Promotional Products Blog | Pinnacle Promotions Marketing Company

Although I am far from what you might consider “outdoorsy,” last weekend I ventured into the wilderness and went camping. As I was sitting around the campfire- surrounded by trees, water, and insects rather than cubicles, advertisements and televisions- I realized that in spite of the natural surroundings I was accompanied by many brands.

From my flashlight to the collapsible can cooler and of course the Swiss Army knife, many of the items I brought had been given to me by a corporation. I started thinking about how these promotional products successfully traveled all that way with us, and came to the conclusion that functional promotional items are key to building any brand.

Functional products, including drinkware, blankets, chairs and other outdoors products, can be imprinted with a company name and logo for increased brand exposure. Giving a product that is not only practical, but also small and easily compactable for easy travel, ensures that your company goes everywhere recipients go. Here are some camping tips to help you incorporate useful items into your next marketing campaign and some activities to inspire a trip to the outdoors.

-Hiking: This is not only a fun activity, but also a way to get to know the area where you will be staying and to tire yourself out before a night of sleeping on the ground. For kids or less active individuals, a leisurely nature walk is also a good afternoon pursuit. Stay hydrated and healthy with promotional sports bottles.

-Grilling: Plan ahead and make sure to pack food that can be cooked outdoors on a grill or open campfire. It’s also a good idea to bring items that won’t leave a mess, to ensure that pesky animals don’t bother you. And don’t forget to keep items fresh in a personalized cooler until you are ready to cook

-S’more making: Making S’mores is delicious and a good way to stay warm around the campfire. Carry a promotional flashlight with you if you venture into the woods to look for the perfect sticks. And always take a buddy, too.

-Camp songs and ghost stories: Singing songs and telling stories are great pre-bedtime activities. Don’t forget to write down your favorite tunes and spooky narratives in promotional jotters so you can remember them for next year’s trip to the wilderness.

Sarah
Creative Writing Intern
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I’m not a big television watcher, but I have to admit that I have an unhealthy obsession with The Office. It’s the only show I watch, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. My roommate knows not to talk to me during that special half hour on Thursday nights and my parents have learned not to call at that time. I sit on my couch, talk to my TV and act like I am a part of the funny office pranks and lunchroom gossip. In fact, when Jim and Pam got married last week, I was almost a little hurt that I wasn’t invited to the wedding.

The plus side of not actually knowing Jim, Pam, Dwight and Michael is that my work life is much calmer, more enjoyable and productive. And while Pinnacle certainly doesn’t have employees as extreme as any of the individuals on The Office, over the past six seasons I’ve come to appreciate that these characters are based on universal office truths.

With that being said, here are a few recommendations for promotional gifts to increase brand visibility among clients and employees who resemble the following characters:

Pam- Pam would love a custom journal so that she could practice her drawing any time inspiration hits. Or, keep her warm and stylish by giving her another classic cardigan sweater to wear.

Jim- Now that he has earned a well-deserved promotion, Jim would benefit from a personalized, executive-style briefcase. And of course, he can never have enough office toys in his desk to help him annoy Dwight.

Dwight- Nerdy and hard-working, Dwight would appreciate an ID badge to ensure that his identification never gets lost during adventures on his farm or a calculator (in particular one that fits right in his pocket) so that he can always maintain efficiency.

Michael- Where to even begin? He would go crazy for an acrylic award, especially one imprinted with the words “best boss” (think The Dundies episode) and he is definitely in need of a digital or atomic clock so that the employees of Dunder Mifflin can never set the time forward again.

No matter what you choose, personalized promotional products will win you awards for your marketing campaign.

Sarah
Creative Writing Intern
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Since its creation in 1994,
Pinnacle Promotions has been a promotional company that offers more.
Providing customized solutions for any marketing or branding need,
With all exclusive services designed around one overriding goal – speed.
From processing orders with our service of 24-Hour Rocketship Express,
To saving you time with custom IdeaKits that are sure to impress.
Let our dedicated Account Teams help you find unique products of quality,
And know that your order will arrive on time, and as approved, with our Platinum Guarantee!

