Karen Hahn is always on the lookout for aerospace-related promotional items for her company's marketing needs. She represents Houston Precision Fasteners, a Texas-based manufacturer of high-strength, structural fasteners supporting airframe, engines, and landing gear. Karen has worked in the last four years with Branders for her company's marketing needs, ordering promotional airplane stress relievers, custom Nike(R) precision power distance golf balls, and personalized credit card mints for airplane shows and other events that Houston Precision attends. Beyond precise marketing solutions, Karen says that it's her account manager, Paul Dado, that makes her come back to Branders each time for her promotional needs. "Working with Paul is a pleasure," Karen says. "He makes the customer feel like we are in the best of hands. He is always professional, kind, helpful, and executes our order with ease. We look forward to working with Paul again!"ar. We hot forge all of our fasteners.

One of the best advice I've heard about promotions is "Go where your customer goes." Everyone's basking in the sun this season, so why not incorporate some outdoor promotional items in your marketing campaign? This season's most recommended giveaways include the following: T-shirts, which offer a lot of display area for your corporate logo. Stand out in the crown with bright, attention-catching shades. Sunscreen are so in these days! Young and old alike use it, so you're reaching a bigger demographic with a promotional item like sunscreen. I am loving this carabiner-style sunscreen that you can so easily lodge onto your jeans belt loop or on your backpack's zipper pull. Golf umbrellas provide shade to patrons and offer a huge imprint area. Among the many promotional golf accessories available, golf umbrellas offer the highest potential in raising awareness because they're out there for all to see.

Father's Day happens on Sunday, June 15, and this week's the best time to start sifting through catalogs and choosing suitable gift ideas. Whether you're planning to send them out as corporate gifts to employees who are fathers or selling them as custom merchandise, this line-up of gift ideas will surely be well received: If you're organizing a golf tournament to celebrate Father's Day with your employees, this hands-free promotional golf pouch makes a great take-home item. For the always-on-the-go business executive who spends a big chunk of the year for business travel, nothing less than a Cutter & Buck promotional leather case. The wine connoisseur would love to count this sleek promotional wine accessories set among his possessions. The set includes a corkscrew, wine plug, and a wine bottle foil cutter and comes in a gift box. Your logo can be laser-engraved on the metal accessories.

Corn plastic is increasingly becoming a green alternative to petroleum-based plastic, a ubiquitous but not a very eco-friendly material, which makes up the bulk of consumer products around us. The idea of using corn as a filler or base for new products is nothing new. Many decades back, it is said, Henry Ford's conceptual Model U car had tires from corn-based filler and a fabric roof from corn fiber. If you're intent on bringing green into your marketing, you'd be happy to know that Branders has some eco-friendly promotional items in its inventory: corn plastic luggage tags, corn plastic notepad and holders, corn screwdrivers, corn mugs, corn pens, corn letter openers, corn ice scrapers, and even corn golf tees! It's an exciting line-up, and we can't wait to share it with you! We're featuring some of our newest corn-based (and very earth-friendly) promotional items in this blog, so we hope you keep visiting the blog. BUT if you can't wait, why not call our account managers and ask for some advice about our newest eco-friendly promotional items. They'll be so happy to help.

The DrizzleStik is said to be the "in" thing in golf nowadays. No, it's not a promotional umbrella for tall, skinny people. Neither is it a canopy for your bedside lamp. The DrizzleStik is the umbrella for your golf clubs. Now don't ask me why golf clubs need sheltering, but according to an industry expert I just met today, golf players would rather get wet than have their clubs get drenched. Affects their performance, so my source says. The DrizzleStik has a long steel shaft that bends easily, allowing you to reach out for your golf clubs. It opens up automatically, which makes it a convenient umbrella to have on standby. Its nylon panels are available in six two-tone variants, including black/white and navy/white, which are the most popular shades. This promotional golf umbrella is priced at $15.45 for a minimum of 36 pieces (how absolutely low--other suppliers offer a minimum of 100), but the values goes lower to as much as $10 if you order more. Find more promotional umbrellas here. A tip: Look for vented umbrellas--they're resistant to the wind and don't get broken easily. In addition, find something that's made of fiberglass because they're durable and lighter than steel models. Related stories: Promotional ...

This is a follow-up to a previous post on why the golfing demographic has a huge marketing potential. One of the basics of marketing is knowing and understanding your target market--their age, lifestyle, spending habits, and other relevant statistics. Here are some facts about the golfing populace according to the National Golf Foundation and how companies can make use of promotional products to cater to these spending habits: Golfers travel a lot. In 2002, 75 percent of the $26.1 billion spending went to hotels, transportation, and food and beverage. Hotels, airlines, and travel agencies can offer packages tied to golfing destinations and events. For example, if there's a Johnny Walker happening soon, offer discounted rates to guests who are participating or early-bird incentives. At the golfing destination, spas can coordinate with hotels to send complimentary spa essentials and other promotional products to encourage golfing guests to take advantage of their services. In the same year, golfers spent $24.3 billion on equipment and fees. About $19.7 billion of these went to golf greens and dues, and the rest to clubs, balls, bags, shoes, and other equipment. Credit card companies who have a specific card for male executives can offer discounts on golf association dues with the ...

The golfing demographic is an enticing market. Don't think for one minute that only senior citizens make up the golfing club. Golf has earned much prestige, thanks to Tiger Woods who started the sport young. Golfers are a moneyed, well-heeled demographic. Mostly business executives and young urban professionals, they spend billions yearly on green fees, club dues, sports equipment, and golf-related travel, including food, hotel, and relaxation. No wonder credit card companies, banks, airlines, and liquor companies are not having second thoughts in gearing up their marketing with golf giveaways and personalized golf items to the sport's enthusiasts. Tomorrow, I'll give you a rundown on what promotional products you can use.

Everybody seems to be into golf these days, with my exception. I've always had this impression that golf was the sole indulgence of retirees, so I haven't really been enticed to take up the sport. Maybe when I'm sixty. But as they say, if you can't beat them, then indulge them with promotional golf products! Here's a lovely promotional golf ball case you can give away to friends, business associates, and employees who enjoy the sport. Crafted from flexible birch, this customized item has a supple leather tie and includes a one-location wood burn. You can get it for as low as $5.60. The balls don't come with the set, by the way, so choose from among these custom golf balls.

What makes a ordinary object extra-ordinary? Simply, an element of surprise. A hidden multifunction accessory, an unexpected color or a rather weird construction that you keep trying to have figured out—these are exactly the things that add pizzazz to an ordinary promotional item: I can easily describe this multipurpose golf tool like an action figure (you know, the 99 points of articulation and auto-transform technology selling phrases). It's that packed with features. Attached to an ergonomic handle, whose design reflects golf bag motifs, is a cleaning brush made of phosphorous bronze and nylon bristles that are easy on clubs but tough for clearing shoe soles of stubborn soil and grass. A 100 percent nylon replacement brush head is at hand, too. Elements of surprise: A groove cleaner, also replaceable, that pops out from the backside of the brush, and the retractable 2.5ft-long snap-back cord. My man (or any man) will love this polyester Reebok jacket that has 3M® reflective trims on the front and back seams. Washing machine-safe, the lightweight product is available in red and royal blue. Names can be embroidered on the front in script or block letters for $6 (2 words max). Elements of surprise: Front zippered horizontal chest ...