In recent decades, more than 19,000 studies have been done examining the impact of coffee. Overall, research has shown that coffee is more helpful than harmful. An NBC report said that some studies show drinking less than 24oz of coffee per day decreases bladder and colon cancer because of its ability to keep the body regular. So I just add a new item to my Christmas list that I will be purchasing for myself. This is the best thing ever for someone like me that's always rushing in the morning. The Express Coffee Brewer perfect for people on the go.

 

Ahh blogging. Back again! It’s about time too! I like blogging when I have the time to do so, and I think it has been a long enough span in between blogs that you have most likely gotten through all 3 of my prior blogs. I say likely, but if you still need more time, I completely understand, those things are loooooooooong. I guess I realized how long they were turning out when I wrote them, but I felt it was necessary information in order to fully describe the processes used to create the photoshop effects that I was demonstrating. But in the end, I guess tutorials tend to be better when it’s in the form of a video, so if anyone has any interest in how things in photoshop are done, I am all for it, just let me know what you want to see and I’ll just create a video and post it on our Motivators TV Blog.

 

In the mean time I figured I could use this art zone section to talk about the art of promotional products. After all, what would promotional products be without your message or logo? So speaking of logos, I noticed a few months ago that a well known grocery store in our area has recently changed their logo and thus their branding. Your branding / logo is important to your company because it gives people an initial impression of your company or service. Many logos generally try to somehow describe what your company does, or what to expect from your service. This is not always the case and it is not a rule, in fact it can be argued that the most important element of a logo is how memorable it is. This is the idea of branding. If people recognize and remember your logo, you are already helping your company out. I think that an ideal logo is unique, eye-catching and conceptual. But in the promotional products industry we have to think about another important element in logos; the element of printability. I would say that since my start in this industry, I now look at every logo from not only a design point of view, but from the promotional products point of view and ask myself ‘how well will that print on a corporate gift or holiday giveaway?’

Of course imprint method and the item you are printing on has plenty to do with that question, but nonetheless it is something that I and probably many of my co-workers think about when looking at a logo. It seems like both of these Stop & Shop logos would print fairly well with most imprint methods. As for the logos themselves, the original definitely plays off of the store name more than the new one by using red and green colored circles to represent traffic lights, coinciding with the ‘stop’ element of the company name. However you wouldn’t really know what you are shopping for just from looking at the logo. The new one reminds me of slices of fruit, though it focuses less on the actual name of the store. Sometimes this is a tough decision to make, but in the end the newer version certainly has a more modern feel to it, and this was the concept that they were going for, as the Stop & Shop chain released this new logo as a part of their commitment to creating the ‘grocery store of the future’ where many new features involving the use of technology to create a more efficient shopping experience will be appearing in Stop & Shop stores in the forthcoming year. The newer logo also converts to one color better than the original. Ideally companies would love to use all of the colors when printing their logo, but budget restraints as well as practicality can commonly force a company to use a one color imprint. The new design would not lose its concept as much as the old one because the color of the circles in the original design are crucial to the concept of the logo.

So if you're a frequent reader of this blog, you might know that about three weeks ago I hit up Mohegan Sun to go to the New Kids on the Block concert. It wasn't a last minute decision, but my friends were lucky enough to get awesome tickets through a friend and thus we ended up with 5th row seats. I swear, I'm not a stalker but all these things just kept falling into place. Like accidentally ending up in the VIP pen at the Today show. And being fortunate enough to be able to be in the front row at The View because I loaned a chick from All My Children my iPod. The one downside to all these awesome experiences is my camera. My camera has decided to not like the New Kids on the Block and has thus disappeared every single time (save for like, 2) when I need it.

I had blogged about my favorite bag, the Cross Crunk Duffel and I had said that I was done packing. And I was, save for my camera. It was in the trunk of my car, but when I headed out to get it, it wasn't there. I thought I ransacked the entire trunk, which was impressive because I barely have anything in there, but I still couldn't find it. I was devastated. 5th row seats to Donnie, Joey, Jordan Jon and Danny (not that anyone ever cares about Danny) and I had NO camera. The fact that I actually ate the ridiculous NKOTB face cake and played as Joey Mac in the Dancing with the Stars video game for the Wii that night sort of made up for it, but it just wasn't the same.

Fast forward to this morning when I opened my trunk to get my promotional ice scraper (one of the 3 things I have in my trunk, the other two being leftover promotional t-shirts from the Breast Cancer Walk and two promotional drawstring backpacks) and what do I see? My camera. Just sitting there. Staring up at me. Mocking me.

And to think, my two gig memory card would have been filled with lovely pictures of the original fab five if I'd only had a promotional flashlight. So yeah, promotional flashlights...they help. Although maybe my camera just hates me.

 

Have you ever suffered the torture of breaking your arm? Then having random family members come up to you, asking how did you manage to do that? If you are the silent type like me then this is the perfect sling for you, Illustrative Slings Show How That Arm Got Boned. Shown on Gizmodo this sling perfectly illustrates how you broke your arm in four different scenarios. Now since you really can't do much in your current state to pass the time. I recommend using this Mini Ipod/MP3 Holder on the opposite arm to take your mind off of wanting to scratch underneath that cast. So now you can not only illustrate how your broke your arm but also give your company some great exposure on the other arm. Be sure to check out some of our other Budget Holiday Giveaways.

