Corporate Branding Tip: Internal Branding, Bear Stearns Style

Is it possible to go overboard with internal branding at your company? Judging from the sheer volume of Bear Stearns branded products still showing up on eBay, the former financial giant certainly didn't think so. Internal branding is one of those marketing buzz words that tend to manifest in some goofy HR scheme, but the companies that 'get' it understand that their employees ARE the brand.

You have achieved successful internal branding when your employees fully believe in the products or services they sell and stand 100% behind the company's mission. When this happens, your employees will be 'living' the brand and will actively work towards delivering the company's promise of value with every action they take.

Stamping your corporate logos and mottoes on every possible product has nothing to do with internal branding, but it certainly won't hurt to have visible reminders lying around to remind your employees that every action they take on the job can impact the public perception of the company. Bear Stearns apparently agreed with this sentiment as they have imprinted just about every possible office and business supplies with their corporate logo...pens, binders, sticky notes, memo holders, mugs and even wall clocks.

Top 3 High-End Corporate Gifts

There are times when only the most elegant and luxurious gifts will do for an occasion and price becomes no object -- momentous events such as the retirement of a truly beloved executive or the celebration of a historical product launch. For those events, you need commemorative items that are a cut above the average corporate gift. Here are my top 3 choices:

Waterford Lismore Pen - Nothing says luxurious lifestyle better than a Waterford. The Lismore roller pen translates one of Waterman's most popular crystal designs onto an elegant writing instrument, creating the ultimate executive gift. Fine writing instruments like these become prized possessions to be cherished. Laser engrave a message on the side and it becomes an ideal executive retirement gift.






Neptune Crystal Vase - Standing 14" high, this beautiful contemporary vase features the pronounced angular lines of the Misaka Neptune design. The sides of this exquisite vase culminates in two distinct peaks, forming an unique saddle-like opening. The front of the vase offers a wide imprint area, perfect for etching a commemorative logo or message.





Wenger Swiss Army Watch - As one of two companies authorized to make Swiss Army knives, Wenger
proudly carries on a tradition of high quality and craftsmanship. This two-toned Swiss Military watch is versatile enough to wear for business or pleasure. An inscription can be made on the dial to turn it into a special personalized executive gift.

Corporate Gift Tip: Top 5 Eco-Friendly Direct Mail Pieces

If you have been paying attention this year you will have noticed the growing eco-trend in 2008 as consumers continue to demand green sustainable practices. Drew Neisser the CEO and President of the Regenade ad agency has even gone so far as to say that going green is "no longer a luxury," but rather a necessary competitive advantage to cultivate in your business.

With the increased consumer attention on these issues, going green is something that most companies should consider in all aspects of their business practices, from daily operations to their marketing campaigns. So, here are the top 5 eco-friendly direct mail pieces that we think will make a great impression with your clients in your next direct mailing campaign:

1. Live Bamboo Plant This unique direct mail piece is an actual live bamboo plant, one of the world's uniquely renewable resources. Easy to maintain and take care of, this plant is great for brightening up your clients' homes and offices.

2. Seed Pouch Kit If you wish to give a plant gift to a client, but need to keep costs down, the seed pouch kit is a good alternative. Coming in a more compact package than the bamboo plant, this gift package will bloom into a beautiful mini-garden within a few weeks.

3. Biodegradable Corn Pen This promotional eco-friendly pen is made from 100% biodegradable corn plastic that will break down naturally in composting. The corn husk shape is a fun alternative to more traditional promotional pen mailers and is a wonderful way to raise awareness of your company's green business practices.

4. Organic Cotton Compressed T-Shirt This direct mailing piece is actually a high quality 100% organic t-shirt that was been compressed under high pressure into this unique shape. The entire package is environmentally friendly, from the water based inks used to imprint your message and logos to the 100% recycled paper insert and biodegradable shrink wrap.

5. Hand-powered Flashlight Shine a light on your company's eco-friendly efforts! This promotional flashlight is build from heavy duty plastic that is made to last. Powered by a hand crank, it'll never require a battery, providing your clients with a constant source of light when they need it most.

Corporate Gift Tip: Making Your Employee Gifts Department Specific

Sincere thanks and shows of appreciation can never grow old. The occasional corporate gift or meaningful reward can provide you with an effective, cost-efficient way of maintaining high levels of employee morale and performance if done correctly. I believe it is important to make a distinction between corporate gift giving and incentive program rewards. Incentives are typically awarded for achieving defined levels of performance, while gifts are more or less spontaneous events that are not given as part of a predefined exchange.

