"Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month" is coming up this September. What do you have in the bag for your hardworking writers and editors? In behalf of all the exhausted writers and editors out there who badly need a break, here's a list of items that will make every writer/editor happy: Can't afford to treat your writers to a massage? Let them enjoy the spa at home with the Essentials Renew Spa Set ($20.32). Each set includes lotion, shampoo, pillow mist, scrub, and candles and comes in a valet box that can be reused as a jewelry holder. Writers need peace when they're working on their masterpieces (even though it's just a 200-word post, they need silence to think). If getting them their own quiet room isn't a possibility, why not give each of your writers a pair of earbuds ($4.70)? We heard this particular model offers amazing clarity and quality of sound. Ready to spend a little more? Buy them a CD of their fave artist. Give them a couple of their favorite pens. To a writer, not all pens are created equal. I prefer the fine strokes of a gel pen to the bold lines of a fountain pen. What's your ...

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.

Hi, Celine, You worked in a real estate firm. How do I brand mine? What are good (outta the box) promo items and giveaways? Thanks, CoffeyCoffey I'm happy to note that business continues for you, and the dismal face of the economy hasn't discouraged you from promoting your brand. Way to go! Anything shaped like a house makes a good promotional item for those in the real estate industry. To ensure that it's worth your buck, I suggest choosing items that people use constantly or will give you optimum visibility. Some daily-use promotional items you might want to consider are custom magnets (as low as $0.95), keychains (as low as $0.99), stress relievers (as low as $1.49), Make a grand gesture out of handing the house keys to clients with these chrome-plated key holders. Or if you're pushing for a deal, why not give this custom house bank to a prospect to encourage him to save for his own home? These days, you don't have to limit yourself to anything house-shaped. Why, even umbrellas are great promotional items because of their large imprint area, which lets you blow up your logo so it's conspicuous. Need promotional advice? Write Celine at cbenjamin[AT]branders[DOT]com. Get subscriber-only discounts on promotional items when you ...

If you're in the wine business and are looking into increasing your sales like yesterday's letter sender, why not expand your offerings with wine-related merchandise? Beginners would appreciate a basic guide on wine such as The Little Black Book of Wine: The Simple Guide to the World of Wine ($6 for minimum of 50). This 160-page introductory guide to wine gives information about grape types and wine regions and demystifies the lingo and lore of winery. It also educates the reader on the serving, storing, and evaluating wine. Measuring 4.25x5.75 inches and with an elastic band closure, The Little Black Book of Wine will be a big help to those wanting to understand wine. It makes a great thank-you gift any time of the year. Watch out for more wine-related logo merchandise tomorrow.

An insurance agent I spoke with recently complained that fewer people were buying insurance, specifically auto insurance. For most people, that may be a practical thing to do, especially as their primary concern is the immediate needs: food, shelter, clothing, and education. If you're in the insurance business, the recession doesn't mean your promotions will have to take the back seat. You don't have to stop marketing your insurance or financial services just because nobody's buying at this time. Here are some low-cost ways to stay visible in this recession: Find low-priced giveaways to add your logo to. The idea is to continue working on your visibility so that when the need arises, you're the first thing clients think of when they finally decide they have money to spare for insurance. Low-cost promotional items such as this promotional dollar-sign notepad (as low as $0.47) or this personalized dollar-shaped stress ball (as low as $1.39) are good ways to stay in your clients' line of vision. Give them practical giveaways they need. Personalized bandage dispensers (as low as $0.52) or the magnetic medical diary (as low as $0.90) are good ways to remind them how important it is to get health insurance. Encourage them to get ...

Gifts and giveaways to warm everybody in this brrrr season: This coffee gift set comes with an 11oz white mug that you can customize with your logo, and some chocolate biscotti, gourmet cappuccino, and three coffee candies (as low as $7.02). A good gift to have on standby when friends stop by unannounced. Scarves at all price points, from as low as $1.96 to as much as $7.18, are great fashion accessories for men and women. This micro fleece custom blanket ($8.93) is available in 11 different colors to match your logo. What's great about this is when the season gets warmer, your recipients can still use it for picnics and other outdoor activities. These promotional winter safety kits ($7.97) are great must-haves for those are on the road throughout the season. I remember during many of my business trips how it was such a pain to be walking in the streets without nothing to warm my hand. This winter kit includes hand warmers (they're big blessings when you're freezing), a tube of lip balm, and an emergency blanket. These full-zip promotional fleece jackets ($20.61) with hood are one of the best ways to stay visible in this cold season. Post-winter, they're great workout companions.

It's September! How fast time flies. The last four months of the year is when a lot of celebrations occur, so I strongly encourage you to start shopping for promotional items and corporate gifts early or, at the very least, start window-shopping so you have some idea on what to give your customers or business clients. I must confess, last year's gifts were a bit delayed because I sat down to draw up my gift list only on the first week of December--as I know many of you will. I ended up sending out my gifts after New Year's Day, which can be embarrassing, but if you're a business, you certainly want to project a semblance of professionalism and timeliness, right? Here are five reasons why you should start thinking of and shopping for corporate gifts this September: Enjoy the occasion. Do you remember those holidays when you were locked up in the room wrapping gifts at the last minute while everybody else was enjoying the Bordeaux and the turkey or the ham? Say "never again!" Resolve to enjoy your holidays more this year. No rush decisions. You get to study your giveaway options and sleep on them. You can even take a ...

After the Memorial Day weekend, it's back to working on promotions. I hope the short break did you some good and gave you new ideas on taking your brand further. Still on a househunting mood, I was thinking of some perfect real estate giveaways to help in building brand recall and while browsing through the Branders site, I came upon this promotional coin bank in a house shape. Real estate agents can use this as a giveaway for prospective clients, while banks can give this as a gift to clients who draw out a house loan, something to encourage them to save for their dream home. I thought these miniature plastic houses were lovely, and they come in four colors--one is sure to match your logo.