The place where so many people spend their working lives should have a “social life.” That sounds like jargon doesn’t it, but it means that people in office should have easy access to one another. Instead of regarding the workplace as the dump where they have to work for eight hours every day, they should see it as the place where they interact with colleagues, in a stimulating and rewarding way. This is the office of the future; the desktop has a key role. Flat computer screen are fast replacing those huge monoliths, so that the surface has more room, and indeed the desk can be smaller. The result is that you are nearer to your closest colleagues. Look around the modern office and you see fewer divisions and partitions, because they represent rigidity and hierarchy. Chance encounters in the corridor or by the drinks machine are more fruitful than organised meetings. So, if colleagues bump into each other and want to talk about marketing or advertising they need to scuttle into a hole. Hence tomorrow’s office should have enough space to have one to one chatting. Décor will have to be high on the agenda too. Shabby conditions depress many office workers and dull their minds but clean discreetly coloured walls are an aid to calm, constructed thoughts. The colours, however, should be natural, so that staff are able to adapt the walls so that they can match their own taste and personalities – with photographs, posters and whatever else you might like to put into your office to feel more comfortable.
Generous use of glass is another means of brightening up the office. The theory is that large windows physically let in more light and psychologically encourage cleaner
Thinking. If there is more glass there should be fewer venetian blinds, which symbolise the opposite of transparency.
Electronic record keeping is so much more efficient and it saves space. Designers say filling can easily be cut by 50% in most offices.
Sick building syndrome needs to be eliminated as this can make people ill. The answer maybe is to insist on water based paints and minimal use of toxic chemicals and also adhesives. Consequently employees stay with a company, they feel better and the staffing difficulties and recruitment costs are reduced.
So a desirable office environment is not too difficult to achieve; de – clutter, take down unnecessary divisions, add some natural colours on the walls and you’re nearly there. And with all of the extra space you should have on the desks, why not co –ordinate some great looking desk items from The Corporate Gifts Co; here are five great example from our website.
1) Lunar post it holder
2) Boomerang letter opener
3) Star desk award paper weight
4) Decision maker pen stand
5) Chrome puzzle globe
Posts Tagged ‘Advertising’
Office Beautiful
Monday, August 3rd, 2009Business gifts is the most successful advertising and communication tool
Monday, July 20th, 2009Giving business gifts is the most successful advertising and communication tool that a business can use. Corporate gifts remain the most enjoyable method to strengthen the relationship between staff in the office and to express your thankfulness to your customers, corporate gifts have come an extremely long way and do not necessarily mean plastic pens or bumper stickers!
Of late businesses have increased marketing budgets for business products, they have realized that it is one of the most cost effective marketing tricks available and frequently the most effective one. It doesn’t matter what the size of your company is or your budget, it is still possible to fit the promotional product campaign to your limiting factors.
Perhaps the most appealing thing about business gifts is the ability to articulate that certain sentiment you can’t communicate through other advertising strategies. People love to get gifts, especially gifts that are specially picked out for them and that illustrate how much you value them as a customer, a client, a business partner or a part of your team.
While business gifts are not the solution to start the ball rolling on new commerce contacts and dealings, they certainly play an important part in maintaining the associations you have already established. Giving corporate gifts is not just a way to construct relationships, but it’s more a way to continue them and it’s also a very good way to promote your commodities and services. In addition to that, business products can be used to improve your company’s image.
Promotional Giftware Monologue
Thursday, July 16th, 2009It should be the vision of all businesses to achieve new heights and expansion. In order to attempt this business owners work really hard and are ready to do almost anything. The promotional product marketing of your business is one of the most important business techniques at your disposal and could be considered vital for any type of business imaginable. If your business is marketed well then there is really no reason that its growth could stop. Advertising & marketing are the main strategies of businesses to promote themselves.
A good marketing strategy increases not only the profit margin but also the brand recognition of your business in the international marketplace. Corporate Giftware can be a big part of any business strategy. It has been shown that the distribution of business products and promotional giftware can help to create business as well as sales and hence profit. It not only develops the business but also can help you to develop longer lasting relationship with the clients and can be a key factor in getting that ongoing work.
