The desktop is a great place to position a product that reminds people of your product, service, contact details and promotional coasters are an inexpensive and effective way to do this. A coaster can be something that is well received and will be used in some capacity within the office environment that you are intending it to be used. You can also be fairly confident that your promotional coaster will be viewed by a good number of people on a regular basis, meaning that it will not only the intended recipient that will remember your details, even subconsciously.

There are several key benefits of using promotional coasters in your marketing campaigns. The first and most obvious is the low cost element. Promotional coasters do vary in price, but most are down towards the lower end of the price spectrum for promotional items, typically in the £0.30 to £0.50 area for the budget items. It is possible to spend more and this is dependant on the materials the promotional coasters are produced in. Aluminium and glass are higher in price.  The second great benefit of using promotional coasters is the fact that they have a large branding position and this can be used to provide a good size logo, contact details and a decent amount of company information. Some promotional coasters are also double sided, which allows you to be very creative with your design.

There are many different ways that promotional coasters are used in campaigns. Should you have a large number of desks and want to smarten up the office environment, coasters could be considered as a starting point. Direct mail campaigns are another perfect use for promotional coasters as they are light, cost effective and easy to pack into small envelopes, therefore having little effect on postage. With regard to events and exhibitions, it is quite often the case that bulky items are crossed off the list in favour of items that are easier to transport, and promotional coasters would certainly fit the bill.

It is a common myth to presume that promotional coasters are produced as either square or round, giving off the impression that there is nothing standout in this range of promotional items. This is not the case, and you can always look to have liquid filled promotional coasters, special shaped products, 2 dimensional PVC options that give a raised up feel and texture to your coaster. Really it is a very diverse set of promotional products, and should you be considering using promotional coasters in your next campaign, speak to a member of the sales team about ideas, prices, visuals and samples. We will be sure to find a promotional coaster to suit your needs.

It is always nice to focus on something new within the promotional gift industry and the desktop garden is a great new product to highlight and make a noise about. The desktop is an ideal place to have a product with your branding visible. You will stay in your target audience’s mind for a considerable amount of time as a result. The marketing consumer is constantly looking for something different and the desktop garden is just that.

Made from recycled aluminium (which is also 100% recyclable), the desktop garden has all the Eco credentials demanded by many in the industry these days. With a recycled cork stopper and attractive brushed aluminium tube design, the desktop garden catches the eye instantly. Made in the UK, you are assured of a minimum carbon footprint. The branding on the desktop garden is up to full colour process on every order, with minimum quantities can be as low as 50 units. This great range has a short lead time of around 2-3 weeks but on request this can be improved upon.

The desktop garden is a great way to engage the recipients – whether this is incentivizing your staff, giving a gift to your top clients or handing out at an event for business generation and relationship building, the 80g “pot” will certainly do you justice for a relatively low spend. Contained in the tube is everything you need to get your desktop garden growing; organic soil coin, seeds and growing instructions. All you need is water, green fingers and a bit of time to care and nurture!

There is a good choice of seeds to choose from in the desktop garden range. A set of mixed garden annuals is a very popular choice and these include Cosmos, Calendula, Nasturium, Sweet Pea and Candytuft. Other options to consider are Coriander, Chives or Basil. If you are looking for something different, please get in touch and we can find out what is possible to make your desktop garden fit your requirements.

The desktop garden is a truly versatile and standout promotional product. It has great branding options, quick turnaround and fits the bill when considering an Eco gift. It generates immediate interest and an ongoing focus. You can be certain that the desktop garden will help enforce your brand and provide a good connection with your target audience. So bring the outdoors indoors and give your client some desktop “greenspace”. Contact the sales team now, to discuss pricing, visuals and samples.

With the festive season drawing closer (even if we do not want to acknowledge the fact), now is the perfect time to order promotional advent calendars if this is on your shopping list for client or staff gifts. A uniquely season item, there is usually a narrow window when sales in advent calendars surge and October is certainly the month where this takes place.

Promotional advent calendars are available in 2 sizes, A4 or A5, providing the marketing consumer a choice of two price points, whilst still achieving maximum branding and the same product function (i.e. 25 yummy chocolates!) The A5 sized promotional advent calendar is perfect for the desktop, providing a high impact gift that has a short lifetime, but will definitely stand out and be remembered. The A4 version can be wall mounted, giving your branding even more exposure.

