Good Business Practice

Giving out promotional products to the pharmaceutical industry, can be a bit of a grey area, as the last thing you want is to be seen to be bribing decision makers.

What’s more, cultural differences can lead to different interpretations of what could constitute ‘corruption’. What one country might consider unethical, another may view as standard commercial conduct. In Japanese’ culture, giving gifts of increasing value as a business relationship develops is the norm, and would be considered extremely rude in this context to return or refuse a gift because it was seen as a bribe (on the other hand they could just be bribing you).

There is various pretty complex legislation dealing with bribery and corruption – too many to mention here. If you seriously want to learn about the ins and outs of the law, then you’ll want to read up on the following legislation; The Corruption Act 1889, he Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 and The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Printing Issues

When placing orders for promotional products, we require you’re artwork in a vector/.eps file format. This is the file format where your logo would have been created in the first place, probably in Adobe Illustrator or possibly Coral Draw.

If you don’t have access to a vector file, then we can re draw your artwork instead, however there is a £35 re-draw fee for this. But if you just want standard text, say a website on a Sparta mug – then there is no extra charge for this.

Also if you’re printing in full colour then a high res jpeg, is all that will be required. For example if you’re printing a full colour mug, there’s no need to search around for an .eps file.

Whats In A Logo?

If you take the swoosh away from Nike, what are you left with? What would happen if Apple lost their apple and Shell misplaced their Shell? If your business doesn’t have a logo at the moment, then you’re missing out on that instant recognition - which every large business needs.

Your logo will be your business’ hardest worker – your employee of the month all year round. Your logo provides the essential service of communicating in a moment the whole philosophy of your business.

Something this magnitude shouldn’t be taken lightly. A great logo is something that every business should have. Often with logos - less is defiantly more. However resisting the temptation not to over complicate things is a challenge. Remember a picture says a thousand words. You need to think which are the thousand words that will best match your business’ ethos.

It is always worth taking considerable time to get your logo perfect, because once it is set in place - it is not advisable to change. Certainly one should never change their business’ logo just for the sake of it. Marlborough has been associated with cowboys for as long as anyone can remember - and the business is still as popular as it has ever been.

Thinking of the right theme to associate your logo with can be crucial. Certain brands lend themselves to certain topics – while others are less obvious. Nike for example, predictable relates itself to sporting excellence. Obviously sports may not relate to your business – but this isn’t a problem. Let’s take coca cola for example…a simple fizzy drink.

Coke’s stroke of genius was creating their association with Christmas, by creating the red Santa that we all know and love. Could you imagine seeing the original green Santa now? Would you want to sit on his knee, and tell him what a good boy you’ve been all year? No I’d want to know who this impostor was – posing in a damn green suit! I’d be pulling his beard – convinced that I had been fobbed off with a stooge. It’s incredible to think, that all this was down to marketing from a simple drinks business.

Printing your logo on promotional merchandise is a smart move for any business - no matter what their size. When ordering promotional gifts from an expert like gift selection, we will be more than happy to create or develop a logo to print on your products. If your thinking of some ideas for your new logo here are a few pointers we would always recommend:

☻ A logo that is simple and sophisticated will stay in people’s minds rather than a loud and vulgar one.

☻ A logo needs to be original and distinguishable - with a bold and striking design that is easily recognisable from everyone else. 

☻ A logo needs to summon a mental image that matches perfectly with the ethos of your business.

☻A logo shouldn’t be extremely tall or wide for practical reasons – and shouldn’t be associated with any current fads. Timelessness is the key to any successful logo.

Corporate Gifts Really Work ->

When one receives a well chosen promotional product, they have a warm feeling inside and have feeling of good will toward that business. To show my the point, I’ve selected a case study that shows just how powerful the effects of promotional products can be. This particular example was carried out by Darrell Marriot for a resort lodge in Vermont (USA), but the same principles can apply to practically any business.

Every year the luxury resort offers a special holiday bundle at a premium price, between Christmas and New Year. In previous years the resort failed to achieve a single booking for the following year, before their clients left to go home.

The goal for the hotel promotions team was to encourage their clients to book a place for next year, before they left the resort. To achieve this, the hotel had a generous promotional budget of $20,000 (in 1999) to be split between 120 families. Maybe your business can’t be quite so extravagant, but a well chosen small gift can go along way. A reputable business like gift selection for example, will put your business on the right path if your unsure.
 
The corporate promotions started with a direct-mail piece sent at Thanksgiving 1999 announcing the ‘Countdown to the Millennium,’ which included a letter from the company president. One of the first gifts was a single use Fuji camera. If guests dropped of their film by the deadline, they received their photos mounted in a commemorative album when they checked out.Other gifts were given every night of the week to the skiers, like a promotional wooden photo frame or playing cards in an attractive wooden box. Commemorative glassware and plates were also presented to the resort’s patrons during meals. 

Was all this effort a success? By the time the happy vacationers left, 40% of them had made reservations for the following year. Also, in the months that followed that 40% increased to 75%. Touchingly, 20% of the guests sent back thank you notes to the resort.

