1. Charity events: Rent out chairs featuring your logo at a community event. Let everyone know that the proceeds from the rentals are going to a local charity. You're reinforcing your brand while simultaneously cultivating an image of goodwill. The #1 Camp Chair On The Web is priced right for ordering in bulk for a big event.
2. Outdoor concerts: Bring along a promotional camp chair when you attend a summer concert under the stars. If it's an orchestra concert, your business reputation will benefit by being associated with an appreciation for culture and the arts. If it's a rock or pop concert, you'll look hip and fun loving.
3. Fairs and festivals: Always sit in a camp chair featuring your logo if you set up a booth at a summer fair or festival. You can protect yourself from the sun with a Clamp-On Chair Umbrella. Not only does it provide shade, it also allows your logo to be seen from far away.
4. Ball games: Lots of ballparks offer inexpensive lawn seating. Opt for the lawn this summer and bring along your camp chairs. Besides, you'll have money left to buy a Coke and a hot dog! Or, if you prefer the stands, take along a Deluxe Stadium Seat. It's a lot more comfortable than metal bleachers, and you can organize your snacks, drink, and program.
5. Camping: Campers are a friendly, neighborly bunch of folks. You might just get a chance to talk a bit about your business, with your chair sparking the conversation of course.
6. Cookouts: Most community parks have picnic pavilions available for renting out. Spend a Saturday afternoon grilling out with your employees and their families. Be sure to have plenty of extra burgers and soda to share with other park-goers. Everyone loves free food - it's instant goodwill!
7. Boating: Always sit in a personalized camp chair when you're enjoying an afternoon on the lake.
8. Employee appreciation picnic: Treat your employees to a day of fun, food and plenty of silly games. Setting up camp chairs with your company logo is great for team building. Hold egg tosses, sack races and scavenger hunts - winners get to take home a camp chair!
9. Beach: In addition to beach towels, be sure to bring along some camp chairs for your trip to the beach. The potential for brand exposure is enormous. The Classic Striped Beach Chair is just what you're looking for. It's made for lounging so you can catch some tan.
10. 4th of July: Enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of your promotional camp chair.
    

1. "Caught in the act" coupons: Hospital administrators or principals can give out special coupons when they notice a nurse or teacher going the extra mile. At the end of the week, the coupons can be redeemed for prizes. The person with the most coupons wins a really special gift, like a 100% Post Consumer Recycled Deluxe Urban Sling Bag. The fact that this bag is earth-friendly makes it a perfect gift for someone who already helps make the world a better place!
2. Luncheon: Hold an appreciation luncheon and treat them to a gourmet smorgasbord. Serve coffee in a mug featuring a special message commemorating the week. Let the nurses or teachers keep the mugs after the lunch is over. For instance, the 11 Oz. C-Handle Ceramic Mug can be personalized, and it comes in multiple colors. You can match the mug to your hospital's logo or your school mascot.
3. Awards ceremony: Recognize a nurse or teacher who has made an outstanding contribution by holding an awards ceremony. You can also give out fun and silly awards to get everyone involved. Ask the awards recipients to invite their families along and have a punch and cookie reception afterward.
4. Break room makeover: Give the employee break room or teacher's lounge a total makeover with fresh paint, new curtains and some cheerful decorations. If your budget allows, consider buying a new microwave, coffee maker or mini-fridge.
5. Massages: Bring in a professional masseuse for a day. Every nurse or teacher gets a 15-minute chair massage. Set aside a room for the massages and create a relaxing atmosphere with scented candles and soft music.
6. Daily gifts: Give each nurse or teacher a small gift each day for the whole week. Ask local businesses to pitch in. Teachers and nurses alike will especially appreciate travel mugs for carrying their coffee to work and back. You could order something like the 16 oz. Double Wall Stainless Steel Contoured Tumbler. Its sleek finish makes it a high-end gift at a very reasonable price.
7. Decorate: Deck out the halls with balloons, streamers and plenty of "Thank You" posters. A festive atmosphere will brighten everyone's day. You can even create a "Hall of Fame" featuring photos of the nurses or teachers.
8. Mayoral or gubernatorial proclamation: Ask your mayor or governor to declare official teacher and nurse appreciation days in your city or state.
   
