Clock and Stopwatch 911

Clock and Stopwatch 911

Custom promotional products are an integral part of any comprehensive marketing campaign. Showcasing 

your logo on a promotional product that captures the essence of your business can help you build a 

strong relationship with your audience.

Increase traffic at a tradeshow, recognize valuable employees or provide branded marketing materials to 

your satellite offices with the help of our experience in the development of promotional product 

programs. Proforma can integrate your promotional products and printed materials to create a custom 

program that will help you achieve your goals.

Promotional products can help build your business through a number of innovative program offerings 

including: Brand awareness campaigns

If you're looking for an inexpensive way to get the name of your product or company to stick in 

people's minds, consider using a promotional product store to create merchandise that prominently 

displays your brand. These products run the gamut from pens, key rings and refrigerator magnets to 

water bottles, umbrellas and backpacks. Some of the services we reviewed even create work uniforms.

There are many reasons you would want to buy such promotional products. Perhaps you just want pens with 

your company's logo for the office. Or maybe you have a booth at a trade show or county fair and you 

want to have some schwag to give away. The fact of the matter is that any physical item with your logo 

on it is de facto advertising that lasts for as long as someone owns it. Every time they use the 

product, it will be a subtle reminder of your brand.

Promotional product stores such as rushIMPRINT, Promo Direct, and Quality Logo Products embody services 

that offer a wide variety of products, create high quality merchandise and offer excellent shipping and 

support. Our reviews of these products are augmented by informative articles about promotional product 

stores.

5 Benefits of Using Promotional Products:

1. Increased brand recognition.

A goal for businesses, big and small, is often brand recognition. How can you make your brand not only 

stand out from the competition, but also remain in the minds of customers, both current and potential? 

One way is to get creative with your marketing. Promotional products are a simple tool that can help 

increase brand awareness for your small business; by customizing an item that a customer can use in his 

or her everyday life with your logo, for instance, you’re able to keep your small business top of mind.

2. Mass outreach at a low cost.

With a tight budget, it can be difficult to choose exactly what marketing items make the most sense for 

your small business, and what items will give you the most “bang for your buck.” With a small price tag 

but large, lasting impact, promotional products are a great value for your investment. Keep this in 

mind: A simple giveaway is a great way to increase customer loyalty. If you own a storefront, including 

a fun takeaway with purchases is a nice way to say thanks!

3. Alternative business card.

While business cards will always be an incredibly valuable business staple, promotional products are a 

fun, creative way to showcase your contact information. Instead of just leaving a potential customer 

with your business card, for example, consider leaving behind your business card AND another tangible, 

branded product. If you own a computer company, and just fixed someone’s machine, pass out your 

business card and a USB drive!

4. Tactile.

When it comes to marketing your business, another thing to keep in mind is repeat exposure. How can you 

keep what you do, and your business, consistently in front of customers without consistently spending a 

ton of money? Easy: Think about what items your customers will want to keep around. If you own a spa, 

for instance, put an appointment reminder on the back of your business card, as customers will want to 

keep that around to remember when they have to come back. If you run a bar, think about handing out 

free bottle openers or koozies.

5. Powerful marketing platform.

What does your marketing portfolio look like? Think about this: If you had to choose between eating the 

same pizza, twice a week, every week, for lunch, or getting two different lunches each week instead, 

what would you pick? We think most of you would choose variety. The same principle can be applied to 

your small business. Although having staple marketing products is important, being able to vary what 

you’re using to brand your business is important, too!

Early History Of The Promotional Products Industry

The first known promotional products in the United States are commemorative buttons, tracing back to 

1789, when George Washington was elected president. Dating back to the early and mid 1800s are 

advertising calendars, wooden specialties and the Farmers' Almanac. But it was not until the latter 

part of the 19th century that an abundance of promotional products were developed and marketed, leading 

to the birth of the industry as it is known today. 

Jasper Freemont Meek was one of the earliest significant contributors to this budding industry. He 

owned a small newspaper in Coshocton, Ohio, and like many other small newspaper owners of the time, he 

supplemented his revenue by taking on job printing, which used his printing press between editions. 

Seeing a child drop her schoolbooks in the dirt on Main Street spurred Meek to approach his friend, Mr. 

