Rocket Fuel

ONE GOOD TURN GRANTS DONATION TO PLAYWORKS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Michele Santorelli
781.326.4069
micheles@commotionpromotions.com

ONE GOOD TURN GRANTS DONATION TO PLAYWORKS
Playworks is the 2nd One Good Turn Recipient of 2012

Phoenix, Ariz. – March 6, 2012 – One Good Turn Project is a philanthropic initiative started in January 2011 with the intention of helping one non-profit organization every month by donating up to $500 in promotional materials to support their efforts. Since January 2011 we have been lucky to partner and work with a variety of very different and special organizations. We are proud to announce that our February 2012 recipient is Playworks located in Boston, MA.

Playworks is a national non-profit organization working to create a healthy school environment by changing the way children play in 23 cities across America. Nationally, Playworks provides services to more than 300 schools, and over 120,000 students. In the Metro-Boston area alone, Playworks currently services over 14,000 kids in 32 low-income public schools. Known as “coaches” they engage students in various games throughout their recess period, a time commonly riddled with fighting, bullying, and put downs. They teach students the importance of encouraging one another and playing in a way that allows all students to feel welcome and included. Their goal is to make the school day a fun and inclusive experience. Playworks Metro-Boston brings communities together as well by organizing family events including Play Across the City recess carnival and the 5K Run for Recess. Playworks powerfully improves the physical, emotional and social development of children to enhance students learning and health.

The One Good Turn Project is the brainchild of Karen Kravitz, President and Owner of Commotion Promotions.

“The motivation for this program evolved from the current hardship facing non-profit organizations due to the decrease in financial funding and private donations. It’s harder than ever to spread the message of goodness and kindness, of hope and caring and our goal is to make it a little easier.”
Applicants are chosen based on the impact, basic goodness and long term results they will achieve through their endeavor. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year with donations awarded each month; applicants must apply 6 weeks prior to their event.

Commotion Promotions, Ltd. is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ with offices in California, Washington, New York Boston, Connecticut, Texas and Indianapolis. It is a nationally recognized WBENC, woman owned business that provides branded merchandise to Fortune 500 companies.
Complete program rules and applications are available at commotionpromotions.com.
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Commotion Promotions One Good Turn Project Helps Twelve Non-Profits in 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Michele Santorelli
781.326.4069
micheles@commotionpromotions.com

Commotion Promotions One Good Turn Project
Helps Twelve Non-Profits in 2011

Phoenix, Ariz. – January 18, 2012 – One year ago, Commotion Promotions launched the One Good Turn Project, a philanthropic endeavor to help non-profit organizations spread the message about their organization. Each month, all of the applications that were received during the month are reviewed and a recipient is chosen based on several criteria including but not limited to: audience served, timing, value and merit of the cause, impact. That organization is then awarded $500 worth of promotional products to use to promote the good they’re doing.

In 2011, the One Good Turn Project awarded 12 organizations with the donation. The recipients are as follows:

January-Gift of Hope, Peoria, IL

February-Touchstone Behavioral Health, Phoenix, AZ

March-Linkages, Peoria, AZ

April-Adoption & Foster Care Mentoring, Boston, MA

May-Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA

June-Treasures 4 Teachers, Tempe, AZ

July-Covenant House of Charleston, Charleston, WV

August-Easter Seals of Southern California , Santa Ana, CA

September-Bridging The Gap Between Breast Cancer & Beauty, Scottsdale, AZ

October-P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. Center, Scottsdale, AZ

November-FOCUS Center for Autism, Canton, CT

December-Breath Matters, Midlothian, VA

Every organization that received a donation was very grateful. The positive feedback the One Good Turn Project received has been amazing. Treasures 4 Teachers had this to say, “We just received the Weeble Woobles with the Treasures 4 Teachers logo today. They are wonderful! We absolutely LOVE them! Thank you and your One Good Turn Project!”

In 2012, twelve more organizations will be awarded the donation. To apply for the donation and to read more about the One Good Turn Project, please visit commotionpromotions.com.

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2012 Vegas Catalog

Wow-eeeee!  The Vegas trade show was AMAZING!  There were so many new products and we wish we could show you every single one of them.  Unfortunately, we can't, BUT we did put together a catalog highlighting the newest/hottest products that the Commotion Promotions team saw while at the show.  Click on over and take a looksy and if you need more details or want to place an order, call up your Brand Development Director or call corporate headquarters at 888.996.8002 or shoot us an email info@commotionpromotions.com.

Commotion Promotions Makes Donations During the Holiday Season

It's the season of giving, and giving is at the top of our list!  This month, we donated a whole bunch of bags of clothing to the UMOM New Day Center in Phoenix.  UMOM was founded in 1964 and is the largest homeless shelter for families in Arizona.  Here's a picture of some of the Commotion Promotions team dropping off all the clothes!

