Promotional Products Blog | Pinnacle Promotions Marketing Company

Love the smell of fresh newsprint? Well, you can stop trying to come up with creative ways to sneak into the New York Times newsroom to get your fix – just fork over $65 for this limited edition promotional candle designed by artist Tobias Wong.

The Times of New York candle was one of the last creative projects Wong conceptualized before his death in 2010, and has been made a posthumous reality in a limited run of 1,000. This promotional candle has not been officially endorsed by the New York Times and isn’t available in its gift shop, but reliable sources have confirmed that its scent – a combination of cedar, musk, spice, guaiacwood, and a “powdery note and velvet nuance” does indeed smell like a hot-off-the-press edition of the paper.

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We might be based in Atlanta, but our customers span the globe. So when we heard about how the tornadoes that devastated much of Alabama and, later, Joplin, Missouri, affected our network of suppliers and clients, we decided to help.

This week, 1% of what we earn on products in the Hot 25 category will be donated to organizations in Alabama and Missouri who are working so hard to help those affected by these recent tragedies get back on their feet.

We’re excited to write a check at the end of the week, but how big it is depends on you! If you’ve been thinking about buying some custom sunglasses for a summer event or are thinking ahead to a fall marketing campaign or even this year’s corporate holiday gifts, please consider making your purchase before close of business on Friday, June 17. You’ll be helping us help out a great cause.

Click here to view the Hot 25 >>

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.
Steve Jobs addressed a crowd of 5,200 developers at the 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco yesterday, and while he didn’t announce the release of the iPhone 5 (which members of the tech world had already guessed), he did speak about a number of updates to the company’s software that will improve functionality – and, likely, sales – of Apple’s already easy-to-use products such as the MacBook, iPad, and iPhone. And if you’ve always wanted to be a pilot or an astronaut, I’m sure that some of these new products and services will catch your ear.

Indeed, some of the features of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion sound like they were developed by NASA: we’ve got Mission Control, which makes it easy for Mac users to quickly navigate among apps and spaces; Launchpad, which allows users to find and launch apps from where they left off the last time they were closed; and iCloud, Apple’s own cloud-based file storage system that gives users the ability to access music, videos, images and more from any Apple device without having to upload them from their Mac to their iPod to their iPad (and so on).

iOS 5, the operating system used by mobile devices (the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad), also features a number of significant changes that make things both easier and more efficient for users. The camera is accessible via a shortcut from the lock screen, and all devices will be equipped with iMessenger, a conversation platform that allows individuals to carry on a single conversation (free of charge) between various iOS devices. Much like Blackberry’s BBM platform, iMessenger facilitates communication between iOS users via Wi-Fi or 3G to cut back on text messages.

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My cat can turn pretty much any promotional product (or even the packaging for any promotional product) into a promotional pet product. He’s like a five-year-old kid in the way he can keep himself entertained with the simplest of things: if you’re a cat, it seems, reusable grocery bags make a great playhouse, foil balls are pretty fun to chase around in circles, and there’s nothing more relaxing than scratching up a piece of corrugated cardboard.

June is Adopt-a-Cat Month, and if you’ve got an open heart, a steady cash flow, and a bunch of grocery totes and leftover foil lying around your house, you’re a perfect candidate for cat adoption. The American Humane Association reports on their website that springtime is “kitten season,” which means that thousands of kittens across the country have been placed in shelters, where they’re waiting to find a “forever home.”

When I adopted my cat, Pip, from PAWS Atlanta last summer, I loaded up on promotional pet products from the shelter. Every time I use these items I’m reminded of the life I saved by adopting a pet. In addition to custom pet items, the American Humane Association has created a checklist of things you might want to consider when you’re preparing to adopt a cat:

1. If you’re thinking about adopting a cat, consider taking home two.
2. Find a cat whose personality meches with yours.
3. Pick out a veterinarian ahead of time and schedule a visit within the first few days following the adoption.
4. Make sure everyone in the house is prepared to have a cat before it comes home.
5. Budget for the short- and long-term costs of a cat.
6. Stock up on supplies before the cat arrives.
7. Cat-proof your home.
8. Go slowly when introducing your cat to new friends and family.
9. Be sure to include your new pet in your family’s emergency plan.
10. If you’re considering giving a cat as a gift, make sure the recipient is an active participant in the adoption process.

As you can see, there are a few steps you’ll want to take to prepare your heart and home for a new pet, but it’s a commitment that is certainly worthwhile.

Learn more about Adopt-a-Cat Month and how to find a new friend in your area…

Memorial Day weekend is widely regarded as the unofficial start of summer, and a lot of people (myself included!) will celebrate by packing up a picnic and heading for a local park, beach, or their own backyard. If you’re among the masses, make sure you take along some promotional picnic products to make your outdoor meal a successfully delicious one.

