Gifts were once a hallmark of a thriving company. Serving as a token of acknowledgement and appreciation that employees and their families eagerly anticipate.

Today, the gesture has more meaning than ever, as many businesses and employees have had to sacrifice to the chilly economy.  And it just takes a little planning and creativity to give affordable, thoughtful gifts that are worth their weight in office goodwill.

Plan ahead

Make a budget and plan ahead for giveaways this year. This not only allows you to take advantage of bulk savings, but also to avoid charges for late orders and rush shipping and think of ways to bring personality to the gifts for next-to-nothing.

Get (more) personal

While big-ticket items like luggage, emblazoned with the company name, are always appreciated, why not opt for items like T-shirts or baseball hats that are affordable enough to customize with individual department names or locations? It’s a simple way to deliver special meaning and foster team pride.

Get creative

Inexpensive accoutrements can put a truly personal spin on a company gift.

Small- to medium-sized businesses, for example, could give customized mugs filled with each employee’s favorite candy or treats like roasted almonds from a beloved local bakery. Bosses who are itching to play Santa could use customized magnetic clips to hang single-serving bags of each employee’s favorite snack.

Put it to use

Make an affordable gift feel more special by incorporating it into a celebration.

Give travel mugs, for example, which employees can fill with hot chocolate, or glass jars that serve as pretty containers for a cookie swap.

Wrap it up

Nix the cost of wrapping paper by giving customized functional gifts spiced-up with a special touch. Place a personalized card in a nylon sports pack, for example, or fill a jar with the dry ingredients for an office-pleasing recipe and place it in a reusable grocery tote.

Shop our customizable products or apparel for more affordable ideas!  Also, don’t forget to check our specials page or our Tee Shirt Designer.

The variety of licensed apparel that today’s professional athletes wear – and that the public buys – is staggering. Sports apparel today goes far beyond a jersey, and helps make a team a recognizable brand and a household name.

Take a play from their books. Here are some ways to feed the fervor of potential customers or amp up your team’s spirit!

The Team Uniform

Give employees a different type of work uniform that’s a lot more fun than the 9-to-5 embroidered oxford:

Go for retro basics

Vintage athletic styles are making a comeback in fashion. There are dozens of cotton baseball shirts with three-quarter sleeves, color-blocking and wide stripes, and imprinting techniques that can make your logo look equally retro-cool.

Baseball caps are as American as apple pie, and – with the right tasteful style – can quickly become a mainstay in your customer’s closet.

Go “un-buttoned”

If employees need something a little more polished than a baseball shirt, custom-embroidered crew-neck long-sleeve shirts made with performance fabrics provide an approachable but crisp look that can be beneficial for retail employees or at trade shows.

Warm-up with style

Even when they’re bundled up on the sidelines, the pros are wearing their team colors and logos from head to toe, and they’re bringing fresh life to fleece ear warmers and even sweatbands. Particularly if your customer base skews toward young adults or teens, consider sweatpants with an imprint down the leg – another style that’s back in vogue – or hoodies, which will always see frequent wear.

Game gear

There’s a good chance that a client heading to a football or baseball game is going to wear the jersey of a favorite player, but what happens when the temperature drops or the rain begins to fall? It’s time to cover up in an imprinted poncho, stadium blanket or wearable blanket that also cheers for your company.

Let us outfit your team! Visit our online store or design your own.

Contact us (877-871-7373) today to learn about all your options.

Join our mailing list and be eligible to win an IB Sports Cooler.  It’s as easy as that!  Winners will be announced each month.  1st drawing on April 1st 2012.

Join Our Mailing List to Possibly Win This IB Sports Coolor

About The Cooler…

A $75 value

With a 48-can capacity, you’ll be the hit of the tailgating party when you roll up with this durable cooler. Collapsible design makes for easy storage.

• 600 denier polyester, 420 dobby polyester
• Web top and side handles
• Zippered opening
• Easy-to-clean, heat-sealed, waterproof lining
• Removable bottom board
• Zippered front pocket
• One-hand push button extension handle; extends to 21″
• Smooth, durable inline skate wheels
• Dimensions: 14″h x 14″w x 11″d (expanded); 14″h x 14″w x 7″d (collapsed); Approx. 2,156 cubic inches (expanded)

Join Our Mailing List Below to be Eligible to Win the Cooler

Quick: What is the logo for Target stores? And what restaurant has a sign with golden arches? From the Nike “swoosh” to the rainbow-colored Google letters, the most recognizable logos – which belong to some of the most successful companies – usually are clean and simple.

Why Simple Sells…

1. It’s Easily Reproduced- Becoming a company that instantly comes to mind when a customer is presented with a particular combination of colors and shapes requires repetition, repetition, repetition. Every coffee cup, napkin, folder or banner that your customers come across should be emblazoned with your stylized company name or logo. Simple designs make that possible, because they easily shrink or enlarge without losing clarity or impact.
2. It’s Non-Intrusive - Just as an advertisement can have too much to read, a design with a lot of “stuff” going on distracts from the real message – which is your company’s name.
3. It’s memorable - Using common shapes and just a couple colors gives potential customers less to remember, which allows them to more quickly connect a visual reminder back to the company it represents.

