks ago I received an email from Set Up Events, one of the nation's largest triathlon production and timing companies, regarding the upcoming Pinehurst International Triathlon in North Carolina.

The email included three images of long sleeve race tees and requested registrants of the event to vote on their favorite design.



What a great idea! Sure, you might get a handful of responses that pooh-pooh all three choices, but at least you'll gain valuable feedback from those whose opinions matter most... the people who will be wearing your shirt.

I also recommend limiting the ballot to 3 or 4 options, as Set Up Events did, or the poll's results might be more frustrating than helpful. 

So, if time allows and you have a way to contact your audience, play it safe and take a vote!

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.

Seth recently assisted client JK Moving with marketing materials for the Maryland Association of Realtors "Rally for Success" conference. We were delighted to see a recap of the event on their blog, This End UP. Keep reading for Kent Fegani's first-hand account!

Last week, JK was an exhibitor at the Maryland Association of Realtors "Rally for Success" conference, and I was fortunate enough to represent JK. It was my first time attending the annual convention, and I was really surprised by the experience.

First, the facility was huge! Everyday, there were hundreds of attendees walking around and visiting booths. It was fantastic to meet a variety of people in person and have the opportunity to explain the extensive services JK Moving provides.



While we did not win an award for our booth, I think everyone enjoyed their visit. We welcomed booth visitors with a couple of fun games to play (all of us from JK certainly enjoyed the games). We wanted people to remember our booth for more than just the games, so we gave away several practical gifts for people to use. Remember that almost all of the event attendees were realtors, so we had gifts and prizes with them in mind: tape measurers, stress relievers, pens, lip balm and nail files as options for their takeaway from our booth. Finally, because that just was not enough for the magnitude of this event, there was a raffle! We raffled off a $50 gas card and $100 off of someone's next move.

Overall, it was an outstanding experience that I recommend for anyone. It's a great way to spend a few days, or just an afternoon, but I know I will certainly be attending next year. Stop by and visit; you won't regret it. We can talk shop if you would like, but if not, we'll have gifts and games for our realtor friends to enjoy.

P.S. Belinda E, from Long and Foster, won the $50 gas card. The Jay Fischetti Group (Keller Williams), Cynthia G (Long and Foster), and Julie D (Prudential Carruthers) all won $100 off their clients' next move. Congrats to the winners!

Thanks for sharing, JK! We are thrilled the event was a success!

For more trade show promotion ideas and best practices, check out the following posts:
Trade Show 101 Part 1
Trade Show 101 Part 2
Trade Show 101 Part 3

If anyone knows how to use promotional items effectively, it's race directors. Between T-shirts for staff and volunteers, finisher medals, expo displays and sponsor materials, the branding opportunities are endless.

On Sunday September 11th, Seth and I participated in the 6th Annual Nation's Triathlon. We both walked away with personal records and heavy swag bags. Take a look at our loot below, and learn a lesson or two in successful promotional strategy.



Incentivize.
Clif Bar, the Official Performance Nutrition Sponsor of the event, distributed energy gel packets during the race, provided bite-sized recovery snacks at the finish line and offered samples of their full product line at the race expo.

Free samples are an excellent way to lure passers-by to your table, but your promotion shouldn't be all give and no take. Expos are a great opportunity to gather valuable data about your target market, and Clif offered branded cups stuffed with product samples to those willing to complete a short survey.



Reward.
Craft, the official apparel sponsor of the Nation's Tri, provided bright yellow tees as a reward for race participants. Athletic tees are prime real estate for sponsors. Consider this- 4,500 people just completed a challenging athletic event, and they want nothing more than to share their accomplishment with others. Wearing a race medal is really only acceptable during the hours immediately following your triumphant finish, but wearing your race tee is perfectly acceptable for years to come. I guarantee you that my shirt will make appearances in spin class and on long runs through the city. Wouldn't you want your brand on a T-shirt that will be worn proudly dozens, if not hundreds, of times in the future?



Organize.
Even though the swim leg was cancelled due to flooding, swift currents and debris in the Potomac, participants still received a color-coded swim cap (provided by XTERRA, the Official Wetsuit Sponsor) at packet pickup. Promotional products are not just for use post-event; put them to work during the event itself. Vibrant, color-coded swim caps would have kept multiple waves of swimmers organized and visible in the water. Cinch packs branded for event sponsor Event DC also contributed to a smoothly run event, providing a convenient place to stash expo samples and race materials.  



Recognize.
Praise and recognition are an innate need (you can read more on this topic here). Super Bowl rings, diplomas, trophies and awards are evidence of this fact. The 2011 Nation's Triathlon, like so many races, recognized its participants' achievement with a beautiful medal.

Promotional products can be used to accomplish a number of goals- to motivate, incentivize, recognize, organize and reward. Where do promotional products fit into your marketing strategy?

I am one of Those People who plans on waking up before dawn tomorrow to watch the Royal Wedding. Some people understand, some people don't, but regardless, it's going to be a once in a lifetime spectacle that shouldn't be missed. We've been hearing about the planning, the dress, the flowers, the diet and the souvenirs ever since Prince William placed that beautiful blue diamond on Kate Middleton's finger. Aren't you dying to see what all the fuss is about? I'm going to be on my couch, pen in hand, ready to take notes for my own wedding.

But I'm pretty sure that their "wedding favors" will put mine to shame. We've seen commemorative items associated with the event pop up all over the place. ASI, one of the national ad specialties industry associations, notes that the royal wedding merchandise sales could be close to $26 million. We have the classy items that will be cherished forever...



Source: royalmint.com



Source: havens.co.uk

And the fun souvenirs.



Source: skreened.com



Source: rlv.zcache.com

There are items for those who are a little bitter...



Source: assets1.notonthehighstreet.com

And items for the grateful fans.



Source: blog.tshirtstudio.com Even some of our vendors are jumping on board with extravagant displays.



Source: adsoftheworld.com

3M has been posting enormous Post-it notes around London. The product's tagline is "Hold Stronger and Longer" and 3M even developed a wedding-related tagline for this demonstration.

"May you stick together forever. Congratulations."

Tomorrow is going to be an incredible day for two very important people. It's fascinating that the whole world is going to share this moment with them, from beginning to end, from every magnet to Post-it. We will watch in awe, almost as though we know the couple personally and have a genuine reason to wish them nothing but happiness. Aside from the crazy amount of media coverage, I feel that the promotional items play a huge part in that relationship.

Rumor has it that there is a refrigerator with William and Kate's face on it. I'll give free chocolate to the first person who can find that gem for me.