When you’re going on a picnic, there are a few things you can do ahead of time to make sure you’re well-equipped. Cutting, packaging, and otherwise preparing your food before you leave will make the meal easy to assemble when hunger strikes. You’ll also want to check the weather forecast beforehand so you can be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at you, and don’t forget to apply sunscreen and bug spray as soon as you arrive at your destination.

Here’s a checklist of promotional picnic products you might want to pack up before you hit the road:
__ Blanket, towel, or tablecloth for a clean “table” away from home
__ Easy-to-use (and easy-to-clean) dishes, silverware and drinkware
__ Cooler, especially if you’re taking a day trip or planning on having cold drinks or dessert
__ Wine/bottle opener, ice cream scoop, pizza cutter, or whatever kitchen utensils you may need
__ Picnic basket or cooler to keep food and supplies organized
__ Trash bags and extra food storage containers for leftovers

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Springtime is yard sale season, but don’t put your Ronald McDonald promotional products up for sale just yet – they could soon become collector’s items, as the McDonald’s corporation is feeling the pressure from childhood obesity activist groups to retire its fast-food-loving mascot.

A group of pediatricians, physicians, parents, and other concerned citizens – many of whom helped put Joe Camel back in his stable in the 1990s – have asked McDonald’s to stop marketing its food to children by eliminating the 43-year-old Ronald from its campaigns, including television commercials, digital and print advertisements, and promotional products. The group, which calls itself Corporate Accountability International, argues in an open letter to McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner that “contributors to today’s health epidemic are manifold and a broad societal response is required. But marketing can no longer be ignored as a significant part of this massive problem.”

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Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.

The Washington Wizards, a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., held a press conference this morning to unveil a new franchise logo as well as new home and away jerseys that pay homage to the team’s history.

The new logo apparel is an updated take on the old Washington Bullets uniform. The Bullets became the Wizards in 1997.

The Wizards’ new home jersey, pictured at left, is primarily white, while the new away jersey is primarily red. Both jerseys feature a red, white & blue color scheme that matches the uniforms worn by the other D.C.-based teams that also play at the capital city’s Verizon Center: the Mystics (WNBA) and the Captials (NHL). The team’s logo apparel has featured a number of color schemes over the years, from navy and orange to black and bronze; however, the Wizards’ only NBA championship was secured 33 years ago when they wore red, white & blue as the Washington Bullets. The new jerseys are quite similar in color and in style to the ones worn by that winning team, albeit with a few modern influences: ‘washington’ on the away jersey and ‘wizards’ on the home jersey are both spelled with lowercase letters, and the design of each is crisp, clean and contemporary.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton – or, should I say, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – are happily married and back to their “normal” lives by now, nearly two weeks since the Royal Wedding; however, the craze over their marriage hasn’t ended, as is evinced by the auctioning off of twenty promotional gift boxes full of “rubbish” collected from the streets surrounding Buckingham Palace shortly after the nuptials occurred.

These promotional gift boxes are attractively branded Perspex constructions filled with commemorative items from candy wrappers to newspapers collected by individuals representing Altitude London, an entertainment venue that is currently auctioning off the boxes to raise money for charity. And as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Proceeds from the auction will benefit Centrepoint, a charity for the homeless of which Prince William is patron.

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Japan’s favorite animated kitten has been recruited to help raise funds for disaster relief efforts in her homeland.

Hello Kitty’s parent company Sanrio has partnered with Ty (creator of the original Beanie Baby) to produce a limited-edition Hello Kitty promotional toy wearing a pint-sized nurse’s uniform imprinted with the message I ♥ JAPAN. Ty alone has pledged to donate $1 million to disaster relief efforts by the American Red Cross to help boost American aid to Japan.

In addition to these cuddly promotional toys, Sanrio has also designed a t-shirt and tote bag that will retail for $10-20 and are currently available on its website as well as in Sanrio boutiques around the United States.

Sanrio and Hello Kitty aren’t only creating cute promotional products to benefit the character’s home country – it has also placed a link on its website encouraging visitors to donate to the American Red Cross and has funneled more than $50,000 in donations to the organization.

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Hello, local readers. It’s Mother’s Day weekend, so we’ve filled this week’s edition of our weekend guide with plenty of family-friendly things to do in and around Atlanta with Mom. Don’t forget to view our tips at each venue when you check in on Foursquare, and as always, be sure to add anything we missed in the comments section. Let us know where you end up!

Keep reading for the High Museum of Art Print Fair, 99X Unplugged in the Park, and the 4th Annual Virginia Highlands Cinco de Mayo Celebration & Block Party…