As you’ve probably gathered, I’m back from a crazy weekend at Dragon*Con, one of the largest geek conventions here in the east. And when I say crazy I mean CRAZY.
I shook hands with many favorite actors and writers, hung out with a few of them outside of the autograph rooms, and ran my first Dragon*Con panel and Tauntaun race. All in all, the convention was a lot of fun but I did participate in a particular event where the promotion caught my eye immediately.
I had the fun experience of being able to give blood. (And when I say fun I mean terrifying since I’m afraid of needles.) What prompted me to do such a thing if I’m so scared of needles? A certain person dressed as the Mad Hatter from the new Alice in Wonderland was promoting the event and they gave away some great free t-shirts to those who participated. Oh, and I got to feel good about helping others.
I’m a sucker for a t-shirt and a favorite character.
The event itself ran the length of the convention and they were hoping to surpass last year’s number of donors (I haven’t heard the final count yet from this year). The idea was that if you were approved and did donate a unit of blood you would receive the neat free t-shirt and that shirt would be your invitation to an “ice cream social” event toward the end of the weekend.
Again, I’m terrified of needles but on that Thursday before the convention officially started, my friend and I decided that we’d sign up and see if we could donate. Sure enough, less than an hour later we were both sipping on juice with bandages wrapped around our elbows and feeling pretty happy.
LifeSouth does other blood drives all over Florida, Georgia and Alabama and encourages people to donate and setup such drives at their events. I have to admit, if their other drives have similar promotions like t-shirts, ribbons for our con badges, cute little lapel pins and neat folks walking around to encourage people to sign up, I could imagine doing it again.
I’m now wondering if anyone else participated in a neat event this weekend that had fun promotional giveaways. Are you guys like me in that the promotional items catch your attention enough to encourage you to participate?
This may seem like somewhat of a rhetorical question seeing as this is being posted to a blog, but I think it’s a question a lot of us are asking these days. Don’t get me wrong, I love blogs and social media. I enjoy reading entries about how my Cleveland Browns are shaping up this year (or not), or what kind of inspirational message my preacher will post. I love reading about any new tech gadget on the horizon, or a well written parody disguised as a news feed. I like seeing instant pictures from a friend’s wedding, or knowing where my buddies are headed to watch a game. When it comes to business though, it’s a different animal. Where is the payoff? Where is the value? How do we do it? Therein lies the problem.
In today’s world, we’ve all heard about the importance of social media and blogs as it pertains to business. You want to be out in front of your customers, and establish relationships. What better way than on facebook, twitter, or a blog, where it’s more acceptable to be personable? You want to stand out! Now if you’ve been in the promotional products business for longer than 48 hours, you realize just how hard that can be in this industry. Take a stroll down an aisle in a promo products tradeshow and you’ll see thousands of products all claiming to be the best promotional item since the introduction of the stress ball. (Our PromoBlocks are still cooler though) Using any tool possible (insert facebook and twitter here) to stay on the forefront of your customers minds is vital. Doing it in a manner that doesn’t waste their time, is even more vital. Now here is the 2 million dollar question. Well, 2 million on an ‘A’, it’s really the 1 million dollar NET question: We know these tools are vital, but how do we use them?
Usually, this paragraph would be called the ‘payoff’. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer. I was just throwing the question out there. Now I know you can read countless articles, written by tons of self proclaimed ‘social media experts’ on how to use social media in a business setting. There are hundreds of articles with varying opinions. You can even hire these ‘social media experts’ to do this for you! The problem as I see it, is there is no such thing as a ‘social media expert’. This social revolution has only been around in the business world for a couple years. There are no experts. There is no written law. There are no guides. It’s like the wild west out here! We’re all still feeling this thing out and finding our way as we go.
This leads me to my main point. (It only took me 462 words to make it) The best source of learning how to use all these new formats is to look around. Learn from your peers. Ask questions about the success or failures others have had. Find out what’s worked well and what was a complete waste of time. A few of the things I’ve learned so far:
Develop a plan with a goal! These new tools have amazing capabilities and reach, but if you don’t have an objective, you won’t get anywhere. GPS systems blow my mind. They’re amazing little devices, but if you don’t have a destination, they are useless. Same thing here.
It’s incredibly easy to waste time on these sites. It’s vital to keep up with others and their posts, but it can easily be counter productive when you find yourself watching videos of karate monkeys by merely following a couple links. Stick to the game plan. (see develop a goal above)
Realize who your audience is. How do they use social media? Determining who your audience is and how they use these sites helps you develop content geared towards them.
