11 Best Reversible Umbrellas to Save for a Rainy Day
On April 4th, 2021Does the forecast call for rain? Make the most of the downpour by hiding under an inverted umbrella!…
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Office Life
Interviewing for Dummies: 5 Tips for Sensitive Interviews
So you’ve got the basics and you know how to get great quotes every time, now let’s take the stakes a little higher. Suppose you are writing a story about a crime, act of violence, or scandal. You’re right to think that quotes will be…
Office Life
Attracting Talent and Increasing Company Loyalty: 5 Unusual Employee Benefits
How much do benefits mean to you when looking for a new job? From an employer’s perspective, the goal of the job hunt is to attract the best talent for the position—and to hire that talent before he or she is lured away by a…
Marketing & Branding
Hollywood’s Fanfare Logos Are Getting a Makeover: Paramount and Universal
I can’t be sure as to whether it makes me a big geek or just a big kid to freely admit the following: I friggin’ love fanfare logos! You know those animated logos that show up briefly before a movie plays or after a TV…
Marketing & Branding
How 3 of the World’s Oldest Companies Got Their Start
With so many companies declaring bankruptcy and going out of business, it’s hard to know who’s been around for centuries and who popped up yesterday. How well do you know the world’s oldest companies? Outside of the major corporations, most businesses that have been around…
Industry Insights
5 Futuristic Giveaway Items That Are Out of This World
With all the nifty new technology that seems to unveil every single day and grab the attention of the everyday consumer, it is no wonder we can say the future is now! I am here to show you how to stay in touch with the…
Marketing & Branding
The Legendary Guide to Personal Branding with Barney Stinson of ‘How I Met Your Mother’
If there is one man that has personal branding down to a science, it’s Barney Stinson from CBS’ How I Met Your Mother. Played by Neil Patrick Harris, Barney Stinson is an opportunistic womanizer (with a penchant for laser tag) who has made it his…
Miscellaneous
Virgin Airlines: Is the Experience All It’s Cracked Up to Be? Part 1
I am not much of a flyer and I have never enjoyed an airline experience. Soon I will be jetting off to California for a trip and, as usual — I dread the flying bit. Only, this time, my flying anxiety has somewhat lessened after…
Marketing & Branding
4 Things You Can Learn About Marketing From Victoria’s Secret
Even though it’s been over 40 years since Victoria’s Secret first opened their doors, the brand is more relevant than ever. Trends are always changing, and it’s no easy feat to stay up to date on what consumers want. Still, through creative marketing and brand…
Industry Insights
12 Cold Weather Giveaway Ideas That Really Work
Ah, February. Besides being known for football and valentines, the second month of the year is also one of the coldest for much of the country. With all the snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, it’s an ideal time to take advantage of the many winter-themed…
Miscellaneous
The 7 Most Horrifying Allstate Insurance Commercials
Here in Cubeville we have mixed views on the Allstate Insurance commercials starring Dennis Haysbert. Some think his voice is calm and reassuring, whereas I become agoraphobic every time he starts talking. Either way, the advertisements are not easily forgotten. In fact, thanks to some…
Industry Insights
20 Best Promotional Items for Kids: Crayons, Teddy Bears, & Other Cute Giveaways
Best Promotional Items for Kids Coloring books & crayons Stuffed animals BPA-free water bottles Fidget spinners Puzzles Cookies & candy Stickers Stress balls Lunch bags & boxes Sippy cups Novelty pens Youth t-shirts Drawstring bags Balloons Light up toys Kites & gliders Frisbees Socks Bandanas…
Marketing & Branding
JCPenney’s Pricing Strategy: 5 Things You Can Learn From Their Marketing
When you go to the shopping mall, there are a few things you can still expect to see: mall cops on super attractive segways, kiosks with unusual products, food courts, pretzel stands, and JCPenney’s. At least that’s how it used to be. Nowadays, JCPenney is…
Marketing & Branding
Green Bay Packers Stock: Marketing Genius or Dirty Trick?