Whether you’re considering designs for a logo, brochure or promotional pen, Idlebrook can help you design an effective promotional giveaways or apparel item that brings attention to your brand.

Contact one of our Promotional Consultants today and get started on your simple design!

The kitchen is the hub of the home or office, and the refrigerator is at the heart of it. It’s one of the few appliances that everybody will use – multiple times – on a daily basis.

Some statistics say a typical fridge is opened more than 30 times a day – which means 30 chances for your company to make an impression through a magnetic personalized promotional item.

The magnetic pull of a refrigerator also attracts a flurry of family photos, invitations, reminders for doctors’ appointments and A+ papers. Here are some ways to make your promotional magnets stand out amid the chaos.

Be Useful!

Promotional magnets are ideal for companies that provide a convenience-related service such as food delivery, particularly if the design announces a new-and-improved feature – like a discounted price – that will help you stand out in a multitude of choices.

For sports teams, theater groups or non-profit organizations, custom refrigerator magnets also can serve as a valuable reminder of a date that’s important to you and your customers – whether it’s an event, performance, volunteer opportunity or the full schedule for an upcoming season.

Ways to make your brand a permanent fixture on the fridge

• promotional calendar magnets
• customized photo frame magnets
• magnetic clips
• magnetic notepads
• magnetic dry-erase boards

Be Attention-Grabbing

With so much vying for attention on the exterior of the average fridge, this is not the place to be demure. Use a magnet design with bright, bold colors, an interesting or funny phrase or a shape that speaks to your business.

Be Engaging

While a classic business-card magnet does the job of providing easy access to your company’s contact information, this – the hub of the house – is the place to post a call to action. Use an oversized postcard magnet to provide detailed information in a way that’s far more memorable than traditional mailers, or communicate a simple heartfelt “Thank you” that won’t get thrown away like a paper card.

Contact one of our Promotional Consultants today and get on your customers’ fridges tomorrow!

Is it possible to put an amount on the value of a walking billboard?

Whether you’re distributing gifts to employees or stocking up on giveaways, cold-weather custom apparel is a surefire way to make your brand a hot topic during the winter months.

It’s Highly Visible

Outerwear – versus polo shirts, for example – can be a particularly effective way to build brand identity because, let’s face it, most of us look most closely at people when we first see them – when they’re walking into our home or a restaurant and are still are bundled up. Wouldn’t it be nice for that first glimpse to include your logo, proudly displayed on a wool hat, scarf or jacket? Particularly in crowded settings, they quickly become an effective advertising medium.

It Signals Approval

Even if the wearer personally has never done business with your company, customized apparel projects a sense of familiarity that family, friends and co-workers will notice – serving as a stamp of approval of sorts.

It’s Always Welcome

Because items like gloves are frequently misplaced, most of us are always happy to get an extra, free pair.

Unless a customized item, like a jacket, is going to be required attire for employees, the key to success with customized apparel is to make it something that people want to wear.

How to Make People Want To Wear Your Apparel

Use quality items from reputable brands – Customers are familiar with brands like Columbia and Nike, which Idlebrook stocks. This helps them feel comfortable that, if they grab your customized fleece on the way out the door, it will provide sufficient warmth and protection from the elements – which means more exposure to your brand.

Keep it somewhat simple – Your customized design should be eye-catching but also stylish.
We stock something for every taste, from youthful skull caps and knit hats with earflaps to a camouflage-patterned beanie.

Go for maximum exposure – Fleece jackets have become favorite outerwear during warmer months and, during the winter, serve as a layer that’s light enough to leave on indoors. Fleece vests and cotton hoodies also provide opportunity for year-round wear.

When picking a style, don’t forget to think about how it projects your company’s color scheme and identity – whether polished, active or “green.”

Make sure to browse our custom apparel or contact (859-746-1022) one of our Promotional Consultants to find just the right fit for your project!

Is there a particular pen that you’ll dig to find on your desk, or perhaps hesitate to loan to a co-worker? We all have a “favorite pen” that we get attached to, and, chances are, there’s something special about it.  Wouldn’t you like to have your logo on your customer’s favorite pen?

In the world of promotional pens, even standard ball-point plastic styles deliver a very low cost per impression. But if your budget allows it, a small upgrade goes a long way toward “favorite pen” potential. Here are a few things to consider that can make your pen stand out from the others and maximize its promotional impact.