The branding possibilities are fantastic on promotional advent calendars with the entire external packaging available to take up to a full colour process print. This is ideal for your logo, products and services and contact details. It can also be used as a relationship builder, with “meet the team” photos being used to put faces to the names for your important client base.

Given the promotional advent calendars are slim and light, they fit the bill for a number of marketing uses. Staff incentive is one such use, showing your appreciation for their hard work throughout the year whilst reinforcing your strong brand. A direct mail campaign to a top client list is also something to consider and promotional advent calendars are an inexpensive option to provide a gift that will certainly receive more “desk time” than some items. Event giveaways would also be a good use for promotional advent calendars and they would certainly get “tongues wagging” with this stand out promotional product.

The lead-time is the only restriction with this product, and this is mainly down to the fact that the consumer will quite rightly want their promotional advent calendars in place before December 1st. With an approx 4-week turnaround time, it is certainly the case that October is the month to order and have artwork signed off. This will allow you to ensure your method for dispatching these is arranged and that your client will have their calendar in plenty of time to open the first “window”.

Steel City Marketing would be delighted to provide up to date and competitive quotes on your required quantity of promotional advent calendars and with our in house studio facility we would be able to sort out the design to you from a brief in no time at all.

The Gdock â is a fantastic, award winning and unique desktop gadget holder that would be fantastic promotional giveaway idea to consider for your next campaign or promotion. Intelligently nicknamed the “desktop billboard”, the Gdock â can deliver effective and powerful messaging and branding where the user is likely to require a place to keep their mobile phone, Ipod, PDA or blackberry safe during their working day. This could also be ideal for use in the home office environment.

Gdock â fits into the range of promotional mobile phone holders, but as mentioned above, this product is ideal for a full range of modern communication and entertainment devices. Supplied flat packed for simple self assembly, the Gdock â provides a product that the user will interact with several times a day, and with effective branding and additional print information such as a calendar, this interaction could be increased considerably. Due to the simplicity of the Gdock â it is difficult to miss and very likely to be used, a perfect position for a promotional item to be in.

The design of the Gdock has also taken into account the types of devices that will be used in this particular holder. There is an opening to allow for charging, full wired connectivity to PC’s or just simply headphones. This can be done without destabalising the product and you don’t have to contort yourself to fit chargers in place!

The environmental side of the Gdock is another great feature of this great desktop promotional item. The Gdock is made from recycled card and is fully recyclable. They are produced in the UK, are light and low cost to distribute, therefore keeping the carbon footprint down as low as possible. Materials that are constantly in use during the production of the Gdock are FSC certified materials, inert water based protective coating and vegetable oil based inks. This product gives the right message about how to brand and advertise ethically.

There are many ways in which the Gdock can work effectively during your next campaign. Staff incentives or internal communications would be a fine use as well as the entire spectrum of marketing activities, from client giveaways or gifts that provide year round brand reminders to event or exhibition giveaways that can act as a dual calendar / holder.

Branding is key to the popularity of the Gdock. The printed area is such, that when folded into place, there is advertising to the entire front as well as the fold of flap on the reverse, great for the desktop where people may be looking at the back of the item as well from time to time. Up to full colour process print of course, the Gdock has shown a recall and brand recognition rate of 70%, a winning set of stats for any promotional giveaway.

The next time you are looking for a low cost, UK produced, promotional desktop item, it would be wise to consider the Gdock given the benefits and value it will give your branding for a relatively low overall spend.

A promotional product that has a specific use on a daily basis is probably one of the best-received giveaway items at present. Promotional highlighters are a fantastic merchandise range, that can be used during various marketing campaigns and can make an ideal impression on the target audience. A complimentary product to various desktop promotional items, highlighters have a use for most office staff and will be kept and used even if there isn’t an immediate need.

The range of promotional highlighters is considerable, there are plenty of shapes and designs. The marketing consumer has the choice of single highlighters with a choice of ink colours or you can consider a multiple promotional highlighter that has several ink colours in one product.