If you want to grow your business then a promotional product strategy is a significant way to promote yourself. If you have a product launch then promotional products can be the best strategy to increase the products recognition among your client base. By utilising corporate gifts you can launch your business to new clientele. If you’d like specifically target a given group of customers then there can be no other marketing technique as effective as the distribution of promotional products.
Always put business giftware and promotional gifts at the top of your marketing strategy. It isa proven time and time again to work, contact us if you would like to discuss how we can help your promotional giftware strategy.
VAT@15% – What does it mean for the Corporate Gifts Co?
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008As is always the case in modern politics, we all knew the PBR headline measures before Alaistair Darling stood up in the House of Commons on Monday. So no surprise that the headline rate of VAT went doen from 17.5% to 15%. But what does it mean internally for a company like The Corporate Gifts Company? In short, a big headache! Lots of disruption, lots of changes to systems, pricing, pricelists, websites etc etc.
Obviously, we’d all do anything required if it meant that it will kickstart the economy and persuade individuals and corporates to loosen the purse strings in the run up to Xmas. Personally I think with more bad news (tax rises, a rise in NI etc) not that far away, I don’t think the UK public or businesses are that gullable. Well, we’ll see.
Of course, as a B2B promotional gifts website, The Corporate Gifts Company sells its advertising products ex-VAT (i.e. prices are quoted without VAT which is added at the end at the time of invoice). And as it all just goes round in a circle (effectively collecting and looking after the government’s tax for a short period of time) it doesn’t mean an awful lot!
So, in the world of corporate gifts it’s on with the work, stay positive, and fingers crossed.
WOW!! www.promotional-gifts-co.com
Monday, December 29th, 2008I have to take my hat off to our dedicated team of web designers (you know who you are), what a fantastic job. After enthusing only a few days ago about the upcoming launch of our new site www.promotional-gifts-co.com pencilled in, somewhat optimistically I thought, for January, we now have a live site featuring almost 10,000 promotional products, business gifts and advertising incentives.
Everything from (and you must check this out!) promotional umberellas http://www.promotional-gifts-co.com/products/Promotional_Products_30_Inch_Umbrellas_74.html
to promo baseball caps http://www.promotional-gifts-co.com/products/Promotional_Products_6_Panel_Caps_87.html
and from advertising pens http://www.promotional-gifts-co.com/products/Promotional_Products_Ballpoints1_59.html
to corporate clocks http://www.promotional-gifts-co.com/products/Promotional_Products_Desk_Clocks_107.html
We’re not finished yet, of course, there’s plenty more where they came from and we’ll be adding more products every week to give you the biggest and best range of promotional products and business gifts anywhere on the web. Not to mention the special features that will make your sourcing experience for promotional products even better.
So, now, if you can’t find what you need on our usual site www.corporate-gifts-co.com, then check out www.promotional-gifts-co.com and that should well and truly fix you up for your promotion or corporate event. And if you still can’t find what you’re looking for (and how likely is that with 10,000 products to choose from!?) then we will scour the earth to find it for you – just pick up the phone and call our dedicated promotional gift sales team on 0845 430 2902.
SO WHAT IS ENGRAVING FOR PROMOTIONAL ITEMS?
Friday, December 5th, 2008I’m sure most of you will have an idea of what engraving is, but I guess the majority will probably think of the little chap at the Open Golf Championship hand engraving the winners name at the last minute, or maybe the guy in the shoe repair shop who has a 50 year old manual engraving machine in the corner of his shop.
Times have moved on, but people still equate engraving with quality, and moreover the overall quality of the item or gift. So when buying promotional items, what does engraving mean in terms of reproducing your corporate logo?
There are many types of “marking” methods for advertising gifts, cheaper promo items tend to be printed as this is very cost effective. Leather can be embossed or blocked. Glass can be engraved or sand blasted. Etc, etc, etc. When it comes to metal items the most common method of branding is either diamond or laser engraving.
