Surge Promotions is a leader in screen-printing, embroidery, and promotional marketing. You’ve heard the pitch: “# 1 in customer service,” but how can one prove to be the best? We here at Surge do just that, each and every day! We believe in the old adage, “don’t tell me, show me,” and we put it into action…
Brand identity cannot be overstated. It is the personality of an organization. It is the emotional response from customers. It’s the bridge that connects a brand to its customer base. A well-managed brand possesses longevity, and creates brand loyalty/commitment. Brand identity is the defining voice of a brand that says, “we are not them; we are different; we are better.”
Promotional products are not always used to benefit one’s customers, but also one’s employees! A food processing company was having a rough time minimizing their work-related injuries. This resulted in remarkably high financial costs, low productivity, and even lower morale…Read More
Sales in a drug stores photo processing center were dwindling. The problem: their customers began using online photo processing, rather than coming into the store. The reason: their customers lacked the confidence and knowledge to come in and use the self-serve photo processors, and others were simply unaware that such a center existed…Read More
Latest News
Camping Goods Store Builds Customer Relations and Boosts Sales with a Flashlight
A time-tested use of promotional products is packaging them with a retail item as a free gift. An outdoor/camping supply store launched a new line of camping tents and wanted to highlight the release, as well as boost sales. Much to the delight of their customers, they decided to pair a super-bright LED flashlight with each tent sold. The flashlights were imprinted with the store’s logo and were given to the customer at the time of the tent purchase. The incentive of receiving a free, high-quality flashlight only reinforced their customers’ decision to buy a tent, and helped to secure future business. The flashlights are now sold as a retail item independent of the promotional giveaway and have become one of the store’s top selling items.
Promotional Points
1) The power of “free”—Everyone loves free stuff, especially when the “stuff” is high-quality and useful! When you can pair a gift with a purchase, you’re bound to generate some buzz, as well as secure future business. Remember, positive emotions towards a business are key to customer loyalty
2) Product fit the promotion—Flashlights and tents go together like peanut butter and jelly. Make sure that the gift you pair with your retail item is a good match. It wouldn’t make much sense to give away a bottle of perfume with the purchase of a floor rug. To give away a bottle of carpet cleaner with the purchase of a floor rug? Perfect.
3) From promotion to retail—The store realized the potential of the product they were giving away, and converted it to a branded (or logoed) company retail item. They converted a giveaway into a profit-generating product.
*Not all case studies described are owned by Surge Promotions. We seek to inform, enlighten, and inspire our clients to reach their creative limits through sharing information and working with them to achieve the most unique and most profitable promotion possible.
Nursing Care Center Uses Hand Sanitizer Spray Pen to Build Trust
Promotional items are not always used to secure new clients, but rather to improve the relations between the business and the current clientele. A nursing center acquired a superb reputation for the care and compassion given to their residents, but the families of the residents felt uneasy about the perceived threat of the spread of germs and disease (even though the care center took great measures to ensure everything was clean and sterile). The center brainstormed ideas as to how to ease these fears, and decided to go the promo products route. Good choice. The product: hand sanitizer spray pen. That’s right, a pen that sprays antibacterial hand sanitizer!
The center imprinted their logo on the pens, and distributed the pens to the residents’ families when they came to visit. The pen’s worked perfectly, as each family loved the gifts! They were able to immediately use the product by spraying their hands to keep germs from spreading, and the functionality of the pen made it possible to write notes about how the center is helping their loved ones. The families were reminded that the center was doing everything it can to ensure the health and well-being of its residents, and the promotion worked so well that the center decided to set up the promotion at five other care centers, all with the same result!
Promotional Points—
1) Practical—A practical promotion just can’t be beat. When a client receives a gift that they can use on a daily basis, it’s a constant reminder of your company, and a positive attitude towards your business grows! The pen’s given in this scenario could be used immediately, and served a very practical purpose: hygiene.
2) Met a need—The hand sanitizer pen addressed and alleviated the fears of the residents’ families, fostering trust.
3) Smart product—The hand sanitizer pen was a great example of a relevant, well-thought-out product. The administrators took their time to decide on which product to use, rooting through various other product ideas before landing on the pen. Take time on deciding which product is right for you. Creativity and ingenuity go a long way!
*Not all case studies described are owned by Surge Promotions. We seek to inform, enlighten, and inspire our clients to reach their creative limits through sharing information and working with them to achieve the most unique, and most profitable promotion possible.