There are a couple of brand names that have ensured they have a presence in the promotional highlighters range, with both 3M and Senator having highlighter pens to choose from. 3M have a fantastic product in their Post It Note Index highlighter, a combination product that has a set of index tabs as well as highlighter pen that comes in various colours. Senator have a choice of upside down markers that can be purchased as individual promotional highlighters or as a set of 3. These can be attached to lanyards if the user could have a requirement to use a highlighter on the move. Senator’s duo pen is a best selling product, a combined ballpen and highlighter, now available in several colours.

Away from branded promotional highlighters, there is plenty of choice. Most are the multiple highlighting products and the best sellers are viewable on the site, these being the triangular highlighter and the petal.

The great feature of most promotional highlighters is the print areas that are on these great giveaway items. Most have at least one large print area, whilst some can be printed to multiple positions or just simply the second side of a highlighter like the triangular.

This range of merchandise is not a low budget product, so should be considered as an alternative to a mid range ballpen for example rather than a low cost pen. Promotional highlighters have a long product lifetime as they are not constantly being used, but could very easily be used on a daily basis. This will gain your brand great exposure for a considerable time and promotional highlighters may well end up with multiple owners during its life.

Great for use as a business gift, event or exhibition giveaway or as a staff incentive, promotional highlighters are a very popular choice for a desktop promotional product.

With the latest set of high budget TV advertising in place for the next few months, retail sales in Sharpie pens are likely to skyrocket. The promotional market provides a healthy revenue stream for the manufacturer and they are concentrating heavily on promoting the sharpie pens to the marketing world. David Beckham is fronting the TV commercials, a repeat of the previous advertising campaign which proved incredibly successful. Write Out Loud is commonly known phrase and the there is very little Mr Beckham can do wrong anyway.

Sharpie pens in the promotional field are available in four pen / nib sizes and cover most requirements. There is the industry standard sharpie fine, the best seller in the range. These Sharpie pens are nontoxic and are permanent on most surfaces (including glass, metal, photos, foil, CD’s and most plastics). It is quick drying as well as being fade and water-resistant. Branding is now all encompassing on the sharpie fine, with screen print and full colour process wrap print. The Sharpie fine comes in 4 writing colours.

The next of the Sharpie pens to look at is the sharpie mini, which is a newer product to the range, but still a great permanent marker.  Great for carrying around and marking on the go. Take your Sharpie mini in bags, purses or pockets. There is a detachable cap clip that can be allow these sharpie pens to be attached to bags, rucksacks, golf bags, ring binders or lanyards.  There are again 4 writing colours to choose from.  As with the Sharpie fine, these are permanent on most surfaces with quick drying, nontoxic ink.

The third main sub category of the Sharpie pens is that of the Highlighters. There is the retractable Accent RT and the mini highlighter. The RT solves the problem of losing caps on highlighter pens and the mini highlighter has a chisel tip for underlining and highlighting and gives you the option of having a sharpie constantly with you.

Paper Mate have also recently added the Sharpie RT in black – a retractable sharpie pen that allows you to click and mark.

As mentioned, branding on sharpie pens has improved no end. Originally, there was a single colour restriction, quickly followed by an option to print in 2 colours (also available on express delivery). Now there is full colour print options on the Sharpie fine and this can be done on a full body Wrap print. This has been launched to coincide with the Beckham campaign, timed perfectly as always to maximise the potential sales.

Sharpie pens are a brand name that sticks in most people’s mind. These are great permanent markers and highlighters with good colour choice, great branding options and choice of writing colours. Perfect for direct mail campaigns, event giveaways, golf day gifts or for staff incentives.

A promotional product that is hardwearing and durable will ensure that your branding remains prominent for a considerable length of time. Melamine coasters are an ideal product to fit into that product specification. These would normally be described as a more traditional type of promotional idea and not one that immediately springs to mind when looking at the next marketing campaign. But when you consider that with only a little care and attention melamine coasters (and indeed place mats) can last for many years, protecting your desktop and promoting your company or service, then it is not such a traditional product to consider.

Melamine coasters come as standard in either round or square at 100mm in size. In addition there is a rectangular 115 x 90mm coaster. Bespoke shapes can be created to order, making this a very versatile promotional product. Melamine is a very hardwearing and durable surface and is able to withstand temperatures of 140 degress. It is easily wiped clean, but must not be put in the dishwasher to maintain its long lifetime! As well as the versatility in shape of the melamine coasters, multiple print methods can be used such as screen, litho or digital.  These promotional coasters are either backed with cork or baize (felt like material) again providing the consumer with plenty of choice.