Be honest. Be human. The biggest appeal to social media is that you’re hearing the truth from those you trust. You can catch a sales spill from anyone. We want to know the people we’re dealing with personally, so that we trust what they say is in our best interest.
In the words of Steve Chandler, a great social media speaker I’ve had the honor to listen to, ‘WWBRD’ Everyone in the loop knows what this means. What Would Bonnie Rait Do? She would give them something to talk about. Give your audience something to talk about. It’s all about interaction. Welcome to the loop.
Ask for feedback! Don’t be shy to ask others to leave comments, share stories, or give opinions. This is the biggest asset of social media. Don’t miss it.
Hopefully our list of lessons learned will grow and grow, and we will fine tune this thing we call social media. We see new ideas, and new methods every day. We love being part of other people’s social communities, and learning from others who are out here in the wild west with us. Best of luck, and don’t forget to share your experiences! We’d love to hear about any success or failures you’ve come across. Sharing feedback is the best way for us all to grow. What has been you’re biggest discovery in using social media in a business setting? Leave a comment below for us. Don’t be shy, share the love!
Well, your friendly neighborhood Imagery Group blogger will be disappearing from the office starting tomorrow and won’t be back till Tuesday. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to get your Thursday dose of blogging from Josh who will be guest posting while I’m gone!
In the meantime I’ll be road-tripping it to Atlanta for one of the largest geek conventions on the east coast: Dragon*Con! I haven’t been there since 2004 and I’m looking forward to a long weekend filled with geekdom every time I turn around.
Before I can begin the weekend of geeking out to my heart’s content, I have to prepare for the road trip and stay away from home.
Needless to say I’ll be leaving the house with my promo travel mug full of hot coffee. It will be bright and early, after all and though I’m not driving, I would like to be awake at some point. My suitcases and costume bins are properly taggedas if I’d be flying instead of driving. While it’s not likely that someone else will have a Tauntaun sleeping bag sticking out of a bin along with a giant mallet, I do want to make sure that my bags are identifiable if lost.
The moment I’m really looking forward to is when I arrive at the convention check-in table and get my badge in it’s laminated pouch holder on a lanyard.
Then I’ll really be official and ready to let my geek flag fly.
I’ll be back on Tuesday with tales and photos of all the promotions I’m sure I’ll see this weekend. Until then, treat Josh gently as it’s his first Imagery Group blog on Thursday!
If you follow us on Twitter (and if you don’t then you are missing out on some hilarious and some informative conversations) then you might have noticed me posting about a video that we were shooting scenes for on Friday. I mentioned on Monday that I was finishing up the editing on it and yesterday we presented the final cut to the entire company.
It’s a quick music video starring several members of our Imagery Group family who work at various stages in the order process. We wanted to give you all a glimpse into what goes on behind our Twitter, Facebook, blog, and email and let you know that we work hard each day to make sure we never let you down.
And now I present to you: The Imagery Group Rick Rollers!
Have you ever had a favorite television show that only ran for a short time (perhaps not even a full season) before it was canceled? Much like me, you probably have a few that you could name right now. How about shows that you only found out about after they were canceled? I have one that I can name off the top of my head that I only discovered well after cancellation and into cult favorite status.
Ah, Firefly. The show that only has thirteen episodes but gained a following so strong that they’ve made a successful motion picture, several comic continuations and clamoring for a second season. Fans of the show call themselves “Browncoats” (a reference to the main character, Captain Malcolm Reynolds) and while you can often identify them by the name badges that you’ll sometimes see them sporting at conventions and gatherings, there’s one much easier way to tell who they are:
Their hats.
It’s a pretty distinctive knitted hat. The three colors are ones that normally I would have never put together (pumpkin-orange, yellow and red-orange) but these hats are everywhere. (I ought to know, I’ve knitted over 25 of them for friends.) To make matters more interesting, this hat was shown in just one episode that never aired but was included in the DVD set. Even with all of that, this hat has become a cult icon that is synonymous with the term “Browncoat”.
Talk about promotion and free advertising.
What’s better is that even though there is variation in the shades of color and the pattern due to them being knitted by hundreds of different fans, the hats themselves remain easily identifiable.
Ever seen or come up with a promotion that had a similar item that you could identify in an instant? Drop me a line in the comments or on our Twitter and let me know about it. I’d love to hear about others!
There are only a few things that really frighten me. Heights, drowning, spiders, the takeover of the world by Skynet and zombies.
Yep, zombies. The walking dead. The shambling creatures that are the subject of many a Hollywood movie.
