Logo Board Game

Working in the branding industry has made us much more aware of logos, and we spot them from miles away (we're so proud when we see your logos out there!). They're not just a part of OUR daily living though, they're a part of consumers everywhere! There's actually a new game out there called the Logo Board Game:

A lot of these logos give a nostalgic feelings (like how excited you'd get as a kid to open up a pack of Sun-Maid Raisons) which made us think that your brand can pick up on the nostalgic vibe too! Giving warm and fuzzy feelings to your customers.

What DOESN'T the Magic Answer Ball know?!

Custom mmmmmm&m's

The song "You take a piece from the bottom and you put it on top!" comes to mind...

I've still never figured this one out...

Everyone loves a promo spring!

Getting back on track

Food is the way to my heart. I let Halloween in to my heart - rather, the chips, when I came into the office and opened my desk to a drawer FULL of Lay's! I let them in alright, I can own it. So now I'm trying to get back on track. There are quite a number of products in the industry that can help me! I've narrowed them down to my favourites.

Food jar for our famous homemade soups.

Drink more water by adding fruit and herbs to the infuser!

This actually filters your water - awesome for the days when all you have is a tap.

Shake shake shake your protein shakes and keep smoothies smoothe.

Just big enough to pack my breakfast, lunch and snacks.

Nice & Naughty Lists

Ever since I was little, I've been a catalogue shopper. Enter internet. I become an internet shopper. So yes, I'm familiar with the Brookstone line. It has recently been introduced to the promotional market, so you can gift your Nice List with these memorable gifts which will be valued.

This bad boy actually rotates automatically & steams for EASY grill cleaning!

A revolutionary new lever-pull design that allows for effortless corkscrew removal. 

Just push to remove the caps effortlessly! A must for every household.

This ultra-thin travel speaker works w/ your MP3 player, smartphone, laptop and more!

And for those with a Naughty List, we've got you covered too...

Marbled rock stress reliever... Marbled rock, that sounds better, right?

Eye Spy with my Little I

Something that is awesome!

The temperature at which wine is served can have a dramatic impact on its
taste. Our stainless steel wine thermometer makes sure that the serving
temperature for your wine will be correct. The thermometer clips around
any standard size 750ml wine bottle and displays the temperature on the
easy to read illuminated scale. Use the guide printed on the thermometer
to check champagne, sparkling wine, sweet white wine, aperitifs, rose,
chianti, dry white wine, very dry sherry, medium sherry, burgundy, cream
sherry, claret, and port.

Cheers to that.

we heart bbq's

When we go on vacations around here, we go on the hunt for hot sauces. We like to get them, we like to give them, we like to keep our fridges fully stocked with a minimum of 3 types.

BBQ Sauce, Sweet Chili Sauce and Seasonings are great to give away:

• at tradeshows
• company BBQ's
• with street teams at summer concerts and sporting events
• as employee incentives
• to your clients and customers

seasonings!

bbq / sweet chili sauce

get on board

This last weekend I had the chance to get up to Honey Harbour to a friends island. Water sports were plentiful up around the islands. It's time to get on board!

skimboard

wakeboard

bodyboard

eva foam surfboard

and of course we wouldn't be canadian if we didn't pump you up for...

the almighty snowboard!

the heat factor

Here in Toronto, we are just beginning the heat wave. It's hot and we're glad to be in an air conditioned office, we feel for those working outside in this. Tomorrow might even be the hottest day recorded in Toronto. Ever!

With all of this heat on our minds, it's got us thinking about how to add some to your promotions. Enter retail image. We like to crack open boxes, we like to rip through the packaging, this is proven every birthday and Christmas!

Here are just a few ways that we can attach that excited feeling to your brand:

t-shirt, all wrapped up!

add your item to this custom card!

pizza cutter in a little pizza box!

gifting mugs

We'll chat soon about the many possibilities :)

safety slogans

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me. Ha! We're suckers for a good pun, or clever tie in's. From Advantages, our favourite industry read, here are some great lines:

1. "Never Take A Break From Safety" imprinted on a lunchbox. 
2. "Get A Grip On Home Safety" imprinted on rubber jar openers (I LOVE these!).
3. "It Can't Hurt To Be Too Safe" imprinted on a first-aid kit.
4. "Heads Up For Safety" imprinted on a cap.
5. "Safety Shines" imprinted flashlights and LED keychains.
6. "Step First Into Safety" imprinted on an indoor/outdoor mat.
7. "Take Time For Safety" imprinted on watches or clocks. 
8. "Quench Your Thirst, Think Safety First" imprinted on sports bottles or travel tumbler.
9. "Eyes On Safety" imprinted on goggles or sunglasses.
10. "Take Safety On The Road" imprinted on a travel emergency kit.

