Archive for May 26th, 2009
A Symphony Of Spa Products
Posted by Dan in Promotional Ideas on May 26, 2009
If your clients want to play upon all the senses, orchestrate a zenned-out promotion using branded spa products.
The spa industry is an alluring one, growing an average of 20 percent annually, according to the International SPA Association. Last June, there were more than 18,000 spas in the United States, more than 32 million active spa-goers and more than 300,000 total employees. So what makes it a prime market for promotional products? Its sheer scope.
Anything from candles and towels to salt scrubs and relaxation CDs work in perfect harmony with day spas, fitness club spas, medical spas and hotel/resort spas. “I don’t think there are any industries that are out of reach of promotional products anymore, especially the spa category in this economy,” says Shawn Kanak, CAS, vice president of sales for Baltimore, Maryland-based supplier Towel Specialties (UPIC: TOWLSPEC). “People want to get away from stress and relax, and this is the perfect gift market to expose them to.”
This means forgoing the one-question-fits-all approach and uncovering the spa’s true goals that can include building its brand, attracting more customers, thanking top customers, initiating a referral program and so on.
There are products out there to fit any campaign, Siegel says. “Many spa products appeal to health, fitness and relaxation, which mean they have valuable day-to-day applications and are not cast aside,” he says.
“One of the biggest trends is piggybacking the health and fitness craze that is ever-growing,” says Kanak. “Corporate gifts now include spa treatments and getaways. Spa-type facilities are even being added to major corporation headquarters along with fitness centers as an employee benefit.”
Whether people are strolling to their neighborhood spas or jetting to far-flung destination spas on corporate incentive trips, one fact remains the same: Spa products work wonders to enhance the perceived value of the spa experience.
“If a spa customer had a positive experience, he or she will want a quality memento as a reminder. This can be received at the spa or a short time later in the mail,” Siegel says.
The key is using promotional products to make sure those happy and refreshed people return to your client’s spa—and not to one that’s closer to home, offers better specials or has cushier massage chairs. “There are a lot of spas out there competing for market share.
Customized Playing Cards pack a Big Promo Punch…
Posted by Gallant in Promotional Ideas on May 26, 2009
A visit to custom-card maker Apollo reveals that simple, classic playing cards pack a big promotional punch.
You know the annoying gag where someone asks, “Hey, you want to play 52?” and once the unsuspecting victim agrees he or she must collect 52 cards from where they landed, scattered on the floor? This is likely the only downside to owning a deck of playing cards, and it only happens (hopefully) once in a lifetime. Playing cards have been popular since the 9th century—used for playing games, establishing social rank, seeing the future and advertising brand messages, among other things—and show little sign of losing their appeal.
Fort Worth, Texas-based supplier Apollo Playing Card Co. Inc. (UPIC: APOLLO) harnesses cards’ popularity by making promotional playing cards for a variety of industries. “They’re like 52-page books without spines; you can put a lot of information on these little things,” says Brian Misiuda, vice president of the 23-year-old company founded by his father, Emil. “Every card can have a different picture or explain something.” But instead of handing me an ace of hearts for more information, Misiuda offered me a factory tour and a first-hand explanation of how cards are made.
The process begins by laser etching a metal plate of the logo or design for the cards’ backs. This is done in a dimly lit room because bright light will ruin the plate. Then the plate is transferred to a printing press and used to lithograph sheets of cards. One sheet, approximately two square feet in size, fits one deck of poker-sized cards. (Bridge-sized cards are slimmer by one quarter of an inch, presumably because bridge players hold more cards in their hands at one time.) Misiuda says 95 percent of the cards he makes are poker sized.
Apollo uses casino-quality playing card paper imported from Germany for all of its cards. Playing card paper is unique because it has a layer of carbon sandwiched between two pieces of paper to prevent prying eyes from seeing your royal flush before you want them to.
After they’re printed, the cards are varnished with liquid plastic to add durability and sheen. Once dry, the cards are fed into a “slitter,” where they’re cut apart and mechanically collated into decks. Misiuda says the ability to sort the cards with machines instead of by hand is unique to Apollo and saves a tremendous amount of time—it’s time-saving techniques like this that make it possible for Apollo to produce up to 10,000 decks per day.
Up to this point the cards have had squared-off edges, but then each deck is die-cut to produce a classic rounded edge. From here each deck is boxed, wrapped in cellophane or both according to the order and prepped for shipping. “People mix it up a little bit,” says Misiuda of the variety of packaging options.