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Jan

2018

More Industry Awards! Pinnacle wins three Gold and two Silver Technology Awards at PPAI Expo 2018!

Michael Phelps won 28 Olympic medals. Michael Jordan won five NBA MVP Awards. Robert Frost was awarded four Pulitzer Prizes. And to that pantheon of multi-award winners, one would have to add Pinnacle Promotions.

At the PPAI Expo – the promotional products industry’s largest event – Pinnacle was awarded five Pyramid Awards: three Golds and two Silvers. The Gold Awards represent the second consecutive, and third overall, Gold for eCommerce Website; the second consecutive Gold for Promotional Video; and first for Website/Content (for PinnacleBrandedSolutions.com). This year’s haul brings Pinnacle’s total to 15 awards from the PPAI since 2012.

Read the full press release here >

Dec

2015

Need a last minute corporate holiday gift?

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now no one is complaining about it being too early for 24-hour holiday music on the radio and lights on houses. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We get it. Somehow we all (ourselves included) went from thinking we had all the time in the world to purchase corporate holiday gifts to realizing that we are quickly running out of time.

Don’t worry though. Last minute holiday gifts are no problem with Pinnacle’s RocketShip 24-Hour Express Service. All RocketShip orders ship within one business day of art approval. Yup, that’s one day, folks. We told you to stop worrying!

We know what you’re thinking – with expedited service like this there must not be many products to choose from. Wrong!

How about a Quake Wireless Charging Pad for your employees or customers? This has become very popular recently.Or if you want something a little more elegant, what about the Bamboo Wine Case Set? With a corkscrew opener, foil cutter, bamboo accented stopper, and pourer, you can be sure your clients are thinking of you when they pop the cork on a vintage Cab.These are just two examples of 24-hour rush gifts, but we have many, many more. Whether it’s a technology product, a drinkware piece, something for the office or a product for entertaining, don’t worry about it being too late to purchase your branded holiday gifts. Relax. We got this.

Nov

2015

The Time is Now: Holiday Gifts!

It doesn’t seem like it, but it’s already mid-November and holiday gifts are on your mind. Or if they aren’t, they should be. Why send a holiday gift?

1. To express appreciation for your clients, employees or both.
2. To establish good relationships with newer customers.
3. Generate good will and a general holiday spirit.
4. Increase brand awareness

So, hopefully you’re convinced you need to buy a gift now, but what kind of gift should you buy? Well, you’re in luck: we’ve identified the Top 4 Categories of promotional holiday gifts for a company.

1. Tech Gifts

Want to show that you’re in the know and on trend? Want to give your customers something they’ll use on a daily basis? Tech is it! Check out our power banks, bluetooth speakers or laptop bags.

Jolt Charger with Digital Power Display

2. Apparel Gifts

Apparel is a great gift option because of its long shelf-life. Think about your favorite shirts or jackets that you’ve had for years. I bet some of them are logoed apparel! Think about fleece jackets, branded apparel or winter accessories like hats or gloves.

Eddie Bauer Soft Shell Jacket

3. Office Gifts

The office really is like a second home for a lot of people. So why not give them something they’ll be able to use while they’re there and show off your logo all day long. We like laser-engraved executive pens, branded journals or debossed padfolios.

Tuscany Writing Journal

4. Food Gifts

We can’t forget about food, right? The way to your customers’ hearts is likely through their stomachs. Give them a gift basket with an assortment of treats, chocolate or perhaps a bar product coupled with a bottle of nice wine.

Sweet & Savory Gift Tower

The holidays are here. So why not make the most of the season by promoting good tidings and your brand at the same time?

Sep

2015

Choosing the Perfect Promo Products for Your Trade Show Giveaway

A trade show is an excellent opportunity for you to meet potential customers, and convey your brand message to the masses in a more casual setting. As trade show attendees are visiting and passing by many businesses’ booths, putting together a professional presentation and display that is memorable is more important than ever.

At trade shows, many businesses frequently give their booth visitors some sort of promotional swag, in the hopes that their brand is seen as unique and truly one of a kind. Your brand can succeed using this method, only by distributing the right promotional products. How can you decide what promotional giveaways will Make the right impression™, those products that will not simply be thrown away after the show? Here is what you should remember when deciding what promotional swag works best for your company at the next trade show.

