Did you know that your promotional products supplier can also help you increase your direct mail campaigns? When most companies are planning a direct mail campaign, they are not considering promotional products. While direct mail has typically low response rates, adding a promotional product can help increase your response rates.
According to the PPAI (Promotional Products Association International) website, a direct mail piece featuring a letter alone will garner a response rate of 1.8%. When a promotional product is added to the mailing, the response rate increases to 2.7%. To gain the best results from your direct mail campaign, the letter should extend an offer for a promotional item in return for responding to the campaign. With these types of offers, the response rate jumps to 7.3%.
The types of promotional products that can be used in direct mail campaigns are as varied as the campaigns themselves. The most common direct mail campaign that includes a promotional item is a postcard mailing that includes a skin-packed magnet or other flat product. There are some very creative options when it comes to direct mail campaigns that can go along with your marketing theme. For instance, there are mailings that are centered around blackjack, eco-friendly items as well as racing themes. Contact your promotional products consultant for these and many more creative ideas. The options are as endless as your imagination.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Prop 65 - What is it and how does it affect you?
fornia Proposition 65…What is it and how does it affect you?
The State of California has a law called Prop 65 that requires a warning on certain products that are distributed in California. These items require a warning label that states that the product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. So, what does all of that mean and what does it mean for the promotional products buyer?
The State of California has issued a list of chemicals which they have determined to be causes of cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm. Any product that may contain these chemicals is required, by law to bear the warning. The complete list of chemicals can be found on their website www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65.html. The warning is required if the level of chemical exposure is over the “No Significant Risk Level” (NSRL). The NSRL level is if a person is exposed to the chemical at that level for 70 years that the person would have no more than a 1 in 1,000 chance of developing cancer as a result of the exposure.
The warning is also required if the if the person is exposed to the chemical at more than 1/1,000 of the “No Observable Effect Level” (NOEL). The NOEL is the level determined by California to pose no reproductive harm to humans or lab animals. However, it is important to note that only a small number of the chemicals on the list have NSRL or NOEL levels.
It is important to find out how this will affect your promotional products purchasing if you are shipping items into the State of California. Your promotional products distributor should be able to find out if the Prop 65 requirements are being met by the supplier that you are purchasing promotional products from. All products are subject to the guidelines from mugs to coolers, it is important to make sure that your products are in compliance. Most promotional products vendors are in compliance at this point and some may charge an additional fee for the labeling process to ship items into California.
If you have any concerns the State of California recommends that you seek legal advice on how Prop 65 affects you.
The State of California has a law called Prop 65 that requires a warning on certain products that are distributed in California. These items require a warning label that states that the product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. So, what does all of that mean and what does it mean for the promotional products buyer?
The State of California has issued a list of chemicals which they have determined to be causes of cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm. Any product that may contain these chemicals is required, by law to bear the warning. The complete list of chemicals can be found on their website www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65.html. The warning is required if the level of chemical exposure is over the “No Significant Risk Level” (NSRL). The NSRL level is if a person is exposed to the chemical at that level for 70 years that the person would have no more than a 1 in 1,000 chance of developing cancer as a result of the exposure.
The warning is also required if the if the person is exposed to the chemical at more than 1/1,000 of the “No Observable Effect Level” (NOEL). The NOEL is the level determined by California to pose no reproductive harm to humans or lab animals. However, it is important to note that only a small number of the chemicals on the list have NSRL or NOEL levels.
It is important to find out how this will affect your promotional products purchasing if you are shipping items into the State of California. Your promotional products distributor should be able to find out if the Prop 65 requirements are being met by the supplier that you are purchasing promotional products from. All products are subject to the guidelines from mugs to coolers, it is important to make sure that your products are in compliance. Most promotional products vendors are in compliance at this point and some may charge an additional fee for the labeling process to ship items into California.
If you have any concerns the State of California recommends that you seek legal advice on how Prop 65 affects you.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Going Green
These days everyone is seeing green. Regardless of what you are doing, it is likely that you will see the words green, eco-friendly, recycled, organic or any combination of these words. From new communites that are being built with eco-friendly heating systems and green spaces to items at the supermarket, everyone is trying to do their part to lessen our environmental footprints. The promotional products industry has followed that path by offering a wide range of promotional products that are both organic and or recycled .
Organic products are defined by the Organic Trade Association as those products that are produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.
Recycled products are those that are made from at least some percentage of either pre or post-consumer waste. Recycled products also include items that are recycled through reuse according to the Federal Trade Commission. As a matter of fact, recycling through reuse is better for the environment as no new processes or materials are required.
The promotional products industry is meeting the challenge of providing eco-friendly, recycled and organic products to corporations that are trying to do their part to lessen their impact on the environment. From t-shirts, cloth bags, letter openers and plastic bags…you can find virtually anything you want in an organic or recycled version. The recycled products should display the recycled symbol and will frequently let you know what percentage of the product is made from pre or post-consumer waste.
These products are typically a little more expensive than regular products but environmentally conscious corporations find that the extra expense is worth it to do their part in helping to save the environment.
Organic products are defined by the Organic Trade Association as those products that are produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.
Recycled products are those that are made from at least some percentage of either pre or post-consumer waste. Recycled products also include items that are recycled through reuse according to the Federal Trade Commission. As a matter of fact, recycling through reuse is better for the environment as no new processes or materials are required.
The promotional products industry is meeting the challenge of providing eco-friendly, recycled and organic products to corporations that are trying to do their part to lessen their impact on the environment. From t-shirts, cloth bags, letter openers and plastic bags…you can find virtually anything you want in an organic or recycled version. The recycled products should display the recycled symbol and will frequently let you know what percentage of the product is made from pre or post-consumer waste.
These products are typically a little more expensive than regular products but environmentally conscious corporations find that the extra expense is worth it to do their part in helping to save the environment.
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