Takeaway is the way to Go!
It is indicative of our changing coffee-drinking habits that US coffee chain Starbucks has posted a 10% rise in profits for the three months to 1 January 2012, benefiting from new stores and new products. Indeed, the firm opened 241 new stores during the quarter and plans to open 100 new cafes in the UK over the next five years. In addition to 100 new High Street coffee shops, the company intends to increase the number of drive-through coffee outlets, typically found at motorway service stations, from nine to 200.
What factor has changed that has allowed Starbucks to grow at such a pace?
Well, it would appear that more and more of us have increasingly busy schedules and the habit of taking coffee ‘on the go’ is a rising trend throughout the country. This no doubt accounts for the increase in sales of our range of Takeaway Mugs.
Coming in both ceramic and unbreakable acrylic versions our Takeaway Mugs are the perfect mugs for a busy lifestyle. What is more, they are beneficial to the environment unlike the ubiquitous paper cups that, once used, are thrown away. In contrast, our stylish, practical Takeaway Mugs may be used time and time again.
Double walled to keep your favourite beverage hot or cold as the case may be, you can also be sure that your hands will not burn also.
Moreover, print them with your company logo and they become an ideal mobile advertising hoarding for your business. The Takeaway Mug range gives you a wide range of printing options too, from single to four colours and also photographic quality if required. Advertising ‘on the go’ has never been more affordable.
For more information call the Mug Shop on 01437 781978. Email us on sales@mug-shop.net or look at our Takeaway Mugs here.
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be top opportunity for fund-raisers
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has been set for June 2012 and the official emblem has now been released. The emblem is the winning design following a national competition for children aged between 6 and 14. It was designed by 10-year-old Katherine Dewar, from Chester. Available in full colour, black, white and white-out, the emblem is offered also in English and Welsh.
The Royal occasion is a perfect opportunity for individuals, organisations, companies, charities, schools and colleges not only to promote their name alongside the official emblem but also, where appropriate, sell-on the items in fund-raising projects.
The official design may be printed onto a wide range of promotional merchandise, such as mugs as shown above and also on pens and pencils, usb flash-drives, drinks bottles, teapots, banners and flags, clothing and much more.
The event is still some time away but we at Stupid Tuesday are already fielding enquiries for Jubilee promotional items and as time passes demand is sure to build steadily. Our advice, therefore, for those planning activities associated with the Jubilee is to make sure you plan ahead and order your own branded items in good time.
For a full list of what items of promotional merchandise may be branded with the official Diamond Jubilee emblem, call us on 01437 781978 or email
Why we’re not popular at Greek weddings or restaurants
Most of you will be familiar with that old Greek tradition of smashing plates and other crockery at their weddings or, on occasion, in their restaurants. Today some will tell you that they prefer to throw flowers instead but this fine old, if rather destructive tradition is still upheld in many Greek quarters.
Well, try as we might, we just cannot interest these Greek traditionalists in our branded promotional Acrylic Mugs. Why? Well because they are completely unbreakable. Thrown at the wall as many times as a muscular Greek, Achilles-esque forearm may try, unlike the Acropolis, they just won’t break!
On the other hand, if you’re a school or organisation involved in outdoor and outward-bound activities or if you have employees or customers who operate under arduous conditions, on an industrial or construction site for example, you may find the unbreakable nature of our Acrylic Mugs something of an advantage.
What’s more the wide range of colours available and the number of colours that you may print onto our Acrylic Mugs will ensure that your company name, school emblem and message will stand out time after time.
At it doesn’t stop there. For those environmentally-conscious amongst us, we also have a range of Recycled Acrylic Mugs so you not only can keep your mugs a long time but also be a real eco-warrior into the bargain.
So, unless you are Greek, please call us on 01437 781978 for more information or visit our very splendid Mug Shop to view our range of not-to-be-used-at-Greek-wedding-mugs.
Matrix Codes on Promotional Items Open up Communication
Interest in matrix or ‘QR’ codes (quick response codes) has surged thanks to a rapid rise in ownership of high-tech mobiles such as i-Phones, Androids and Blackberrys.
QR codes are two-dimensional bar codes arranged in a matrix of tiny black (or other coloured) squares on a white background. They can be read by specialist readers and, more importantly, smartphones. When read by a phone, the code is converted into text, a contact or automatically opens a website.
In addition, recently, there has been introduced custom QR codes which may be manipulated to feature your company logo, brand or original design within the matrix, often with the introduction of additional colours.
The codes are increasingly being used in marketing, integrated into advertising on billboards, magazines and newspapers and also, more and more companies are using them on their promotional material, such as branded promotional mugs and all manner of other promotional merchandise supplied by promotional specialists.