9. Cookout: Grill up some burgers and hot dogs and have an outdoors BBQ for the whole staff. Don't forget the seats! Add an element of surprise by ordering some Cool Breeze Mesh Folding Chairs featuring your school or hospital's name. At the end of the cookout, hold a drawing for the chairs.
10. News story: Put your nurses and teachers in the spotlight with an article in the local paper. The American Nurses Association and the National Education Association have sample presses releases available on their websites.
    

1. Courtesy umbrellas: People get caught umbrella-less in unexpected downpours. Show how much you care about your customers and walk them to their car with an umbrella featuring your logo. Choose something large, like the Best Value 60 Golf Umbrella, that's big enough to cover the customer and their shopping bags.
2. Make umbrellas part of a special campaign: Come up with a catchy slogan that ties in umbrellas. Having a big sale? Go with a "watch for falling prices" theme and hand out umbrellas to the first 50 customers through the door. With its remarkably small size and bold colors, the Pencil Umbrella is perfect for promotional gimmicks.
3. Give away umbrellas at company outings: Whether a picnic, a trip to the lake, or an afternoon ballgame, umbrellas can shield you from the sun - or shield your food from the bugs! Order up some promotional umbrellas for employees to keep as a souvenir. Happy employees are the key to a successful business
4. Employee appreciation gifts: Show that you're truly thoughtful and caring by giving your employees a useful, convenient gift. Take the Briefcase Mini Manual Open Compact Umbrella for instance. Unlike a clunky full-sized umbrella, your employees can keep this one in their briefcase at all times.
5. Use them every chance you get: There's nothing to say that you have to give all the umbrellas away in order to make effective use of them. Keep a stock of umbrellas featuring your logo on hand and use them whenever you can. For example, keep one for your own personal use and take it with you to concerts, the beach, and the golf course.
   

Every year, American consumers throw out close to one hundred billion plastic bags. Stats like this have prompted people to forego the plastic and take home their purchases in a tote bag. This trend makes tote bags an ideal promotional product for the days leading up to Earth Day.
If you participate in a community Earth Day event that presents an opportunity for handing out large numbers of totes, the Non-Woven Promotional Tote is a good choice. It comes in eye-catching colors like pink and purple. After all, recipients are much more likely to carry tote bags they find attractive.

The best promotional products are those that last for years. A tote bag made from heavy canvas will stand up to the wear and tear of trips to the grocery store, the library, and the gym. The Heavy Cotton Canvas Boat Tote is sturdy and comes in a subdued beige that can be accented with colored handles.

An Earth Day gift would make a fun surprise for an important customer or valued employees. A bag like the Eclipse Travel Tote is appropriate for work and is big enough to tuck your lunch into—doing away with the paper bags that wind up in the garbage.

Earth Day also prompts people to take a day to soak up nature, perhaps with a camping trip. Additionally, the majority of Earth Day-related events are held outdoors. Both situations call for a comfy place to sit.

When participating in (or hosting) an Earth Day event you want to get recognition for your contributions. Offer your employees a comfy seat for taking a breather with the affordable #1 Camp Chair on the Web printed with your logo in big bold print. Its heavy duty steel frame can support up to three hundred pounds, so it will hold up to the task of accommodating all those volunteers!

As Earth Day rolls around, camp chairs also make a nice gift for employees, customers, and vendors. Encourage them to enjoy a day in the sun by giving them a chair like the Classic Striped Beach Chair. It's the perfect shape for lounging on the beach. For comfortable tanning, it comes with an attached, coordinating pillow.

For those who prefer to commune with nature in the woods, a camping-friendly chair will really be appreciated. Warm weather is already rolling around come April. To help your recipients beat the heat, you can give them a chair like the Cool Breeze Mesh Folding Chair with Carry Bag. The mesh material allows breezes to pass through and keeps you cool on sunny spring afternoons.