1. Is the product representative of your brand?

When you are thinking about what sorts of promotional swag to give to booth visitors, you should first and foremost remember why you are there in the first place—to communicate your brand message to potential customers in a way that doesn’t come off as forced or a hard sell, and ultimately, generate qualified leads. Your chosen promotional product should tie in to how your brand is a solution for a prospective customer. If the product is just another tchotchke and is not representative of your business, then it is most likely headed for the trashcan. A product that is consistent with your brand doesn’t just mean that if you’re in the tech industry, for example, you should give out custom power banks. Does that product actually align with your corporate personality? Some products may be more fitting for buttoned-up brands, while some products are more appropriate for sporty or quirky brands.

2. How useful is the product?

For a promotional giveaway that actually has an impact on your audience, that product has to be a combination of creativity and practicality. The product should have some valuable use to the customer, while still have a creative flair. After all, the right product will trigger the customer’s memory of your business—what you do, what are your products/services, and what is your unique selling proposition. It should be a high quality product that has the potential to see long-term use, and have a lasting charm.

Once you combine that usefulness and some personality, you could potentially create some brand buzz during, and even after the trade show. This will allow your business to really stand out in the crowd. You should also remember to scope out the audience. Don’t give out swag to every single one of your booth visitors, only to those who actually expressed a sincere interest in your products or services. If you are trying to reach a very specific audience, then consider having two sets of promotional swag—one set that caters to those top prospects, and one set of products with more mass appeal.

For instance, journals and portfolios are usually popular with everyone, while a more valued customer may get a wireless speaker. With a proper understanding of your audience, you can utilize promotional products that cater to their needs, and at the same time, you can still gain valuable leads and business.

3. Quality Matters

At the end of the day, quality product really does make the difference between closing a deal and losing a deal. You want to inspire potential customers, not discourage them from conducting business with you. You will have to ask yourself what is the best quality promotional giveaway you can get within your marketing budget. Just because you have a limited budget, doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice quality. You can easily find a unique, brand appropriate custom promotional product to ramp up your trade show booth, and connect with customers. If your promotional item looks cheap and breaks easily, it is nothing but a poor reflection on your brand and business. No matter what your industry or line of expertise may be, you don’t want your business to be associated with inferior quality. By providing booth visitors with this sort of product, customers have much lower expectations of the quality of service that they can expect from your business.

Once you have your trade show booth and professional presentation all ready to go, a high quality, creative, and practical promotional giveaway item that represents your brand and business will certainly encourage your potential leads to become real customers. By following these guidelines, you will be on track to having the best trade show ever, well within your marketing budget.

Aug

2015

The Right Color Choices for Promo Products

When you, as a consumer, walk through the supermarket, how do you make your purchases? You may first think of price, but unknowingly, product packaging is influencing your purchase decisions. You gravitate towards items that physically appeal to your senses. The shapes, forms, colors, patterns, and typography all have an effect on you, and how you think and feel. So, when it comes to your business, you have to get into the mind of the consumer, and design your product and packaging in a way that represents your brand, and still appeals to the customer’s sensibilities.

Promotional products are excellent brand building tools, but in order to utilize them successfully, you have to take this into consideration when it comes to customization. The most successful companies have developed such a characteristic brand identity that consumers even immediately associate certain colors with those companies. If a company has such effective branding, that can easily be translated into different mediums, from print advertising, to television, to promotional products.

When choosing the most appropriate colors for your promotional products, there are a few key elements that you should keep in mind.

1. Target Audience

If you understand precisely who your target audience is, you will not only choose the most appropriate promotional products to give to customers, but specifically those that visually appeal to them. Each color generally conveys different emotions and messages within different demographics and cultures. For example, the color green can represent nature, money, health, greed, calmness, or good luck, depending on with whom you are communicating. Red can represent passion, danger, speed, or excitement. In terms of culture, as an example, in the western world, white represents peace, while in parts of Asia, it represents death. Vibrant colors tend to resonate more with a younger audience, while more subdued colors resonate with an older crowd. A neon mug might not attract an older consumer as much as a stainless steel mug.

2. Corporate Identity

When choosing a color scheme, it is not just about personal preferences. Those colors should be representative of your brand. What color suits your brand personality and the characteristics of your products or services? What do you want customers to feel when they interact or associate with your brand? Remember, you don’t have to limit yourself to only one color. If done so appropriately, you can choose multiple colors that complement each other and work together well even on different backgrounds. For example, this structured cap combines a few different colors successfully, without being jarring to the eye. There aren’t certain colors that represent specific industries; it’s just finding what works best for your particular brand.

3. Your Competitors

Examine what sorts of color schemes your main competitors are using, and choose the opposite. In this way, you can differentiate yourself from the crowd. Still, always remember the importance of staying true to your brand. By going against the grain, you avoid looking as though you are simply jumping on the bandwagon. In branding, it’s all about being memorable.