QR codes may also be used to bolster sales of a specific product or to advertise a specific event by directing potential customers to a dedicated part of a website, or a mini-site or brochure-site designed especially for the purpose.
What’s more, QR codes can be placed onto promotional merchandise very cost-effectively as they only need be printed in one colour to be an important and original part of you marketing campaign.
For more information on how you may use QR codes to make your promotional merchandise be more effective and stand out call Stupid Tuesday on 01437 781978 or contact us by email: sales@stupidtuesday.co.uk
Why use the Mug Shop for Promotional Mugs?
The Mug Shop is a division of Stupid Tuesday one of the UK’s leading providers of promotional merchandise. With over 40 years of joint promotional experience, our client base includes multi-national companies and SMEs, health boards and universities, charities and local authorities. We can advise the best promotional mug for you from our vast range or, utilising our unique in-house design facility, even design it from scratch if necessary.
Customer service is paramount at the Mug Shop and is at the very centre of our business philosophy. Not only do we supply printed mugs of the very highest quality but also strive to offer clients the very best of customer care.
But why promotional mugs? Well, research shows that promotional merchandise can deliver a higher or equal ROI than most forms of advertising, with 66% of recipients remembering the brand on a promotional product that they received in the last year and 87% retaining that product longer than 12 months.
Promotional mugs are one of the most cost-effective methods of reaching customers in this way. They are a great choice for branded handouts as, not only do they make a lasting impact but also are eminently practical, the best kind of promotional gift. They are also one of the fastest ways to get your name out in front of clients; for example, they can be with you in 5 – 7 days, even quicker if your deadline demands it. What’s more, promotional mugs represent great value for money as, unlike most promotional items, you may have them in relatively small quantities, as low as 36 units for dye sublimated mugs.
Your branded mugs will be very useful for the next trade event or conference you attend. Visitors and delegates just love to get ‘something for nothing’ and nothing is better than a well-designed and printed promotional mug for this purpose. They will take your mug home or to work and be aware of your brand everytime they take a tea or coffee break.
Or you could post them to customers, potential and existing , in our special ‘postal boxes’ which offer great protection. How much more of an impact will a promotional mug make compared with a flyer or leaflet which invariably end up in the waste bin?
So, that’s just some of the reasons why the Mug Shop is your first port of call for printed mugs.
Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned our Price Match Guarantee in which we promise to match or beat any verifiable competitive quotation. So, when you’re ready for your promotional mugs call the Mug Shop on 01437 781978 or visit the Mug Shop.
Need a Mug? Talk to the Experts
Promotional printed mugs are one of the most cost-effective pieces of promotional merchandise that you can buy. Trouble is, which one is best for you? There’s a massive range of promotional mugs available, standard coffee and tea mugmade from materials such as earthenware, porcelain, bone china and acrylic and thermal travel mugs made from stainless steel. The key is to choose which will do the best promotional job for you.
If it’s a simple promotional mug you require as a cost-effective giveaway at an exhibition, conference or other trade event, then the best choice may be a Cambridge or Sparta mug, two of the best selling mugs in the UK. Alternatively, if you wish to commemorate a special occasion, such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, then a bone-china mugs such as the Marlborough is a good choice.
Perhaps it’s something a little bit different you’re after, something that will make a big and lasting impact? Well, the Takeaway mug certainly fulfills this criteria as does the rather novel Spoon Mug.
Then again, if you’re unsure which mug is your best option and the wide choice available appears a little daunting, then perhaps the simplest route is to pick up the phone and talk to one of our experts here at the Mug Shop. We’re rather friendly too!
Call us on 01437 781978 or email sales@mug-shop.net
Take it away Sam …
You know those polystyrene takeaway coffee cups that people use? Aren’t they a real eyesore when not disposed of properly?
What’s more, they are not very eco-friendly; firstly, there’s the energy used in their manufacture and then, secondly, once finished with they are simply tossed aside like yesterday’s old news.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a takeaway mug that you didn’t throw away, that you could use time and time again? Well, get this, now there is and they are available in ceramic, acrylic and steel versions.
The ‘Hawaii’ mug shown here is a very good example of the ceramic takeaway mug.
What’s more they are a fantastic promotional item as they are capable of being printed with your logo from one to many colours, even in photographic quality.
Take the Takeaway Ceramic Mug, for instance. You can screen print it or, using dye sublimation, print it with as many colours as you wish, even with photographic imagery. The result is a fantastic looking mug which comes in its own presentation box for maximum impact with your customers.
And, for those with a lesser appetite, there is the Mini Takeaway Mug.
