Archive for August, 2010

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Inspired By Nature – What to Look for in Eco Friendly Promotional Pens

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
eco friendly promotional ball pens

The EnviroStick is the world's first promotional pens manufactured from 100% post consumer waste.

Every week I am bombarded with news letters, email shots and phone calls from different suppliers around the world trying to get their eco pens featured on my promotional pens website. More often than not, they are not very ecologically friendly at all.

What point is there in having a promotional pen manufactured in China from ‘recycled’ Chinese plastic that was never used in the first place and then importing it thousands of miles. The ecological cost in fuel alone must make the pens about as eco friendly as my old 4 wheel drive jeep. Incidentally the Jeep is no longer driven and has been for sale for about three years.

I am not a tree hugging hippy who spouts out ‘green issues’ but many people looking for eco friendly promotional pens take this subject much more seriously. These people need to know what they are purchasing. Just because a pen is promoted as being eco friendly does not mean it is the answer to all things ecologically bad.

If your business is trying to promote the fact that you have a strong eco policy in place, then almost any eco friendly pens will help you promote that. Bic, for example, offer the Ecolutions range but some of these pens are only manufactured out of 37% recycled plastic. This means that 63% of the material used to manufacture these eco pens is just like the material used in every other non-eco pen.

I guess it is fair to say that any amount of recycled material used in promotional pens is better than none. I have used Chinese produced eco pens to promote my own company. If you are not as laid back about green issues as I am, however, this is what you need to do.

1.) Look for eco pens that are manufactured close to where you do business. The fewer miles they need to travel to get to you the better.

2.) Check out the new promotional pens available that are manufactured from post consumer waste. The Lecce Pen Company manufactures a range of pens that have been manufactured from used Tetra Pak cartons. These are the cartons that you see in the supermarket that hold fruit juice and long-life milk. One of their pens, the EnviroStick is manufactured from 100% post consumer waste!

3.) You may also be interested in the large range of pens now being manufactured from corn starch and other vegetable starches. These pens are biodegradable and will decompose when they are thrown away when their writing life is over.

4.) Beware of recycled plastic pens. Some are manufactured from post consumer plastics but most of the plastic used to produce them is simply plastic that was never used. CD case pens, for example are manufactured from CD cases that were either faulty or cracked but never actually held a CD.

If you are looking mainly for stylish and innovative designs with a touch of ‘eco’ to them then you will have thousands of pens to choose from. If the ‘eco’ part of the pens is more important to you. then be sure you know what you are purchasing before placing that order.

Do you have a favourite promotional eco friendly pen you use to promote your business? Please feel free to leave a comment and share your experiences or thoughts.

By Dan Toombs

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Posted in Eco Friendly Pens | No Comments »

Warning-Promotional Pens That Look The Same Are Not Always The Same!

Monday, August 30th, 2010
The popular Techno Ballpen

The pictured Techno ball pen goes by many names but the quality is rarely as good as the real thing!

I would like to tell you a story about a customer I lost for a short time. This was a customer who had been very happy with our service and prices. There was really no reason for them to change suppliers had it not been for a mail shot they received from one of my cut price competitors.

Her boss received a brochure while she was on vacation. The brochure featured a picture or the Techno ballpen. This is a very popular metal pen worldwide. I have seen it called other things such as the Lunar Pen and the Argenta Pen but the distinctive style is the same.

Realising they were low on pens and had a upcoming trade show in a few weeks, he jumped at the special offer without asking for samples. He thought he had been paying far too much for his pens and was in no mood to pick up the phone to me. He sent his artwork and placed his order.

Such actions are not unreasonable. If you saw an iPad featured for sale by one supplier for 20% less than from another supplier and you wanted an iPad, would you not jump at the deal?

Unfortunately for my customers things didn’t go as planned. They received their new pens a day before their big event but they were not the same. The metal used to manufacture them was much lighter and they were difficult to write with because of a substandard refill. Basically they were not usable because there were such poor quality.