Here at the Corporate Gift Company we use diamond engraving. Laser engraving is particularly good in some circumstances and it’s resolution is particularly good on fine detail. As it actually burns the surface of the metal, however, it can effect can look “burnt” and a bit yellowy. Even when it is good it looks like a grey print. In which case, why not print it instead? Print is associated with promo giveaways, so if you are paying £20 for a promotional clock or desk item, why would you choose a branding method that cheapens the product. After all, a promotional product is all about perception and impact, so it is important to enhance the perceived value of your corporate gift, not lessen it.
At the Corporate Gifts Company we have 10 state of the art computerised diamond engraving machines to give you the quality and turnaround times necessary to make your promotion a success. Logos are plotted, vectorised and digitised using specialist software and the item is then engraved reproducing your logo as you’ve never seen it before. But even though the engraving machines are computerised, it still uses a diamond tip to mark the surface of the metal, giving the logo a shimmer that no other marking method can match, enhancing and increasing the perceived value of your corporate incentive.
Of course it’s a matter of personal taste, but 20 years of experience tells us that if you want to make the biggest impact with your executive gift, then diamond engraving is the best choice.
Call our sales team today on 0845 430 9202 to find out how we can translate your logo for maximum promotional impact.
CORPORATE GIFTS CO PASSES ISO9000 WITH FLYING COLOURS
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008ISO9000 is a standard for quality management in an organisation.
ISO9000 certification is recognition of a company being consistent and reliable, delivering goods and services of a high standard and providing good customer service levels.
It sends a message that an organisation takes quality and customer satisfaction very seriously. Its purpose is to assure customers that its suppliers can provide quality products and services.
The Corporate Gifts Co has held ISO9000 accreditation since 1995 and has to pass an annual external audit, and last week the audit was passed with flying colours.
So what does this mean for the customers of The Corporate Gifts Company? It means that when you source your business and promotional products from us, you can rest assured that your advertising gifts will be of the highest quality, fit for purpose, delivered on time and with the correct corporate branding.
THE SEVEN “TOUCHES” OF MARKETING
Sunday, November 16th, 2008On average it takes seven “touches” to convert a cold customer to a sale. Sounds daunting doesn’t it? If you’re using only one vehicle for your message (eg traditional advertising), that’s a lot of exposure, a lot of cost, probably over a prolonged period of time. Smart companies utilise more than one “channel” to get to their marketing target. 360 degree marketing in the modern jargon, although it’s good old fashioned common sense when you think about it.
So what “channels” are available to corporate companies for their promotional activities? Advertising, emailers, exhibitions, face to face meetings, post mail shots or catalogues, pr, and promotional advertising gifts. Obviously that’s where the Corporate Gifts Company comes in.
Corporate advertising products are an essential part of the marketing mix. They are, however, often the poor relation in the marketing family, left until last minute without much thought or attention. If it does indeed mean that seven touches of marketing activity are required to convert prospects to customers, then it’s obvious that marketeers need every weapon in their amoury.
Choosing the most appropriate promotional product, therefore, is essential and as much time, effort and care should go into the selection of your business gifts and advertising items as any other aspect of your marketing budget. Appropriate is the key word, of course, and like any marketing activity an ill considered “off message” piece of marketing can actually harm your company’s product or reputation.
So what about some examples from the experts? Who’s that, you cry. Why, the Corporate Gifts Co, of course.
How about these cufflinks for a conference including men and woman? http://www.corporate-gifts-co.com/acatalog/corporate_gifts_cufflinks.html . Rediculous you say. Of course you’d be right, but this is a true story. These are, however, perfect for an executive male option, and if you choose something for the men and something for the ladies, it really says you’ve put some thought into it.
How about this smart, contemporary yet traditional clock. http://www.corporate-gifts-co.com/acatalog/corporate_gifts_deco_clock.html Can’t go wrong? A safe bet for virtually any promotional activity, unless some or all of the intended targets are Chinese (where the clock signifies death).
