Many travelers feel that all hotels begin to look exactly the same after a while. This isn’t the case at the chain of boutique Hotel Indigo properties. The hotel design uses the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Mean. These are mathematical principles found throughout nature in the growth spiral of sunflowers, pine cones and the nautilus shell (which happens to be the chain’s logo).

Such attention to detail is applied to nearly every aspect of the chain, which encourages its guests to “Relax. Recharge. Be Inspired.” To help with the inspiration, the chain offers haikus written on its menus, room advertisements, key cards, do-not-disturb door hangers, bar coasters and napkins.

One of the haikus reads, “Elegant Delight. Distinctive Flavors Linger. Rejoice in a Glass.” This is a description of Clos Du Bois wine, which the hotel offers. Another reads, “Warm and Inviting. Soulful Melodies Delight. Download and Unwind.” This haiku invites patrons to download Hotel Indigo’s complimentary “Music for You” winter podcast featuring Ingrid Michaelson at www.hotelindigo.com/podcast.

These fun little messages, written in three lines that usually consist of five, seven and then five syllables, are impossible to miss. They also appear on the in-room hotel directory and tabletop tent cards in the Phi Bar and Bistro/Phi Café area. With the exception of the last two items, guests are invited to take home the items as souvenirs, according to a company rep.
There are 29 Hotel Indigo properties; 60 more are under development. The chain is owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group.

So Tons Creative is going catalogless!

There, I said it. Most promotional product distributors have entire rooms devoted to all the catalogs that their vendors send them over the year. We were lucky to keep it to a minimal bookshelf full. And as I am slowly trying to go through and purge the catalogs that have or are about to expire in December, I realize one thing.

What a bitch.

I don’t have one client who has asked me to schlep ANY catalogs over to them. Why? Who needs them!? Everything is on the internet now. You can pop onto our website and look at any product you need. And if it isn’t there, I know where to find it. And it certainly isn’t green to produce all of these useless piles of wasted paper.

So that is it. I have had it! No more catalogs for So Tons Creative. Which also means we are not going to be bulking up your desk with them either. You know where to find us. And we will make sure to keep in touch to remind you from time to time. (Hey, speaking of that, sign up for our e-newsletter —–>

Being in this industry for such a long time, we have seen many holiday season gifts. Some companies spend the entire year on completely custom holiday gifts, like snow globes, custom toys, a direct mail campaign.

Others come in right about now and hire us to “HELP!” Ideally the best time to start thinking about a gift is July or August. No one wants to think about Christmas in July, but let’s face it, in order to really find or create a holiday gift that delivers your message in a thoughtful way… you need time. Not to mention time for the fulfillment of the project and shipping time to get it to your client.

It’s not too late to order holiday gifts for your clients or employees now. In fact, we have some amazing ideas in this blog (scroll down). But first, here are some do’s and don’ts of Corporate Gift Giving. Thanks to Susan Straub-Martin of Strauberry Studios for putting together a comprehensive list for a Biznik networking meeting.

DON’TS

1. Don’t give clients or employees personal items. You may know that your client uses Anna Sui perfume. It is not an appropriate gift.

2. Don’t give them alcohol or tobacco. Or even related products. Unless you are having a themed event and it makes sense – like a wine party for the holidays. Then a corkscrew and decanter might be an appropriate gift. A bottle of wine is still not.

3. Don’t give expensive gifts. I had a client who catered to the wealthiest of wealthy, and still never gave a gift of more than $20 or so. Instead, they did something custom so they knew for  sure the client wouldn’t have anything like it already.

4. Stay far far away from politics and religion, even if that is your business.

5. Don’t give gag gifts, unless you are a gag gift business.

6. Do not give your boss a gift. In a lot of corporations, that could be considered bribe.

7. Marketing yourself is ok, but remember, the holiday gift is just that.

DO

1. Keep the gift gender neutral. This especially helps when you are gifting the same item to multiple people. It keeps things easier, and personal taste takes a back seat.