I learned when I first started in the promotional merchandise industry that many pens may look the same but they are by no means the same. You see, the popular designs can be manufactured by several competing factories in China. Some use cheaper materials to manufacture these lookalike pens and the resulting pens feel cheap and not nice to write with.

I love competition. It is part of what makes my job fun. But as a buyer of promotional pens you need to ensure you are comparing like for like.

If in doubt ask for samples. Any good supplier will be happy to arrange for you to see samples.

I am happy to say that my customer has come back. This type of thing will happen again but hopefully it will not happen to you. Always check the quality of your promotional merchandise and you will have far less chance of purchasing substandard merchandise.

Have you ever thought you were getting an amazing deal on promotional pens just to find that the goods were not what you were expecting? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment.

By  Dan Toombs

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Posted in Promotional Metal Pens, Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

Quite Simply the Most Eco Friendly Pen in the World

Sunday, August 29th, 2010
Pens made from recycled Tetra Pak Carton

These eco pens are actually manufactured out of Tetra Pak cartons!

Are you looking for eco friendly promotional pens? Did you know that many promotional pens that appear to be eco friendly are about as eco friendly as a poisoned trout. They are manufactured out of plastic products that were never used in the first place.

One good example is the recycled CD case pens that are all the rage these days. When was the last time you recycled your CD cases? When CD cases are manufactured there is a percentage that do not work or break in the manufacturing process. These are the CD cases used for these ‘recycled’ eco pens. They never served any useful purpose and they are not biodegradable.

That is why I get excited when a truly eco friendly pen hits the market. I know how important it is to many of my customers that they promote their brands with eco pens. The EnviroStick pen is such a pen. In fact, it is currently the world’s most eco friendly pen!

It is manufactured out of used Tetra Pak cartons. You know the cartons that contain products such as fruit juice and long-life milk. I could get more scientific but that would be boring for too many. The main thing you need to know is that the trim, barrel and even the refill are manufactured from post consumer waste and they are also biodegradable.

The only part of this pen that is not recycled is the ink itself!

The EnviroStick pen is available with a white or black barrel and a choice of popular cap colours. The EnviroStick pen is manufactured by The Lecce Pen Company. It is a budget pen which writes well for what it is. If you are looking for higher quality eco pens that are also manufactured out of post consumer waste, you should have a look at some of the other pens on offer by Lecce.

The Re-Pen Stick Ballpen is a good alternative as it is also manufactured from post consumer Tetra Pak cartons but they do not have the recycled

The EnviroStick Pens

Manufactured with 100% post consumer waste!

refill yet. The EnviorStick is currently the only pen in the world that has a recycled refill.

You will also not be let down by the EnviroStick’s print area. There is a massive 45mm x 18mm print area on the barrel but it is only suitable for one colour imprints.

This could be a minor inconvenience for some and completely rule out using the EnviroStick for others.

Those of you who have multi coloured logos but still want a pen manufactured out of large amounts of recycled goods, I can recommend looking at the Biologo ballpen, the Biosense ballpen and the Biostick. Each of these are available worldwide and are manufactured out of recycled newspapers.

You may also be interested in looking into the large selection of pens that are now being manufactured out of cornstarch. These pens are manufactured out of corn and look and feel like plastic. They are also biodegradable so they will decompose when their writing life comes to an end.

Have you had any good or bad experiences with the pens recommended in this article. It would be great to hear your thoughts and experiences so please feel free to leave a comment.

By Dan Toombs

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Posted in Eco Friendly Pens | No Comments »

Free Promotional Pens Just for Subscribing to Our Blog

Saturday, August 28th, 2010
Parker Jotter Pens

The Parker Jotter is a popular promotional giveaway!

Free promotional merchandise builds brands. Who wouldn’t want a free promotional Parker Pen or a new top quality shopper bag?