It's been a while since I wrote a blog... no time like the present to get back in the game! If you've read my blogs, you're read (more than once) about my favorite NFL team, the NY Giants. I predicted another championship-caliber season and, thus far, the G-men have delivered.

The football season has been fun around Motivators (that's right, it's not ALL corporate gifts here). I'm a huge Giants fan. Anthony, who works next to me, is a crazy Buffalo Bills fan. Our manager, Khurram, is a Jets fans. He's had plenty of fun messing with Anthony the last month or so, as the Bills have fallen back in the pack in the AFC. After putting up 54 on Kansas City, Anthony finally had something to gloat about. Khurram, however, is not in the office after the birth of his second daughter (congrats!)... plus the Jets are the hottest team in the AFC and just knocked off the previously unbeaten Titans. I guess for now Anthony will have to keep whining that the Bills are "the only REAL New York team."

As the year comes to a close, there's still plenty more football to be played before the playoffs. Just like there's plenty more time to order your free rush service corporate gifts from Motivators.

When we were little kids, we were all taught that taunting others is not nice, but apparently the execs at Dr. Pepper missed that lesson. They're now learning the hard way to watch what they say.

Way back in March, when rumors resurfaced that Guns N' Roses long awaited album was going to be released this year, Execs at Dr. Pepper claimed that if the album was released by the end of 2008, they would give a free can of soda to everyone in America.  It sounds like big talk, but Chinese Democracy has been in the works for around seventeen years, so I can see where they are coming from.  They thought they would get a cute little puff piece of PR, but what they ended up with was a Dr. Pepper craze!

Since the album was finally released yesterday, Dr. Pepper is now stepping up to the plate and honoring their words.  If you go to their website by the end of today and put in your information, you'll get a coupon for one single serving of Dr. Pepper. "We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

So, this I'm sure both a blessing and a curse for the good folks down at Dr. Pepper- they've gotten unlimited press over this, but I'm sure some great promotional products would have been more cost effective than giving away all those free sodas!!!!

Tis the season for yummy foods! I love the cakes and cookies, but I am not that much a of a chocolate fan...until now. Recently we received a huge box of the Rockwell Square Chocolate Pieces Item# 29398 and they are AMAZING. I have to stop myself from having them everyday. I can honestly say they are tasty and have a secure wrapper (lets face it a gross wrapper is unappealing). I would suggest ordering a batch for your next Holiday Party!

Do you love the idea of caroling but can't carry a tune.. even if you had a suitcase   I can feel your pain.. the only time you will catch me singin' is in the car with the windows up and I am solo.  So this year I have decided that I am going to let the professionals do the singing and send my holiday cards with a cd of holiday songs.  Our Happy Holiday CD card is perfect.  It has great design and some of the most popular songs for the season.  Guaranteed to spread the cheer without the pain.

 

I was listening to my favorite Stevie Wonder album the other day, Songs in the Key of Life, no question one of the greatest albums ever made, and all of a sudden in the middle of Pastime Paradise the disc starts to skip!  Now, I am starting to get upset because everyone who lives in my house, other then myself, has a bad habit of not putting CD's and DVD's back in the case after they have finished with it.  So, my first thought was that somebody had scratched my CD; however, after wiping down my disc with a piece of cloth from an old t-shirt I discovered that it only needed to be cleaned.  But surely, if you have a CD or DVD long enough you will experience some measure of wear and tear to your disc, such as smudging or scratching, and you may not be able to afford an expensive repair machine such as this apparatus which has a retail sale price of $995:

 

 

Thus, I recommend to you the inexpensive Leeds CD Maintenance Set which at a minimum order requirement of (36) has a current sale price of $3.17 per item.  The set includes cleaning solution, a brush with key-ring, a player head cleaning disc, (3) colored CD markers, and a CD case with (12) double-sided CD sleeves.  This item will help keep your CD collection in pristine condition.   

 

Leeds CD Maintenance Set

 

 

After watching Justin Timberlake's hilarious bit on SNL this weekend, I went in search of some awesome SNL promotional products. After all, who can forget Molly Shannon's Mary Katherine Gallagher or Adam Sandler singing the Hanukkah song? SNL has had quite a few classic moments over the years, even recently with Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin. I personally was a huge fan of the "Mark Wahlberg talks to Animals" sketch with Andy Samberg, and even more of a fan of the fact that mark Wahlberg actually came on and made fun of himself by talking to a donkey. The statement, "Say hello to ya motha for me" will never be the same and I'm sure I will smile everytime I hear it. And then of course, Justin is most famous for his SNL skit involving a rather unique holiday gift suggestion. (Sidenote: one can get a "box" kit on SNL's website or a promotional magnet that details the, um, "gift giving" process.) However, even though they've got some great promotional merchandise, I personally love this one. It's a blast from the past, but everyone should remember it. I personally have fond memories of sitting in our break room at the old office and hearing Jesse imitate Chistopher Walken, proclaiming that he had a fever. And the only prescription was...more cowbell.

 

 

 

And of course, if you need to fill your prescription, Motivators is happy to be your personal supplier. We've got all the promotional cowbells you could possibly want!