The Promo Column Change means opportunity
Sad news for all those companies that were hoping to make a killing from the introduction of the coffee cup tax – it’s off! This month promotional products commentator Stuart Derrick reports on travel mugs, royal wedding party kits and mudguards.
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would have been along the lines of the plastic bag tax which has cut the use of single-use bags drastically since its introduction. A 25p levy was proposed on cups, making it an attractive proposition, as well as a responsible one, to provide your own cup. That isnʼt quite the end of the story, as the government hopes that individual companies will offer money off for those customers who do provide their own drinking vessel, but this will be based on encouragement rather than compulsion. It does seem a bit of a missed opportunity though as the government was pushing at an open door – most right-thinking people seem to accept the idea behind a tax as a nudge to more sustainable behaviour. Even Waitrose, home of the free hot drinks to distressed gentlefolk, is selling multiple use cups and encouraging its customers to bring them back, even though there is no financial incentive to do so. Itʼs just the right thing.
Drinking vessels
As well as reusable plastic travel mugs, there is a growing trend for enamel cups. Listawood is just one company that is promoting these hardy outdoors drinking vessels, which you may remember from your Scouting or Guiding days. Now theyʼre back and cooler than ever, albeit perfect for keeping your cocoa piping hot. They can be personalised in a number of different ways, including direct printing, picture decoration, and even supplied in your corporate colour, outside of inside. Another option is for the mug to be etched prior to the application of the Pantone matched body colour giving added depth to your design.
There has been a similar lack of action from the government on water bottles – a promised look at the possibility of a Norwegian-style deposit system doesnʼt seems to have gained much traction. Again, this doesnʼt kill off the need for better hydration, and as the message gets through to consumers that itʼs better to carry your own water, the market for refillables should remain robust. A cute new take on bottles has been the fruit infusion approach. Bottle Promotionsʼ latest offering, the Fuse fruit fusion bottle, comes complete with a plastic spike on
| 28 | April 2018
he government has decided against introducing the so called ʻlatte levyʼ, which
AMT Trade’s football Bottle Promotions’ Fuse fruit fusion bottle
which you can thread a fruity kebab to give a lovely fresh taste to tap water, providing vitamins in the process. It holds 450cc of liquid in a squeezy BPA free bottle which can be overprinted. Its pull lid and handy handle make it perfect for gym use.
Speaking of drinking, it will have escaped no oneʼs attention that May 19 is royal wedding day. Thereʼs no extra day off (boo!), but the pubs will be open until 1am on the day and the previous night (huzzah!). But royal weddings arenʼt just about getting blotto in the boozer, you can get smashed at home or at a company or community event too. Luckily BTC Group has all the goodies to get the party started (BYOB) with a Royal Wedding Party Kit containing bunting, flags, Union Jack bowler hats and umbrellas, to name but a few essential items. Letʼs hope they last longer than the union.
Sporting memerobilia
More forward planning is called for as the sporting event of the summer, the World Cup, looms. Whether or not England will be there remains up in the air at the moment after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson unilaterally announced that England could pull out if Russia was found to be involved in the unfortunate attack on a former spy on British soil. The event itself will go ahead – itʼs too
big not to – so Britain will need balls. Luckily AMT Trade has them in all shapes and sizes. The Guildford-based company can provide anything from a full-sized branded football through miniature versions perfect for an office kickabout, to football keyrings. They can also supply flags, fan capes, banger sticks and mini sports kits to ensure that your support is never in doubt.
Ass Savers’ clip on mudguards
Sporting merchandise of a different type arrives from the fantastically named Ass Savers. This Swedish company produces clip on mudguards for bikes. With cycling an ever more popular year- round sport, more people are waking up to its social potential and joining friends, or even clubs, for rides. This is great, but in the British climate it can mean a tell-tale stripe of mud or worse up your back if the weather turns inclement. Not all bikes come equipped with mudguards these days, but the Ass Saver range is simple to attach to your bike, saving your ass, and just as importantly the face of the person following your bike. The company can custom produce the guards from a minimum order quantity of 100 pieces.
Now who would have though of such a product a few years ago? It just goes to show how quickly market opportunities open, and indeed close. So, keep your ear to the ground and your eye on the main chance.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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