29 posts tagged bnoticed

Customized calendars continue to be a valuable marketing tool for businesses.  They provide 365 days of advertising impressions which is among the longest durations of any advertising options.  In addition, calendars continue to serve a useful function for work and home based recipients.    

To really capture the marketing potential of a custom calendar, organizations should leverage the innovative features offered by many customized calendars including using custom photos, personalization, and custom date grids.

Beyond their marketing potential for businesses, Calendars can be valuable for non-profit organizations and schools for fundraising and outreach efforts.   For example, a non-profit organization can customize a calendar with photos from past events, illustrations featuring their services, or images of their beneficiaries and sell it as part of a fundraiser or distribute it as part of an outreach effort.  Similarly, schools could also customize the date grid of a calendar to identify school holidays, annual events, PTA meetings and much more. 

 For 2011, there are a wide range of custom calendars available which can capture much more than just a logo.  BNoticed’s pick for the Top 10 Custom Calendars for 2011 are:

1.            Image Personalized Calendars

In addition to featuring the sender’s logo on each page of the calendar, these highly innovative calendars integrate the name of the recipient into each of the 12 different photos in the calendar.  There’s a large library of photos to choose from as well as fully custom photo options available.  Organizations can utilize their own name in place of the recipients when ordering extra calendars for unplanned requests.

2.            Custom Logo Wall Calendars

Custom Logo Wall Calendars feature customized images for each month.  These calendars enable organizations to tailor the calendar with photos from past events, images of their products or services or unique artwork targeted to their preferred demographics.  In addition to the organizations logo, the date grid section of the calendars can be customized with key organization or community events.  These calendars can create a one-of-a-kind product for gifting, fundraising, outreach or resale.

3.            Custom Desk Pad Calendars

With options similar to the Custom Wall Calendars, these desk blotter styled calendars continue to be popular in the workplace.  Consider smaller styled versions designed specifically for cubicles and workstations.

4.            Logo Coupon Calendars

These custom calendars are great for retailers and restaurants that benefit from coupon promotions.  In addition to featuring custom logos, photos and date grids, these calendars include perforated sections on each page below the calendar grid for custom coupons.   These calendars deliver a full year of monthly coupon promotions at once offering the potential to reduce monthly direct mail costs.

5.            Imprinted Themed Calendars

There are a variety of themed calendars featuring stock images and information such as Pet Calendars, Beach Calendars and Auto Calendars.  Some, like Recipe Calendars, even provide how-to instructions.  Organization logos are imprinted to appear beneath the date grid.

6.            Custom Mouse Pad Calendars

For business to business marketing, Mouse Pad Calendars can help keep an organizations logo in front of potential customers.   In addition to calendars applied to more traditional Mouse Pads, businesses should consider some of the more innovative alternatives like a Recycled Paper Notepad Mouse Pad Calendar that features monthly tear-away sheets that can be written on.

7.            Custom Calendar Magnets

Calendar magnets are popular items that are particularly well suited for consumer marketing and outreach programs since many people will retain these magnets on their home refrigerators for easy reference throughout the year.   Calendar magnets can be fully customized to include listings of key events (e.g. sports schedules, etc.), custom images and calendar grid customization.   Photo Frame Calendar Magnets are increasing in popularity with consumers who can display their personal photos within the calendar frame.

8.            Planners

There are a wide range of Custom Planners available with features including weekly/monthly formats, cover options ranging from imprinted to custom full-color to embossed leather and sizes ranging from pocket to desk top sizes.   Consider an innovative dual format calendar that features ½ page daily pages against a weekly planner grid.

9.            Perpetual Calendars

Perpetual calendars are desk top products that can be reconfigured on a daily, weekly or monthly basis for continued use for years to come.  These calendars offer even longer marketing potential with an imprinted, etched or engraved logo.   These calendars are often the best options for a calendar themed gift.  To ensure the longest possible life, choose timeless styles that value desktop real-estate.

10.          Calendar Strips  (a.k.a. Monitor Calendar Strips)

Lower cost and inexpensively mailed calendar strips can include fully customized backgrounds featuring an organizations custom images.  These horizontal and vertical calendar strips attach easily to computer monitors with a removable adhesive making them widely popular in the workplace.  

With many companies and individuals placing greater emphasis on environmental responsibility, BNoticed recommends that businesses consider eco-friendly calendars including those that are made from recycled materials and which are recyclable.  For more information about BNoticed or about any of these promotional products, visit www.bnoticed.com.

Building a Carnival Theme

Creating a Carnival Theme for a Company Picnic isn’t too difficult.  Think bright colors and you’re practically there!    To create Carnival booths, you’ll need some customized pop-up canopies.   Get some curtain material in bold colors or balloon imprinted backdrops to line the walls and back of the booths.  Get some customized banners or just make some signs for each booth to identify the game.  Be sure to use bright colors and carnival style fonts.   Add some colorful garland, tissue balls and clown cut-out decorations!  Serving ice cream?  Add a tissue ice cream cone over the ice cream station!  Get a few toss ice coolers designed to look like “toss” events to keep with the theme! 