If you prefer acrylic, there is the popular Americano which, although capable of only single colour print, can be branded on the mug itself, its lid or the heat-protective grip for maximum flexibility and impact. Also, for those who are looking for something even more robust there is the Takeaway Steel Mug, available in several colours.
So, as we said ‘take it away Sam’ … and do so in the full knowledge that you are helping the environment!
Call us on 01437 781978 or email sales@mug-shop.net for more information, to place and order or to request a sample.
The Time-bomb Effect
Recently, I took a telephone call from a person who had been at an event at which Stupid Tuesday was an exhibitor about six months previously. Now, I didn’t remember the person. I don’t recall them coming to our exhibition stand, neither do I recall them talking to me or any colleague. Neverthless, it seemed he knew me and my company intimately. Curious, I asked politely, how so? It appears that, during the day, he passed our stand in something of a rush, as he was on his lunch-break, and picked up one of our branded ‘freebie’ pens.
Six months later, when his own company decided to invest in promotional merchandise as part of their marketing plan, the first call he made was to the company whose pen had sat on his desk, or in his pocket, for all that time, Stupid Tuesday. This is what we mean by the ‘time-bomb effect’. The person took a pen and, although not requiring promo items at the time, six months later when he did, it was there to remind him where to get them.
Would he have done the same had he taken one of our business cards, or perhaps a leaflet? Possibly, but it’s more likely that both would have been mislaid or found their inevitable way to the trash bin. The branded pen, on the other hand, he found of daily use and there it was, our ‘time-bomb’, waiting to go off just when he needed promotional materials. The result is that he placed his first order and, now a regular customer, he has spent thousands of pounds.
Not a bad result from a branded pen costing just 35p!
It isn’t just promotional pens that act as time-bombs. Other pieces of marketing dynamite include promotional mugs, usb flashdrives, eco-friendly items … well I could go on and on but you get the picture, I am sure.
To obtain your very own time-bombs and add some ‘dynamite’ to your marketing, give us a call on 01437 781978, email sales@stupidtuesday.co.uk or visit Stupid Tuesday.
Why Promotional Mugs are so effective
OK, so they may not be as high-tech as a USB or as much fun as a branded frisbee but mugs continue to be amongst the best-selling promotional items around. So why should this be? Well here are just some reasons why branded mugs continue to be high in demand:
1. Mugs are one of the fastest ways to promote your name. Typically you can have your logo, name and message printed onto a mug and have then in your possession in 7 – 10 days, faster if your deadline demands it.
2. They are great value for money. Unlike some promotional items you can have them in relatively small quantities, from 36 units for dye sublimated mugs to 72 for screen printed.
3. They are available in a wide range of shapes. No matter what your requirement, there’s probably a mug that’s just right for you, whether it’s earthenware, bone-china or porcelain.
4. They’re multi-coloured. You can have them screen printed in anything from 1 to 6 colours or, if you really want to go to town in many-coloured or even photographic imagery using the process called dye sublimation.
5. Mugs stay on your customers’ desks 52 weeks of the year. If not as drinking vessels then as impromptu pen pots, no one throws away a mug!
We’re so enthusiastic about mugs and their potential for promotion that we’ve just launched a brand new, dedicated website – www.mug-shop.net. In fact, so keen on mugs are we that some people call us mugalomaniacs!
Visit the website or call us on 01437 781978 for more information on our fabulous range of branded mugs.
Promotional Merchandise really works
Promotional merchandise can deliver a higher or equal ROI than most forms of advertising. New statistics show a conclusive link between promotional merchandise, branding and sales.
The first ever in-depth independent national survey into the power of promotional merchandise in the UK questioned businessmen and women about their behavioural trends and preferences for different promotional gifts.
One of the most significant findings of the survey is that promotional merchandise can deliver a higher ROI than radio and outdoor advertising and a ROI that is equal to TV and print advertising.
Key findings:
- Promotional merchandise can deliver a higher or equal ROI than most forms of advertising.
- 66% of respondents said they could remember the brand on the promotional product they received during the last year.
- 79% said they were likely to do business with the company in the future.
- 84% of respondents said that a branded promotional gift increases brand awareness.
- 87% of recipients said they kept a promotional gift for longer that 12 month.
- Finally, 56% said that their opinion of the brand/company was more favourable after receiving the promotional product.
It is clear from these figures that promotional merchandise is a highly cost-effective form of promotion. With an average cost per impression of £0.003, promotional items achieve a comparable ROI to media requiring a much larger outlay and it enables companies with a modest marketing budget to punch above their weight in terms of levels of exposure achieved.
For a comprehensive selection of promotional merchandise please visit Stupid Tuesday.
(Details of survey courtesy of BPMA.)