The trick is to offer the kinds of promotional gifts that people will both want to own and also need to use regularly.

Promotional pens are this type of promotional gift. They are always one of the top selling promotional gifts every year without fail. Everyone needs a pen regularly and each time a logo printed pen is used it is building the advertising company’s brand. Recently promotional pens have started to be used much more often to get people to subscribe to blogs.

I know this because I sell promotional pens every day of the week and have done for many years. I have seen all the trends from the early days of the internet when anyone and everyone had their email address printed on their pens to the recent trend to promote social networks.

Now as increasing numbers of people are using blogging to communicate and educate their customers, blog address are beginning to be printed much more often.

Following is an example of how one of my customers does it who is on what one might call the A list of bloggers.

Anyone who visits his website and registers on his site receives his company brochure and a free Prodir pen. Prodir is famous for their top quality plastic pens so they are a good low cost gift that people appreciate. These pens and for that matter his blog advertise that anyone who subscribes to his blog’s RSS feed will receive a Parker Jotter Steel Pen and Pencil Gift Set.

This is a generous gift and perhaps more than most people will want to spend but it works perfectly for him and achieves the results he wants.

You may have a new blog and want to test the water first. Why not try offering a free Prodir Pen to anyone who subscribes to your blog. This is a very inexpensive way to get your customers and target customers to get to know you better and read your posts.

An Extra Bit of Advice

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘subscribe?’ My customer made a point that could be of interest to you. When most people hear the word ‘subscribe’ they think of subscribing to a magazine or newspaper. What do you need to do when you subscribe to a magazine? Pay!

When you offer your free pen for subscribing to your blog’s RSS feed don’t use the word subscribe. Instead say something like ‘Follow my blog’s RSS feed and receive a free Parker Pen’ or ‘Join my blog’s RSS feed and receive a free pen.’ He changed his wording and saw instant results. I hope you do too.

So what do you think? Do you want to give it a go? What do you have to lose? Would you like to leave a comment and share your thoughts or experiences?

By Dan Toombs

Posted in Parker Pens | No Comments »

Why Your Carpenter Customers Want Promotional Carpenter Pencils

Friday, August 27th, 2010
Promotional carpenter pencils

Our promotional carpenter pencils are eco-friendly and can be printed in full colour.

Do you have customers in the building trade? If so you will find many different promotional gifts that they will find useful. Promotional carpenter pencils are one of these products. Logo printed carpenter pencils are ideal marketing tools because they serve an important purpose and last a long time.

What other low cost promotional items can you think of that are portable, don’t leak and can erase your errors?

I am often asked by companies supplying carpenters with everything from cement to wood to food what business gifts they will appreciate most. Their question is always followed by my question – How much do you want to spend?

If you have a large budget and can afford to give away top quality tape measures, tools and workwear than by all means do so. Such gifts are very useful and will be appreciated.

The truth of the matter is, most businesses do not have huge marketing budgets.

One such business comes to mind. I was recently contacted by the owner of a sandwich shop that traded near Ingleby Berwick, the UK’s largest housing estate. Many of the shop’s customers are builders who stop by regularly for lunch. As there are many restaurants in the area, competition for the builders’ lunchtime trade is intense.

I recommended handing out low cost carpenter pencils printed with the shop’s logo and a sandwich meal deal. Carpenter pencils are used regularly and even when they are not used they are rarely thrown away. Instead they stay in the carpenter’s tool box until needed. If they are printed with a logo and contact details they can promote a business for months if not years.

Builders love carpenter pencils because they are flat and can be put down on a steep roof without rolling to the ground. The lead in the pencils is wide and flat instead of circular like normal pencils. The core is also harder than standard pencils so that carpenters can write on rough surfaces such as cement and wood. As the lead is flat, they can also write thin lines or fat dark lines simply by turning the pencil.

