Posted by: Suzi Senna

Ah…it’s the age old question: Which came first? Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” song or the red solo cup promo item?

The answer is: It doesn’t matter! Proceed to party anyways!

For those that like to party, there are some new promo items that have hit the market just for you.

First up: The durable double-wall Eastman Tritan cup. This little beauty is 16 ounces of fun—unless it’s empty—and comes in the recognizable shade of “Red Solo Cup.” Not a fan of the red? Well it also comes in black, blue, navy, orange, green, purple and clear. This item is great for all of your events: barbecues, festivals, tailgating, golf tournaments…the list is endless. Minimum quantities start as low as 48 pieces with a price as low as $4.98 a pop! There’s even a version with a screw-on lid perfect for sipping your hot (Irish) coffee. The lid version available for as low as $5.48.

Next item lining up for a party: The “Twist n’ Shot™.”

This 2 ounce plastic cup is fitted with a removable twist mechanism that allows you to carve out your jello for easy release straight into your gullet. Brilliant—right? Well, I thought so. Choose from clear, solid red or black cups with red, pink, yellow, blue, orange, white or green twists. These little guys have a minimum quantity of 250 with prices as low as $0.90.

Posted by: Colin Hageney

I’m often asked if there are any promos that are still made in the USA anymore.  While the perception is that most products are made in China, there are a significant amount of items made on our own turf.  Products made in the USA give you the assurance that your marketing dollars are recycling through our economy and creating more jobs for Americans. Here are 5 of my favorite partners who produce their products in the USA – there are certainly more – call us if you’re interested in USA product ideas.

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Posted by: Suzi Senna

Marketing experts that are serious about their brand standards, can probably rattle off their Pantone colors (both coated and uncoated versions) without even a second of thought. Color is a crucial component of your logo and brand and should be respected as such.

People can have the same emotional response to a brand’s color as much as to the brand itself. And if it’s a color that’s engrained into someone’s understanding or memory, the name of the color (versus seeing the color swatch itself) is  enough to elicit a response. Take “Tiffany Blue” for example. For those who have hoped for or have been lucky enough to receive a little blue box from this jewelry store, can envision that color the moment that they hear it. Another example that’s a bit more local is “Aggie Maroon.” I’m willing to bet that past, current and future A&M students, parents and faculty and accurately conjure up the color in their heads—as well as the emotions associated with their alma mater, “We’ve got to fight for maroon and white.”

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Posted by: Robert Melvin

I grew up on a golf course in Pennsylvania playing at least 18 holes per day in the summer. I also worked on a greens crew in the summer to help support my way through college. Those were good times and one of the silly things that I’ve never forgotten was how many golf balls I found by the end of the summer ⎯ we’re talking hundreds. In case you’re wondering, most golf balls are lost in bushes, woods, and ponds.

This brings me to my first point. Placing a logo on a golf ball is a popular thing. Let’s face it; you can’t play golf without a golf ball. But if you’re a small company and you’re forced to spend every marketing dollar as if it were your last, consider this. A golf ball will last a skilled golfer about 18 holes on a good day. When we’re talking about an average golfer, your golf ball might last for only minutes. That’s simply not a good branding investment if you’re a small company.

This brings me to my second point. For about the same price as a sleeve of Titlelist golf balls (3 balls), you can brand your company’s logo on a handsome two-color golf glove with a magnetic ball marker. Depending on how often you play golf and the climate, the glove could last one year or longer. Some of my best friends are still avid golfers and they swear by the convenience of having a magnetic ball marker attached to the glove. In a perfect world, promotional products should be used for a long time and serve as an ongoing reminder of your brand. This is even more important for companies with smaller marketing budgets.

This brings me to my last point. Without question, golf balls are convenient giveaways at a tournament because you never have to worry about size. But here’s something else to consider. The G-Flex cabretta leather glove combines breathable and flexible CoolMax material with a “3 size fits all.” So, you only have to worry about three sizes: (S-M, M-L, and XL-XXL). This glove and magnetic ball marker is a perfect offering for any golf tournament and it will score well with your customers. The minimum is 150 gloves and the price is around $21. Set up charges apply.

Posted by: Colin Hageney

“Laissez les bons temps rouler” is a Cajun French phrase literally translated from the English expression “Let the good times roll.” I’ve only heard it in New Orleans and typically around Mardi Gras. As we roll into 2013, Bullpen is excited about expanding into this new Louisiana market. Not only exciting from a business perspective, for me, it feels like coming home.