Promotional Calendars – Building Your Brand A Little More Every Day
Promotional Calenders are a great way to build a brand. Before I jump into why, we have hosted a great case study involving 
promotional calenders and a well known national convenience store. Click here to check out our promotional calendar case study
Promotional calendars are a staple in the promotional products realm. They’re a tried and true product and immensely effective in promoting one’s business. Why has this product possessed so much longevity? Three reasons: breadth of use, practicality, and aesthetics. We’ll tackle each of these reasons separately, expounding on each as we go.
Breadth of Use—
First and foremost, the vast majority (97%) of all businessmen/women use a calendar on a near daily basis. That means that every day, Monday through Friday, they’re staring at their busy schedule, and consequently everything around it. This could be your logo, or slogan, or both (which would be my suggestion).
Practicality—
Because calendars are used so widely by professionals, it only makes sense to capitalize on giving them something that they need in order to stay sane! A study conducted in 2008 showed that nearly 50% of the average user would, if they were without their calendar for a day, be severely affected by its absence! I will reiterate: just one day without a calendar and their lives would be severely affected! Outside of the practicality of giving a promotional calendar, the use in and of itself is practical. People need to plan out their busy lives, and a calendar is a great gift to aid them in that pursuit. Talk about one being thankful!
Aesthetics—
Human beings enjoy beauty and art. With a promotional calendar one can give their customers an aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable gift that serves as a work of art! Some artistic flair goes a long way when giving away promotional items, as you appeal to one of the basic human desires: beauty. If you hand a client a calendar that is artistically interesting and intriguing, you’re hitting the practical and the aesthetic elements (what they need and what they enjoy), a perfect combination, and a tested way of improving customer relations and securing future business.
Promotional calendars are both practical and enjoyable (which don’t always go hand in hand), and are a great way to promote one’s business. Here are some helpful tips when deciding to design a calendar series:
1) Ensure well-integrated design—make sure that the calendar fits your brand image and “flavor.” Check the logo design, color palette, subject matter, and content of each month’s graphic to make sure that it fits with your company likeness and culture, as it is a reflection of who you are as a business. Also, make sure to implement your logo in the design for each month, as you don’t want them forgetting who gave them such an awesome gift!
2) Taylor the calendar to the client—this is just as much a design issue as the art you place on each page. Should you use the traditional flip calendar, or the year-at-a-glance calendar? Pocket or full-sized? Magnetic or paper? All of these choices should be well thought-out and planned. For example, if you’re main client is a contractor, they’re probably not going to want the fanciful, full-color version of your calendar, but rather the simple, large, full-month calendar. Don’t worry, you can still flash your logo on it!
3) Make it pretty, make it relevant— No one wants something ugly hanging on their wall, so don’t send out an ugly calendar! Take time with the design, and try to avoid using stock photos of butterfly’s and flowers (unless that fits your business, then go for it)!
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Promotional Calenders – At A Great Price
Credit Union Promotes Movie Night with Popcorn
Believe it or not, emotionality has much to do with brand devotion and connection. People feel sentiments towards brands, and so it
is vital for a business to do as much as they can to ensure that those emotions are positive! A credit union in found a fun and creative way to not only promote their brand and service, but to also serve a worthy cause. The event? a community-wide movie night where a local food bank was benefited. The problem: few attendants. The solution: popcorn.
The choice was made to imprint bags of popcorn and send them out to members of the community, primarily focusing on their current customer base. They designed the logo with aesthetics and functionality in mind, and decided to use the bags as an invitation. They included the name of the event, the time, the location, the date, and of course, their logo. What good is a promotion without your company logo, right? The results: more than 1,200 attendants, raising over a half-ton of food for the food bank and non-profit organizations!
Promotional Points
1) Fun and creative—This company could have merely sent out nicely printed paper invitations, but these would have been easily forgotten in the rest of the mounds of mail members of the community received each day. The use of the popcorn bag made more a memorable promotion that worked, beautifully.
2) Inexpensive—Popcorn bags are inexpensive, and the return (a positive, trusting attitude towards the company and helping out local charities) was invaluable.
3) Personal—The credit union sent out spokespeople to approach community members, personally inviting them to the event. This adds a whole new dimension to the promotion when face-to-face contact is made.
*Not all case studies described are owned by Surge Promotions. We seek to inform, enlighten, and inspire our clients to reach their creative limits through sharing information and working with them to achieve the most unique, and most profitable promotion possible.
Connect With Us
- The Surge Slim Down Kicks Off Today! August 2, 2010
- Surge’s New Past Time – Ping Pong July 12, 2010
- Surge Derby Results! May 3, 2010