Cantwell, owner of Cantwell Shoes, with an idea about building store traffic, name recognition and 

ultimately increasing sales. Meek's idea was to imprint a burlap book bag with a simple but direct 

advertising message, "Buy Cantwell Shoes." Cantwell would give every child who came into his shoe store 

a free bag. The children would carry the bag as they walked to and from school so Cantwell's name would 

be seen all over town. Mr. Meek manufactured the book bag, imprinted the advertising slogan on his 

printing press, and both Meek and Cantwell reaped the rewards.

After launching another successful promotional product—imprinted horse covers, seen on virtually every 

horse in town—Meek officially started his own innovative and successful promotional products company, 

the Tuscarora Advertising Co. He organized a sales force, who until 1889, would sell specialty items 

with practically no competition.

Ironically, Meek's first competitor was Henry D. Beach, another small newspaper man in Coshocton, Ohio. 

Both men were aggressive and wanted to be the first to create new products by printing advertisements 

on anything that could be run through a printing press: cloth caps, aprons, hats for horses, bags for 

marbles, buggy whips, card cases, calendars and fans.

Beach was the first to take an interest in printing metal signs, and soon Meek became interested in the 

process as well. Both were aware that perfecting a printing process for metal would open up an entire 

new product line. Both succeeded, and although Beach managed the process first, both were successful, 

and proceeded to produce metal advertising trays (Coca-Cola® and some beer companies are the best 

known), which are collectors' items today. 

Two more newspaper owners, Thomas D. Murphy and Edward Burke Osborne, of Red Oak, Iowa, are credited 

with the birth of the art calendar in the late 1800s. Like Meek and Beach, they needed a business to 

keep their presses going and to bring in additional revenue. Osborne had an idea to print a watercolor 

painting of the new Red Oak courthouse on cardboard, place advertising around the painting, and then, 

attach a calendar pad. The calendar was an instant success, and even today, no home or office is 

without one. 

Selling advertising space on calendars was not new, but until Murphy and Osborne, no one had thought of 

placing attractive art on the calendars. The men purchased photographs and paintings from a variety of 

artists. They also improved printing capabilities so that three-color images of original paintings 

could be printed. By 1894 Murphy and Osborne employed 94 people, including 14 traveling salesmen, and 

produced between two and three million calendars 

At the end of that same year Murphy and Osborne ended their partnership. Murphy sold his interest in 

the business to Osborne. Osborne went on to expand the business. In order to be closer to art and 

business centers, he moved the company to Newark, N. J., then established a pricing schedule and 

acquired a new printing process, now known as letter press printing. Osborne later expanded his highly 

successful calendar business worldwide, setting up plants in Toronto, London and Sydney, Australia.

History Of The Association

In 1904 representatives of 12 promotional products manufacturers (manufacturers of advertising goods) 

agreed to form an industry trade association. The charter members addressed issues such as pricing, new 

ideas, business losses and managing salesmen, and adopted bylaws and operating procedures for the trade 

association. Benjamin S. Whitehead, owner of a promotional products manufacturing company in Newark, 

N.J., became the first president. The organization's first name was the Advertising Manufacturers 

Association 

By 1906 the Association had 56 members and one honorary member, Henry S. Bunting, who published the 

Association's official publication. Mr. Bunting's publication, along with his book about promotional 

products and their impact on business growth, contributed greatly to the recognition of the industry. 

In 1912 the Advertising Federation of America designated ad specialties as a legitimate advertising 

medium. 

Tradeshows became part of the Association's conventions in 1914, with 32 exhibitors at the first show. 

Shows now play an integral role in the Promotional Products Association's conventions held twice each 

year. At the winter show in 1999, there were more than 4,000 booths representing 1,400 exhibitors. 

In 1928 the Association celebrated its 25th anniversary with more than 132 members. Now an influential 

trade association, the Association had accomplished many things in its first 25 years, including 

uniformity in terms and trade practices, and establishing advertising specialties as an advertising 

medium. 

The industry was hit hard during the depression, but in the late 1940s business was again booming, with 

industry sales figures of $124 million recorded in 1947. In 1961 the Association began offering 

Executive Development seminars. In response to their popularity, the Association has continued to offer 

educational seminars to assist members with new ways to make their businesses more profitable and 

effective. 

In 1966 membership was 1,211, and the number of exhibitors that year was more than 300. Today, 

membership is more than 10,000 with industry sales of $17.5 billion. 

By the way …

Have you ever wondered how the pocket protector got its start? It was a promotional product designed to 

sell slip-on vinyl covers that protected loose-leaf binders.