My mother was born in Touro Infirmary in New Orleans and grew up in a home on Louisiana Avenue near Magazine Street, while her mother, my grandmother, was born in the French Quarter on the second floor of a historic building on the corner of St. Anne and Royal. As a child, visiting New Orleans regularly to see family and friends, the visits were more like pilgrimages – a history of Louisiana as we crossed the state during our drive from Houston.

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Post by: Suzi Senna

We all know that promotional products make an impression.

Imprinted t-shirts fall in the top 5 promo items with the highest impression in the U.S coming in with an average of 1,990. (And for those wondering—the number of impressions a product makes is calculated by multiplying how long a recipient has the product by how many people see that product while the recipient is using it.) And did you also know that a whopping 43% of U.S. consumers own a promotional shirt?!

Click on the chart to the left for more interesting tidbits about promotional shirts. Research conducted by the Advertising Specialty Institute. For the complete 2012 report, click here.

So, now that we know how valuable a marketing tool your imprinted t-shirt can be, let’s take it one step further. We can transform a simple t-shirt to a creatively packaged idea to maximize your brand’s message and leave an even bigger impression with your audience.

The process of “smashing” a shirt into a compressed shape combined with special inserts and packaging allows your brand to truly shine. Below are just a few examples of the smashed shirt concepts and packaging—the possibilities are endless! For your custom quote or if you need help brainstorming ideas, contact Bullpen today by emailing info@bullpenmarketing.com or calling 713.652.2030. Let us help you get smashed!

Posted by: Nicole Marin

Are you still catching up after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? If so, don’t feel bad- you’re not the only one! It might be the middle of January, but it’s not too late to make a list of marketing resolutions for 2013. In fact, we here at Bullpen have a different perspective on new year’s resolutions, so much so that we add to our list everyday!

Here is a list of the top three resolutions that we think are important for marketing departments in 2013. While some of these might seem obvious, we decided to include them anyways since they often do (but shouldn’t) get overlooked or pushed to the backburner a month or two into the new year.

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From hybrid cars, to bamboo-based clothing it seems like every other product that comes out these days is in some way or another pushing the idea of sustainable living- and for good reason too! For years, environmentalists have warned us about the dangerous effects of some of our regular daily habits. From filling our gas tanks to filling our water bottles, there always seems to be a more environmentally-conscious way of doing things.

Like many other companies, we here at Bullpen, have adopted our own Green Promise from recycling paper, plastic and aluminum to sending out electronic invoices rather than mailing them, we’re proud to say that we’re making a conscious effort to reduce our carbon footprint. In addition to recycling and reducing in-office paper use, we were also one of the first promotional product companies to offer an entire line of “green” products and we’re especially excited about our latest addition, the Bobble water bottle: a personal, portable, reusable, filtered water bottle.

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We recently developed and conducted a webcast for the American Marketing Association titled, “The Truth about Branding with Promotional Products”. In our webcast we cited several statistics that were pulled from a research report that was published by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI). If you’re interested in reading the entire report, you can do so by clicking on the links below.

View our webcast here.

Global Advertising Specialties Impression Study, released 2010

UPDATE:

ASI recently released their 2012 study.

Global Advertising Specialties Impression Study, released 2012

What’s the difference between a giveaway and a gift?

A giveaway is a promotional product, mostly likely with your logo, information or messaging on it and is something you give to clients, potential clients, employees and countless other targeted audiences.

A gift is all of the above BUT given in a bag.

When you receive something in a bag personally given to you by someone else your brain automatically associates that bag and goods inside of it as a gift. This positive association can only bolster your brand and the very message you’re trying to get across. What’s more is that people are probably more likely to remember your gift than your giveaway.

Bullpen Marketing provides all types and sizes of bags, from good old paper to the plastic grab bag. Want to get even more bang for your buck? Decorate a non-woven tote that your end user will keep and reuse for groceries, recycling or whatever else imaginable. Not only does the gift stick around, but so does the gift receptacle giving your brand the one-two punch.

While Bullpen can supply you with both the gift and the bag, we make things even easier for you by offering assembly services. You receive the final item ready to “gift” out with absolutely no additional work on your end. Call or email Bullpen Marketing today to discuss your project needs: 713.652.2030 or info@bullpenmarketing.com