Bullpen has recognized that giving is on the rise as the U.S. economy struggles to rebound from 2009.  The start of Christmas and the gift-giving season is fast approaching.  We will be focusing our attention on gifts that have more sustenance – gifts that do, in fact, give back.

We are working tirelessly with our factories to develop ways for companies to give for charitable reasons, as well as promotional needs.  One initiative is the Hope and Green Grass collection of promotional products that display your logo.  10% of the revenue from Items purchased in this collection will be donated to Habitat for Humanity and American Forests, respectively.  Giving a gift that gives back creates such a wonderful culture within a company both internally with employees as well as external clients and stakeholders.  It shows a compassionate heart of a company that is not only looking out for its bottom line, but looking to help change the world in a small but important way.

To see the Hope and Green Grass collection, contact Bullpen today at 713.652.2030 or email us here.

As far as advertising your brand, it couldn’t get any better. Careful targeting, clear messaging and long-term visibility make these calendars a high-impact low-cost advertising tool compared to other media. Why else are these remarkably cost-effective promo items great?

Meaning. To customers, a calendar isn’t advertising, it’s a thoughtful gift—more than just “another ad.”

Endorsement. When a customer displays your calendar, it’s a personal recommendation of your brand to everyone who sees it.

Relevance. The functionality and visual appeal of a calendar keep your brand personally relevant day after day.

Value. A calendar overcomes the “tune out” common with other forms of advertising, maximizing your advertising dollars for an entire year.

Call or email us today and let Bullpen find the perfect calendar to go with your brand.

*Information for statistics and chart provided by Dr. Kenneth W. Lawyer, retired Marketing Department Chair as Case-Western Reserve University.

Ever wonder if some promo items have a greater ability to effect change more than others? According to brand new research, “Effectiveness of Promotional Products As An Advertising Medium” conducted by PPAI through MarketTools, Inc., the answer is YES!

A study of 1,005 average American households revealed that when it comes to creating a favorable impression of an advertiser or motivating the recipient to take a particular action, the following promo items had top honors:

[1] Gift baskets of food
[2] MP3 player
[3] Clock or watches
[4] Digital picture frames
[5] Luggage
[6] T-shirts/golf shirts
[7] Wallets
[8] Tote bags

And, for greatest advertiser/message recall, the following items were ranked highest by responents for their usefulness and/or uniqueness:

[1] Pens
[2] Calendars
[3] Coffee mugs
[4] Magnets
[5] MP3 players
[6] T-shirts/golf shirts
[7] Tote bags/bags
[8] Gift baskets of food

No, you didn’t miss hearing the name of the product in it’s rhythmically hip voice over. And no, there were no words on the screen hinting at the name except for that floating  G. The first few times I saw this ad, I was confused, stunned and pondered, “What IS G?” My mind lingered on the question for a few seconds before the following commercial wiped the slate clean. The next couple of times, I tried to pay extra attention to the words in the voice-over desperately trying to discover what it was a commercial for. I even used the DVR once to rewind the commercial. After that, I tried to identify the people in the commercial to find a link, but didn’t know who half of them were. I was at a loss. Why did the makers of this commercial not want me to know what it was selling?

At about the 6th viewing, I decided to do some quick interneting to find an answer to what I ruled was an extremely ridiculous and inefficient ad. I was baffled to find that this was the same sports drink which once asked “Is it in you?” Whose black and white commercials once showed athletes working hard while the brightly colored liquid sweat from their pores. And (dare I say it?) actually showed it’s product and repeated it’s name in the ad—more than once.

So, what can we learn from this cryptic message? It’s as simple as this—Don’t be cryptic! Especially not in your marketing or branding. Don’t assume your consumers or potential clients will go through the trouble of researching your ad to find out who you are. Luckily for you, Bullpen’s here to help you with all your marketing needs. If you think you may need some help, give us a call at 713.652.2030.

Have you figured it out yet?
To keep in line with the cryptic ad, here’s a slightly less cryptic pictogram to provide the answer: