Brand Identity and Corporate Logos

Dec

2014

Pinnacle’s Top 14 of 2014

As we say goodbye to 2014, we want to take a look back at some of Pinnacle’s top moments of 2014.

1. 20th Birthday

Pinnacle Promotions celebrated our 20th birthday in July. We hosted a company celebration replete with songs, and food, and fun.

2. Pinnacle’s Big Office Move

After 10 years in our previous location, we moved to a new, spectacular office space in February. We had to work around some pretty major weather delays, but eventually we arrived at our new digs with our pink crates and worked quickly to get settled in!

3. Holiday Gift Giving

Pinnacle Promotions Do Good Feel Good committee chose a foster family to adopt for the holidays. Our team shopped for Barbies and pjs and makeup for two sisters taken in with nothing but the clothes on their back just before the holidays. How fun it was to make a difference in the lives of these young ladies. Pinnacle team members donated more than $500 in gifts and gift cards for this family and these girls.

4. Pinnacle Promotions named #58 on ASI Counselor Magazine’s Best Places to Work 2014

For the fifth year, Pinnacle Promotions is named to ASI Counselor Magazine’s Best Places to Work. The family culture, continuing education training and career pathways, and flexible work schedules all contributed to the recognition in 2014.

5. Pinnacle’s New Brand

January 3rd, 2014, Pinnacle introduced our new brand to the world in a huge unveiling!

6. Atlanta Idea Expo ’14

Pinnacle hosted our first-ever Atlanta Idea Expo ’14. The event happened on September 17th, and was the first of its kind for Pinnacle. We invited area clients, and some clients from farther away, to spend the day at our new offices with vendors, free samples and a delicious lunch.

7. Pinnacle’s New Website

In May, to match our new branding, Pinnacle launched our totally re-vamped website.

8. PPAI Award Notification

PPAI, the national non-profit association for the promotional products industry, selected Pinnacle Promotions as a finalist for four awards: Image Awards – Branding, Image Award – Distributor Catalog, Image Award Technology Award – Ecommerce website, Technology Award – Social Media, Technology Award.

9. Trustpilot honors Pinnacle Promotions

Trustpilot is an online-review platform for ecommerce businesses. Trustpilot boasts more than 7.5 million reviews on its site, representing businesses in more than 16 countries. Pinnacle Promotions uses Trustpilot for its customer review program. And, we were so very proud to accept the first-ever Trustpilot Customer Milestone Award. In July, Trustpilot recognized Pinnacle Promotions for collecting more than 500 reviews. Of those reviews, the majority are five-stars.

Award from Trustpilot

10. Counselor Best Place to Work Road Tour

Counselor Magazine’s Andy Cohen, Mindy Jensen Ligos and C.J. Mittica stopped by Pinnacle Promotions to check out the new offices during the Counselor Magazine Best Places to Work Road Trip.

11. World Cup Watching

Like many workplaces around the world, Pinnacle gathered in our new, large breakroom several afternoons in July to cheer the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team on through their journey at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. #USA #USA #USA

12. Emory Winship

Each year, our team members join Emory University (we are alumni, they are a client) for their annual fundraising 5K race.

13. Inc. 5000

Pinnacle makes the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing companies in 2014.

14. Snowmaggedonpocalypse

The snow and ice storm that hit Atlanta in January and February not only shut down most of Georgia, but also slowed our office move. On the bright side, this past year we initiated an “always on” connection plan so that our offices are never really closed, moving forward.

We can’t wait to see what 2015 brings to Pinnacle Promotions, and to all of you!

Pinnacle Promotions

Pinnacle’s Top 14 of 2014 – A new blog post from @PinnaclePromos

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Oct

2014

Atlanta Idea Expo ‘14

“This was great! Got some ideas for future promotional items that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.”

This is just one of the quotes from people who attended Pinnacle Promotions Atlanta Idea Expo ’14. The event happened on September 17th, and was the first of its kind for Pinnacle. We invited area clients, and some clients from farther away, to spend the day at our new offices.

We invited 12 vendors to bring their best presentations, samples and ideas to share with our customers. Guests moved through the offices with a passport, showing destinations and directions for experiencing what each vendor had to offer. At the end of the day, we invited our guests to sign the back of their passport and drop it in a drawing for an iPad. Just for attending, guests were entered to win any number of prizes throughout the day including compu-backpacks, men’s and women’s all-weather apparel and even a golf bag.

Throughout the day, guests were welcome to stop at any one of the five educational sessions. Session topics included Holiday Gifts, Apparel, Case Studies, Company Stores and Social Media. The Apparel and Social Media sessions proved to be the most popular among the attendees. Ideas were flowing fast and fierce!

Guests left Pinnacle with goody bags full of samples and new information about smart products that they can use to promote their brand. They were able to complete sample request cards to get specific samples sent to them at their office for a closer look. They were able to leave with the experience of having spent the day with their co-workers or Pinnacle account teams. And, they were able to leave Pinnacle Promotions with sneak peeks into what promotional items are new and unique for 2015 as well as great ideas for ways to use popular branded items to gear up their team, reward employees or expand their audience.

Click to see more pictures from our event.
If you attended the event at our offices, please stop by our Google+ local page and leave a review about your experience!
And, stay tuned for news and information about our next great event!

Pinnacle Promotions

The expo was a HUGE success! {PICS} – A new blog post from @PinnaclePromos

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Aug

2014

What Happens After a Big Breakup

Your last breakup may not have been worth millions of dollars. But, perhaps you too had to decide what to do with a corporate logo after dissolution or split. Perhaps you needed to find an outlet for your uniforms after a company name or logo change. Or, maybe you decided not to give that favorite concert t-shirt back to your ex. Either way, there’s a lot more to think about after a big breakup than just the feelings. Don’t forget to consider the stuff!

Manchester United Defend (Photo credit: Paolo Camera)

Manchester United, one of the champions of the Barclay’s Premier Football League in England, made big news recently when they switched from Nike to Adidas as the main supplier for their kits. The deal is the highest uniform deal of all time in any sport. Adidas will pay Manchester United $1.3 billion over 10 years to provide uniform kits.

The Initial Breakup:
Nike decided after a 10-year relationship that ManU wanted too much money to continue the relationship. Did this have anything to do with Manchester’s recent poor performance in the Premier League? They finished 7th this past season. Either way, when word got out that Nike was moving on, sports powerhouse Adidas was more than happy to move in. Adidas worked a deal to pay $130 million per year for the next 10 years to Man United. They expect $400 million in sales per year to generate from this relationship. Man U put Nike on notice in January, and the Adidas deal was done by June. The new kits start in the 2015-2016 season.

Intellectual Property and New Gear:
Of course, the brand owns their logo as intellectual property. But as part of the complete kit, Adidas will outfit Man U with an updated, slightly tweaked logo, and full game and training uniforms (down to the underwear). However, the deal is only for playing and training wear. Unlike with the Nike contract, now the team will control any other licensing for promotional products directly.

Old Gear:
And what is the team to do with the old, outdated Nike gear? The team will continue to use the kit through the 2014-2015 season. But, what happens to the gear after that?

Often, teams need an outlet for getting rid of outdated products. Some clubs sign the old items and give them to charity. Others are required to donate the items, but not in a geographical area that they can be resold or profited. It can be mandated that the items be sent to third-world countries and given to charity.

Man U is hosting a contest this season so that people can enter to win Nike Tour Gear worn during game play and signed by the players. You can enter here.

Enter to win Tour Gear from Aon

Whether a logo change or corporate split, what do companies do with all the old stuff? Have you found creative ways to use last year’s marketing materials? Tell us in the comments below!

Pinnacle Promotions

What to do after a big breakup? A new blog post from @PinnaclePromos

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Jul

2014

Secret Geek Gear for Sale!

We are in the gear business. So, when we saw this article about secret geek gear for sale, we couldn’t resist.

Company stores have been around for years. Disclosure: Pinnacle Plus is the online store partner for Pinnacle Promotions.

Company stores are ideal for companies that have to manage uniforms, marketing materials, or general swag for the people outside of the organization. Recently, PC Magazine decided to shop their way through a number of technology company stores. Check out their findings and see which are our favorites:

TMobile Boxers

Dell Guitar USB

Wikipedia Scarf

Would you wear your corporate logo on your boxers? Give your wife Chrome earrings for your anniversary? Let us know what you think of the geeky company stores and their swag!

Pinnacle Promotions

Secret Geek Gear for Sale! A new blog post by @PinnaclePromos

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Jun

2014

Personalize it! And, you can be a winner, too.

Personalization is key in the promotional products business. But when it comes to personalization, it seems retail is following the promotional industry’s lead. From the first day that your barista asked to put your name on your cup of coffee at Starbucks, personalization was creeping into mass retail. But recently, both Gatorade and the U.S. Soccer Organization are banking on your desire to personalize their products.

Gatorade’s #WinfromWithin campaign went for the personalization angle earlier this year. You can create your own, personalized label for your Gatorade bottle. But, in creating your own label you were also entered into a contest to win a case of Gatorade bottles with your labels on the bottle.

The U.S. Soccer Organization is currently using personalization to encourage fans to purchase gear and get excited about our national team’s participation in the 2014 World Cup, which begins in Brazil on June 12th. Their “One Nation. One Team.” campaign allows you to not only purchase an official U.S. National Team jersey, but for the first time in an active World Cup season you can personalize the official home jersey with your name and number.

U.S. Soccer

What brands will follow next for personalization? Will you be able to brand your own soda can before it comes out of the vending machine? How about personalized flavors of your favorite brand of chips from your local supermarket? Will we soon see “Gucci by me” on purses and shoes at the mall?

Tell us what you think is the next great frontier of personalization!

Pinnacle Promotions

If you like it then you can put your name on it! A New blog post by @PinnaclePromos

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Apr

2014

Pinnacle Promotions is dedicated to helping you Make the right impression.™

Make the right impression™ Tips
Pinnacle Promotions is dedicated to helping you Make the right impression.™ We are providing helpful tips, expert advice and quality product recommendations to make you look good.

Pinnacle Promotions

New blog post: @PinnaclePromos helps you Make the right impression.™

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Mar

2014

All I really need to know to Make the right impression™ I learned in Kindergarten

Based on Robert Fulghum’s wildly popular book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, we have added our own twist on the “things I learned in Kindergarten” for the promotional products industry.

All I really need to know to Make the right impression™ I learned in Kindergarten.

Offer your attention and advice willingly.
Do what is right.
Praise in public, critique in private.
Leave a customer’s office the way you found it.
Try, and then try again.
Be kind. Apologize first.
Be on time.
Offer a clean, dry hand to shake.
Care more about people than they care about you.
Come bearing gifts, such as quality promotional products.
Confidently promise and over deliver.
Listen. Really listen.

All I really need to know to Make the right impression™ I learned in Kindergarten

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Jan

2014

Promotional Products to Save Your Snowmageddonpocalypse

The Pinnacle Promotions office is located in the Atlanta area. In 2014, we survived, along with our friends, family and colleagues, through one of the worst snowstorms in recent memory. Call it what you like: Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, or more accurately Snowmageddonpocalypse. People were stranded in their cars for anywhere from 1 – 20 hours. Children were stranded at schools, and worse on school buses and brave teachers and good Samaritans kept them safe and warm. There are many theories as to why this happened. And as there are many blame theories, there are that many stories or more of miraculous and random acts of kindness and selflessness.

Pinnacle Promotions was uniquely equipped to continue servicing our clients during the storm. Our account teams were able to address our customer’s needs through proprietary tools and resources, and make the necessary adjustments to make sure our clients weren’t left out in the cold.

In talking with many who were stuck or stranded, we heard over and over about the items that they really wished they had with them to weather the storm.

Some of the top comments we heard:

“I wish I had a blanket in the car.” A customized throw or blanket would be the perfect winter item to have in the car at all times and be ready in the summer to host a picnic.

“Wish I had an external phone charger. I didn’t expect my phone to die and not be able to use my car charger.” A branded portable power bank is a price-effective and compact way to come to the rescue of your clients and employees.

“Can’t wait to get home and have a warm cup of coffee.” Many of those who spent hours on the roadways trying to get home were relieved to walk into their homes and grab their favorite custom mug to sit down for a drink to warm them through.