There are plenty of other finished products other than the melamine coasters that are produced. These include place mats, trays, cheese boards, wipe clean boards to name a few. All of these are ideal for either the promotional, souvenir or catering markets and with good print areas on each and every product; there are possibilities of adding company details, products or services as well as your logo.

So do you still see melamine coasters as a traditional promotional product. Well considering the bespoke shape possibility, the selection of print methods as well as a choice of backing available, is this really the case or should the word “traditional” be dropped and melamine coasters just be described as promotional products.

I would imagine that not too many people would associate a brand name with promotional coasters. It doesn’t seem likely when you put it this way.  However, in the world of promotional gifts, brand names exist and brite mat coasters are one such example of a product that has made a name for itself in a particular market. If there is a promotional desktop product that clients will ask for by name then it is certainly the brite mat family.

Brite Mat Mouse Mats are an original trade marked product. These have been “around” for a considerable length of time. The brite mat coasters were a natural addition to the range and again have proved incredibly popular for a promotional giveaway idea.

Brite Mat Coasters (like their old brother the mouse mat) are rigid and have a hardwearing surface. They are virtually indestructible under normal use. They have a non-slip backing and have stunning colour reproduction. There are two shapes of brite mat coasters, either round or square (with radius corners) and they are sized at 95mm. As with all promotional coasters, the print area is great, allowing a fantastic amount of detail to be printed in up to full colour process.

The lead-time of the Brite Mat coasters range is one of the most impressive features. This is 5 working days from proof approval as standard and if production schedules allow, then an express fee can be paid to reduce that even further.

Obviously a best selling promotional giveaway item, that is also available at a good price point, Brite Mat coasters can now also be made using recycled materials. This now provides an additional unique selling point for these promotional coasters and being made from plastic vending cups, this can be used to add a powerful message to your branding.

Fantastic as a direct mail campaign or an exhibition giveaway, brite mat coasters should strongly be considered as a promotional item that is long lasting, shows great branding, can be an Eco product and could be ideal for a follow on campaign where brite mat mouse mats are being considered. Brite Mat Coasters tick all the boxes!

We are becoming increasingly aware that the demand for promotional giveaways is still strong but that the need to look at cheaper alternatives is the most important factor. Many desktop promotional products provide a low value option, whilst maintaining the presence of your brand for a considerable time. Acrylic coasters are one such product that is now being considered as a way to achieve the results whilst keeping the important marketing spend to a minimum.

Promotional coasters have always been a popular gift idea and acrylic coasters in particular have been one of the best selling in this range. They are solid, rigid and tough, guaranteeing a long product lifetime and maximizing the exposure of your logo or message. These acrylic coasters are available in either round or square (again keeping product costs low due to simple tooling) and are sized at 100mm for both.

Acrylic coasters are available in numerous colours and these can be selected to either compliment your brand or make your promotional coaster stand out on the recipient’s desktop.  They have a fantastic print area, with plenty of room for logo, contact details and a broader marketing message if required. There doesn’t need to be any compromises when using acrylic coasters in a marketing campaign.

As an ideal promotional giveaway for either direct mail campaigns, these are light and therefore can be mailed out cheaply. Acrylic coasters can also lend themselves perfectly at a business to business event or exhibition, as they are easy to store and transport and present no problem for the recipient to pack away and take home.

As a stock held item, acrylic coasters are available on a quick lead-time. This is around 10 working days on a normal lead-time, with the possibility of paying an express fee if you are in need of a last minute giveaway idea.

As with other popular business gift lines, acrylic coasters can also be produced from recycled materials, providing an eco friendly alternative. The recycled option is not limited in colour choice, with more becoming available all the time.

Contact a member of the sales team should you wish to discuss the use of acrylic coasters as you next promotional giveaway idea.

There is still a strong demand for promotional giveaways and business gifts that have an executive and high-end appeal. This is very true with coasters and in particular promotional leather coasters. These remain a popular product with a traditional look and feel and sit well either on the modern day office desktop or in the corporate board room.

