HydroPouch!™ 24 oz. Soccer Ball Collapsible Water Bottle - Patent Pending

Folding water bottles were everywhere at ASI Dallas this year. Bullet had them. Jetline had them (some shaped like sport balls).  Numo had them. Maybe another two or three folks.

Why? Because they are a good idea. It is much easier to pack a foldable BPA-free bottle into a purse, glove compartment, or backpack than a solid water bottle. And when needed these empty bottles can much more easily – and for less cost – be mailed.

Yes, these are not going to hold up to the same punishment as a h2go-v volt style stainless steel bottle, but so what, the stainless steel bottle is 3x the cost and targeted at a different audience.

Where would I suggest using the new folding bottles? Airports. Anything to do with marketing to folks getting on planes. This is a super lightweight item they can place in their carry on. Once they are through security, fill the bottle up at the nearest water fountain and board the flight. Simple.

Frequent travelers would hold on to these forever, all the while getting your brand into that business networking club that is the first class cabin. (Yes I can see these in first class, water is water people, and those tiny little glasses up there just do not cut it on a 16hr business trip to Asia from the US).

Where else? School and clubs. Same idea, sort of. Play up the easy to store idea. Use them for a long trip, when you are done fold up and toss in child’s backpack. Simple.

Going the other direction we actually pitched these to a Dallas bar know for a signature Margarita. The idea was to serve the Margarita in a freezer-safe, custom shaped HydroPouch from Jetline, which would be great out on the bar’s porch in the Dallas Spring and Summer. Be creative.

Here I am at ASI with the Bullet Hermosa Water Bag With Carabiner.

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I would say expect more pouch bottle designs as 2012 continues. So pick your bottle. Pick your ASI contact,  Kim Gasparini at Numo Manufacturing, Jon Granek at Jetline, Mary Beach at Leeds, or contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

Design Your Own

When we were at the State Fair of Texas talking about sustainability, it was fun to point out that the rPET caps from USA Headware we were showing were made of the same 100% recycled content rPET materials found in the seats of the Nissan Leaf.

What got our attention at ASI Dallas was that USA Headware can take that same material, and go from the standard – and rather plain – caps we showed at the State Fair, to pretty much any custom cap design that they could have produced using virgin materials.

Take a look at these two videos we shot at the ASI Show at the booth for USA Headware. In one we are talking about sustainable solutions, in the other we are pitching custom caps to a client of ours called the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

Notice the background does not really change. Why? Because it really did not need to change. Virgin polyester from petroleum or non-virgin polyester from old water bottles (i.e. rPET), the point is today it simply does not mater. The caps look the same regardless of source material. The costs on a custom job runs about the same regardless of source material.

So all that really matters now is the client: the company or organization asking for the caps and if, as they are starting their marketing project, they want to think about a more sustainable alternative.

If that company or organization is promoting a sustainable message, they better choose to go with the sustainable cap.

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If you are an ASI distributor looking for sustainable cap solutions talk to Buck Hogle at USA Headware. If you are interested in getting sustainable caps for your company or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

CTG900 Baby Bear

First, there is nothing particularly sustainable about Gund stuffed animals.

They not made from recycled materials, they do not have organic cotton stuffing. The reason I wanted to talk about Gund bears –  available to ASI via Vitronic Promotional Group -  on this blog is because I recently found out that these bears at child safe, to age ZERO. This is not something Vitronic mentions on their website. Perhaps it is something Gund just assumes people know about their products. But it is very, very important.

You see, in our industry there are a lot of items out there – including stuffed animals and rubber duckies – that look a lot like toys, but are not toys, by which I mean they are totally not child safe.

If you are running a program like the one done by the San Antonio Police Department’s “Teddy Bear Program” (stuffed animals are handed out to children who have either witnessed or been a victim of a crime to provide them comfort during a difficult time) or one of the many programs where bears are handed out in hospital settings, for example, it is a really good idea to make sure those bears are kid safe. (At ASI we all remember the Shrek glasses incident.)

If items are being given to children - moving past the whole targeting kids with marketing question – at a minimum you need to make sure that those items are actually safe for children. Both to protect the children and to protect your own marketing effort. And if your are looking for stuffed animals, I really suggest you take a look at Gund.

