Unique Gift Items ? 3 Creative Ideas

With promotional items there are standards: t-shirts, mugs, note cubes, calendars, magnets and keychains. Then, there is the really creative. Sometimes with a specific campaign, you may want to go above and beyond and really start a buzz about your company.

This is not to say that creativity always costs more money. In fact, a really cheap promotional item can go a long way if the right message is attached. For example, the first idea stems from a friend of mine who worked at a career school. She is ever so quirky and wanted to create a fun item for an upcoming career fair.

Backscratchers

Whose back doesn't itch? That's when Donna came up with the idea to get backscratchers printed with this saying: "Itchin' for a new career?" and then the school's name. Her boss through she was brilliant and approved the item. The idea was fun and simple, and it worked. People circled around the gymnasium carrying bags full of literature and actively scratching their backs. It helped that her booth also was giving away some bigger items that required people to fill out entry blanks, which kept people at the table longer. The item caught on, that everyone wanted one, even those from competing schools and businesses.

This idea can be applied to any type of industry:

Mortgage/Real Estate- "Itchin' for a new home?"

Car- "Itchin for a new car?"

Lawn care- "Itchin' for greener grass?"

The list is endless- just insert your product after itchin'!

Chocolate Bars

There are many candy companies that will print any message you'd like on a candy bar. Unlike other items, this is one that will not last long. However, the item is still memorable. Try putting the message, "The sweet smell of success?." on it and tie it in to what you are offering. They actually will get to taste is as well, which could also be a way to write your message. ("Are you tasting success?") Either way, this is something that everyone will enjoy and is sure to get a call of thanks. (Just make sure they aren't allergic!)

Umbrellas

You will be graciously thanked for saving a hairstyle and new blouse when one of your clients remembers that the umbrella you gave her is under your seat. This is one item that is sure to save the day, as well as keep your logo literally in front of dozens or hundreds of people- depending on where the user is walking! Or perhaps one of your clients will keep it in his golf bag, and if it rains while on the course, other golfers will get a peak at your message as well. Some promotional items fair well just sitting somewhere, but an umbrella is something that can be used for years to come. I once got an umbrella for signing up for a newspaper subscription- and this was one of those nice big golf umbrellas- and I still have it! (It had the paper's name and comic strip characters all over it.) Umbrellas fan out to be pretty big, which means ample space to display your logo and message! There are mini-fold up umbrellas up to larger golf umbrellas. (And, there are even hat umbrellas!) An umbrella is also a form of protection, so companies with a protection-theme (insurance, security, healthcare, etc.) could get extra mileage out of this.

These are just three unique ideas that maybe you never thought of. There are many more creative ideas out there to make your promotional item be effective and stand out from the rest!

Cindy Carrera is a freelance creative author who's written numerous articles about PR including: business promotional items, custom promotional products and wholesale promotional items.