Ultimately, if you have your goals in mind, you will make all the right choices when it comes to your color selection. Through good color choices, you can truly communicate your brand’s message, make your brand’s personality shine through, and Make the right impression™ time and time again.

Aug

2015

Promotional Products to Channel Your Inner Athlete

With more and more consumers choosing organic and fat-free foods over the regular, and getting in on the latest exercise trend, tapping into the health & fitness industry for your marketing efforts will help you Make the right impression.™

How can you connect with those health-conscious consumers and successfully promote your brand? That’s where promotional products play in to your marketing strategy. With the right promotional products, you can help each and every customer channel his or her inner athlete, and put your brand at the forefront. Here is just a selection of the ways in which you can reach out to potential customers with great giveaways.

Active Health Tracker & Heart Rate Monitor

Fitness trackers of all sorts have sharply risen into popularity recently. Knowing everything from your heart rate, calories burned, distance walked, sleep patterns, and more, gives the customer some peace of mind. Customers feel like they can adjust their daily routine accordingly, and take better control of their health. These devices can be a tad expensive, but now that is not a concern. By custom branding this tracker and handing it to customers as a branded giveaway piece, they appreciate all the same benefits that they would have with the popular trackers, while your corporate logo custom printed on the band will travel with them wherever they go, and will be seen far and wide, without busting your budget (or that of the customers)!

Ultimate Gym Set

With the Ultimate Gym Gift Set, the customer will have exactly what he or she needs to make it through a good workout. The customer can stay hydrated with a water bottle in hand, keep energy up with favorite songs playing through earbuds, and even safely hold a mobile device or music player using the armband holder. Each one of these items can be custom branded with your business logo, to remind customers that your brand is making the workout possible, and to potentially increase your brand awareness. This set acts as a unique promotional gift that shows consumers that you really do care about their health.

Fitness Towel

After the tough workout, nothing feels better than a cool down. Grab a cold water bottle, and wipe away the perspiration with this soft and light, 100% cotton Fitness Towel. If you are in the fitness business, or are even hosting a health or sporting event, this promotional towel is an excellent option. You have substantial space to boldly custom print your corporate branding across it, which in turn allows you to easily spread the word of your business, and grab the attention of a much larger audience.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a priority for many consumers. Take this into consideration, and your brand can motivate those customers, and inspire potential customers to channel their inner athlete. With custom promotional fitness & wellness products, you can and will expand your brand reach significantly, and clearly communicate your unique brand story.

Aug

2015

How to Throw the Perfect Labor Day Corporate Event

We are just a couple weeks away from Labor Day, the federal holiday that represents the end of summer, and pays tribute to the contributions of American workers. Americans generally celebrate this day with parties, parades, and athletic events. It’s the time of the year to break out the barbecue, and put together an unforgettable bash. As a business owner, this is a good opportunity to bring your employees, co-workers, and their families together to recognize and celebrate their efforts. With that, here are some tips to help you organize and execute the perfect Labor Day corporate event.

1. Choose a Theme and Decorate Accordingly

Tying all of your party elements together cohesively will create the appropriate party atmosphere, which guests will be able to connect with. This will even make party planning a bit easier, as there is a unifying message that you are putting forward. You could go with an All-American theme, and incorporate the red, white, and blue colors into everything, from the food to the decorations. For example, you could put red, white, and blue balloons up, and even have them custom printed with your corporate branding. These 100% biodegradable latex balloons will be a fun and colorful addition. You could also hand out these USA Promotional Pinwheels to guests, as party favors that kids and adults alike will appreciate. Custom print your company branding on the stick, and you’re good to go! You can even add your corporate branding into items like drinkware, and plates, as a gentle reminder to guests of who is making the party possible!

2. Plan a Memorable Menu

Finally, every good party needs good food, and now is the perfect time for barbecue. Grilled chicken and veggies, coleslaw, and burgers are just a few of the popular favorites for Labor Day. You will look and feel like a grilling pro with the right equipment. The Grill Master Promotional Picnic Apron Kit is perfect the chef, as it allows for all cooking tools to be easily within reach. The kit comes equipped with an apron, detachable bottle opener, padded oven mitt, and a towel. There is no need to worry about messes, as the apron is machine washable. The best part is that you can have the apron custom printed with your corporate branding, which means your brand can make yet another subtle appearance.

By following these tips, you can inject a bit of branding into your corporate Labor Day event in a fun, but not intrusive way, and put together one heck of a shindig! Bring together your team, friends, and family, and incorporate a bit of branding for a completely cohesive and unique get together that will be remembered long after Labor Day.