Through Phoenix Youth at Risk, Commotion Promotions was able to adopt a family for the holidays.  Our team went out and bought gifts for each member of our adopted family.  A family that we don't even know was able to have the happiest of holidays because of our amazing team!  You can read the full press release by clicking here.

Also, don't forget to fill out our Vegas form!  We're leaving one week from today, so tell us what you want us to be on the lookout for.  We'll send you our EXCLUSIVE Vegas e-catalog and booty bag once we get back.  Hurry though, only the first 150 people to fill out the form will receive the booty bag filled with our Vegas findings.  Click here to fill out the form.

December 2011

December...Already!?  Wow...This year has FLOWN by.  Anywho, here's a December update for everyone.

The December Trend 10 was sent out to all of you last week.  If you didn't receive it, make sure you sign up for our mailing list.  To view it, click on the image below.

 

Also, FOCUS Center for Autism out of Canton, CT was named our November One Good Turn Project recipient!  You can read the full press release here.

We are off to Vegas in a few weeks on the search for the latest and greatest promotional products to bring back to you!  Make sure you stay tuned and visit our blog frequently because we'll be posting some pre-Vegas stuff that you won't want to miss. 

November's 10 Hottest Trends

It's been decided, approved, and stamped...These are the hottest trends out there RIGHT NOW!

Cozy Up Ice Scraper-GREAT item for your snow prone clients with the upcoming winter season approaching rapidly.

Birthday Cake in a Box-Ice cream cake delivered right to you or your clients door!  What better way to say "Thanks", "Happy Birthday", "We Appreciate You", etc than an ICE CREAM CAKE!? 

Back Seat Organizer-Don't know where to put something?  Throw it in the back seat!  Before you know it, your back seat looks like a closet, until now! 

Columbo Clip-Holds a pen, business card, AND memo all at the same time! 

Pretty as a Picture Pouch-Perfect promotional item if you're target market is females.  Each Mesh pouch includes a carabiner, dual compact mirror and manicure to go emery board.

Custom Wear-Let us design you any custom apparel piece down to the last detail.  Fleece, wovens, outerwear, headwear, scarves, even RAINBOOTS are just some of the custom brand apparel that we can develop.

Touch Down Sport Bag-Whether your audience is made up of athletes or weekend warriors, this sport bag has all the features to make them carry it everywhere!

Color Combo Custom Ballpoint Pen-These are completely custom built to your corporate colors, right down to the clip and trim. You can choose your own color combination with this 3-part plunge-action pen, which has a brass cap and a soft rubber grip.

Color Stripe Padfolio-Good looking, functional and all at a cost for any budget. Choose from colors to coordinate with your logo or theme. Includes a letter size folder with 40 page writing pad, 3 pen loops, 2 card slots, file pocket and colorful elastic closure with matching color interiors.

Dynamo Magnetic Timer-Sleek and contemporary styling these timers come in a variety of bold colors. Each has a rubberized finish front with metallic silver back and magnet, Compact in size, Large digital display with minutes and seconds. Any time is the perfect time to give these out and countdown to brand awareness success.

Commotion Promotions Wounded Warrior Project & Veterans Day Campaign a Success

Phoenix, Ariz. – November 18, 2011 - To honor a once in a lifetime date and Veteran’s Day, Commotion Promotions launched a campaign where they would be donating a portion of their orders that were placed on 11/11/11 to the Wounded Warrior Project. Even with a lot of companies having the day off, Commotion Promotions still had 33 orders placed and is donating $11 per order, totaling a donation of $363 to the Wounded Warrior Project. Commotion Promotions wants to extend a big thank you to all of the clients who placed orders and allowed for such a generous donation to be made to a great cause.

To read the complete press release, click here.

Does Swag Work?

RE-POSTED FROM FAST COMPANY

Does Swag Work?

BY FC Expert Blogger Jerry McLaughlinTue Nov 8, 2011

This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.

Look around your office. Chances are, you’ve got a logo item somewhere. A pen, a bottle opener, a coffee mug, a tote bag or umbrella--something imprinted with the name of a business, nonprofit organization, or school.

You’re not alone. In a 2009 survey by PPAI Research, 3 out of 4 consumers reported having at least one promotional product in their workspace. In fact, nearly 6 in 10 claimed they had between two and eleven products, or more.

This year, the U.S. promotional products industry is estimated to be a $17.4 billion market. To put that figure in perspective, American wineries have annual revenues of $14 billion, breakfast cereal manufacturers have revenues of $12 billion, and movie ticket sales are about $10 billion. Americans will spend more on swag this year than they do on amusement parks and arcades, more than on dry cleaning, more than on coffee shops including Starbucks and Peet’s. 

Swag sells. But, why? And more importantly, can it really do much to promote your brand?