Promotional products that are tied in with holidays are always a hit. Don't miss out on this opportunity to impress your clients and customers with your commitment to social responsibility. Promotional camp chairs and tote bags say that while Earth Day comes but once a year, we care 365 days a year.

ost people already have a tried-and-true favorite pen. You've got to offer them a pen that's unique and high-quality if you want them to swap their old fave for yours. Play around with colors, for instance. One of our Bic Clic Stic pens in purple or teal could make even paying bills more enjoyable!

On a related note, pens are easily misplaced or lost. Because of this, people often buy inexpensive pens, like the 10 for $1 pack. If you offer one of those people a premium pen, there's no doubt they'll switch from their regular pen to yours.
The Bic Clic Stic is also good for trade shows. You can bet that visitors to your booth will be grateful to have a pen handy for jotting down notes. They'll be carrying your logo with them all day!

Price and quality both matter. Pens are used for writing. If yours doesn't write well, it'll go straight in the waste basket. Remember, the quality of your promotional product is a reflection of the quality of your business as a whole.
With that in mind, we bring you the #1 pen deal on the web. This low-price, high-quality pen comes in sophisticated colors like black and silver. It writes as smooth as any designer pen, and its rubber grip and top-notch finish belie its bargain price!

The Maestro Click Stainless Steel Pen mentioned above makes a wonderful employee gift. Plainer pens are ideal for giving away in bulk. A special pen, however, tells the recipient that you think they are special, too. Let your valued employees know that they are more than just one among the masses.

Promotional products aren't enough; they have to be the right promotional products. This is when you pull out the big guns, so to speak, and order the most unique products out there. Below are three techniques for selecting cool promotional products and using them to market your big event.

Put out the bait, and lure 'em in
Choose a promotional product that compels passersby to stop and check it out. Think of it as bait. The freebie is so unusual that the customer is immediately drawn in. People love free pens, but those aren't enough to stop them dead in their tracks.

A great example of bait is the Light Bulb Shaped Stress Toy. This whimsical, bright yellow light bulb is extremely unique, which is exactly what you should aim for when you're purchasing promotional product to market an event.

Something a bit wacky also boosts the word of mouth factor. Everyone who sees that light bulb will want to give it a squeeze. Select a promotional item that will get people talking, and that's sure to get passed around.

Be flashy
Bright, bold colors catch your eye. We don't give black, brown, or navy blue a second look. Hot pink, on the other hand, really gets noticed. Flashy colors are a good way to set your event-specific promotional products apart from your regular giveaways. That way, when asked about the item, the recipient will remember to mention the specific event and not just your company in general.

Tote bags are always a fail-proof standby. Not only do they offer maximum visibility and exposure, they also come in a wide variety of fun colors. Take the Non-Woven Promotional Tote, for instance. It comes in colors that really pop, like lime, purple, orange, and yellow.

Let loose the flood
There's a lot to be said for sheer quantity. It's obvious why reaching as many people as possible will help promote your event. At the same time, you still need to offer a promotional gift that's useful. Something like the Caribiner Key Chain strikes a good balance between affordable and valuable. Select the product, order as many as you can afford, and hand them out generously.

Be prepared to take a different approach when you're selecting promotional products to market an event. You need to make an investment that will guarantee an immediate return. You'll be well on your way to success if you just remember these three tips: be unique, be eye-catching, and be generous.

Let's start with your customers. Giving out earth-friendly freebies will knock their socks off. Why? Here are some of the reasons eco-friendly giveaways will promote brand loyalty:

• Using eco-friendly products makes people feel good about themselves. If you make a customer feel good, they'll keep coming back.

• A customer who's concerned about the environment will give a lot of weight to environmental responsibility when choosing which business to patronize.

• Handing out eco-friendly promotional products sends the message that you're a progressive thinker. Customers like businesses that are tuned into what they care about.