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But do not take my word for the Gund safety standards, contact Vitronic Promotional Group and request documentation on these bears. If you are ASI and want to talk about Gund for your next project, contact Rory Campbell at Vitronic Promotional Group. If you are interested in the Gund bears to promote your own business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard with Thermo-Strip

Energy conservation and sustainable practices are two goals that often go hand-in-hand.  The USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard with Thermo-Strip from All In One is a Made in the USA product that fits in nicely with any energy savings  program, as it is a simple tool to easily measure temperature in a room.

This is a great promotional item for folks in the heating and air industry as well as a great educational item to be used by cities and energy companies to help their customers maintain their most cost-effective use of energy in their home or office.

The USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard with Thermo-Strip offers a large 3 1/4”w x 3/4”h imprint area for your companies’, or programs’, logo and contact information. It also provides a write-in area for the user to place their targeted temperature range.

The USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard can be placed near a thermostat to indicate the current temperature as well as the ideal temperature settings for saving energy and money. This allows you to keep your brand and your message in front of your target audience throughout the year.

If you are an ASI distributor, you can get more information about the USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard from Marietta Pugliese at All In One. If you are interested in All In One products to promote your own business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

#3617 Jute Tote With Front Pocket

The #3617 Jute Tote With Front Pocket from Hit Promotional Products packs a lot of color into a natural fiber tote bag.

Part of the Hit Green line, the #3617 Jute Tote is a 17″ W x 14″ H x 5 ½” D tote available in Beige, Light Blue, Green and Poppy.

The bag offers a nice 10″ W x 7″ H imprint area, and imprint matched to trim colors is an option allowing for a one color imprint that really pulls the entire look of the bag together.

On the sustainability front the #3617 Jute Tote boasts 100% natural Jute fiber construction, a natural vegetable fiber which is 100% biodegradable. Additionally the festive colors of the tote are created with Azo-Free dyes.

The natural look and feel of jute bags lends itself easily to spa and wellness focused marketing efforts. The size of the #3617 Jute Tote works well as a shopper, a spa tote, even a beach bag.

If you are a promotional items distributor looking for more information on the HitGreen line contact Chris Platt at Hit Promotional Products. If you are interested in HitGreen items including the #3617 Jute Tote to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information, pricing, and samples.

Let’s Rock and Roll with our new JIMI™ stick pen. This bold fun design is sure to be the favorite of the Fun Crowd.

Regardless of their nostalgic appeal these pens are a modern example of Shepenco’s growing line of sustainable writing instruments.

The Jerry, Jimi & Janis stick pens are made from at least 30% post consumer waste material. This is a fun, colorful pen, great for recycling education and sustainable businesses that do not want a meek pen to promote themselves.

The new JANIS™ stick pen brings rainbow strokes of colors. Just writing with these stick pens will bring old memories into focus.

Each pen features its own unique blend of colors as well as a large 3/4” x 2″ imprint area that will work well for messaging and logos. All three styles are available as pencils & stick pens. All three styles – pen or pencil – contain at least 30% post consumer waste material.

We love them for all things fun, concerts, music promotions, theme parks, band and bar promotions, cruises, fundraisers, and music festivals.

The new JERRY™ stick pen will bring out that younger you. And if you don’t remember the 60s, well you can start your own new trend.

So if you’re looking for fun pen with a sustainable message, these Jerry, Jimi & Janis stick pens from Shepenco might just be the ticket to see your event “keep on truckin’ along.”

If you are an ASI member with questions about Shepenco Joyce Allen is the Shepenco contact. 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.

20 oz h2go double wall 18/8 stainless steel water bottle, vacuum insulated with threreaded lid

In the sustainable arena it is generally agreed that for reusable drinkware, stainless steel bottles are safer and easier to maintain than aluminum, plastic, or glass. So the question then becomes, which is the better stainless steel bottle to promote your brand or event?

For 2012 I am voting for the h2go-v volt from Express Line. This 20 oz. double wall 18/8 stainless steel water bottle is vacuum insulated and features a high impact threaded lid. This vacuum insulated bottle keeps cold drinks cold. It also makes for a slightly heavier bottle, which I see as a plus for a promotional item, as the h2go-v volt has a heft to it that conveys value, strength, and quality, all words that most businesses would like to associate with.

To top if off, the Express Line offers the h2go-v volt with an amazingly appealing chrome finish. The chrome finish makes any logo pop brightly and is a much better canvas to your logo than the standard stainless steel natural finished offer on most bottles. But you’re not limited to this wow/bang chrome, indeed the h2go-v volt comes in eight finishes, with bright colors like apple, orange, and fire engine red leading the pack.