1. Comfort - Wider styles with gel grips are more noticeable than their skinny counterparts, and provide a larger imprint area for your logo or company name.
2. Smooth Operation - We’ve all used a low-quality pen that feels like it grates across the paper (not likely to become a favorite). Make sure to try out a sample before committing.
3. Convenience - Retractable ball-point pens are always a good choice for their ease of operation. According to the U.S Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association, this is the most popular style of promotional pen.
4. Cool Features - Depending on the age and interests of your audience, promotional pens with a couple bells or whistles can bring additional “show and tell” exposure for your brand. There are styles with a window that reveals up to six messages that rotate with every click or even pens with incorporated flashlights, laser pointers or USB drives.
5. Class - If you’re marketing to corporate professionals, there are plenty of high-quality “executive” pens with metal finishes, laser engraving, trim-work and a little more “weight.”
6. Don’t Forget Presentation - If you’re going to spend a little more for a premium pen, make sure prospective clients know they’re special. Particularly at trade shows with booths full of giveaways, an open box full of pens is not nearly as enticing as a dozen or so designer pens that are neatly displayed.

Regardless of the style, promotional pens can function as a shorthand business card, but don’t try to pack in as much information as possible onto the imprint. A name, phone number and website or email address should do it.

For assistance in selecting the style that fits your needs, contact one of our Promotional Consultants.

Most of us have more T-shirts in our closet than any other attire. They’ve become the souvenir of choice for events and vacations and often remain a keepsake even when they’re outgrown or tattered – leading to the recent trend of incorporating them into a “T-shirt quilt.”

Get Some Exposure

For working, playing and even dressing up, the basic T-shirt is iconic apparel for Americans of all ages and all walks of life. This American adoration means a customized T-shirt is almost guaranteed to get some wear – and get your company some exposure. Make your name a staple of your customer’s wardrobes with a thoughtfully chosen design that’s stylish and wearable.

Tips On Buying Promotional T-shirts

1. Order Multiple Sizes - T-shirts are a cornerstone of comfort and aren’t going to be worn if they’re too small. Likewise, someone who needs a size “Small” isn’t likely to wear a XXL. Poorly fitting T’s will find a home deep at the back of the closet or as a rag for washing the car.
2. Consider a Customized Style or Fabric - Fitted styles with cap sleeves often are more appealing to women, while shirts made with performance fabrics will capture the attention of your sports-minded consumers. In general, most people also have fewer long-sleeve T-shirts in their closet.
3. Don’t “Go Big.” – It can be tempting to choose an eye-catching design that spans across the chest or spells out your company name in 5-inch-tall letters – this is, after all, for marketing purposes. But don’t stray too far from traditional imprint areas. A Promotional Consultant can provide guidance on standard sizes.
4. Make It Interesting – A T-shirt is an ideal place to have some fun. Think about placing a small logo in a less-common spot such as on the sleeve or at the back of the shirt’s neck. Incorporate a design that makes a nod to a pop culture saying that relates to your industry or to your company’s own “inside joke.”
5. Add Some Color to the World – While basic white T-shirts will never go out of style, a neutral color like navy or gray can make a shirt stand out and bring increased recognition to your brand.

> Browse our wide range of T-shirts

> Design your own T-shirt

Contact one of our Promotional Consultants today for more information about promoting your organization with T-shirts or some other customized apparel.

When you head out to Burlington Days stop at Idlebrook too!

Contact us and let us know you are stopping by!

Despite the popularity of maintaining a digital calendar on a smartphone or computer, a physical calendar often is more convenient for quickly checking what day of the week a date falls on, for example, or gauging a month’s schedule at-a-glance – particularly when using a phone to set up a meeting or appointment.

The tried-and-true paper variety has not lost its spot in the workplace or home, and there are plenty of standard, affordable styles appropriate for whatever message you’re looking to communicate, and for whatever space your customer does his or her decision-making.

For maximum exposure

If your customers work in open-concept offices, a yearly calendar that’s more than a foot and a half wide and over 2 feet high can be hung in a shared space and serve as the community calendar. An open band between the first and last six months of the year presents your company’s logo and contact information every time someone checks a date or adds a memo.

For daily impact

Specialized calendars provide even more reasons for a customer to take in your information on a daily basis. A “Healthy Living” stapled calendar, for example, provides healthy living tips and beautiful nature photography, which can be just what the doctor ordered if your customer is a resident of Cubicle-ville. Or create a customized business calendar that supports your company’s values and fosters a connection with the customer, by including energy-saving tips and reminders, for example, or photos of employees volunteering in the community.

For novelty and convenience

Despite all those nifty digital calendars, there’s still something appealing about having a yearly calendar printed on a sturdy card that easily slips into a wallet, or a full 12-month calendar printed on a tiny pad connected to a business-card magnet.

Order calendars for 2012 now

One important note to consider: While customers gladly use promotional calendars, they usually stick with whatever calendar they start with for the year. Now is the time to order for 2012.

> See some of our suggested customized calendars

Contact one of our Promotional Consultants today so you can distribute your promotional calendars by the end of the year!