Adventures in Green Marketing

It is Memorial Day here in the U.S., which means a lot of family gathering, the first big push to the lake, to the beach, basically the kick-off of summer. And as you visit the lake this year you see a heck of a lot of cheap Styrofoam coolers. It is interesting to reflect that there has been a strong movement to reusable water bottles and bags, but the call for easy to transport, reusable coolers is not something yet on the radar of the collective community.

It think it should be. I think having a reusable, fold away cooler on your boat or tailgate is simply the next step in having a more sustainable – less trash – type of holiday.   And of course for those businesses and marketers looking for a brandable reusable cooler experience to promote their brand, our industry has many ideas to offer. So if you’re looking for a collapsible cooler to place your logo on, here are my three favorites.

For a cooler to be reusable, it first needs to be portable and easy to store. That is going to be the Collapsible Party Cooler by Gemline. This large 28 can capacity cooler has a patent pending for its remarkable collapsible design, which meshes good looks with dependable construction. This 210d polyester strong, 13″Dia. 10.5″H, comes in 5 colors, making it an easy match for your marketing campaign. And the Collapsible Party Cooler can be 100% custom colored if needed via the Gemline Global Solutions program. Check out the video.

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KOOZIE® Party Kooler

The KOOZIE® Party Kooler by Norwood is another option to look at for an easy to use and store reusable cooler. This guy works best for patio and tailgating events I think, as all you need is to unzip, open up, and fill with ice. Due to the open in-use design, once filled it really works best if the KOOZIE® Party Kooler can stay in one place. The imprint size on the KOOZIE® Party Kooler is a big, bold 5-1/2″w x 4″h, large enough for school team, hotel name, or product imprints.

Indeed full 4-color imprinting is possible on the  KOOZIE® Party Kooler, allowing say a photo of a Corona six pack to be printed on the cooler with the words “place here” written underneath. Full color printing really helps with a marketer’s options. The nice mix of five bright colors and the attached bottle opener are an nice bonus. To be honest I have used a  KOOZIE® Party Kooler at my own home since the product was launched a few years back. So far it is holding up great, and longevity is certainly a factor to consider in a promotional item purchase.

Neither the Collapsible Party Cooler nor KOOZIE® Party Kooler make any claims to be made of sustainable materials, recyclable, etc. They make it to this blog only because I am saying the Collapsible Party Cooler and  KOOZIE® Party Kooler should be considered a better alternative to Styrofoam, simply because they are reusable.  If you’re looking for a marketing cooler that is itself sustainable, check out the Recycooler.

One basic idea in sustainability is to use less, make less, and consume less. If you can use one cooler year after year then that is better than a string of busted up styrofoam coolers floating in the lake. And if as a marketer you can get into your clients’ boat a reusable cooler with the name of your marina or beer store on it, then that is just smart marketing.

If you are an ASI distributor Andrea Catalano is the contact to talk to at the Gemline and D’Anna Zimmer is the contact at Norwood. If you are interested in the Collapsible Party Cooler or KOOZIE® Party Kooler to promote your own business or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email me at info@proformagreen.com for information, pricing, and samples.

omega h2go: 16 oz double wall (BPA free) Tritan copolyester water bottle with filter
filter made in the U.S.A.

The folks at the express line are at it again. Bringing an idea to market first that will likely change the game in drinkware once again.

This time the product is the h2go omega, an addition to the very popular h2go line from the express line, that uses an active coconut filter to remove – they say - 99.99% of contaminants found in some drinking water.

This includes arsenic, mercury, MTBE, and other heavy metals.

Concerns – whether real or imagined – about the quality of drinking water from the tap help to spur the billion dollar bottled water industry. That industry in turn created the millions of plastic disposable bottles that have been collecting in landfills ever since. For those marketers that want to use a reusable bottle in their programs, but know their target audiences have concerns about water quality, the h2go omega is the perfect marketing tool. It is a BPA free, reusable drinking bottle that actually makes the water you are drinking better.

The h2go omega comes in ten filtershaft colors. The imprint area is 3-1/2 x 2-1/2 x 7-1/2, however the item is so new The Express Line does not even have imprinted samples on their website yet.

Check out the video.

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You might have noticed that Matt took the trouble to say the h2go omega is a 16 oz double wall (BPA free) Tritan copolyester water bottle. Why? Well the double walled trick helps keep cold drinks cold on summer days and works really nice on this bottle as a design feature. But the more important phrase is the material Tritan copolyester. Google it and you will find that most high end retail bottles like Nalgeen are made from the same material.

If you are an ASI distributor Jarel Guerrero is the contact to talk to at the express line. If you are interested in the h2go omega to promote your own business or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information, pricing, and samples.

Once again Vantage is offering their Name Drop Graphics program for Earth Day Tees. So if you are looking to get the most design for your money on Earth Day shirts this might be the way to go. Decoration options include not only screen-printed designs but also Digital Print, Embroidery, Laser etching and Laser Applique.

Vantage Apparel is one of the leaders in the industry for eco-friendly apparel, with a special focus on organic cotton t-shirts, sustainable fleece, and eco printing. With the introduction of these new imprinting methods the program has been expanded beyond just t-shirts, to jackets, fleece, bags, caps, pretty much any item the Vantage Apparel offers.

Why use the Name Drop Graphics program? A lot of organizations want to make a big splash around Earth Day but may not have a budget for a big time design when it comes to organic cotton t-shirts and other apparel items.  The Name Drop Graphics program makes getting a great design at a great price simple. In a move I can only say is very ecopreneurial, Vantage is offer these Earth Day designs ready for the addition of your organization name or company logo. Just pick your design, your color, and your apparel item, and you are done.

Runs start at as few as 12 units via digital printing methods and domestic runs can go as high as 10,000 units. Organic cotton and other eco-friendly materials are available as well as traditional fabrics. The plan is very practical in terms of matching the needs and budgets of all participants by finding the right mix of apparel options.

Schools, clubs, city departments, charities, businesses, etc., for any and all this is a great way to make a big splash without having to fill the entire swimming pool out of your own pocket.

Please note that Name Drop Graphics program for Earth Day is not mentioned on the Vantage website, so if you want more information on the program, including pricing, please email info@proformagreen.com. Or if you are in the promotional items business you can contact Julia Macdonald at Vantage.

This flyer from the Aakron Line just came to the the office. Another vendor showing their sustainable ideas as we get closer to Earth Day. Highlights are likely the Promo Planter, 4-Pack Planter Set and the  71117 - 17 oz. Mood Stadium Cup made with SAFE Plastic®.

Sustainable ideas from Aakron Line

If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing. If you wish to learn more about the full line of Aakron SAFE Plastic® items visit their website or contact Julie Blasko at Aakron.