What's your favourite pun? 

safety program primer

Nearly 3 times as many employees suffer injuries while not at work. In response, the National Safety Council (www.nsc.org) recently launched the Family Safety & Health Employer Resource, a tool for safety professionals, wellness coordinators, HR professionals and others to promote safety beyond the workplace. This free online guide will help you plan programs to benefit employers by focusing on how employees can stay safe around the clock, at home and at work.

An effective way to keep employees safe when away from the worksite is to provide them with safety items that they can take home with them (such as first-aid kits, emergency preparedness tools, flashlights & weather radios).

Some of our faves...

This light is magnetic & allows you to use both hands! Also has a fancy little laser pointer. As low as $3.99!

Regulation body temperature is extremely important during the hot outdoor events. This scarf actually cools the body! (Think golf / marathons / picnics). As low as $2.89! 

Keep your employees and their families safe! This Power Bar Charger allows the car to be charged from INSIDE the car! As low as $45.99!

This Roadside Rescue Kit is a MUST for every family! As low as $23.95!

What's YOUR favourite safety tool?

Life Saver

One of the Insinc team members just came back from sunny and beautiful Negril. Working in an industry where this fine product is available, she was disappointed to discover it days after having to unplug televisions and lamps just to use the hair straighter and iPod speaker. This little guy would have left room in her overweight suitcase for the 10 bottles of hot sauce she brought back. Imagine the thank-you's your clients will give you when you save them from having to get ready for a-la-carte dinner in the dark. You're welcome.

As low as $10.25!

No Power

Last week, we were one of the lucky blocks in the GTA without power because of the windstorm. For. The. Entire. Day! This gave us time for some much needed spring cleaning and power reading (by window light)! A great article from one our favourite magazines helped to lead the way:

Everyone from Fortune 500 companies to one man operations should organize their daytimers and calendars around a 3-way colour coded system for folders, tasks, mail and flags. 

GREEN: GO! Green tasks take precendence. Marketing, selling and fulfilling client obligations are top priority (at Insinc, our clients are absolutely our driving force).


YELLOW: Those we need to do, but not at the expense of green. 


RED: Lowest priority, those matters that have essentially no impact on business that can be dealt with after hours. 

some of our favourite colours

We love ourselves some colours, the more the merrier! But fine, if we have to narrow it down to 3, we'll do it.

Source: Advantages

brands for on & off the green

Associating your company with elite brand names instantly boosts your reputation. Yes, we said it. Instantly. Your clients will be tickled pink to receive this high end golf apparel, ensuring that your logo will be seen for years to come!

which brand is your favourite?

QR Codes

Wondering how to use QR Codes for your next project? Get inspired.

Liquor Brand? How about a personalized link to drink and food recipes?

Law firm? Think about linking your code to your newsletter or to automatically dial you number. 

Fitness center? With just a click your target audience can be viewing a Youtube workout video that you've posted as inspiration!

Mining companies? Linking your code to your investors section can keep your investors in the know. 

One of the greatest things about QR Codes is that we now have the technology to brand your promotional items with them! From umbrellas, to totes, to BBQ sets - we're ready to take on your QR project. 

Take a peek at some examples of what has been done and let the creative juices flow to where you can go.

For a great link to a QR Generator, see: http://www.qrstuff.com/

The Basics of QR Codes

What is a QR code? 

QR means quick response and is a barcode read by a smart phone.

How does someone read a QR code?  

QR code scanners are "apps" that run in a smart phones.  They are available from a number of providers for no charge.   

What information does a QR code contain?  

They contain a web page address (URL) and other information such as websites, e-mail addresses and contact information.

How is a QR code made?   

It is generated by software and is generally created by the company printing the media on which it is displayed.

Visit again next week to learn how to make QR codes work for you! Or give us a call: 416.251.9403

Monday Mornings

First thing on a Monday morning at the office, our favourite thing to do is bond over weekend stories. We share stories about the new dance we learned (salsa / line dancing), that amazing book that we read cover to cover (we even have an unofficial book club!) and our silly cooking fiascos! Monday mornings are never dull. What better to rise and shine to the week? But it would not be the same without a cup of coffee in hand. I repeat, not!

Next Friday, gift your employees and customers with Fair Trade Coffee with a note that you can't wait to hear about their weekend on Monday morning over a cup of coffee. You never know what brilliance will be sparked!

To see your logo on this product, click or call. info@insincpro.com | 416.251.9403

How Much Water Should You Drink Today?

I want to share this link with you - it's a 30 second quiz that will help you determine how much water you should drink today. Neato!

