Brands interact with the outside world differently than they did a decade ago. Today's reality is that on Monday the most loyal brand advocates are publically singing praises via social media, but by Friday they could be tearing that brand down and calling on everyone to boycott. Perhaps this is a bit of an exaggeration, but still within the realm of possibility. Every brand WILL make a mistake at some point that could potentially ruin them forever, but that does not have to be the case. Brands that navigate mistakes with finesse can not only avoid negative long-term consequences, but may actually become something better in the end. The trick is for brands to already know and follow a few basic guidelines so that mistakes are handled with the utmost care. Be the brand already known for goodwill. If everyone already loves a certain brand because it’s known for service and goodwill, chances are clientele and the public will be more inclined to forgive a mistake or two. As long as that brand manages to respond appropriately to the immediate error, they’re already a step ahead in gaining forgiveness from their biggest fans. Display an immediate remorseful response. When organizations make mistakes they should do everything they can to jump in and rectify negative consequences. Showing immediate generous remorse and sympathy is the key to making amends with all those negatively affected simply because it shows that someone cares. Giving a hesitant half-hearted apology will not impress anyone and will surely send the opposite message—that in

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.