What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 1 December 2014

Welcome to another week and we hope you have all opened your advent calendars this morning! Yes, the countdown to the big day officially starts today and here at Cloud 9 Towers, in between our busy schedule, we're starting to think all things festive!

With Christmas Cards to organise for clients, parties to plan (& attend!) and the holidays looming, thank goodness for the odd mince pie and mug of mulled wine to see us through.

Which leads us nicely in our topic for this week, promotional products - and not just those for Christmas, but items that come in handy throughout the year.

As an agency we are very lucky to be bestowed with all sorts of promotional items from the many hotels and venues who visit us, or we encounter at trade shows, be in mugs, highlighters, desk pads, mouse mats, key rings, pens, calendars, memory sticks, rulers, post it notes, pads, books or even in the case of Apex Hotels, the legendary ducks!

Whilst we don't quite have a full set just yet, we are certainly on our way to claiming the elusive Wally, Earl and Bobby (Apex Hotels please take note!).

The overall Promotional Merchandise marketplace back in 2010 in the UK was estimated to be worth £722million, down from the £1billion marketplace the industry had in 2008, and whilst we haven't been able to find any more current estimates of the value from this this or even last year, we're fairly sure its probably back up and even exceeding the £1billion mark (to be honest we didn't search that hard!).

But just what makes a great promotional item and how do you do something different that will ensure the longevity of your brand in every day use? Especially if you have a set budget and want to ensure that you are investing in the right items.

Companies like Eco Incentives bring a fresh approach to promotional merchandise,

supplying promotional items and business gifts that are ecologically sound and environmentally aware. Corporate Social Responsibility is high on the agenda, with many organisations having environmental targets to meet. Eco Incentives make it a simple one-stop shop, with promotional products made from recycled, organic, sustainable or ethically sourced materials.However, not everyone will appreciate a plant you have to grow yourself, and the practicalities of some items will be lost on those who don't have a particularly green approach to promotional products.

Housed in a listed building in the centre of Leicester and a stone’s throw away from the main railway station, Extravaganza,  work with both UK and International Companies on unique promotional solutions and have something like 25,000 different items available making it almost impossible to choose! We have all seen stress balls and certainly in the last few years a variety of shapes have started to emerge, but we don't think we have ever come across the stress slice of cake. It looks uncannily like the real thing, so much so it makes us hungry. The stress slice of cake is fragranced and smells great.Mmmm!

Gordon Glenister, Director General of the BPMA, wrote an interesting insight into the UK promotional market, including buying trends, how your target audience can get an ROI on your merchandise and the future of the sector. He also delivered a valuable lesson about the best promotional item he had ever seen. "I went to Internet World over 10 years ago, and picked up what looked like a block of wood with a hole around the top. The company promoted it was Commission Junction an affiliate marketing provider. Their caption was “Sales Arriving Daily” Any clues now. Well it was a steam train whistle. Do I use it every day of course not, but Ive kept and showed it to thousands of people over the years. And that's an important point, don’t forget what I call viral merchandise – conversational products."

It seems really clear that whatever investment you do make in promotional items, you have to make sure that people keep them, talk about them and in this day and age of social media, really take your products to task.

We do wonder just who has the delightful job of organising rebrands and the recent Q Hotels acquisition of some of the DeVere Hotels must be a challenge in terms of branding.

Six of the UK’s leading golf hotels has changed hands following an agreement by Sankaty Advisors to acquire De Vere Hotels. It is believed that the American investment company has paid around £160m for the portfolio, which includes Cameron House on Lock Lomond, Slaley Hall in Northumberland, Oulton Hall, near Leeds, Belton Woods, near Grantham and Dunston Hall, near Ipswich.

QHotels, of which we are big fans here at Cloud 9, operates 21 four-star hotels across the UK, including the Midland in Manchester and Queens in Leeds, as well as a number of golf resorts such as the Forest Pines hotel and golf resort near Brigg, Lincolnshire. With the 6 additional hotels now within the portfolio, and plans for the DeVere name to be eradicated, its certainly going to be an interesting time in terms of branding, and just what will happen to all of the DeVere promotional items left over during the handover? 

Someones store cupboard will certainly be a little full - or maybe the items will become collectables and we'll be seeing them on Ebay! Either way, interesting times! 

Have a great week!