And here at Pinnacle, we grabbed promotional ice scrapers on our way out the door to help us get the snow and ice off our windshields for the drive home.

What items do you think would be most helpful in a snowstorm? Check out our Winter Promotional Items section for some great ideas.

And lastly, a special thanks to all of the emergency service personnel, road crews and good Samaritans who helped those who were waylaid by the storm.

Promotional Products to Save Your Snowmageddonpocalypse by @PinnaclePromos

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Dec

2013

“That’s a Tier 2 problem.” Ummmm…what?

My laptop was not working. I had no idea what was wrong with it. So, I took my computer to a store that sells that computer, and that computer only. Upon further inspection, the technician kindly let me know that I have a “Tier 2” problem. I asked, “What is a Tier 2 problem?” He answered, “About $250.” Ummmm…what?

Many industries have their own terms that are proprietary to the market or industry. The promotional products industry is no different. We have assembled a few of our favorite terms here that some customers may know, but these terms might not necessarily be household names. Not only will we define them for you, but we’ll do it in less than #sixwords!

Four-color process: Your full-color-logo on something
Stock the closet: Your corporate stash of promo items
Setup charge: Charge to setup the imprinting machine
Imprint: Your logo or design for production
Vector: Points and lines that make shapes
Raster: Squares of pixels that make shapes
Pad print: Stamp your imprint on your item
Deboss: Elegant concave imprint on squishable item
Digitizing: Embroidered image becomes digital sewing file
PMS Color: Color number matching your brand guidelines (PMS LINK)
Run Charge: Charge per color for color printing
Flash Charge: White base for dark printing wearables

Any other terms you want us to explain in #sixwords? We’re here for you! Check out our FAQs for more information.

Pinnacle Promotions

Promo industry terms explained in #sixwords

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Nov

2013

Are You a Promo Hoarder?

According to the European Promotional Products Association, a whopping 91% of consumers keep a promotional product in their kitchen. This was surprising to me, until I realized that the EPPA was talking about me. Not only do I do this, but also I might be a promotional product hoarder.

The best burger place in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is called Scotty P’s. There are six locations. The menu items are the same at each location, but are named specific to that location. For example, the BBQ burger is called the Watson Burger at the Allen location, and the Warren Burger at the Frisco location based on prominent members of those communities.

It’s not just the food that draws you to Scotty P’s. For years, they gave a plastic cup with each drink purchase. There was no upsell attached to the cup. You bought a drink; you got a cup with their logo imprinted on it. As loyal customers, we have more than one Scotty P’s cup. The Pink cup during October was especially sought after. Some restaurants maintain arrangements with their drink brand to provide promotional cups. These cups are usually co-branded with the restaurant logo and the drink brand logo. The Scotty P’s cups are just branded with their corporate logo.

Inspired by the EPPA statistics, I decided to take a look around the kitchen. After further review, I decided I might be a promo hoarder. I own more than 30+ Scotty P’s cups. And, I don’t even live in Texas any longer.

Are you one of the 55% of people who keep a promotional product in your bedroom? Are you one of the 25% of people who use a promotional pen in the home or office? Tell us: Are you a promotional products hoarder?

Pinnacle Promotions

Are you a “promo hoarder?” #promoitems

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Brand Identity and Corporate Logos

Pinnacle’s Top 14 of 2014

1. 20th Birthday

2. Pinnacle’s Big Office Move

3. Holiday Gift Giving

4. Pinnacle Promotions named #58 on ASI Counselor Magazine’s Best Places to Work 2014

5. Pinnacle’s New Brand

6. Atlanta Idea Expo ’14

7. Pinnacle’s New Website

8. PPAI Award Notification

9. Trustpilot honors Pinnacle Promotions

10. Counselor Best Place to Work Road Tour

11. World Cup Watching

12. Emory Winship

13. Inc. 5000

14. Snowmaggedonpocalypse

Atlanta Idea Expo ‘14

What Happens After a Big Breakup

Secret Geek Gear for Sale!

Personalize it! And, you can be a winner, too.

Pinnacle Promotions is dedicated to helping you Make the right impression.™

All I really need to know to Make the right impression™ I learned in Kindergarten

Promotional Products to Save Your Snowmageddonpocalypse

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