Promotional leather coasters are made from several grades of leather, but the most popular is the bonded leather version. This is due to the great value for money, whilst still receiving a promotional product that looks and feels like genuine leather. Bonded leather promotional coasters are produced using scrapped leather fibers bonded together with latex binders. This creates a very close leather appearance at a fraction of the cost. A grain like look can also add great effect.

The choice of shapes and colours available in these promotional leather coasters is one of the great benefits and these business gifts are usually foil blocked, again to give a real executive feel to the finished product. Most often cork backed, this helps protect the surface being covered as well as providing a non slip base.

Price range is the most important factor these days with any business giveaway and the promotional leather coasters, in particular the bonded version, are available at great value, allowing a product to gain your branding good exposure over a significant product lifetime for a relatively low cost.

Promotional leather coasters are a perfect direct mail campaign as they are light, they sit well also as an exhibition and event giveaway. Where these coasters possibly come into their own is as a low cost business gift for a client database and can also be used as something to neaten up a board room.

This is yet another option of the great cheap promotional giveaway products, that can be very well received and most likely used. Contact the sales team for prices on promotional leather coasters.

Engaging the target audience with a promotional giveaway item is one of the challenges we find marketers coming up against continually. Promotional puzzle coasters are an ideal product to consider in terms of providing great branding, being a tactile and useful item and also drawing the recipient in to have a “play” with the jigsaw pieces.

Promotional Puzzle Coasters are sometimes referred to as gnalvic coasters due to the 3mm flexible plastic material they are produced in. They are a very tactile promotional giveaway. The original puzzle coasters in this range came simply as round or square, but as their popularity grew, so did the need to expand the range. The jigsaw coasters were created to provide a functional desktop product, but with a little twist of fun.

Now one of the best selling in this range, the promotional puzzle coasters are available in 4 different shapes: round, square, octagonal or barrel shaped. All these products are sub surfaced printed and this can be done in up to full colour process, providing great branding opportunities. Due to the non-slip nature of the promotional puzzle coasters, it is not recommended to print to the reverse, but this can be done if absolutely required.  Each puzzle coaster is supplied individually cello bagged.

Promotional puzzle coasters fit the bill for most types of marketing campaigns where a cheap promotional giveaway is being considered. They are ideal for direct mail campaigns, event or exhibition giveaways, staff incentives and of course a promotional gift for a client base.

Even though the 4 piece promotional puzzle coasters are the best selling in the range, there is also a 16 piece as well as a 4 piece combi coaster, where each coaster can form 2 different shapes. Selecting the combi coasters to be packed in sets of 2 allows each set to form 6 different shapes.

Promotional Coasters are a great functional and low cost giveaway item, and promotional puzzle coasters give the recipient that something different which can often be the key to ensuring it is kept and used to ensure your branding is in view.  Contact a member of the sales team for prices, samples and visuals.

These days the purchaser of promotional merchandise is often looking for something different, something unique, something that will help set the branding apart from the competition and ensure they are remembered for future business. A product such as the Rubik’s cube flashdrive would fit the bill in terms of being one of the few newer cool promotional flash drives available in the range of business gift ideas.

Retro promotional gift ideas are becoming a really good growth area, from the 1980’s style sweets to the traditional rubik’s cube, which is now available on low minimum quantities. So to marry a retro promotional gift like the rubik’s cube with something that is an extremely up to date and modern desktop accessory such as the USB flash drive is a fantastic idea, creating one of the best new cool promotional flash drives on the market.

The rubik’s cube drive starts from 512MB and has a twist mechanism within the body of the cube that reveals the USB connector. The faces of the cubes can be printed up to full colour process using stickers and this allows multiple designs or branding to really enforce you logo on this cool promotional flash drive.

As with any promotional flash drive, prices continually fluctuate, so should the rubik’s cube or any other of the standard or cool promotional flash drives be something you are considering purchasing, please contact a member of the sales team now.

null

With the desktop PC being such an important item in today’s office environment, it makes sense to provide your client base with a promotional item that can be used alongside the computer. Promotional computer mice are a great business gift idea that will be used on a daily basis, carrying your branding for a considerable length of time.