This great hip flask http://www.corporate-gifts-co.com/acatalog/corporate_gifts_3oz_hip_flask.html, used for an AA promotion! Alright I made that one up (in fact it would be disasterous for either AA’s, alcholic and motoring). But great for a Christmas promotion.
Business card cases are one of the most effective and popular business executive gifts and the Corporate Gifts Co has a fantastic collection of these promotional stallwarts. http://www.corporate-gifts-co.com/acatalog/corporate_gifts_card_holders.html . Just make sure your target audience actually uses business cards – not great for the guys on the shop floor.
But don’t be alarmed at this potential minefield. Over the last 20 years The Corporate Gifts Co has seen it all (promotionally speaking), and our experienced sales team are available to help you make the right choice for your promotional gift, whatever the audience and event. Call them today on 0845 230 2902 and make sure this part of the “seven touches” of marketing is done right!
How can Corporate Gifts Promote your Company
Monday, October 20th, 2008How can Corporate Gifts Promote your Company
Well as many of you are probably aware corporate gifts and promotional items can help your company stand out in various ways. Corporate gifts have always had a very good return of sale and have also been proven to boost your company in so many ways. When you are looking to promote your company you need to be sure you have a clear set view of how you can make that special corporate gift which will get you noticed within any business situation.
Although a lot of marketing companies and various advertising agencies can help your company get noticed, no of them will be able to make and supply a special corporate gift which you will be happy with and will allow your company to have that special touch within your business campaign. Corporate gifts have a special and unique class which helps your company get noticed above and beyond anyone else within your market who could be trying to boost there company to potential clients of yours.
Corporate gifts are just like promotional gifts they have a good branding area and they will get your company noticed within any area. All your company needs to do is remember that when choosing a corporate gift to help you promote with keep things simple and also make sure your corporate gift is in keeping with your promotional campaign.
Below is a small and simple bulleted list of how your company can make that perfect range of corporate gifts.
1) Keep your gift in keeping with your promotional event
2) Created a clear and easy to read promotional message
3) Make sure your gift is easy for your client to use and keep
Finally keep your promotional gift in line with your corporate event and make sure you and your company has a clear view of how you can make that perfect promotional gift to use within any promotional campaign or event.
The corporate gifts company have over 15 years experience in creating and designing promotional gifts for your company to use within any business situation or promotion. You can rest assured that we will over the best prices and help on how your company can make that special corporate gift to use within any campaign.
The Corporate Gifts Company launch a new range
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008The Corporate Gifts Company launch a new range
The corporate gifts company are excited to announce they have bought out a brand new and exciting product range which will guarantee to help your company get seen. The corporate gifts company have always worked hard to make sure you get the best advice and tips on how promotional items and business gifts can help your company.
With over 15 years experience in making promotional gifts and corporate products we are always working hard to make sure our clients get the very best gifts to help them stand out in any business promotion.
The new promotional keyring range has been worked on for a few reasons and we are now happy to present you with the new spinning keyring selection we can offer. This promotional keyring is perfect for doubling your advertising space on within your promotional campaign. This special keyring has to sides your company can add a logo or special promotional message which will help your company create that special touch to your promotional campaign.
Keyrings have always been a very popular for companies to promote and stand out and this is why we have worked hard on ways we can improve and expand our promotional gifts keyring selection. We know that making your company stand out is one of the key components to making you have success and new customers within your company which is why we will always do our very best to make sure you have the best promotional product or corporate gift to help your company get seen.
This promotional keyring shown above is the ideal gift to make sure your company is seen in the right lift which will help you create new contacts and customers. The promotional keyring spins around to show two different sides of the keyring which allows you to have maximum exposure for your promotional event.
Not only can your company stand out with this promotional gift but we also have a fully packed and loaded promotional gifts blog which is full of tips and advice on how your company can make the very best out of any corporate gift or promotional event.
If you have any questions about promotional gifts or would like to talk to one of our sales team then please feel free to call us or contact us via the corporate gifts contact page and one of our sales team will be more than happy to help you and your company create that special promotional product.
