United's Newest Self Promo

Everyone loves free schwag. This much is obvious. So how do we get people to love it even more? Easy! We send it right to them. Check out our newest self promo / direct mail campaign:

Brightly colored and beach themed, when one of these bad boys arrives at your office it's like an instant vacation. Now, who doesn’t want to be associated with taking vacations? Really though, when people receive what’s commonly referred to as; 'bumpy mail', they are instinctively drawn to it. The curiosity is too strong and they are overtaken by the desire to learn what surprise could possibly await them beyond the saliva-adhered envelope flap.

If you see one of these brightly colored envelopes make its way into your mail room, you are in for a treat. If you don't see our vacation-in-an-envelope, well just post a comment and we'll make sure one gets to you.

Reusable Bag Maintenance

I recently came across this article in Newsday about Reusable Shopping Bags. The article mentions that bacteria can grow in the bags when they are stored folded for hours and days before they are used again (the study was done by the plastics industry, big surprise). So I thought it might be appropriate to talk about a few things you can do to keep your bags fresh.

-Make sure that the meat and poultry that you buy are sealed well. Even wrapping them in another containing bag to ensure that there is no leakage.

-When you are done using the bag, turn it inside out and hang it up until the next time you use it. The reusable bags that I go shopping with are hanging on a hook behind my door. They are never folded up and shoved in a drawer. Especially if I use them to hold foods.

-Try to have some bags that you use for groceries, and some bags that you use for everyday items.

- If the bags smell funky, its not a big deal! Throw them into the wash. To dry; turn inside out and hang to dry.

If you have other tips about keeping fresh bags, send a comment!

Deliciouos, Delicious Promotion

A colleague of mine recently attended a soiree hosted by Hurley Capital . They are a financial advisory run by a good friend and colleague of UPG's. The purpose of the gathering was kind of a way to say 'thank you' to friends and clients, as well as a networking mixer. Fun was had by all.

One of the parting gifts was this delicious logo'd cookie. What a brilliant way to be remembered. We have seen plenty of "food gifts" in the past, but rarely do we see a snack (other than maybe a piece of chocolate) that gets imprinted directly. I think they used the same delicious technology that enables Carvel to put Disney Characters on their cakes.

The cookie was wrapped in a clear cellophane bag and tied with a nice ribbon that also held a card with the company's logo and website. Quite the complete package. We look forward to attending more of Hurley Capital's events.

More pics in the album.

You may just want to LOOK smarter

So because of these economic times, I've had to cancel my subscription to the New York Times. It is ok though, since I never really read the thing anyway. Actually, the Time's main function in my life was to help me look smarter. Which it did. When I would bring the paper onto the subway, even unread, I would get stares of admiration at the thought that I would be enjoying such a high-end publication. All bets were off as soon as I would try to open the thing and do the classic refold, only to drop the paper all over the subway floor. This would dash any hopes I had to impress people with my intellectual ability.

So in lieu of the paper and ink version of my intellectual status, I am now carrying the free bag that I received with my subscription. This contains; My peanut butter sandwich, my copy of The Queens Ledger news paper(no folding issues here), and a slew of the Recycled Pens that UPG has been using as our self promo.

The bag itself has a nice design and a beveled bottom for holding... Probably a newspaper. As far as the handles go, I like the look of them, but if the bag has some weight to it the metal ring handles induce arthritic pain in the hands. The colors are good, and the embroidered logo looks nice too. And there is a nice little zippered pocket on the inside.

Magic Promotion!

OK, fine, it's more like physics. But your sales will increase like magic. You will achieve top-of-mind awareness like magic.

Anyway that you slice it, this collapsible bag that fits into another bag, that is actually attached to the first bag is a damn good promotion. It may seem confusing but that is because I'm speaking cryptically.

We all know that bags provide the best Cost Per Impression at about $0.004. And the convenience of having a bag that you can easily carry around in your pocketbook, or even on your key chain (note the handy carabiner) will easily add to the usability of this bag in particular. Check out the more detailed pics in the Picasa album.

Lets Go with 'Truckvertising'?

This custom remote control truck that we made for a client served as one of the best college promotions ever. We did 120 trucks and there were 60 colleges where the students could race the trucks against each other to win free prizes (read: other awesome promotional products). The reps in the college would also stick cans and bottles of soda in the truck and just drive them up to students randomly on campus.

These trucks are truly one of a kind! And they stand out extremely well which makes them a really memorable promo. We had the trucks constructed and custom painted in the Mountain dew colors. Check out the rims and the vanity plate! At UPG, we pride ourselves on being able to not only work with you to come up with great promotional ideas, but also to follow the jobs through to the end. And by that I mean that every time I see the truck I want a can of Mountain Dew. More Pics on the Picasa web album.

Radio City Promotion

A friend of mine recently went to Radio City Music hall to see two certain comedians do a reunion/comeback stand-up comedy show. She ordered a drink and instantly thought of me when she saw the promotional product that she received. She came to me the next day and told me I must put this on the UPG blog.

Here is this really nice light-up drink stirrer. the little air bubbles in the shaft of the stirrer create a really cool effect when it's turned on. And the imprinted piece at the top seems perfectly shaped for the Radio City logo imprint. This is the type of item that an out-of-towner would not just throw out after leaving the hall. The promotional product becomes a keepsake. It becomes a souvenir and a memento of an evening out.
I'm told that at the end of the comedy show, there was a music act and everyone in the crowd, instead of holding up lighters, held up the drink stirrer. What a pretty sight.