If your desire is to express a genuine display of appreciation in thanking a special employee or department, you want to give a gift that is not specifically tied to their job performance. To make the greatest impression, it helps to make the gift relevant to their lives by giving it a more personal touch. For example, think about an aspect of their department's culture, perhaps a long-running inside joke of some sort, that you can tap into by giving a funny gift that only they will understand.

Even the more mundane gifts, like office supplies your employees can use on the job, will feel more personalized if you make them relevant to their department. For example you could give personalized calculators to the accounting department or promotional colored pencils and paints to an art department. Doing this rather than a generic, company-wide gift can help give the impression that you are in touch with each employees' individual needs.

Corporate Branding Tip - Bear Stearns Caps

Aye, it's another post on our favorite defunct financial institution, so apologies in advance for anyone tired of the whole Bear Stearns hullabalo. Bear with us because we think there are still some valuable lessons to be learned from their branding strategies -- just because they are now liquidated does not mean that their brand strategy did not work. In fact I'd wager that their company name and the promotional items they used will live on far longer than the 85 years they have existed.

Promotional caps remains one of the most popular choices in promotional apparel due to it versatility and as you can see from the collage we compiled from eBay listings, Bear Stearns really took that idea to heart. These 8 caps (and one promoting a specific fund) are only a small selection of the caps that Bear Stearns have used over the years.

With so many different structures and color schemes to choose from, they could easily create something to fit any individual's tastes. Yet even with all that variety, they still managed to represent their brand consistently. This is something you can pull off with virtually any kind of promotional apparel. So don't be afraid to try for a little variety the next time you do your own promotion, you clients will appreciate having some choices.

Corporate Branding Tip - The Bear Stearns Bears

Last week, we took a look at the Bear Stearns situation and noted how the promotional items a company used can keep a brand name alive long after the company has become defunct. eBay is still doing a hot trade on Bear Stearns memorabilia and the branded promotional teddy bears seem to be especially hot items.

This probably shouldn't come as a surprise. Corporate mascots has always been one of the easiest ways to infuse a brand with a certain personality and create a strong visual impression on the public. Although Bear Stearns lacked an official mascot, it doesn't require a great stretch of your imagination to understand why they have achieved great success using bear themed promotions.

It might only require a bit of extra effort for anyone to achieve a similar kind of branding immortality for their own company. With just some clever wordplay and wit, an erstwhile ordinary item can easily become a clever and unique branding promotion for your company.

Budget Tip: Top 5 Inexpensive Thank-you Gifts For Clients

We know that finding the perfect thank-you gift for your client can be troublesome if you are working on a tight budget -- after all, giving a flimsy, tacky plastic trinket can sometimes send a more negative image than giving no gift at all. Fortunately, we have noticed that a gift's presentation, form and function is often more important than the actual price tag at conveying a sense of value. All five of the following gifts can be found under $10, but extrudes a certain charm and elegance that belies their price tag:





Wine Stopper Gift Set - A gift set of twin wine stoppers in a sleek stainless steel and cork construction. Packaged in a two-piece gift box that can be imprinted with your company logo or personalized with the recipient's name.




Bosque Serving Style Wine Opener -
A stainless steel promotional wine opener with a seal cutter that features luxurious looking faux wood accents.




Essential Apple Incense Kit -
A sweet-smelling incense kit with seven apple incense cones, seven apple incense sticks and two tea lights in glass holders. A incense holder is also included.




Gold Ballotin Box with Gourmet Fill -
An elegant gold box that can be custom imprinted with your logos. Fill with your choice of nuts or candy from a large selection of gourmet treats. Top off with a personalized ribbon tie for that extra special touch.



Tea Light Tranquility Fountain -
This soothing tea light fountain will help create a calm and relaxing environment at home or at the office. The cordless wall-style fountain also holds two tea lights that will provide a warm glow to accompany the tranquil sounds of water.

Corporate Branding Tip - Bear Stearns Memorable Promotions

As we all are aware from the recent news that the investment bank and securities trading and brokerage firm Bear Stearns has collapsed. Toward the end the company signed a merger agreement with JP Morgan Chase in a stock swap that basically liquidated Bear Stearns completely. The company has gone completely out of business, and no longer will the name Bear Stearns be used in conjunction with a financial organization.