One more reason to give away these popular low cost promotional items is the fact that they are harder to find than other pencils. When was they last time you saw a carpenter pencil for sale in your local supermarket or stationery shop? Their usefulness and their scarcity helps make them the ideal business gift for carpenters.

Did you know that carpenter pencils can be printed in full colour? There are also many eco friendly versions on the market. You can purchase recycled plastic carpenter pencils and FSC wooden pencils manufactured from wood that is certified to come from properly managed forests.

What message would you print on your promotional carpenter pencils? Do you care to share your ideas?

By Dan Toombs

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Posted in Promotional Pencils | 1 Comment »

Why Do Free Promotional Parker Pens Attract So Much Business?

Thursday, August 26th, 2010
Parker Jotter Pens

Parker Pens are excellent brand builders - Here you will find them for less!

As I write this article I am looking at an ad for over 50s health insurance. I’m not reading it because I am over 50 – not yet anyway – it caught my interest because the insurance company behind the ad is offering a free Parker Pen just for requesting more information.

This is promotional gift marketing at its best. Parker pens are considered to be one of the nicest and most popular pen brands. Parker’s executive quality metal gift pens are often given as graduation and birthday gifts.

The Parker Pen on offer in the advert is not one of Parker’s famous executive gift pens, but the Parker Jotter. The Jotter is Parker’s best selling pen but it is also their least expensive pen. It has a plastic barrel with metal trim and that famous Parker clip. It has a Parker refill and writes like you would expect a Parker to write but it is the budget option.

This just shows how people are attracted to popular brands. The ad would be far less powerful if the insurance company was offering a free generic metal pen even if that pen were more expensive than the Jotter.

I am sure you have seen similar ads offering free Parker Pens in magazines, television and online. These offers work because people love to receive free stuff especially when that free stuff is manufactured by a respected and trusted brand.

Most of us put value in such things. We all know that if we see a Parker Jotter in our local stationery shop it will be more expensive than the Bics, Pilots and plastic generic brand pens on offer. If we do put our hands in our pocket and buy a Parker Jotter we feel as though we have purchased a good pen and have high expectations of it.

Whether your business is large or small, you could offer your customers or target customers free Parker Pens and expect excellent results. Here are just a few ways they can be used;

  • Give them as a free gift for every purchase over a certain amount
  • Give away Parker Jotters to visitors to your exhibition stand
    • Can you think of other ways to give away these popular name brand pens? Perhaps you have used them for promoting your brand. Care to share your thoughts or experiences? Please leave a comment.

    By Dan Toombs

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      Posted in Promotional Pens | No Comments »

      Promotional Plastic Pens Brands-Which 3 Are The Best?

      Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
      Promotional Futura Pens

      The Lecce Futura Pen is an excellent choice!

      I know what promotional plastic pens write well and look great. It is my business to know this information. It is something I spend hours keeping up to date with so that my customers can come to me for advice.

      It would be great if I could tell you which pens are the best in the country where you do business but that is not possible unless you happen to be in the UK.

      What I can do is let you know which brand name promotional plastic pens are the best and are available worldwide.

      They are Senator Pens, Lecce Pens and Prodir Pens. All three of these brands offer excellent quality plastic pens with large print areas at low prices.

      Now that would be the end of my article if it were not for a few things I would like you to know about each of these well know brands in the promotional merchandise industry.

      Senator Pens

      Senator manufactures both plastic and metal pens. Although their metal pens are quite popular gifts, it is their plastic promotional pens for which they are famous worldwide. Many of their pens offer large capacity refills. Senator also produces two popular eco friendly options called the Super Hit Eco and the Nature Plus. Eco pens are the craze at the moment. My personal favourite Senator Pens are the Super Hit, Challenger and Dart Pens.

      All are available in many different colours and finishes to compliment your corporate branding.

      Lecce Pens

      Lecce is a popular Italian brand. You can find their top quality promotional pens worldwide. Lately, Lecce has really taken the manufacture of eco friendly promotional pens to a new level.