From apparel, to drinkware, to stress balls galore,
Check out everything we have to offer in our online store!
We have journals, pens, backpacks, candles, candy jars and toys,
We have magnets, spa kits, golf balls, lanyards, and shirts for girls and boys!
We have accessories for travel and fitness, for your computer, your cell phone, and your car,
We have gifts that tell time, display photos, play games, and even stock your bar!
Whether for man or woman, young or old, business or pleasure, or all,
We have thousands of products for everyone in our virtual product mall!

Too many products to choose one on your own?
Just e-mail us, live chat or pick up the phone.
With account managers who know the industry like the back of their hand,
Their insight and knowledge can help find the perfect item for your brand.
What about custom artwork and logo designs?
Our graphics team can produce amazing samples that go beyond basic lines.
Let us help you along each step of your promotional products decision,
And help us enhance your overall marketing vision!

Jaime
Team Lead – Multimedia
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Today featuring: No Rain by Blind Melon – the band’s breakthrough single of their debut album, Blind Melon, released in 1992.

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
I like watchin’ the puddles gather rain
And all I can do is just pour some tea for two (1)
and speak my point of view
But it’s not sane, It’s not sane

I just want some one to say to me
I’ll always be there when you wake
Ya know I’d like to keep my cheeks dry today (2)
So stay with me and I’ll have it made

And I don’t understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there’s no rain
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake (3)
And it rips my life away, but it’s a great escape
escape……escape……escape……

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
ya don’t like my point of view
ya think I’m insane
Its not sane……it’s not sane

Lyrical References:

1 -  Promotional Tea Lovers Gift Set, which includes 30 various tea selections from Mighty Leaf Tea Company.

2 -  Promotional  facial tissue box, to wipe away your tears.

3 – Promotional booklight with white LED light, to read your favorite stories in bed.

Find these promotional products and more online at Pinnacle Promotions.

Jaime
Creative Writing Intern
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September happens to be Classical Music Month. As a longtime flautist (I began playing in the fourth grade and continued to pursue my passion for music throughout college), I have always been a fan of classical music and famous classical performers like Yo Yo Ma and Bocelli. I don’t know how I would have made it through college without the comforting sounds of classically trained musicians wafting through my headphones during late-night study sessions!

If you are looking for unique promotional products to distribute to musicians or loyal followers of the music world, sometimes the best product choices are also the most unlikely. During the time I spent developing my musical talent, I found many promotional products to be extremely useful. I never attended a Wind Ensemble rehearsal without a pencil and highlighter in my flute case to make necessary revisions and notes on my sheet music according to the conductors’ instructions. My home or dorm room practice sessions always made use of media players or speakers to amplify professional recordings of pieces that I was currently working on, and whenever I was stuck without a music stand to display my sheet music, I would look to handy desktop items like portfolios or note holders to prop up the pages. I also never left home for a rehearsal without a canvas tote bag to keep my sheet music, metronome, and tuner accessible at all times.

Both of my former flute teachers played in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and encouraged me to listen to recordings and learn from world-renowned musicians like flautist James Galway. They would always give me CD recordings of performances by classical musicians for holiday and birthday gifts, and my collection of classical recordings has grown to include hundreds of discs. I store many of them in CD cases, but my favorites have earned a spot in my CD visor that I keep in my car. Don’t get me wrong; I listen to country, rap, rock, and pop music as well, but every once in awhile I find myself in the mood for some soothing classical performances to escape from the realities of horrendous traffic and lousy Atlanta drivers.

Promote your brand by giving away custom imprinted products to bring out the inner musician in each of your clients and employees!

