The Promo Column
Keep the faith T
his year, as if it even needs saying, is a bit different. The trade shows have been cancelled, the new products are still in the pipeline, and uncertainty reigns.
Gloomy economic figures at the start of the year haven’t helped. The lockdown, combined with Brexit-linked friction at UK borders, saw the UK economy shrink by 2.9% in January.
In any other year, that would be disastrous, but when you look at how the economy plummeted during the first lockdown – GDP went down by 15.4% in Q2 of 2020 – it almost looks like we’re getting good at handling this state of affairs. And in a way, we are.
Massive steps
Firms have made massive steps in moving their business dealings wholesale, and almost overnight, to a dispersed work from home model. It used to be joked that we were a nation of shopkeepers. Now, we’re a nation of homeworkers, hunched over laptops in whatever spare metre of space presents itself.
For merchandise companies, this has obviously presented an opportunity serving this group, and that need looks as if it will be ongoing.
A survey of European office workers by Morgan Stanley found that they expect to work from home until at least June. The UK was found to have the highest number of workers working from home of countries studied, with workers carrying out an average of 3.1 days a week from home.
Through a letterbox So, the picture looking forward for merchandise companies remains focused around catering to the needs of colleagues, clients, and customers at home. Which means there is a premium on anything that can go in a box and through a letterbox. First Editions has launched a range of themed gift sets, each of them featuring its popular AquaMax Hydrate branded water bottle. It is made from BPA-free Tritan and can be individually personalised. There are three gift pack options,
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk Sow Easy’s range of Express Seedsticks
Another mailable promoter is Sow Easy’s range of Express Seedsticks. These are available as a custom express item to UK-addresses only with a lead time of either two or three working days, depending on order quantities. They measure 38x46mm and are available with a choice of either mixed herb or wildflower seeds. Each standard pack also features a fully customisable label that may be printed in full colour, with each Express Seedsticks pack Made in Britain certified.
Gardening has been one of the beneficiaries of stay-at-home Britain, and as we move into peak planting time, what better way to encourage some personal, corporate, and floral growth than with this green giveaway?
One of the other things we’ve turned to in lockdown is baking, but if you’re more Great British Cheesed Off than GB Baked Off, it’s always nice to receive something ready to eat. Especially so if it’s from a company that knows what it’s doing. Step forward Eat My Logo. The Chorley- based branded baker is almost a case study in how to adapt to the pandemic.
As we enter spring there’s typically a feeling of regeneration in the air. Promotional products commentator, Stuart Derrick, reports.
including the Work From Home Selection, which contains a mouse mat and drinks coaster, both made from soft-touch flexi PU and available in more than 350 colour combinations. Each item can branded in full-colour digital print.
The Sweet Treats Selection teams the bottle up with a delicious hand-made chocolate bar, sourced from the Cocoa Horizon Foundation, and a small pouch of gourmet mix beans from the Jelly Bean Factory.
The set is packaged in a 100% FSC-sourced gift box, branded edge-to- edge in full colour and 10p from each set sold will be donated to an NHS charity.
With companies closing down offices and cancelling events, a major source of the company’s revenue disappeared. But if the cakes can’t go to the office, they can do to where the office workers are now. The business has refocused on its range of letterbox-friendly comestibles. If it’s flat(tish) and baked, they can stick a logo on it and send it out to grateful home workers. The range includes brownies, shortbread, gingerbread men, flapjacks, chocolate, and more. They’ve even invested in new printers to introduce an exciting range of new products in coming months. We can’t wait. At some point though, we’ll all have to get back out there. In the short term, that may include continuing to wear face masks, which seem to be overtaking the humble pen as the promotional item you can never have too many of.
Jutebag has
expanded its Maskari range to include a Pro version with adjustable earloops, which also comes in a range of
Eat My Logo’s millionaire shortbread
funky colours. There is also an advanced snood which features a three-layer treated mouth section and an elastic toggle on the rear to ensure a snug, secure fit. Like all the other Maskari products, the Advanced Snood is washable at 40°C and tested for 30 wash cycles.
Face masks
Meanwhile, in Japan, they’ve decided that if they have to wear them, then at least make the mask do a bit of work. One company has launched business card face masks that do exactly what they say on the mask. The ‘meishi’
masks present your personal business card info right on your face and could therefore double as name tags for events when the restart.
It will happen. Just keep the faith.
The business card face mask
April 2021 | 69 |
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