For starters, the range of promotional products is far broader than their “tchotchke” reputation. Sure, you can put your logo on a stress ball or plastic clappers, but you could also give out silver-tipped wine stoppers, a leather portfolio, or a name-brand golf shirt, to give just a few options. Just as with TV and radio ads, some promo articles are more tasteful than others. You might be surprised to learn that, in 2010, 31% of promotional sales were of wearable items like shirts, jackets, and hats; 7% were of drinkware; and less than 2% were of toys and games.

Second, and significantly in tough economic times, promotional products are accessible. Not every enterprise can afford a radio spot or a television ad, but a budget of several hundred dollars will get you into the promotional products game--and promo items are persistent marketing, designed to last and deliver your message repeatedly, over time.

Plus, people like presents: PPAI found that when it comes to collecting promotional items at tradeshows and other events, a quarter of respondents would pick up the item, regardless of what it was. Freebies also trigger what researchers call the reciprocity effect--the conditioned cultural response to return the kindness of a gift--which can manifest itself in better response rates, repeat business, and referrals.

Finally, promotional items are almost always delivered personally. In an environment that puts a premium on one-to-one marketing and interaction and engagement with customers, promotional products are a way to connect directly with your target audience.

So, while swag may not seem to command cachet, it punches above its weight.  

Here are four tips for making sure you score with your promotional products:  

Focus on utility first.  Your logo is going to be the same, no matter which product you choose. But your item’s success as a marketing tool depends on whether its recipient will actually use it. A polo shirt that languishes in your customer’s drawer is not serving your brand. Neither is that stuffed animal you thought was so cute--and your client gave to Goodwill. Remember who your giveaway is destined for, and choose something that will work well for them. Ask yourself, would my target recipient ever buy this item for him or herself? The crowd at a beer-tasting event is more likely to happily stick a bottle-opener keychain in their pocket than get excited about a mouse pad. 

Invest in staying power.  Don’t be a Scrooge when it comes to investing in your item’s durability. One of the best things about promotional products is their potential for persistent communication. Suppose you’ve selected a 29-cent pen. Its ink cartridge will run out in three months. Why not choose an 80-cent pen designed to last a year? Chances are, the marginal cost difference is trifling compared to your overall marketing spend--and you would quadruple the amount of time that pen will be working for you.

Don’t overspend.  You don’t need to pick an expensive item. Aim for quality instead. Your gift itself--not the giveaway’s retail value—is what triggers the reciprocity effect.  If you want to get your brand before large numbers of people, a small, high-quality item, purchased in bulk, can be a marketing bargain.  And, as with many other sectors, it pays to comparison shop. The undecorated products available on the market are often identical from one distributor to the next; many times, they come from the exact same manufacturers. But their prices can vary tremendously.  

Make your message meaningful.  A coffee mug is just a coffee mug, until it has your logo on it. Make sure whatever you put on your item conveys the most important information. If your business relies on direct contact with customers, include your phone number or email. If your nonprofit relies on donors’ identification with your mission, choose a slogan that reminds them every day. And while it’s great if your item aligns with your work, remember, utility comes first. Give a gift your customer will genuinely appreciate, and the message will speak for itself.

Go to the Experts

You know we love braggin' only because we can back it up and we have a few more items to add to our braggin' list.  Karen Kravitz, Head of Conceptology/President, was recently quoted in Counselor, our industry leading magazine, for three different articles!

When talking about how educated clients are about products these days Karen stated "I really feel that an educated client is our best client.  If I can teach the client something, they can understand they're getting value."  She was also quoted while talking about social media in the industry stating "You can't just ignore it completely.  In terms of building a relationship and loyalty and getting your name out there, you have to have some type of social media presence." 

We were also highlighted in a section called "Unique Choices" where Karen talks about our division Get Healthy Promos

Commotion Promotions to Make a Donation to the Wounded Warrior Project

To honor a once in a lifetime date and the upcoming Veteran’s Day, Commotion Promotions will be donating $11 from each order that is placed on 11/11/11 to the Wounded Warrior Project.  The Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2003 with a mission “to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation's history.”  They provide support and programs to help wounded soldiers that were deployed on or after September 11, 2001 on the long journey to recovery, mentally and physically. 

“We chose to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project because 11/11/11 falls on Veteran’s Day and because of how many people the WWP has helped and continues to help during this time of war” states Ken Kravitz, COO of Commotion Promotions.

Commotion Promotions is a nationally ranked promotional products company headquartered in Phoenix, AZ with offices nationwide.  Since the beginning, they have always been a company to give back to the community and at the beginning of 2011 launched the One Good Turn Project, which awards a non-profit $500 worth of promotional products each month.  With the One Good Turn Project in full swing, they have helped organizations like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Easter Seals, Treasures 4 Teachers, Gift of Hope, and many others.