A friend of mine recently told me about a conference he attended and how he was looking forward to meeting with a very well-respected company in his field. He saw the company lined up in the huge sea of vendors and made a point of carving out time during his first day to meet with them. After having a great discussion and making a connection with two different company representatives and leaving them with his contact information, they handed him their giveaway and he went on his way. At first look he loved their little yo-yo gift. It stood out from all the other pads of paper and pens he’d been handed already and reminded him of playing with yo-yos as a kid. His disappointment came when he tried it and was surprised to find it barely worked. Luckily he already had a positive opinion of the company based on previous knowledge and personal interactions, so one failed promotional product would likely not have changed the way he felt about the company as a whole. However, this story could have easily gone differently. His interaction with the reps could have been minimal or poor and receiving a mediocre giveaway wouldn't have helped a thing—and could have just made his opinion of them less favorable. This story that is unfortunately too common, does cause one to pause and wonder why anyone gives away something that offers no value to the recipient. If you ever find yourself wondering what to give as a branded giveaway,

It’s no secret that we love a good reliable old-fashioned pen. Electronic screens may have gained rapid popularity in the last few years, but don’t expect to say goodbye to pens and paper anytime soon. Turns out this recent study shows that writing notes using pen and paper as opposed to laptops actually improves memory retention. So if you’re actually trying to remember what you’re writing, you may want to grab pen and paper instead of your mobile or tablet.

In honor of this great benefit, we are happy to share our most popular writing tools for the past year.

We are always on the lookout for cool products. Lucky for us the Promotional Product Association International (PPAI) holds the biggest annual promotional product trade show in North America. We attend yearly to check out all the new products and figure out possible trends for the coming year. I didn’t personally attend this year, but our team was there and came back with a list of a few product favorites for 2014. Here are a few products we expect to be a hit this year: 1. Light Up LED Armbands for Night Safety These are perfect for fitness enthusiasts and just about anyone who is going to be outside after dark. They come in a variety of bright colors and have a steady light option along with a slow and fast flashing option. 2. Spirit Sleeves These sleeves offer a little something extra in the spirit wear department. Made of the exact same materials as a common pair of socks, these are comfortable and can be custom made with any colors. They can even be worn on your legs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipp5Jsc9x-A 3. Water proof media pouch We love our tech gadgets and we want to take them everywhere—the pool, the beach, kayaking, the bath etc. Now thanks to these affordable water proof phone pouches, we can. And the best part? There is a tablet version too!

4. Smart phone walletRead More