---

Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:49:35 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg Telegraph.co.uk Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US planning to buy equity in financial institutions Reuters Treasury Weighs Investing In Banks Washington Post International Herald Tribune - MarketWatch - CNNMoney.com - Bizjournals.com all 1,783 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist - Wall Street Journal BBC News US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago By JAY SOLOMON WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is hoping to announce as soon as Saturday that it is tentatively removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a bid to kick-start a stalled nuclear disarmament agreement, ... AP: US to remove North Korea from terror blacklist The Associated Press US May Remove North Korea From Terrorism List, AP Reports Bloomberg Los Angeles Times - Voice of America - Financial Times - The Miami Herald all 1,714 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:02:40 GMT G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown - Bloomberg Voice of America G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Simon Kennedy Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven finance chiefs, meeting after stocks plunged and as a global recession looms, vowed to prevent the failure of vital banks while failing to unveil new initiatives for thawing credit markets. Group of 7 Nations Seek Coordination in Rescue New York Times In latest bold step, Treasury will buy bank stakes The Miami Herald CNNMoney.com - The Associated Press - Boston Globe - FN Arena News all 890 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:03:42 GMT Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 19 minutes ago By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER Wisconsin’s four biggest academic research institutions will collaborate on an initiative aimed at giving the state national stature in the fast-emerging field of individualized medicine, Gov. Marshfield Clinic gets biggest donation yet Chicago Tribune Wis. governor unveils gene research triangle Forbes Bizjournals.com - GenomeWeb News (subscription) - WJFW-TV - WISN.com all 51 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:29:44 GMT Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis - People's Daily Online Telegraph.co.uk Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis People's Daily Online - 1 hour ago US President George W. Bush arrives in the Rose Garden at the White House to makes a statement on the economy in Washington, October 10, 2008. President Bush vows action on financial crisis Los Angeles Times Bush's Lullaby to the Markets Washington Post Birmingham Star - Wall Street Journal - CNN - Bloomberg all 1,302 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:12:49 GMT McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day - New York Times CBS News McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day New York Times - 41 minutes ago Senator John McCain of Arizona and his supporters at a rally on Friday in La Crosse, Wis. By ELISABETH BUMILLER LAKEVILLE, Minn. - After a week of trying to portray Senator Barack Obama as a friend of terrorists who would drive the country into ... McCain Moves to Soften the Tone at Rallies Washington Post John McCain, speaking to supporters, tries to defuse an anti ... Los Angeles Times Reuters - DetNews.com - Austin American-Statesman - The Miami Herald all 304 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:08:14 GMT Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows - New York Times Los Angeles Times Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows New York Times - 2 hours ago By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and GRIFF PALMER Some longtime Republican strongholds in New York are becoming increasingly Democratic, a striking change driven by demographic shifts, intense voter registration drives by Democrats and allied groups and sagging ... Campus registration drives in full swing KARE Ott, Hook face off for open county office St. Joseph News-Press The News-Press - Winston-Salem Journal - Tampabay.com - Beaufort Gazette all 739 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:20:33 GMT Datafeeds For Blogs Amazon RSS Feed Generator

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Notable News - Its Not About You!

You enjoy what you do. In fact, you love your... Read More

Overview on Qualitative Data Collection Techniques in International Marketing Research

This article is meant to be a brief review and... Read More

Reasons Why People Usually Dont Buy Again

There are many psychological reasons why people will buy from... Read More

Four Essential Marketing Plan Components

Preparing a Marketing Plan for your product or service is... Read More

How Can I Get Name Recognition?

Some of the ways in which to get your "name... Read More

Pre-Cleaning and Updating Addresses in Your Database

When you send a direct mail piece using the Addressed... Read More

Cause-Related Marketing

Altruism. Corporate responsibility. Philanthropy. These are often used to describe... Read More

Itchin For Some Nichin

The whole idea of Niche Marketing is exciting! The possibilities... Read More

How to Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level

How to Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level... Read More

8 Proven Ways to Get Referrals

Do you find it hard to ask for referrals? I... Read More

The 7 Areas of Marketing Waste - Are You Committing These Marketing Sins?

If you want to reduce waste and grow your business... Read More

People Do Business with People They Like

People do business... Read More

What to be Successful? Marketing Makes the Difference

When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind?... Read More

The 4 P s of Marketing: Effective Marketing Programs Depend On Them

There is no shortage of marketing programs, many with great... Read More

A Forgotten Marketing Tool ? The Postcard

The postcard can be a very powerful marketing tool. Many... Read More

How To Choose a Qualitative Research Market

Qualitative research, whether individual interviews, in-homes, focus groups, ethnographies and... Read More

Marketing Messages: Your 10 Most Important Business Principles

As a self-employed professional, you have two basic strategies for... Read More

Why Smart People Dont Know How to Market

As an educated professional, your success is based on what... Read More

Ten Tips for Creating a Winning Proposal ? Part 2

Part 1 of this series described five critical components for... Read More

The Testimonial Writing Machine

Almost every small business marketer knows that they should gather... Read More

Whats Your Selling Sentence?

What's your Selling Sentence? If you have a business, you... Read More

The Five Most Common Joint Venture Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

Joint Venture marketing has become a highly popular way for... Read More

The 30 Incredible Ways To Sell Your Products Now and Sell More

How to sell more and sell quickly online for your... Read More

Direct Mail Postcard Rules

It's a fact that your customers are your best leads.... Read More

Let Your Survey Write Your Business Plan

Most entrepreneurs first write their business plan and then develop... Read More