Aug

2015

Recognize Excellence with Custom Promotional Awards

Whether it’s for your staff, students, or an athletic tournament, awards are a pleasure to receive and to give. If you want to truly show respect for those recipients, those awards should be of a quality that you would be proud to receive yourself. The award should truly embody the spirit of your brand, and at the same time look professional. Custom promotional awards will help you celebrate the awardees in a classy and memorable way. At Pinnacle Promotions, you can find the custom awards that are most appropriate for your ceremony, from ribbons to plaques to trophies available, all in a variety of styles and materials.

Office & Employee Awards

Rewarding employees and businesses for their fine work and accomplishments is not only an incentive to them to continue performing at their best, but it also builds the overall morale within the business. If you want to express your gratitude to employees in a more creative manner, these custom promotional office & employee awards are an excellent option. Looking to go against the grain? You can make a statement with the Centarus Tower Crystal Award.

With this unique design and your inscriptions etched in it, this will be a keepsake that recipients will be proud to display. Another unique option that may even earn applause on its own is the Pyramid Employee Award. Recipients will understand that striving to receive such a special award is truly worth the effort.

Acrylic Awards

Even a simple design can make an impression. The sleek, sharp look and feel of the custom acrylic awards is a bold expression of gratitude. For example, the Large Sweeping Ribbon Award is a blue rectangular award with a swirling ribbon decoration. Both the recipient and the award itself will shine! You have plenty of space to have your desired inscriptions clearly screen printed across the front, which will be a wonderful memento of an important achievement. Or, the Medium Star Sculpture Award is composed of a rectangular base with star-shaped, acrylic top.

This distinctively geometric combination is pleasing to the eye, and is not at all bulky, which makes it perfect for presenting and for keeping. The overall professional, yet still personal feel to these awards will really resonate with recipients and those seeing it.

Wooden Awards

If a statue-like design is not your cup of tea, than these wooden awards may be just right. A commemorative plaque can just as effectively and appropriately Make the right impression™. The Aberdeen Rosewood Plaque has a rosewood finish with your choice of a handful of different plate styles. Conveniently, these awards fit in with any event, whether it’s for a school function or an office event. The beautiful laser engraving adds that extra special touch. You will be able to create meaningful tokens of recognition at an affordable price.

Celebrating and recognizing deserving individuals for their hard work and achievements is an important contributor to the success of your group. The myriad of custom awards at your fingertips will allow you to do this creatively and professionally. Ultimately, awardees will have a memorable way to capture that winning moment in a way that symbolizes your brand and business.

Aug

2015

Seasonal Promotional Products: How to “Fall” Into the Perfect Marketing Strategy

As a business owner, you may find yourself more engrossed in the day–to-day processes and challenges, than in the big picture. Instead of being narrowly focused, remember your primary goal–growing the business and building your brand.

To achieve that goal, you will have to play the role of a business owner AND a marketer. You need to have a strong, overall marketing strategy in place, which you can adhere to and implement consistently within your means.

By doing so, you have the ability to capitalize on seasonal marketing opportunities. Though your particular business may not be a simply seasonal one, you may have started to notice that consumers’ purchase behaviors are influenced by seasonal changes, trends, and events-i.e., Back to school, Easter, winter weather, etc.

A great way to leverage these occurrences is to develop promotional campaigns. In these efforts to develop marketing that actually resonates with consumers, offering custom branded promotional giveaways and incentives will help you to effectively attract customers, and retain them for the long run.

As the fall season is officially just a month away, we are here to provide your business with some fall marketing tips and ideas.

Fall Weather

The way that consumers, feel, their habits, their moods, and their interests are, believe it or not, influenced by changes in the weather. By keeping your brand relevant to the season and these seasonal desires, you are showing customers that they matter, and you can stay connected and engaged with those consumers. With the arrival of color changing leaves, and cooler days, consumers are dressing warmly and spending more time outdoors with the family, playing sports, taking pictures, camping, attending fall festivals, etc. To set your business apart from the competition, and to provide customers with incentives to begin or continue business with you, you could provide them with complementary, custom branded promotional gifts.

For example, with the Game Day Hooded Blanket in hand, watching a thrilling game of football couldn’t be more relaxing. It’s a cleverly designed combination hooded poncho, backpack, and even a blanket, with inner hand-warming pockets all in one! The backpack allows for easy storage and transportation. With all of these features and your corporate logo custom printed on it, customers will carry literally carry your brand to a larger audience, and you can set yourself apart from the competition.