Also, make sure to check out my current favorite musician, David Garrett. Not only is he a Juilliard graduate who holds the world record for the most notes played on the violin in one second (13!) during his rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee, but he has integrated incredible covers of songs by Michael Jackson and AC/DC into his extensive repertoire. See him breaking the world record here:

Or, if you are more intrigued by his ability to transcribe Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” into a violin performance, take a look at that video below:

Dana
Marketing Coordinator
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I received an e-mail chain this week entitled “Random Thoughts of the Day” that basically outlined miscellaneous thoughts and situations that occur in our daily lives. Here was one of my favorites, a situation that used to happen to me more often than I’d like to admit when having to spell Conaway, Strickler & Margolis at the law firm where I used to work:

“Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)…ummm…Goonies.”

Inspired by this concern, today’s blog will consist of ‘as in’ examples for Pinnacle using promotional products!

P – as in Promotional Pens.

I – as in ID Badges & Holders.

N – as in Notepads.

N(2) – as in Non Woven Polypropylene Bags.

A – as in Automotive Accessories.

C – as in Coolers.

L – as in Laser Pointers.

And finally E – as in Executive Gifts.

What does that spell? PINNACLE! (As in Pinnacle Promotions)

Jaime
Creative Writing Intern
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I have to say I was in shock after hearing the news of director/writer/producer John Hughes’ unexpected passing earlier this month. It is always sad to hear of someone passing, but even more so when it comes too soon in one’s life.I may be a bit young to be quoting lines from his films, but that is just a testament to his work and the fact that he could relate to the youth of that generation and even those that followed. His most famous films (Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller) centered on the high school genre and revolved around one student’s woes or how a group of students interacted with one another.

Since the school year is beginning again for all of us in the real world, I thought it was appropriate to pay homage to one of the greats in the entertainment industry whom immersed himself in teen “dramedy”. We always want our kids to be prepared for whatever may come their way and Pinnacle is a great place to find supplies that make things a little easier. Not only do we have some stylish backpacks and cool functional USB drives, but we also carry the “not so fun” but necessary promotional items like pens and composition notebooks

So the next time you catch one of John’s flicks on TV or have nostalgia for those high school years just- “Don’t you, forget about me (Pinnacle)” for getting you geared up.

Stephania
Sales and Marketing Production Assistant
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Now I know we all hate when our inboxes become cluttered with chain mail and viral videos that don’t usually serve any higher purpose than to give a mid-morning chuckle and waste a few minutes of our time, but my dad sent me this one a few weeks ago and it has now been circulating around the Pinnacle office – and I think it is pretty funny:

The baby is pretty cute and quite the chatterbox, but the clip only precipitates the real topic at hand – do women really talk more than men? It is a matter about which the male population has long speculated, and the female population has long denied. Well back in 2006, a female psychologist tried to affirm this longstanding stereotype in her book “The Female Brain.” According to its author, Louann Brizendine, founder and director of the University of California, San Francisco’s Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic, women in fact speak an average of 20,000 words per day, nearly three times the scanty 7,000 spoken by men. Don’t get too excited men – Ms. Brizendine has since retracted this claim, and there have been numerous studies published that now place this presumption back in the category of myth. New consensus? The sexes speak just about the same amount, averaging out to about 16,000 words daily.

So we all like to talk, and at Pinnacle Promotions, we have some great products that are perfect for doing just that! Exercise your vocal cords with the the Tuxedo Digital Media Player that can also record and play voice messages. Or if you happen to be victim to someone who talks just a little too much, you probably need the Leed’s High Noise Cancellation Headphones!

Jaime
Creative Writing Intern
view my bio!

The 2009 hurricane season is officially underway. I returned yesterday from a brief beach trip to the Florida Panhandle just in time, as tropical storm Claudette picked up speed close behind. The National Hurricane Center stated that no named storms (meaning those with winds reaching a minimum of 39 miles an hour) had appeared in the Atlantic Basin as of Friday- the seventh-longest recorded wait in this area for the first tropical storm of the season. By Saturday, however, Tropical Storms Ana and Bill had been named off the Florida coast, and Claudette developed by early Sunday morning.