There was a time when promotional computer mice were not up to scratch quality wise and compared to the large imported retail models, you would have to question if they would then be used on a regular basis. As with a lot of promotional products, the quality now matches anything that is purchased from the large retail computer outlets and there are now no inconsistencies when using promotional computer mice versus any other.

The range and styles of promotional computer mice are certainly worth a view. One of the best known of the computer mice for use as a business gift is the liquid filled computer model. This features a branding area as well as the back of the mouse containing 2 coloured liquids as well as the ability to add floating shapes. These now come as optical, showing that the products are keeping on top of what the market demands.

There is a good choice of small micro promotional computer mice and sales of these make up a good proportion of the overall mice orders. A considerable amount of today’s business people work remotely either while travelling, in the hotel (the night before a meeting) or at home. The mouse pad on a laptop is not the most easy to use, so a business gift of a mini computer mouse that can make the remote mousing easier would be a very well received gift.

As discussed, the technology behind promotional computer mice these days is nothing to be concerned about. From wireless mice, to the fact that all are now optical and some even laser, there is nothing to worry the purchaser of the promotional computer mouse in terms of how well the gift will be received. It is always worth asking for a sample, and trying it to prove the functionality is sound.

At Steel City Marketing, we have a great range of promotional computer mice to consider online as well as many others that we can source quickly and competitively. Contact a member of the sales team to discuss prices, samples or to place your next business gift order.

Aside from the pen and the desktop PC, there are several items that get regular daily use in an office environment. Promotional highlighters are arguably one of the more commonly used items.  The best selling item within this range is undoubtedly the triangle highlighter.

Nearly everyone these days has a highlighter close at hand, for checking their work, proof reading or just simply highlighting important parts of data. Often it is a good idea to have more than one colour available. The Triangle highlighter is the perfect pen for this task. The white case version is the most popular (but the triangle highlighter also comes in black) and has green, pink and yellow writing inks, again arguably the most popular colours ensuring the triangle highlighter has universal appeal.

Another great feature of the triangle highlighter is the fantastic print area, which obviously can be to one or two sides. On the white version it is also possible to print in full colour process – adding even more flexibility and appeal to a great promotional item.

Finally, given that the triangle highlighter is a high volume-selling product, regularly purchased in the promotional market, these can now be turned around on really quick lead times (around 5 working days). This means that the triangle highlighter could be just the product to meet that last minute business gift idea.

So for a versatile, useful and express delivered promotional giveaway idea, consider the triangle highlighter for your next campaign.

A great way to engage an audience you are trying to market your product or service to is to give them a promotional gift that they will be glad to receive and will be useful as well as enforcing your brand. Promotional stress toys have been a big merchandise area for many years and sales figures show no signs of decreasing. The squeezy foam shapes are usually commonplace in most business environments, encouraging today’s busy workaholic to take out the frustration of the day’s struggles on one of the great choice of promotional stress toys.

The sheer magnitude of the different shapes and ideas of promotional stress toys can be difficult to illustrate, but they do fall neatly into categories and these will highlight the amount of choice a consumer has when considering stress items as a promotional giveaway idea.

Promotional stress balls, and therefore sports related items are one of the larger ranges of promotional stress toys to choose from. They cover most ball sports as well as having ones such as motorbike stress helmets for that something different. Other categories of promotional stress toys are:

Electronic: mobile phones, stress light bulbs, stress televisions
Transport: including vans, planes, and trains – pretty much anything you can think of!
Industry: Construction related toys, stress houses, banking items, and stress tools.
Shapes: promotional stress dice stand out in this category.
Medical: A best selling category of promotional stress toys. Various anatomical shapes. Examples are stress pills, hearts, brains, doctor characters.
Animals: From farm animals to zoo animals to aquatics, most variations are covered.
Fruit, vegetable and food: A large choice of promotional stress toys in this area.
Fun Shapes: Probably more a miscellaneous range, covering anything from submarines, to worms and clocks. This set of promotional stress toys need research!

Another great feature of promotional stress toys is the branding area, which is sizeable and can allow multiple print colour. The standard white stress ball can now be printed in up to full colour process.

So for a selection of extremely tactile giveaway items why not consider promotional stress toys for your next campaign. Speak to a member of the sales team to discuss the full range and pricing in more detail.