      Their EnviroStick pen is the world’s first promotional pen manufactured from 100% recycled material. Which Lecce Pens do I like? The question should be which Lecce pens don’t I like. The answer is none of them. This brand rocks.

      I am sure you will agree if you write with them.

      Prodir Pens

      Prodir is know for its innovative styles. Unfortunately they are also known for their slow lead-times. Don’t even consider Prodir if you want your pens in a hurry. That said, if you have a little time before you need your promotional pens, be sure to check out all of the pens you Prodir’s range. You will love them.

      Some suppliers have begun purchasing large quantities of Prodir so that they can be printed faster for you but for the best prices allow at least five weeks.

      There are a lot of generic brands that are available but you will want to have a good supplier who really knows their stuff or at least allow time for samples. This is often easier said than done. It is a good idea to look for suppliers who have websites dedicated to promotional pens that have been live for many years.

      Have you had a good or bad experience with any of the promotional pens mentioned here. Please feel free to leave a comment.

      By Dan Tombs

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      Posted in Eco Friendly Pens, Promotional Pens | No Comments »

      Promotional Pens-Small Gifts That Promote Hotels

      Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
      Allegra Mix-n-Match pens

      Mix it up with the Allegra Mix-n-Match Pen

      I recently checked into a family run hotel in Innsbruck Austria. My wife, three children and I had been driving all day from Rotterdam Holland and we were all tired and hungry. I think the woman at reception could sense that we just wanted to get checked in quickly, get cleaned up and walk into the centre of town for something to eat. She was both helpful and friendly.

      “Can you please fill in the registration form?” she said handing me a pen with the hotel’s logo on it. I did this and as I was doing so she passed a couple boxes of colouring pencils over the counter to my two youngest kids along with two personalised notepads with pictures for them to colour in.

      The pen was a Lecce Allegra Mix-n -Match pen with mix-n-match colours that complimented the hotel’s colours nicely. I showed it to my wife but she hushed me up quickly. I could see the embarrassment in her face so I didn’t force the delight at having been handed a pen I knew so well. Apparently it is okay to know the brands of bags, boots and sports shoes but one should not know the brand of promotional plastic pens. That is a bit nerdy.

      I handed the pen back to her but she just smiled and told me I could keep it. Having been in the promotional merchandise industry for over 20 years I was happy to receive the plastic pen. It looks fantastic personalised with their logo and details and it helped give a good first impression of the hotel.

      When we went to dinner my two younger entertained themselves with their new colouring sets while my wife and I enjoyed a few adult beverages. These low cost promotional gifts were making our first evening in Innsbruck a nice experience and we were thankful for that.

      Back in the room there were several nice touches that both promoted the small hotel’s brand and made the stay that much nicer. There were personalised water bottles that were chilled and free! There were two more pens and notepads which we kept. Even the towels and glasses had the hotel’s logo on them. The place was had a casual elegance and a welcome end to a long day.

      Have you ever stayed at a hotel where they made your stay nicer with promotional merchandise? There is no substitute for excellent service and staff but the little extra touches help.

      Those pens I received almost two months ago are still in my possession and they still write very well. I use them around the house almost every day. If I am ever in Innsbruck again I know where I will be staying. Let me know if you would like the name of the hotel.

      By Dan Toombs

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      Posted in Promotional Pens, Promotional Plastic Pens, Uncategorized | No Comments »

      The Many Uses of Promotional Pencils

      Monday, August 23rd, 2010
      Promotional pencils

      Promotional pencils can now be printed in multiple colours!

      Dave Jones (not his real name but definitely real) has been purchasing promotional carpenter pencils for many years. He works for a family owned trade supplier of building supplies and understands how much his customers value these low cost gifts. He loves the fact that they can be printed in full colour with fantastic results. Over the years he has purchase literally thousand of promotional carpenter pencils and his brand has become much stronger for it.