Express Line will even add a carabiner to the bottle for $0.50.

The Express Line offers many, many, many stainless steel drinkware options. I think the h2go-v volt beats them all when judged for functionality, classic design, and flat out coolness. The h2go-v volt is really most appreciated in person, when comparing apples-to-apples with another bottle, so I suggest you get your hands on one before doing any bottle buying in 2012.

If you are an ASI distributor Nicki Russo is the contact to talk to at Express Line. If you are interested in the h2go-v volt to promote your own business or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information, pricing, and samples.

USB Flash Drives are still a great way to transport data, and sending a drive is still much better than sending 40 paper notebooks, etc., of information. But you still have to make the drive. With a QR code you are talking about an addition of ink, and nothing more.

Yes, you can pay for a custom QR code to better match your brand or product – indeed my company sells those custom designed codes – but you don’t need custom designed codes to make QR work for you; you just need pre-existing content, or a way to produce content online to which to link the QR.

QR to Like Us On FACEBOOK

An example. (Everyone got your phones ready?) To the right is a QR code to like us on FACEBOOK.

I can print this on caps, on cups, on camper vans, it does not matter. And each time this code is scanned it brings you to our FACEBOOK site.

The practical and sustainable solutions for QRs are huge. A QR code to a .pdf program, like those developed by GOTCHA! Mobile Solutions means you can simply use one banner with a QR code selection at your next trade show event to deliver all your printed material to your clients email in-boxes in a .pdf format. This can happen whether or not your salespeople even interact with the client.

If you are working to be a more sustainable organization, using a QR code in this way at trade shows not only saves you a ton of money on printing but also demonstrates your commitment to sustainable marketing practices (i.e. no trees get hurt).

Okay, delivering sales information might be boring. How about QR at every painting in the Dallas Museum of Art that links to the WIKI page of that artwork or the artist or something the DMA produced itself and already has on its website. Cost to DMA – Zero. Bonus to clueless art buffs – HUGE.

Or take QR Tag2donate or QR Tag2Video solutions also being developed for the promotions industry by GOTCHA! Mobile Solutions. The first gives you a simple clean platform to take donations anywhere and anytime, the second a clean way to access video on the web without having to search it out, great for political poster (see the candidate speak) and product ads (how good does that cleaner really work on pet stains? Scan the code and see.).

Expect QR codes to be used on more items and in more ways in 2012. Expect QR codes everywhere, because QR is coming. They already think it is cool in Hollywood, and this is likely the only thing real you will every see on CSI.

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If you are ASI and wish to learn more about QR Codes and Mobile Media contact GOTCHA! Mobile Solutions. If you are interested in QR to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

WBA-XR10 - XL INSULATED RECYCLED P.E.T. SHOPPING BAG

Look at this monster of a bag from Ariel Premium Supply, Inc. The XL Insulated Recycled P.E.T Shopping Bag is a jumbo sized tote made from Recycled P.E.T containing 85% post-consumer water bottle material and 15% from other recycled material.

The 16″ x 22″ x 11″ XL Insulated Recycled P.E.T Shopping Bag is currently only available in black, which is a shame, but with a huge 13″ x 11″ front and back imprint area Ariel can be forgiven. Come on, and 11″ gusset, that is huge. Add the easy to carry reinforced handle and classic lunch bag design and this is a winner.

I know we are in the middle of winter but looking at the XL Insulated Recycled P.E.T Shopping Bag all I can think about is summer picnics. For caterers, ice cream parlors, wine and cheese shops, this is a great promotional item that clients will use throughout the year.

And the XL Insulated Recycled P.E.T Shopping Bag works with the biggest bag theory as well. The biggest bag theory (my own idea) is that the biggest bag in the trunk or cabinet is the bag that people grab most often. At a tradeshow the biggest bag theory says that all bags handed out will be placed in the biggest bag handed out. So if you want your bag noticed, make sure it is BIG.

These is a great, practical bag made from sustainable materials. Nice job Ariel, now how about some colors in 2012?

If you are ASI and wish to learn more about Ariel Premium Supply contact Joseph Warmbrodt. If you are interested in the XL Insulated Recycled P.E.T Shopping Bag to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.