Bear Stearns, its name and legacy will soon vanish from everyone's thoughts, until the company is not remembered at all, or is it? Since the shocking collapse of Bear Stearns, people have been rummaging through their old junk looking for those once useless but now sentimental promotional items once distributed by Bear Stearns. How do I know this? Well, look at all these promotional Bear Stearns items on eBay.

In its prime, Bear Stearns was producing hundreds of promotional goods sporting the Bear Stearns name and logo including, pens, stress balls, stuffed animals and toys. Bear Stearns recipients have saved all of its old promotional items, that will soon become the only lasting image of the brand. As long as people hold onto their promotional items a brand can and will be remembered forever.

On your next promotional item campaign, be sure to choose an item and a message that will impact your recipients so you can be remembered, even after you're gone!

Corporate Gift Case Study: Norwich University Develops a Memorable Graduation Give-away

Challenge: Give your graduates a going-away gift they’re going to cherish

If you’re a college, it’s important for you to build strong connections with your graduating students. Making sure the upcoming alumni leave with a favorable impression of you can impact future alumni donations and word-of-mouth promotion for your establishment. The Norwich University Graduate School set out to design a graduation souvenir that would rival the previous year’s gift. That graduating class had received a specially-made plaque with their name and the school’s official coin inserted beneath. It was well received, but the school wanted to make sure that this year’s class got an even better item

Solution: Pick an Attractive and Stylish Award to Praise Their Accomplishments

Norwich contacted us, and with our help they were able to design a quality give-away. The circular award we ultimately decided on displayed the much-loved school coin and the graduate’s name, school, and year emblazoned across the bottom. The school decided on this item because it was both cost-efficient and highly attractive. It was also small enough to conveniently be used as a desktop item, where it could display the Norwich name. The award’s stately look tied in nicely with the military history of the school, and since many of the graduates earned their degrees remotely, the awards could be easily shipped off to them.

Result: The awards are a success and give the graduates an added sense of achievement

Norwich loved the way the awards came out. They received loads of positive feedback from the graduating recipients. They reported that the awards were a great compliment to their diplomas and helped make their time of hard work, study, and sacrifice seem more rewarding. The school loved the outcome so much that they plan on coming to us for their next graduation gift.

Recognize greatness with Awards.
Looking for items targeted toward students? Check out our Back to School category.
Browse through our Top Corporate Gifts.

(Via: The Promo Know-How Zone)

2008 Corporate Gift Trend of the Week - Top 3 Corporate Golf Gifts

Spring is here and for all the avid golfers out there that means it's nearly time to head back to the greens. If you are in need of a corporate gift idea, why not give golf-related accessories to all the golfers in your company? Executives and valued employees alike will appreciate these gifts, no matter what their skill-level might be.

Executive Putter Sets are ideal gifts for those with large offices. Busy executives will appreciate this chance to hone their skills at the office until they can actually find playing time.


Encourage proper golf etiquette with this promotional divot tool key chain. Greens are delicate, so divots and pitch-marks should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent damage. This nickel-plated fixer even comes with a detachable ball marker.


For the less experienced golfers or those looking to improve their game, this golf scope may be just the right accessory to help. This rangefinder will quickly and accurately measure the distance to the hole, helping them select the right club to use.

Corporate Gift Tip: The Importance Of Choosing Seasonally Appropriate Gifts

I never thought that I would need to do a post on this topic, since simple things like not giving winter-themed gifts in spring should be fairly obvious common sense. Unfortunately, after seeing some of the gifts people have chosen to give over the last few months, especially during Easter weekend, I am forced to conclude that this common sense may not be as common as I thought.

There are some things you simply should not do when giving out gifts to employees or clients and chief among them is making assumptions about their lifestyles that may not be true. For example: Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are winter holidays that are normally celebrated by people from different religions without any overlap. Christmas ornaments would be quite useless for those who don't celebrate Christmas.

It's far simpler to just select seasonal and holiday neutral gifts, like "seasons greetings" cards instead of ones that are designed for specific holidays. Committing those kinds of social gaffes can have serious implications for your business. At best, they may simply be amused and think you are out of touch with their needs. At worst, they may get offended, resulting in loss of business or strained workplace relationships.