2. Personalize your cards. Actually take the time to hand sign them.

3. Send a holiday basket or group gift for the entire office!

4. Present the gift in person if you are able.

5. Give a gift that reflects you as a business. Something that ties in what you do without over marketing yourself.

6. Set yourself apart from the crowd by delivering your gift early in the season, beating your competition. Or even better, send a Thanksgiving gift, thanking your client for their business. Or a New Year’s gift inviting them to be your client in the next year, or Valentine’s gift. One year we did a campaign sending out huge chocolate lips to our client, with a card that read “What better time of year to kiss up than Valentine’s Day?”  It was a success, and we definitely stood out from our competition.

7. Research cultures. If your clients or employees are from India, don’t give leather (some hold the cow as Holy). If they are Chinese, do not give them a clock (the phrase “gift of a clock” also sounds like “funeral”).

As promised, here are some of the hottest gifts this year that fit into all of these categories!

Seeded Cards: When the holiday season is over, your client can just plant the card!

Digital Photo Frames: Especially for our troops overseas.

Unique USB Drives: We don’t know one person who couldn’t use one.

We have gobs and gazillions of other products that you can search for here (click).

Marketers looking to prove the value of the promotional items they use in their marketing and corporate gift programs now have a powerful tool at their disposal. According to a recent survey conducted by the Advertising Specialty Institute, parent company ofSuccessful Promotions, the cost-per-impression (CPI) of a promotional product is a fraction of a cent – $.004 to be exact. In fact, the survey shows that the CPI of a promotional product beats nearly all other advertising media available – including TV (network and cable), radio and print advertising.

The study also reports that people who receive promotional items and incentive products keep them for a long time – an average of seven months – providing repeat and consistent brand exposure for marketers. Given a bag to a client lately? Chances are, he’ll use it more than nine times a month, and your logo on that bag will be seen monthly by 1,038 people, according to the study.

The exclusive research project was conducted by surveying businesspeople and travelers in four cities – Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia. It also had an online component, and included a sample of more than 600 recipients of promotional products. Click here to view an online presentation of the survey.

Mmmmmmm. Green apple.  Did you know we can customize Jones Soda bottles for your giveaway or event?

This summer, Jones Soda proudly proclaimed that it was “the official soda of the road trip.” To prove it, the premium soda brand teamed with Griffin Technology to reward people for sharing their most creative photos taken while traveling across North America.

Using Twitter, travelers were asked to make a post with the hashtag #roadtripjones and include their destination or itinerary. Photos and videos could then be uploaded at www.jonessoda.com/gallery and hashtagged through Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.

Ten winners received one of 10 Griffin iTrip AutoPilots, and 10 photos from their journeys were selected to appear on Jones Soda bottles internationally. The grand prize winner also received a $500 shopping spree at www.griffintechnology.com. The promotion wrapped up on August 28.

During the summer, the Jones Soda RV hit various locations during a 10,000-mile journey throughout the country, tweeting all the way (@Jones_Soda_RV). Consumers who caught up with the RV or stopped by the soda company’s national headquarters received bumper stickers and coupons.

Jones Soda has a long history of giving out branded items and will continue to do so, says Josh Groff, brand manager for Jones Soda. “It is a badge of identity for people who wear and use gear branded with the Jones Soda logo – it’s how they distinguish themselves from the crowd,” Groff says.

The brand, which has a partnership with the Seattle Seahawks, gave away T-shirts before the NFL team’s home opener last year. This year it gave out schedule posters. “By making these personal connections with our fans, they each become brand ambassadors,” says Groff. “It is an efficient way for Jones Soda to expand awareness, and it is extremely effective because it is done in a viral and genuine way.”

So Tons Creative is looking for a go getter Sales Manager for our team! If you are interested in this position, or know someone who is, check out more details here.

Here’s the deal; you keep your hands clean, you don’t get the flu.

Easy, right? Well, we make it easier. And with a little humor, it could go viral.

Yeah… I said it.

All you need is a bottle of hand sanitizer gel/spray or a little packet of antibacterial wipes. Ta Da! Instant pig repellent.

And all of these options are very inexpensive to imprint and fun to hand out everywhere without breaking the piggy bank!

Antibacterial Wipes	Antibacterial Spray	Single Use Antibacterial Wipes
Antibacterial Handgel