Of course, you’ll need a lot of custom logo balloons!  Don’t forget plenty of raffle tickets for participants to win and later exchange for prizes.  Another great options is to design some custom coins for the event.  The coins not only can be used instead of tickets but will be great keepsakes after the event. 

Promoting the Carnival Themed Company Picnic

Using the raffle ticket concept, why not create a custom poster designed to look like an oversized raffle ticket to send to employees as the invitation for the event.  The same posters can be posted around the office as reminders.  They could even cbe used as tray liners in the company cafeteria!

Carnival Themed Activities

Fortunately, it can be pretty easy to create carnival booth games just like those at real carnivals.  In many cases, the props used for the games can also become giveaway items and prizes at the end of the event.  And, best of all, carnival games tend to attract people of all ages so they’ll be great for the entire family.  Of course, you’ll want to have some prizes that will be suitable for the various age groups.

Get some customized soda bottle shaped stress relievers and custom bracelet rings for a Ring Toss Booth.   With a few water guns and more of those same stress relievers, you’ve got a Target Practice Booth!   As an alternative to water guns, try a foam dart gun instead!

With plenty of those balloons on hand for the decorations, attach some of them to a cork board backing and add some logo darts and you’ve got a Balloon Pop Booth.   The Fish Bowl Toss Booth is another great game and all you need are some custom fish bowls and some customized ping pong balls!    For the youngest of participants, you’ve got to have the Duck Booth featuring floating rubber ducks!

For the older participants some mainstream sport games are always a hit like a Football Toss Booth with a custom football and football cut-out prop or a Basketball Toss Booth with a customized hoop & backboard and logo basketball!  And, then of course, you could go all out with an inflatable driving range!   Don’t forget the cotton candy!

Carnival Themed Giveaways

One thing about the Carnival Theme, you’ve got to have plenty of giveaways.   You can award prizes at each both or give out coins or tickets which can be redeemed later at a prize booth.  Either way, you’ve got to have giveaways at different prize levels. 

For the lower levels and younger crowd, consider custom crayons and a logo coloring book.  Maybe a customized piggy bank.  For higher levels, you’ve got to have some custom plush stuffed toys of varying sizes, shapes and colors!  Clown or juggling clown lapel pins can also make for good prizes.  For the older crowd, how about a customized rubik cube or a logoed FM Radio/Pedometer combo with a mp3 player for a high level prize. 

Remembering the Carnival Themed Picnic

Hand out custom disposable cameras to everyone at the picnic to take pictures of their family and their coworkers families.   Then, after the event, give them back the developed pictures they took along with a custom logo flip photo album.  Employees can then use the pictures for their photo albums or share them with their coworkers for their albums! 

Building a “The Games” Theme

“The Games” theme doesn’t require a lot of elaborate decorations.  Rather, it’s more about the venue and the activities.  Nonetheless, the are some common sights at major sporting events which go beyond the field and bleachers to add an element of décor to the event.  Things like a large 6’ x 10’ team flag with your company and/or event logo.  Add in custom rally towels, cheer mits and logo cheer sticks for all the spectators at the event as well as a some well distributed customized megaphones!    Of course, you could add in a giant cheerleader balloon at the entrance of the event to really capture attention.

Why  not use tailgate tape to designate the food and beverage area.  Hand out tail gate sets of plates and utensils and use inflatable goal post coolers to keep the beverages cool!  Heck, add in a few inflatable tailgate sofas or tailgate benches for added atmosphere!

Promoting the “The Games” Themed Company Picnic

Send employees and their family a sports-styled calendar magnet announcing “The Games” Company Picnic and listing each of the events, their start times and locations. 

“The Games” Themed Activities

Activities for “The Games” themed event don’t have to be limited to official Olympic events.  Consider what works for your location, season, venue and employees’ interest.   Pick up some custom logo sports supplies to put your company’s spin on each event whether it be customized footballs, logo baseballs and custom softballs, custom logo soccer balls and soccer jerseys or even swim goggles, ping pong balls or hockey pucks!  If the venue includes a golf course, incorporate a golf tournament into the event and give participants customized golf tournament packs.  While most of these events can be set up to accommodate different age groups to include all family members, consider options like T-Ball or Goal Kicks for younger family members.    Don’t forget to have some pom poms available for the chear leaders!

Don’t forget to award the event winners.  Why not build an inexpensive Olympic-style podium and award customized bronze, silver and gold medals, customized chocolate styled metals or even lapel pins. Of course, for an overall inter-departmental competition, why not award the overall winning department a Crystal Torch Sculpture  “traveling trophy” which can be re-awarded year after year.

“The Games” Themed Giveaways

There’s plenty of giveaway options from Cheer Pins and Sports Pins to sports key tags.   Of course, sports bottles are always a big hit and can help keep the participants refreshed throughout the day! Consider Cheer Stuffed Toys for the younger kids

Remembering the “The Games” Themed Picnic

With multiple events happening throughout  the day, consider getting several Custom Flip Video Cameras and Customized Digital Photo Cameras to have team members capture the various events.  Then, combine the video and photos onto a customized DVD mailer to give out to employees after the event as a great keepsake!