Fall Holidays/Events

The fall season brings with it many notable holiday observances that you could utilize in promoting your business. For one, there’s Labor Day. Labor Day is generally celebrated by Americans as the symbolic end of summer, and it’s a time when people like to have picnics, barbecues, and other outdoor events. It is the perfect time to promote your business, and help customers enjoy the special day. Some custom branded giveaways could give your business the extra marketing edge.

The Chill and Grill Outdoor Kit takes the hassle out of outdoor shindigs. This handy portable grill comes equipped with a large cooler compartment and tongs included, as well as extra zippered compartments to store grilling supplies and food. Comfortable grip handles and a shoulder strap make it easy for customers to become the grill master of the party. The best part is that you can custom print your corporate logo on it in a large space. In doing so, consumers enjoy their get togethers, while you can effectively develop brand awareness.

This is just one instance in which providing your customers with custom promotional products can be useful for the fall holiday season. Consider how you could utilize the spirit of other fall holidays to promote your brand in a way that is truly relevant to consumers – especially your desired target audience.

Capturing the spirit of the season creatively will help your consumers connect and relate to your brand and your message. Custom products or schwag will make that possible within the scope of your budget and marketing strategy. You ultimately want to build your business and your overall image.

So, put on your marketing AND business leader caps, and “fall” into the perfect marketing strategy!

Aug

2015

Top Tips for Choosing the Right Promotional Products

By now, you should know that promotional products offer tremendous value to the advertiser, as well as to the recipient.

According to research by the Advertising Specialty Institute, one third of recipients said that they are more likely to do business with an advertiser after receiving the promotional item than they were beforehand.

Recipients not only remembered the name of the advertiser, they also overwhelmingly felt more positive about the advertiser.

With this information in mind, you should know that promotional products can convey your company message creatively. But to achieve the maximum impact, you have to give the right product to the right person, and still stay true to your business image.

What does it really take to choose the promotional products that work for your business (and satisfy customers)? Without a clear marketing strategy, you are setting yourself up for trouble.

This applies to every company, whether a non-profit organization or a small business. Here are some tips to choose the promo products to make your business shine and Make the right impression™.

1. Know Who You Are

It goes without saying that you should know your products and services inside out. But aside from that, you should know your company values, what you represent, what sort of image you want to present, and what is your brand message. You should build your marketing strategy based on that. Ask yourself if the product in question is appropriate for your brand. For example, if your business is in the educational industry, a custom beach towel may not be the ideal choice, but a custom clipboard may be better. It sounds too obvious, but by knowing yourself, you can know your customer too. That means that you can tailor your product to meet the needs of your target customers, while still building your brand accordingly. Also, you could consider distributing one sort of promo product to existing customers, and a different one for potential customers, as you are conveying two different messages–one as a reminder, and one as an invitation.

2. Be Unique

When it comes to promotional products, all too often, businesses choose generic products that they may personally like, but in the end are forgettable. The idea is to convey your brand message in a way in which customers feel appreciated, and your brand is remembered. To put your best foot forward and make the right impression™, choose promotional swag that is in tune with your brand and connects with customers on a personal level. For instance, a non-profit company could swap out a general promotional notepad for a Recycled Journal. Choose a product that will be a memorable keepsake, unlike a generic product that any company could use. Consider what sort of items your competitors are likely to give away, and go against the grain, but remember to represent your company appropriately and creatively. If everyone in your field is giving out branded sunglasses, think of what makes you unique and make your decisions based on that.

3. Consider Location

Think about how and where you are planning to distribute the product. If it will be at a company picnic, you have more leeway to customize larger promotional items like a cooler tote, while at a trade show, something lighter may be in order, like a convention tote. So make sure that you take location of product distribution into account when selecting the most effective and appropriate promotional products.

As you can clearly see, there is more to the story of promotional products than meets the eye. Promotional products are highly valuable tools to include in your marketing strategy, but only if you know how to make them work for you.

When you have a clear strategy, an understanding of your brand and your customer, and a unique selling position, choosing the most effective and most appropriate promotional products for your business to give away to both potential and new customers will be straightforward.

But always remember that if you are still completely lost, you have Pinnacle Promotions.

Uncategorized

More Industry Awards! Pinnacle wins three Gold and two Silver Technology Awards at PPAI Expo 2018!

Need a last minute corporate holiday gift?

The Time is Now: Holiday Gifts!

Choosing the Perfect Promo Products for Your Trade Show Giveaway

The Right Color Choices for Promo Products

Promotional Products to Channel Your Inner Athlete

How to Throw the Perfect Labor Day Corporate Event

Recognize Excellence with Custom Promotional Awards

Seasonal Promotional Products: How to “Fall” Into the Perfect Marketing Strategy

Top Tips for Choosing the Right Promotional Products

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