      Promotional pencils come in many shapes, materials and sizes. Where Dave has found them to be the ideal promotional tools in his niche, many others have found different types of promotional pencils to be invaluable promotional products for their marketing requirements.

      Just the other day I was in a pub that caters to families. Each and every child in the pub was offered a black and white kids menu with pictures and a box of colouring pencils. The boxes were printed with the pub’s logo and name. They were put to good use and most were taken home by the kids to colour with and further promote the pub.

      Think about all the different types of businesses and organisation that use pencils and you could find a good reason to consider printing your logo onto a few hundred of these excellent low cost gifts.

      Students in schools and colleges use pencils daily. Why not print your logo onto a few hundred and donate them to your local schools? If you sell a service or product that is perfect for the education industry or perhaps aimed at families, your pencils will be seen by those you are trying to attract.

      Pencils also come in very handy in sports like golf and bowling where scores are kept by the players. This offers you a valuable opportunity to promote to these people. Do you have a popular restaurant near a golf course or maybe a taxi firm near a bowling alley?
      Low cost gifts like mini wooden pencils can promote your service or facilities at very low cost.

      Also readily available are executive and plastic mechanical pencils that can be used for years as the lead refills are available at stationery shops and easily replaced. Printing your logo on a quantity of these promotional pencils cannot be a bad idea.

      Many people are trying to be more ecologically conscious these days and one way they are doing this is by giving their customers eco friendly promotional gifts. Promotional pencils are some of the most eco friendly gifts around. Look for mechanical pencils manufactured from recycled plastic or FSC wooden pencils that are certified to be manufactured out of wood harvested from responsibly maintained forests.

      Can you think a a group of your target customers that would appreciate your logo printed pencils? Perhaps you have already used pencils to promote your brand. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts.

      By Dan Toombs

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      Posted in Promotional Pencils | No Comments »

      Biologo Promotional Pens-Raise Environmental Awareness with These Low Cost Recycled Ballpens

      Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
      Biologo ball pens

      The Biologo pen - Go on... request a sample. You will love this eco pen!

      Imagine this… You take a bunch of old newspapers, add a bit of water to make a fine mushy pulp. You then clean and de-ink the resulting goo and manufacture a nice pen out of it. Sound impossible? It’s not. Introducing the amazing low cost BiologoTM pen.

      The Biologo will give you that little bit extra in your next eco friendly marketing campaign. It is part of a range of pens that are manufactured from recycled newspapers and cornstarch. You have got to see this one.

      There is a choice of red, blue, green or light brown paper barrels. The clip and tip are white and manufactured out of a cornstarch product. This makes the pen not only recycled but biodegradable.

      If you have a lot you would like to print you will not be disappointed. There is a large 35mm x 20mm print area on the barrel and a 25mm x 6mm print area on the cornstarch clip. Go ahead and promote the fact that the pen is recycled and print something like ‘I used to be a newspaper’ along with your logo and contact details.

      Put simply, these push button promotional ball pens are excellent value for money. They will help you get the results you want.

      A customer of mine recently contacted me looking for pens that were not expensive but were also eco friendly. Not long ago this would have been difficult to find. Most eco friendly pens were more expensive than normal pens but this is changing. People are demanding eco friendly alternatives to standard pens and this demand has brought the prices right down.

      I recommended the Biologo to my customer and they were not disappointed. In fact, they were over the moon with the colour range and decided to purchase a few hundred of each colour to decorate their exhibition stand.

      The Biologo pen comes with a black ink refill that is quite good quality for a low cost promotional pen. I am sure you will be impressed but by all means test me. Order a few samples and see what you think.

      These promotional pens are excellent value for money.

      Do you have an upcoming eco friendly campaign? Have I convinced you to give this pen a try? Samples are free of charge so you owe it to yourself to test this pen. Be sure to drop back and leave a comment if you wish to share your thoughts.

      By Dan Toombs

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      Posted in Eco Friendly Pens | No Comments »

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