Experts predict a quieter than usual storm season this year, which is particularly fortunate for the nation’s Flood Insurance Program, currently in a deficit of over $19 billion. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which controls the National Flood Insurance Program, released a statement that hurricanes have cost greater than $45.9 billion in disaster assistance since 2005, comprising approximately 85% of FEMA’s total expenditure on disaster relief efforts.

It is fascinating to think about the technological advancements that have evolved and the power which they grant meteorologists and weather experts to accurately track climate patterns and predict storms. Our ancestors had no advance warning of looming natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, and therefore could only prepare for treacherous weather threats as soon as they came into view.

Today, tools to monitor weather conditions are affordable enough to warrant personal use in the home and office! Your brand can even customize handy weather instruments with your logo and marketing message so that clients and employees can utilize them on a daily basis. I, for one, enjoy being able to dress accordingly for the day’s forecast without having to set foot outside my front door! Gifts like weather stations will benefit your desired end users tremendously, allowing them to know what conditions lie outside the confines of their home or office. Choose from a variety of unique custom imprinted Weather Instruments that are sure to impress and amuse your target audience.

If you happen to be in the danger zone for any of the tropical storms or hurricanes I mentioned above, stay safe and make sure to follow the storms’ progress to be prepared for any unexpected changes in course or upgrades in severity! Even if you are not in a region susceptible to these weather phenomena, weather tools can be incorporated into your marketing mix to form the foundation for an innovative and memorable promotional campaign.

Dana
Marketing Coordinator
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Today, rather than focusing on an unusual event or theme, I’d like to walk you through my ordinary, run-of-the-mill Saturday and all of the ways that products benefited my everyday life. These items can be easily customized to advertise your brand, exposing your customers or employees to your company’s logo or message hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of times a year. Just think: I am only one person… If I managed to incorporate this many normal items into my daily activities, your impact on an entire workforce or client base could be huge!

In the morning, I woke to the incessant buzzing of my alarm clock and rolled out of bed. I stumbled to the bathroom, took my glasses out of their case, and reached for my toothbrush. Armed with minty fresh breath, I decided to start my day, which involved cooking breakfast, going grocery shopping, and hitting the pool before a night out with my friends.

I do not possess outstanding culinary prowess, but I have been trying to master some of the basics- scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and biscuits. Two classic promotional kitchen utensils that I made use of would look great imprinted with your logo: a timer and oven mitt are kitchen staples that should be found in every household.

After chowing down and then cleaning up the mess in my kitchen, I grabbed my car keys and raced out the door. Anybody who knows me personally has seen my unwieldy collection of key chains- from key chain flashlights to carabiners, I have them all. Key chains make a fantastic gift for employees or clients, as we all need our car or house keys on our person at all times.

My first stop was the grocery store, and I had come prepared with a handful of non woven bags. These bags get lots of mileage and serve to promote your company’s environmentally sound business practices to observers.

Next, I dropped off my groceries at home, and took a quick break to refuel before gathering my supplies for the pool. I threw promotional beach items like sunscreen, a beach towel, and a radio into my beach bag and claimed my spot in the sunshine. Any outing to the pool would be incomplete without these products, which makes them ideal options for displaying information about your brand. They can be enjoyed by people of all ages, genders, and interests so can’t help but provide high exposure for your business.

After lounging poolside for much of the afternoon, I reluctantly came inside to prepare for my night out. I took my cell phone out of its holder and called a few friends to meet up for dinner. I made sure to take my camera out of its desktop charging station so I could document our shenanigans to laugh about later!

There is no way I could include every single product that was involved in making my day run smoothly, but that just proves my initial claim to be true: the opportunities are endless for your brand to make a lasting impression through the use of promotional items. What better way to get your company noticed than by making the lives of your employees and customers easier?

Dana
Marketing Assistant
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