One of the best ranges of branded merchandise to consider in the winter months is that of promotional ice scrapers. We are guaranteed frosts in the UK at some point and people will often choose to use an ice scraper (plus a little elbow grease) above other solutions such as chemical de icer sprays, credit cards or (heaven forbid) a kettle of boiling water!

Why should you consider promotional ice scrapers for your next campaign?

1. “Low cost, flat and lightweight”. Promotional ice scrapers are a perfect item for direct mail or event giveaways. They can be easily sent out with brochures or literature. As this is also a product found in the retail sector, it has a good perceived value so could be used as a gift with purchase. Cost wise, there are many models that are under £1.00 per unit.

2. “Your brand in their hand”. Should you send out one of your promotional ice scrapers to a client, there is every chance that they will see your brand for up to 5 minutes each time there is a frost. It is also very common for someone to keep this type of item for many years as it is not an item that is constantly being replaced. Therefore considering how many times your branding will be seen over such a long period of time, the “cost per impression” is very low indeed. (See below for some bpma research results).

3. “Large range and great print areas”. There is an excellent range of promotional ice scrapers to consider. A website or promotional gift directory can only really scratch the surface on this. Models come with handles or can be small enough to fit into your wallet. Quite a number are made from recycled materials. We would be happy to run through shapes and styles any time. The print area is usually impressive too, allowing branding, calls to action and key messages to be displayed. (Branding Tip : Why not add a QR code with a link to your website, or use your social media ID’s as your calls to action).

4. “Lead time”. If you are looking for a last minute item due to having spare budget or want to make a sales push, then promotional ice scrapers should be considered. Lead times can be as quick as 3-5 working days (from proof approval). If your event deadline is shorter than that, ask the question anyway.

If you are still unconvinced about whether promotional ice scrapers are something your business should consider, here are a few facts from the bpma (British Promotional Merchandise Association) research conducted in 2011 :

· 79% of respondents that received a promotional product said they were likely to do business with the company in the future

· 8 out of 10 (84 per cent) respondents said that a branded promotional gift increases brand awareness

· Over three quarters (87 per cent) of recipients said they kept a promotional gift for longer than 12 months

· Over half (56 per cent) of respondents said their opinion of the brand/company was more favourable after receiving the promotional product.

Do you still think promotional ice scrapers don’t have a place in your winter promotional campaign? If you have any further questions or would like samples and prices, please give a member of the sales team a call.

A consistently popular business gift item is the umbrella and given the British weather it is not difficult to work out why this might be the case. Promotional Umbrellas can form part of our daily lives and it is always worth having one to hand just in case a sudden downpour catches you out. As with many items, an umbrella is something that were it not given, would almost certainly be purchased.  Therefore this is one item, subject to budget availability, that will be very well received, certainly used and will be a lasting reminder of your brand or service.

The first consideration is to narrow down the choice that is available in this product range. As with most product areas, there is a good deal of production in the Far East, which has led to more models, colours, printing techniques as well as lower price points across most umbrellas.  Due to the lead times from China, there is still production in the UK and this does still account for a large proportion of umbrella sales given that as a client base, the market does demand lower lead times.  Should time be available, and by this delivery can be 6-8 weeks, then some great prices can be achieved on the pricier products.

In terms of models these fall quite neatly into three categories. At the lower end are the budget umbrellas, that don’t provide too much storm proofing but will do a job of keeping the user dry. These usually have fixed and standard panel colours and screen-printing is the same as it would be on pretty much all umbrellas. Full colour process is not possible. Moving up in price, and you start to see the quality and products that will have a longer lifespan. Popular lines include the Bedford (UK made) and others such as the lower end fiberglass options with limited panel colour choice. Finally at the top end price levels come umbrellas such as the Spectrum Sport and the Probrella – both competing hard for the top spot. Both have great colour choice of materials, matching handles and shafts and are storm proof.

Printing methods are great on umbrellas, normal print areas on all models can be around A4 in size and it would be advisable to print alternate panels to ensure your logo is visable to people when in use. Newer techniques now allow full panel printing and full colour process, which can provide some great visually stunning results.

Umbrellas can be a valuable Promotional tool. It is truly a product that the more you spend, the better quality and longer lasting product you will receive. Choosing the right option is very important and our dedicated sales team at Steel City Marketing can be contacted on 0114 2754150 and will be happy to discuss your requirements in more detail.

The New Year usually brings with it a host of resolutions, regimes and plans in place for the new “you” and is normally a result of over doing it in the run up to and over the festive period (and the fact that summer doesn’t seem to be that far away any more)! There are plenty of promotional gifts that can help kick start the fitness drive and we are to look into a few of these over the next few postings.

There is a real push at present to get people out, moving about and improving their fitness and promotional pedometers have to be the ideal gift to help encourage this. The range available demonstrates the popularity of this type of product and also the fact that health is plays an important role in the workplace. Staff that take this seriously are the ones with reduced absenteeism and achieve greater results.

The pedometer chosen as a business gift or promotional giveaway doesn’t have to be all whistles and bells with as many features as possible. Really the basic need is to encourage the owner to get our there, use the product and improve the fitness levels to those desired. Therefore, even the budget pedometers will no doubt be greatly received and the required spend is low given the perceived value.

Additional features are always welcome, and with increased budgets, there is plenty to choose from. Whether you are simply looking for additional colour choice, calorie counter or distance travelled indicator, these all help make the recipient more likely to try their gift out. Pedometers integrated into sweatbands are very different and unique and other features include personal attack alarms, scanner radios (to take the mind off the task in hand), and even MP3 players to take your music with you.

There is even an ECO angle with some pedometers as there are with so many promotional products these days, with auto shut off features if the product is idle for more than one minute and we have in the range a solar powered version, perfect for that campaign that requires the environmental approach.

Should you be stuck for ideas for the early part of this year and you want to promote your company with something different, consider pedometers as something that you could use that will kick start Jan!