Keeping Your Four Legged Friends Hydrated!!!

I saw this in one of my catalogs this morning and wanted to share it with you guys!  Perfect for those of you who bring along your four legged friends on your out door excursions.  It is a Stainless Steel Water Bottle with durable roller ball lid...that also comes with a carabiner.  The roller ball lid is designed for dogs and it makes it a lot easier to hydrate them.  Me?...I usually end up wasting a bottle of water literally on myself, the ground and on my pooch!  She's a boxer and not the most graceful water licker upper in the world! 
This bottle is perfect for her!!  Plus it's BPA free!

Low minimum of 36 pcs.  For more information please contact me! 

MadeToOrder...Who we are and What we do

The Ultimate "To-Go" Cup

I received my samples the other day from the factory and have shown them to a few people who have absolutely fallen in love with them! I even had one lady offer to buy the sample that I had, of course I gave it to her…but to me that shows that this item is going to be HUGE in the Promo world!

They look just like a clear plastic to-go cup but they are acrylic.

Benefits:

• BPA free

• Eco-friendly because they are reusable

• Double walled

• Sealable lid

• Acrylic straw that has an adjustable stopper on the end to ensure that it doesn’t come out when the lid is screwed on.

These are NOT dishwasher safe or microwavable.
Hand wash only with warm soapy water.

These cups are perfect for large corporations or facilities that have in house cafeterias and spend a ton of money for throwaway cups. Now I’m sure they’ll still have to purchase the throw way cups but having something like this will cut the cost down, I believe, by a significant amount.

Other establishments that could benefit are: Restaurants, hospitals, sporting events, country clubs, high schools, colleges, etc, etc, etc.
They could even be a client appreciation gift. You could insert a card and even a little packet of lemonade to say “thank you very much for the business and I value the relationship that we have developed over the years …MTO clients…I wonder if you’re going to receive one…hhmmm?
If you would like to receive more information on these AWESOME cups please let me know!

Paper Made Of Poo...Really I'm not joking!!!

Earth Day is right around the corner, April 22nd to be exact, so all of my vendors have been busy sending out Earth Day Flyers on new or exciting products for us to try and sell.

A lot all of them have been show casing the latest and greatest eco-friendly, foldable and reusable bags...some pens...but the one I received yesterday was one that I'm just not sure about.

My first impression was EEEWWWW...second impression was GROSE...and third impression is just WHY?

OK here it is (giggle, giggle) Elephant Poo Poo Paper! Yes folks, someone has actually made paper out of Elephant Poo. See you're asking yourself why too aren't you!

The notebooks come in 3 different sizes and in the description they actually make a point to say that it is "Odorless"...really? See to me that means that when this item first hit the market and people first laid hands on it, they were lifting it up to their noses to see if it smelled, so much so that they felt they had to note that in the description of the item. AND probably because it has Poo in the name.

Also noted is that because of the fibers used in the process of making the paper that "no two notebooks are exactly alike". I guess it depends on whether the poo in question was collected from an elephant that has a high fiber or protein diet. (Sorry I had to go there :-))

Where do they get the poo you ask your self?...well it is collected from various Elephant Conservation Parks and is boiled and cleaned and processed into a pulp (still grose). A good thing is that a portion of the proceeds do go to benefit elephant welfare and conservation products. Well of course it does...you need to protect the source of the poo empire!

I don't know, I guess it's a good thing because it's one less tree that is chopped down and they are giving some of the money back to help protect these animals...but its still Poo!

The Reality of Promotional Products

First off I want to apologize for neglecting my blog. I promise to work harder in updating on a daily basis.

Promotional products should be a reflection of you and your brand. Choosing the right promotional item(s) that tie into your event or branding strategy is something that most marketing departments think about but sometimes never follow through on.

Let’s use pens for example. The only time a company should give away a pen, in my opinion, is as a throw away gift. By that I mean as a giveaway item that just sits out for everyone to get their hands on...because we all know that everyone loves free stuff. But if your message is of another nature such as being "Eco-Friendly" then you should spend a little more to invest in an "Eco-Friendly" pen and I don't mean the kind that is made of card board. I mean the ones that are made from Corn Plastic and are 100% Biodegradable.

This is an option that a motivated and knowledgeable Promotional Professional, such as myself, would know to ask, suggest and provide.

Now...for the nitty griddy down and dirty facts:
1. More than HALF of consumers are impressed with an advertiser on a promotional product, versus 33% of print, 27% for TV and 11% for online advertisers
2. 20% of consumers make a purchase after receiving a promotional product, versus just 7% who do so after seeing a commercial
3. 74% of consumers can recall the advertiser and product/service/message featured on a promotional product, versus 60% of TV commercials, 55% for print ads and 29% of online ads.
4. 8 out of 10 people like receiving promotional products while 7 out of 10 people find online advertising to have a high annoyance factor
5. 9 out of 10 people own a promotional product
6. This one I think is the most important one to remember...7 out of 10 people keep their product if they can use it.

**the above statistics were based on How the Media Compare on Reach, Recall & Reaction and Effectiveness of Promotional Products As An Advertising Medium - a 2009 two-part study conducted by PPAI Research and Fielding through MarketTool, Inc.

My goal is to position myself as an extension of your marketing department and to be available for banter back and forth about what would work best for your ultimate goal. I'm not saying you have to listen and take my advise but at least take note...this is what I do...and what I love doing!

New Foldable Tote Bag!!!

The PPAI show in Las Vegas was great!
I saw quite a few new items that I will be sharing with you guys over the next few days.

Here is one of the items I found. This is a Foldaway Tote Bag. I do like that it folds up into itself for easy storage. It is perfect as a giveaway at sporting events...compact enough to be tossed up into the stands and light enough that it won't injure anyone in the process.



Features:
•Pack it in with this fun, unique tote that's perfect for the grocery store or farmers market
•Tote folds into a carrying pouch with drawstring
•18" shoulder straps
•PVC free
•When folded, pouch dimensions approx: 5"H x 12" dia
•This product is kid-friendly/CPSIA compliant

Contact me for additional information and pricing!!!

Vegas Baby!!

It's a new year which means ther is new SWAG in the world and I am on a mission to find it!

The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI for short) show in Vegas is my target destination and is the BIGGEST show of the year.

Two floors of smooshed in vendors, isle #'s that ran horizontally at one point but switch and start to run vertically, rolling brief cases and boxes with wheels whose sole mission is to trip you while you are looking up to find which isle you are on, and where the products are screaming "Look At Me"..."Look At Me"...whooo my head is spinning just thinking about it!

Given all of the obstacles and sore feet...I Love It!
I absolutely love the challenge that is the PPAI show. I say challenge because there is so much stuff and everyone has something new and exciting to show you! Picture a department store where the perfume counter stretches the length of 5 football fields and every 5 feet or so there is a perfume girl there saying, "can I spray you"...but instead of perfume it is some new techy gadget, or desk top toy, or new eco-friendly do-dad.

Having a plan is a must!

In my case I talk to my customers about what their upcoming needs may be and I plan accordingly. Mapping out your plan of action is a must at this show cause there is soo much to see. Usually the last day is the day that I end up just wondering around to see all the vendors that weren't on my list.

It truly is a great show for me to attend...It's like a treasure hunt and the treasure is finding the perfect items for your customers!