I readily admit that I’m terrified of them. Of all the horror movies I love to watch, the ones with zombies I have to watch in the daytime and preferably with friends. And yet, I can’t help but participate in zombie events (like the Zombie Walk, Blog Like It’s the End of the World and so on). I’m also a proud owner of the Zombie Survival Guide and have read it several times. We won’t talk about how I’ve marked several sections for quick reference.
While I know it’s less likely than computers deciding to rebel against mankind, I am prepared for a zombie uprising and I’m proud of it. What’s in my zombie survival kit besides the obvious you ask? Let me give you a quick sample of what I have to help me survive the war with the living dead.
(taken by Ray+Wendy)
A first aid kit is a must! There are several promo first aid kits that have the basics that you’ll need to keep yourself from getting ill. While a scratch may not seem like a big deal, in the zombie-overrun world you’ll want to get some antibiotic and a bandage on that quick to avoid even regular infections. You won’t be able to run fast enough to escape those creatures if your leg is swelling and red with infection.
You’ll always want to make sure you have plenty of food and water. I have several promo water bottles around my house that are just waiting for news of the first outbreak. Stock up on that promotional sunscreen as well. Trying to hide from zombies in a cramped hole is much more difficult when your skin feels as though it’s been baked in an industrial oven and the slightest touch makes you whimper.
One thing I don’t think people would imagine having might be name badges. That’s right. You need name badges. Once you finally locate other survivors and band together you’ll have a fight for the position of “Leader”, “Point Man” with loser becoming a “Meal on Two Legs”. To make sure that everyone knows who’s in charge, especially when you come into contact with other bands of survivors you’ll need to make sure you have those name badges handy.
Of course, most survivors won’t last long and leaders (and bait) will have the quickest turnover so there would be no point in having personalized name badges just to be thrown out every few days. After all, eventually you will plan to take back your planet and the last thing you need are landfills full of name badges. So you’ll need to get some reusable name badges that you can swap out the names once you remove the badges from the dead bodies of your fallen comrades. Just a quick wipe with your promo cleaning cloth, a new name scribbled on a piece of paper and the name badge is ready for its next owner.
There’s plenty more that you’ll need to have ready when zombies start to overrun our homes. Any suggestions or additions? Perhaps you have some zombie apocalypse items ready at hand? I’ve love to hear about them!
(this PSA is brought to you by Juliette who thinks about zombies more than most people should)
It’s mid-August and that means that county fairs are going on all around the state. I’d almost forgotten one in particular that I wanted to attend this year: the Wilson County Fair.
I first went to this fair two years ago and had a blast, staying until they closed for the day. True, I did wish for a good portion of the day that someone was selling promotional sunscreen, but alas I had to make due with my hat. I did enjoy riding many things that caused my stomach to feel like it was having an out-of-body experience and others that made me feel like a kid again. In addition to the rides I played a few games, enjoyed a fireworks show and got an airbrushed tattoo (the Batman symbol). All in all it was a great time.
As we were leaving at the end of the night we were caught by a few folks tossing cans of an energy drink our way as a promotion. Next to them was a giant inflatable can of the same drink. We couldn’t resist having a little fun with that over-sized promotional item.
This Saturday is the last day of the fair and I think I’m going to go again just to have some fun, ride a few rides and see if there’s any promotional sunscreen this time. Are there any local fairs that you attend? Any particular promotions at them that have caught your eye?
In the wide world of promotional products I’ve heard that few things can be more daunting to order than name badges. After spending the past five years writing orders and helping to produce them I can agree that there are often more tiny details than people initially realize and it can be overwhelming. One of the more confusing parts is often knowing which types of plastics are used for different printing and personalization methods.
The most common type of plastic is called 2-ply plastic. 2-ply plastic is usually 1/16″ thick and is made of two different colored layers of plastic. The bottom layer, often called the “core” is the thicker of the two. This layer is only seen when the badge is engraved or if you flip it over to look at the back. The top layer is thinner than the core and is usually called the “surface color”.
2-ply Plastic Badge (Chicago Badge)
In conversation and in catalogs the surface color is usually state before the core color. For example, “White over Black” or “White/Black” means that the top of the badge is white and when engraved, the names would show as black. Most of our name badges are done on a satin finish 2-ply plastic though matte colors (that have less of a gloss to the surface color) are sometimes available.
1/16" 2-ply White/Black plastic
Related to the 2-ply plastics are the laserable plastics and 3-ply plastics. Laserable 2-ply plastics are still made of the two layers but in this case the surface color is much thinner than with regular 2-ply plastics. This is because the laser doesn’t cut a deeply as the rotary engraver does. 3-ply plastics are exactly what they sound like. They have a surface color, a core color and then another layer of the surface color on the opposite side. You’ve probably seen many desk plates like this that are black with white engraving on each side. People often use 3-ply plastics for just that purpose.
For digitally printed name badges we mostly use a 1/16″ thick solid white styrene. It’s a bright white plastic that works well with our digital printing process. Typically we don’t engrave on this styrene as the names are done digitally as well.
Digital Badge (Phoenix Badge)
One final type of plastic that we often use is 1/16th clear acrylic. This “plastic” is used for both name badges and desk plates and allows for a few more options with the screen printing. Both the logo and a background color are reverse printed on the back of the acrylic. After that the personalizations are reverse rotary engraved as well and then the engraving is colorfilled with a stock or PMS ink color. The final step is a protective cover that is placed on the back of the badge to protect the ink and engraving.
Acrylic Badge (Austin Badge)
There are a multitude of other types of plastics and sub categories within each but these few tend to be the most common in regards to name badge and name plates. Hopefully this helped to make your name badge experience a little less confusing!
That subject line isn’t just meant to catch your eye, it’s meant as an honest confession.
I’ve adored promotional products since I was much younger and well before I got into the industry. I’ve collected t-shirts, mugs, pens, key chains, luggage tags, name badges and anything else that I could get my hands on that mentioned favorite shows, books or music. Even now I still have the t-shirt from the first rock concert I ever attended. (For those who are curious it was a Bryan Adams concert. Go ahead, you can laugh.) Today I still find myself collecting things that catch my fancy. Bottles of “Tru Blood”, Star Wars Happy Meal toys, concert t-shirts and much more.
One of my favorite things to collect as an adult are promotional shirts. If you had seen me this weekend you might have been able to spot that addictionhobby. I went into Wal-Mart to purchase only a few specific items and walked out with those and four Alice in Wonderland (the new Tim Burton film) shirts. To answer your next question only three of the four were Mad Hatter shirts. After I made it home I was putting them away and it hit me how many of the shirts in that drawer were promotional shirts. All but three or four were advertising something, be it a brand, a movie, a band or something similar.
In the past three weeks I’ve happily collected what Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland merchandise that was within my price range and caught my eye. (You may not believe it but I’ve actually passed on a couple of things because I didn’t think they looked awesome enough.) To detail part of my obsession I now present you with a photo of my collected Alice in Wonderland merchandise:
Yes, that’s 14 shirts, 2 iPod skins, the DVD, and the novel adaptation. What you don’t see are the 4 tote bags, 2 posters, 1 board game, 2 more shirts, 2 soundtracks and 4 nail polish bottles that are either on order or were digitally downloaded. Now you understand the meaning behind the subject line of this entry.
Keep in mind, this is only my latest addiction. I can’t even count how many Star Trek and Star Wars promotional items I own and are laying about my house even now. That’s a blog entry for another day.
Do you have favorite shows, movies or books that you can’t resist collecting promotional items from or perhaps a favorite type of promotional item that you collect? Do you have a particular favorite item that you have displayed on your desk or at home?
The good news is that I usually know when I’ll be back again.
As the summer hits its peak and then starts to draw to a close many folks, like me, do a fair amount of traveling on the weekend. A trip to Ohio to visit family, another trip to Atlanta to visit a geek convention for a holiday weekend and who knows where else you might find me on a Saturday. I usually prefer to drive (or ride shotgun) for the fun of a road trip and the picture taking opportunity that travel by car provides. There are times, however, when flying is the better option.
I’m a pretty seasoned traveler when it comes to planes and airports. I don’t have a fear of flying, I get to the airports early, I’ve learned to not make my carry-ons to heavy that I end up looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame bent under the weight and I always have cash for a bottle of water after I get past security.
One other thing that I’m always careful about is my checked baggage. I tend to use brightly colored ribbons to tie the zippers shut and make my bags easy to spot on the carousel after the flight lands. I also have a love for unique bag tags to ensure that no one might grab my bag by accident. My suitcases usually have two or three shaped or brightly colored tags on the handle, all with my address. I also throw tagson my carry-on bags just in case some other passenger happens to have the exact same backpack that I carry and toss into the overhead bin.
Our full color bag tags might be some of my favorites! We have them in some standard rectangular shapes and then we have some more interestingshapesif you are looking for them to stand out. Me? I opted for a simple tag with my theater cast’s logo on the front and a write-on address panel on the back. I think that logo is pretty eye catching by itself.
I know I’ve met a few people who love to get neat bag tags as promotional giveaways but I’m curious to know if others have a favorite tag that they’ve gotten and use often. I’d love to hear about them!