What exactly is a share of “stock?” Obviously, if you own share of stock in a company that means you own a little part of said company. People typically own stock in an effort to (of course) make money. Stockholders can buy, sell, and trade…
Industry Insights
3 Reasons Why Stuffed Animals Are the Best Promotional Items of All Time
There’s a question we hear a lot at Quality Logo Products®. And it’s “What’s the best promotional product?” Now, there really isn’t a standard answer to that question. Promotional items should be tailored to your specific marketing budgets, promotional campaigns, and brand image. But if…
Office Life
10 Online Tools to Boost Productivity and Help Organize Your Life
Whether you’re a procrastinator or you were that guy in college who finished his final project a week before it was due, all of us could be a little more productive sometimes. For me, the Internet can be a crazy time-suck of procrastination, yet most…
Marketing & Branding
Super Bowl Commercials: Russian Roulette for Companies
The holidays have passed, which means it’s that time again… For some, it’s the holiest day of the year: The Super Bowl! But let’s face it, we all know the true meaning of Super Bowl Sunday. Unless your team is one of the lucky two…
Miscellaneous
Bringing Microsoft Kinect Out of the Living Room and Into Your Daily Life
Remember back in the day when Game Boys were all the rage? Or going even further back, what about when Atari was the must-have gaming console? Nowadays, you could probably go into any Goodwill or Salvation Army and find one for sale in the back…
Company News
A Very QLP Christmas: How We Spent Our Holiday Week at the Office
It was the week before Christmas and all through the office, no QLPer was unhappy, not even a little. Here at QLP, we work together as a big family. So the week before Christmas we had our big family party, broken up throughout the week…
Marketing & Branding
Branding Lessons From Walt Disney World, Part 1: Designing the Customer Experience
Last year, during one of my family’s many trips to Walt Disney World in Florida, my dad and I took a behind-the-scenes tour of Magic Kingdom called the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. Besides exploring the utility tunnels that weave beneath Magic Kingdom, viewing Splash…
Marketing & Branding
Branding Lessons From Walt Disney World, Part 2: Taking Cues From Theater
In part 1, I discussed how Disney World actively designs the customer experience, thereby elevating its “script” above those of its competitors. My second takeaway from Disney’s Florida theme park is related, but also worth mentioning on its own. Take your cues from theater and…
Miscellaneous
New Year’s Eve Traditions Around the World
New Year’s Eve is a time of celebrating a bygone 365 days and welcoming what lies ahead. In America, it’s marked by a big ball drop in Times Square, a kiss with your significant other when the clock strikes 12, and popped corks from bottles…
Miscellaneous
S.Café: The Next Big Thing in Eco-Friendly Fabrics
There’s no denying that eco-friendly alternatives to everyday items are changing the outlook of many a savvy consumer. From re-usable shopping totes and recyclable drinkware to organically made cosmetic and decorative products, the green initiative extends to almost every facet of modern, everyday living. And…
Miscellaneous
Should Retailers Tone Down the Christmas Cheer to Boost Holiday Sales?
Most folks don’t mind Christmas. Many of us downright love it. Because really, what’s not to love? From the festive colors and enticing aromas to the infectious spirit of giving in the air, the holiday season is – from an idealistic standpoint – the most…
Marketing & Branding
A Crash Course in Branding with NBC’s ‘Parks and Recreation’
Even if Tom Haverford from NBC’s Parks and Recreation doesn’t know much about using promotional products, it turns out that he actually knows a thing or two about branding. In a recent episode of the series, Tom and fellow coworker Jerry were put to the…
Office Life
5 Success Tips You Can Learn From Buddy the Elf
Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell in the Christmastime favorite Elf, isn’t the kind of character you easily forget. In fact, I dare you to watch the film and NOT smirk at this 6-foot-3 elf’s antics! Buddy is more than just a character, though…
Marketing & Branding
Secret Messages in Your Packaging: Are Inspirational Wrappers Good Marketing Tools?
It’s that time of year again, everyone. There’s frost on my car in the morning, a chill in the air when I go out for lunch, and oh yeah — the sun is now setting before I leave the office. The only next logical tradition…
Marketing & Branding
Off the Wall Branding: Vans Represents West Coast Skate and Surf
Paul Van Doren opened the doors of Van Doren Rubber Co. in 1966. Later, the company would come to be known simply as Vans. These canvas and rubber shoes have roots in old-school California skate and surf, and became popular during the skateboarding revolution of…
Marketing & Branding
Company Names as Verbs or Proprietary Eponyms: Do You Use These Brand Terms?
While talking with a friend recently, I suddenly noticed the number of company names I was using as verbs. If you’ve never used, “Google” as a verb meaning, “to search the Internet for information about (a person, topic, etc.)” according to Dictionary.com, then you are…
Office Life
5 Keyboard Shortcuts That You’ll Love Using to Save Time
Ever wonder what it’d be like if you could use keyboard commands in real life? I’m putting millions of minds at ease by creating a guide for the most useful keyboard commands to use in your everyday life. Enough mouse-ing around with the pesky problems…
Office Life
10 Articles to Help Improve Your Work Environment
Whether or not you love your job, there’s probably something about your personal work environment you wish was different. Maybe you’re lacking motivation; perhaps you’re tired of the same greasy foods you snack on every day; or maybe you wish you had better relationships with…
Industry Insights
It’s Campaign Season: Do You Have Your Promotional Products Ready?