Screen Printed Mugs

There are various printing methods available by which to personalise your promotional mugs with. Working out which printing method is right for your products can be tricky. Luckily a little knowledge goes along way, today this post will focus on direct screen printing.

Direct screen printing is a common method of printing as it is cost effective on both large and small orders. The beauty of direct screen printing is that it works well on both ceramic and bone china promotional mugs.

The printing works by having an image, (usually with four colours) being printed directly onto a rotating mug. As with most things in life, this print technique has it advantages and disadvantages. Screen printing your promotional mugs work better when using relatively simple designs. This process struggles with difficult registrations and complex tones.

However screen printed promotional mugs are cost effective, and can be turned around very quickly.

Case Study: 1

New research suggests that if a consumer is able to hold the goods they are browsing for a while before buying, he or she will be prepared to pay more them. The experiment was conducted by the Illinois and the Ohio State University, and will make an interesting reading for anyone linked with retail.

What happened was a coffee pot worth four dollars was handed to 144 participants, either for ten or thirty seconds. After holding the object, everyone was asked to right down how much they would be prepared to pay for that item…

Those who held the product for half a minute offered an average of $3.91, compared to just $2.44 from those who held the item for shorter amount of time. The theory from socio-scientists is that people don’t like to loose things once they have touched them.

This study bodes well for those business’s who invest in promotional products, as it seems once someone has touched a brand they suddenly make a connection with it.

Why Use Corporate Gifts

Traditional advertising often disrupts the passive recipient’s environment. Having one’s favourite film interrupted by an adverts, espiecally one that you have no interest in at all in - is extremely annoying. It is true that a well thought out, creative ad can be as entertaining as the programme itself – but unfortunately this isn’t the case for the majority of the adverts we see on our screens.

When one receives a promotional product, they are either accepted or declined in an active fashion. In other words there is no unwanted distraction by the product.

What counts is not necessarily what the promotional product is, but what they accomplish by means of active engagement, communication and integration results.

Promotional products offer advertisers with proven advantages not available in other media:

◊ High recall where the name of the advertiser is remembered.

◊ Repeated exposure to the advertising message because of the length of time the item is kept. For example, with a promotional calendar or diary the recipient can use it everyday for a whole year.

◊ A well thought out promotional gift, gives a favourable impression of the advertiser, resulting in future business with the organisation.

Sound As A Pound

It is a myth that smaller business can’t afford to spend money on unnecessary corporate gifts. Many promotional products offer excellent value for money and should be viewed as an investment rather than an expense.

With the current financial climate in mind, I have compiled a list of my top five printed corporate gift that are available for less than one English pound. The prices relate to ordering just the minimum quantity, and have a one colour print included.

● A rainbow slinky style spring is only 82p, and arrives individually boxed. Now you can enjoy hours of satisfaction watching your corporate logo travel down your stairs! This branded gift would make a very distinctive and addictive promotional product.

● A personalised Ice Scraper would be the perfect corporate gift with the weather as it is, and you could help your staff get to work on time!

● If your looking for a quality promotional pen that is both stylish and offers great value, you really can’t go wrong with the Prodir DS3. At only 68p each, this promotional pen makes for an extremely cost effective marketing tool.

● A Bottle Opener Key Ring, weighing in at just 54p, is a fun promotional item that you wouldn’t want to be without! The great feature of this item is that it can be printed on both sides and has a glass base at no extra cost.

● As far as promotional badges go, the Hard Enamel Badge is up there with the best, and offers great value at only 96p each. It is available in up to four spot colours, with a durable enamel infill included in the price.

How We Help

As I’m sure you’re aware, the business world depends heavily on the many relationships it builds. Relationships can be complex, with employees, clients, directors, suppliers etc all playing a part.

For any business to stay alive, these relationships have to be nurtured. A well chosen, designed and timed corporate gift is the best way to show that you acknowledge these relationships as being important.

A properly chosen corporate gift will be preserve existing loyalty, spread good will and help to develop further contacts. Indeed in certain instances, a lack of an appropriate promotional gift would be deeply insulting, with the opposite results coming into force.

Beware the potential pitfalls of violating company policy, and don’t choose and present your gift as a bribe. In many cases business can use promotional gifts, in an inappropriate, improper or even illegal way. A quality supplier like giftselection has the knowledge and resources to help your company gain further business.

Spoilt For Choice

As I’m sure you’re aware, the business world depends heavily on the many relationships it builds. Relationships can be complex, with employees, clients, directors, suppliers etc all playing a part.

For any business to stay alive, these relationships have to be nurtured. A well chosen, designed and timed corporate gift is the best way to show that you acknowledge these relationships as being important.

A properly chosen promotional gift will preserve existing loyalty, spread good will and help to develop further contacts. Indeed in certain instances, a lack of an appropriate gift would be deeply insulting, with the opposite results coming into force.

Beware the potential pitfalls of violating company policy, and don’t choose and present your corporate gift as a bribe. In many cases business can use promotional gifts, in an inappropriate, improper or even illegal way. A quality supplier like giftselection has the knowledge and resources to help your company gain further business.