• At trade shows and other big events, giving away a promotional product made from recycled materials will help you stand out. A product like the Recycled Cardboard Jotter is affordable enough to hand out generously at trade shows. Your unique giveaways will make a lasting impression.

In addition to customer retention, doing your part as a business just plain makes you feel good. Something as simple as an eco-friendly promotional product can show others that it's easy to be green. For instance, have your employees carry an Eco 51% Post Consumer Recycled Business Brief to show their colleagues that eco-friendly promotional products are attractive and appropriate for professional settings.

Purchasing promotional products from sellers that offer eco-friendly options is beneficial in and of itself. Profits drive business, and when it becomes profitable to sell green products, other businesses will do it as well. For example, before you know it, all promotional tote bags will be as earth-friendly as the 100% Post Consumer Recycled Deluxe Tote Bag.

You'll also be setting a positive example for other businesses. Companies that pave the way into new territory are highly respected within the business community. Your competitors will have to follow suit with their own eco-friendly promotional products to keep up with your image. You'll be creating a long-lasting ripple effect.

Small changes make a big difference, not just for the environment but also for your image. When you go green, you see green. Help your business and the planet by opting for eco-friendly promotional products.

We all love those silly quizzes, valuable only if you're interviewing for a job at the local deli. In which case, you could snag the job by assuring the manager that you're connected to sandwiches on a deeper level, seeing as how you have actual proof that you're a ham on rye. Perhaps, though, it's time that we did a bit of self-discovery that's actually useful.

Mobility is king in the 21st century business world, and the laptop reigns supreme. If you have a laptop, you need a way to safely transport it. Thus, along came the laptop bag.

Laptop bags come in just about every shape, size, and color you can imagine. Some people choose a bag for function, some for style, and some look for a combination of the two. Either way, with all the choices available to you, there's no reason not to have a laptop bag that suits you to a T.

Need a little help getting start in your quest for the perfect laptop bag? Without further ado, here's the short and sweet "What kind of laptop bag person are you?" guide.

Luxury leather:

You're the luxury leather type if you insist on having the best of the best of everything. From shoes to pens, all of your business wear and accessories are top-of-the-line luxury. You want a bag that's sophisticated, handsome, and enviable. A bag like the Top Grain Leather Computer and Business Brief is a good fit for your laptop bag personality.

Gadget guru:

Every time a new high-tech gadget hits the shelves, you're first in line to buy it. You don't leave home without your cell phone, scientific calculator, pedometer, PDA, and MP3 player - and that's just for starters. You need a bag that offers plenty of pockets to keep your gadgets organized and protected. The Gadget Guru should buy a laptop bag like the Neotec Compu-Brief. It's got pockets galore, and a hard shell inside the front pocket for protecting all your cool (and pricey!) gizmos.

Simple and classic:

You don't need (or want) a lot of bells and whistles. You want a laptop bag that gets the job done. Sure, you want a bag that looks nice, but your main focus is on utility and ease of use. You're the simple and classic laptop bag kind of person. You'll like the Durahyde Computer and Business Brief. It's a convenient laptop bag/brief case combo that features the three essentials: safe storage for your laptop, a front pocket for supplies and personal items, and dividers for keeping all your papers organized.

Always on the go:

You've got more frequent flyer miles than any one person could use in a lifetime. You're used to living out of a suitcase because your career keeps you on the go. The last thing you need is another piece of bulky luggage. You need a laptop bag that can zip through crowded airports - and save your neck, back, and shoulders from aching. Sound like you? Then you're the "always on the go" person, and you need a wheeled laptop bag. Save yourself the need for a separate briefcase with a bag such as the Wenger Swiss Army Deluxe Wheeled Compu-Case. It's a smooth ride, and can go straight from terminal to board room.

So, next time you're tempted to click the forward button on that "What brand of breakfast cereal are you?" quiz, pass along this article instead. Your coworkers - and their laptops - will thank you for it!