Corporate Gifts Blog

According to a study in the US by the Promotional Products Association, promotional products show ’staggering’ levels of recall and reaction.

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The study showed that 94% of persons interviewed recalled receiving a promotional product in the last two years and 89% could remember the name of the company being promoted. It also found that 83% liked receiving promotional products and 48% would like to get them more often. Indeed, the promotional products were kept by 69% of people.

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In fact, according to the findings,  recall rates of promotional products are higher than TV, print and online advertising. In addition, consumers made a purchase after receiving a promotional product more often than viewing a print ad, TV commercial or online.

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This is good news for the hard-working team here at Stupid Tuesday and shows that our endeavours in supplying quality branded promotional items are reaping rich rewards for our clients. Call us on 08450 998796 if you’d like your own company to benefit from high levels of recall.

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Despite having crept in mildly and fooled us with some great weather in the UK in September and October, Winter has at last shown its true colours with high winds, storms and heavy rain. So, it’s time again to dig out that trusty brollie!

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Now, no one is positive who invented the umbrella, perhaps the Chinese or the Egyptians. However, it took until 1830 before London’s first umbrella shop was opened by James Smith and Sons and it’s still in operation.

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Today, the average household is said to have an average of 3.8 umbrellas. Still, with the first drop of rain, we still continue to buy new ones, going through many different shapes, sizes and colours in a lifetime.

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In the world of promotional products, umbrellas are a major player and they are one of those products guaranteed to get your company and your message really noticed. Before you decide on which umbrella is best for you, however, there are a number of things worthy of consideration.

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First, pick an umbrella that fits your budget and, with a wide range to choose from, this part is easy. You could go for a sports model of which there are 21 different types, a walking umbrella or a telescopic brollie.

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Next, think about what you want to print onto the umbrella – logo or message or both. You can print on one panel or all panels, in one colour print up to full photographic quality – the combinations of panel colours are endless. You may also make your umbrella really different by choosing a different shaft or handle. Ask us for our advice if you are unsure.

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It’s a good thing that umbrellas aren’t just reserved for emperors and pharaohs anymore! Just where would we be without them?

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Call us on 08450 998796 for help in choosing your promotional umbrella or go here.

In the promotional product sector, artwork arrives from clients in all sort of formats. Sometimes it doesn’t even arrive at all and we may need to create a design from just an idea, or even from a drawing on a beer coaster!

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However, if you have artwork you wish to send you should know that we at the Mug Shop are happy to receive artwork files in the following professional formats: colour separated Vector graphics (Illustrator .eps), JPEG, TIFF or .psd (Photoshop files).

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But if you don’t have artwork in these formats, don’t panic!
We can also accept files prepared in desktop packages such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Microsoft Powerpoint. These files, however, will usually require recreating to be suitable for print and this may incur a small additional charge.

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And what if you don’t have any artwork at all, well …. still don’t panic!
Our team of in-house designers, all with degrees in fine art and design, will create superb imagery for you! If all you have is stationery with your logo, or even if you just have a sketch on paper, our designers will work their miracles and delight you with the results. Whether a computer generated image or one that is hand-drawn or painted our designers will deliver!

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We believe that we are the only dedicated promotional mug website that directly employs its own in-house designers of this calibre, that is, with fine-art and design degrees.  When this is allied with over 30 years in-house marketing and promotional experience it gives us an edge over other on-line promotional mug providers. They provide mugs, sure, but we provide IMAGE as well. After all, why spend money on a printed mug if your logo doesn’t do you justice when we can enhance it for you? Why make do with a few lines of text when a great new image will say much more?

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So, when you’re ready to send your artwork to us, we can receive artwork electronically via email to artwork@mug-shop.net. Upon receipt of artwork a digital proof will be sent for your approval prior to your order being completed.

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But, if you don’t have any artwork and you’d like us to create something unique, just for you, call the Mug Shop on 08450 998796.

I’ve been involved in the marketing and promotion business for more than twenty years and I’ve grown used to hearing from some companies the old refrain: ‘times are hard you know, we can’t afford to undertake any advertising, we’ve had to cut our marketing budget’. The funny thing is, most of these companies say this without the slightest sign of tongue in cheek!

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In fact, it is the precise opposite view that these companies should be taking, along with their more progressive and enlightened competitors. It is ‘when times are hard’ that the need for advertising and promotion should be to the fore. If business is difficult to find it makes sense to be pro-active and shout out your message louder rather than sit in a gloomy place wringing your hands and hoping things will get better.

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A quotation from a famous figure of the 18th Century, Thomas Jefferson, sums the matter up perfectly. Jefferson said: ‘The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time.’

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The question to be asked is, quite clearly, not be ‘can we afford to advertise’ but rather ‘can we afford NOT to advertise’.

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It goes without saying, however, that you should spend your advertising wisely, after giving great consideration as to how it will be most effective. You should be looking at specifically targeting your market with a message that not only has immediate impact but is also long lasting. This is where the strategic use of promotional products as part of the marketing mix can be so effective.

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A printed promotional mug, for example, is a gift most clients love to receive and very few are likely to discard. Even if they don’t use it for their morning brew it may wind-up on their desktops being used as a make-shift but very handy pen-pot. On the other hand, if that’s what your customers prefer, why not give them a green option.

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It’s true, there’s a lot of choice out there, so if you’re a little confused as to which of the many promotional products available is best for your campaign speak to our expert team on 08450 998796 …… or click here.

Time was when April, with its infamous showers, was the peak month for sales of our umbrellas. Alas, one result of global warming seems to be increasingly wet British summers and, whilst we might bemoan the lack of sun-tan opportunities, it’s great for umbrella sales!

Umbrellas are one of those products that are guaranteed to get your company and your message really noticed. So, in order to make sure your umbrella promotion is successful there are a number of things you need to consider.

First, make sure you choose a brollie that fits your budget. There’s a wide range of qualities available so this is relatively simple. One of the most popular is the golf umbrella which, with its large canopy, is the ‘utility’ umbrella and a very popular choice.

Second, think about your message. You can print on one panel or all panels, in one colour print up to full photographic quality – the combinations of panel colours are endless. And then you can customise further by choosing a different shaft or handle. But this process isn’t complicated and, with our huge experience, we’re happy to advise.

So, don’t be ‘wet’, visit our website where you can create your own virtual sample before making your choice or call us on 08450 998796:

To view our choice of umbrellas and to create your own virtual sample CLICK HERE.