Not that I need to remind you, but we’re fully entrenched in campaign season. And I’m not just talking about our presidential election in 2012 or the campaign happening on Parks and Recreation. Across the country, our fellow Americans are running for state and national…
Miscellaneous
Who Owns What? Today’s Major Conglomerates and Subsidiaries
In the business world, there are a lot of mergers, partnerships, and companies buying out other companies. It can be hard to keep track of the big sharks and the smaller fish in the pond. Even more, it might seem like some brands are their…
Office Life
20 Awesome Thank You Gifts for Your Employees This Holiday Season
The holiday season is quickly approaching and gift-giving is well on its way. Do you know how you will thank your employees this year? Some companies have big parties in the office or go to a fancy restaurant for a special celebratory dinner, but a…
Miscellaneous
Planned Obsolescence: 5 Products That Have It and What to Do About It
Products That Have Planned Obsolescence College textbooks Lightbulbs Ink Cartridges Poopsie’s Video Game Consoles MP3 Players Isn’t it funny when you come across a product your Grandpa used? Just picture the way stoves looked back in the day or vacuum cleaners. These items are like…
Miscellaneous
Dunkin’ Donuts: Getting My Fix in a Styrofoam Cup
In a recent Blog Squad meeting, we were asked to think of something that we were really passionate about and write a blog about it. One slow day, I decided to tackle this and see what I came up with. Go figure, Dunkin’ Donuts came…
Miscellaneous
Customer Service on Twitter: Brands Who Do It Right (And How You Can, Too)
Originally designed as a platform for sharing status updates with friends, Twitter has evolved into something much more in just a few short years. Companies, for instance, have started using the social network to interact with customers and to promote their brand, and many have…
Marketing & Branding
Top 5 Crafty Advertising Appeals in Commercials
I’m not afraid to admit it; I have teared up watching a television commercial. I’ve also laughed until my sides hurt, and have gotten lost in a different world, all from the comfort of my couch. To think that these incidents were merely coincidence would…
Miscellaneous
Krispy Kreme: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
I haven’t had a Krispy Kreme doughnut since around 2005. A few weeks ago, on National Coffee Day, I saw an article that gave a run-down of all the company’s promotions going on…and the feeling of neglect slowly crept back. Illinois currently only has only…
Marketing & Branding
MTV’s Brand Is Alive and Well, Thanks to Social Media
It’s no secret that the brand formerly known as “Music Television” hasn’t exactly stuck to its guns. As a network, MTV went from being the foremost purveyor of music videos on broadcast television to being one of the principal outlets of reality television programming. Not…
Industry Insights
9 of the Best Promotional Products for Tailgating Parties
Let’s get ready to rumble! Watching football is as American as Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition passed down from generation to generation, just like family recipes and customs. A father teaches his son to love the team he and his father and grandfather loved, and it…
Marketing & Branding
1,300 Reasons Why Calendar Advertising Provides the Most Bang for Your Buck
When it’s time to decide which direction to go with your next promotional product purchase, we have about 28,000 different options. So, it’s safe to say that what to buy isn’t always the easiest decision to make, which is why we take a consultative approach…
Marketing & Branding
Social Media Annoyances: Abuse of Twitter Hashtags
Let me start by saying that I love Twitter. I was hesitant to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, but I’m beyond glad that I did. Even though I resisted this idea of just “following” and be limited by what I wanted to say, Twitter is…
Marketing & Branding
Marketing to Women: Why the ‘Pink It and Shrink It’ Strategy Doesn’t Always Work
There’s a popular mantra out there that some marketers today still rely on to expand their product offerings to attract women: “pink it and shrink it.” This strategy involves taking an everyday product, producing it in a Pepto-Bismol-pink shade, and making it smaller for women…
Industry Insights
Adding a Retro Feel to Advertising: 25 Throwback Promo Items That Channel Past Eras
Nostalgia is in. Whether your heartstrings tug you back to the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, or ’90s, you can bet there’s a customizable product to accompany you there. Thinking of adding a retro feel to your advertisements? Or perhaps you desire to share your fondness of…
Office Life
Monday Sucks! Here are 10 Ways to Make it Suck Less
I don’t generally hate Mondays, but I do have to admit that it’s my least favorite day of the week. Going back to the 6 a.m. alarm, stumbling around while I try to wake up, yawning profusely; none of these things are fun to me.…
Marketing & Branding
‘Royal Pains’ of the Grammar World: Commas
Look, I understand that commas are one of the trickiest punctuation marks. However, the fact that many people these days forget – or even worse, ignore – the basic comma rules makes me want to die a little. Yes, I know, we could nitpick for…
Marketing & Branding
5 Ridiculously Easy Ways to Raise Funds and Awareness for Breast Cancer
Since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s a good time to start thinking about ways to raise money for breast cancer research. From somewhat controversial campaign slogans like “Save the Boobies!” to the classic “Think Pink,” it’s clear that there’s no shortage of…
Marketing & Branding
Dads Are Consumers, Too: Dad-vertising? It’s About Time!
As someone who watches a lot of television, it’s surprising that I haven’t written a blog about my love of it. I usually write about my other passion, marketing, and if you’re a regular visitor to QLP’s blog you’ve seen some of my past posts…
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