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

Awesome New Drinkware for 2011

Drinkware continues to thrive in 2011! With the ever growing responsibility that we are taking amongst ourselves, it just makes sense. When I used to drink out of plastic water bottles, I would never throw them away. I would keep my growing collection by my side so that I could recycle them. This made me just how aware of how many I would go through! Now, I keep my trusty stainless steel water bottle in my purse, in my car, on my desk and my nightstand and it never lets me down (except for the time that I spilled it in my purse and ruined my Blackberry). 

Being that one of my 2011 resolutions is to drink more water, I just might have to add these suave new styles into the bottle repertoire. I just hope la stainless doesn't take it personally...

 I can't pick just one, please don't make me!

To see your logo on one of these, call us: 416.251.9403 or email us: info@insincpro.com 

2011 Image Awards

Here's a little snapshot of us at the PPPC Image Awards on Monday night. It was a great night, with many fun memories that were made. 

Left to right: Leah Cormier, Irene Oseli, Melissa Quito, Tara Cline and Kyle Davidson.

Unfortunately, our team members Ginette Juha and Irene Cappuccitti couldn't be with us that night, but certainly were in spirit!

Do Promotions Really Work?

The proof is in the pudding! According to a survey conducted by the Advertising Specialty Institute:

• 84% respondents remembered the advertisers of the promotional products they’re received.

• 42% of respondents had a MORE favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving the item. And 24% said they are MORE likely to do business with the advertiser on the items they receive.

• 62% have done business with the advertiser on a promotional product after receiving the item.

• Writing instruments are the most-recalled advertising specialty items (54% of respondents recall owning them), followed by shirts, caps and bags.

• The majority (81%) of promotional products were kept because they were considered useful.

• More than three-quarters of respondents have had their items for more than 6 months.

• Among wearables, bags were reported to be used most frequently with respondents indicating that they used their bags an average of 9 times per month. They also deliver the most impressions: Each bag averages 1,038 impressions per month!

• The average CPI of an advertising specialty item is $0.004; as a result, marketers get a more favorable return on investment from advertising specialties than nearly any other popular advertising media.

Now isn't that something? 

For the full report, click here.

What's Your Favourite Promotional Product?

Who better to ask than the gurus themselves?

Leah

"My favourite promotional item has to be sticky notes/flags. I always use them to leave myself notes, mark pages, and highlight items. It’s a multi-functional item, and when branded it leaves your logo front and center on your customer desk. It’s a win win in my eyes :)"

Ginette

"I think my new favorite promotional product is the notebook. With the prevalent use of calendars in our BlackBerrys and I phones, nobody carries a day timer anymore! But the need to keep notes during meetings, or to log my work on a project still calls for pen to paper. The notebook allows me to have all of the info in one spot (no notes on scraps of paper, which can never be found when I want them!). And the logo on the cover is prominently displayed every time I take it out at a meeting. Useful, AND with a long shelf life!"

Irene O

"I love a custom calendar, pre-printed with industry events and Holidays! It's helpful to help me plan out the year and stay on top of my game. I find them to be so useful that I have one on my desk, one on my wall and one on the master wall. Keep them coming! I can never have enough."

Kyle

"HMMM it's hard to pick a specific item that has really stuck out since I have been in a position to be buried in promo gifts since I was 10 [having been raised by promotional product gurus]!  I suppose my favourites are the ones I have had to earn by signing up for arbitrary credit cards or catching t-shirts that have been shot out of a cannons. I do have a nice collection of beer glasses from different sources.  I find beer tastes better out of a nice glass.  I got one from my old employer, Boston Pizza.  It has a gold rim around the top and some gold cursive writing I've still yet to read. As long as beer stays delicious, I will collect the glasses." 

Tara

"My favourite promotional item is a reusable stainless steel water bottle. They are durable, reliable and light weight which is great for work or to take to the gym! With a product like this it could be used daily, which means the logo is seen everyday. They are also environmentally friendly which is a huge bonus."

Irene C

I love the goofy laughing pens, I can't get enough of their laughs! Every executive should have one on their desk for those long days when they just needs to hear... "click here" . It also works great when you tell a joke that just doesn't go over as well as it did in your head *cue goofy laugh*"

Melissa

"Hand sanitizer is something that I will always stop and pick up at a trade show & happy to receive in any trade show bag. I keep one on my desk, one in my car and one in my purse (umm..not that I'm a germophobe or anything, ha!). It's nice to have during the cold season, after pumping gas at the station or before eating on the go. The best part is that when someone takes out hand sanitizer, it has to make it's way around the whole group right? Well there goes YOUR logo across the hands of 6 people each time I take it out (repeat as necessary)! It's inexpensive and leaves a lasting impression and product with your customers."