In today’s competitive marketplace, brands are constantly seeking innovative ways to connect with their target audience. Promotional products, often overlooked as simple giveaways, can be a powerful tool for enhancing brand awareness, building customer loyalty, and shaping brand image.
Promotional products offer a tangible way for brands to interact with potential and existing customers. When used effectively, they can increase brand visibility, build customer loyalty, drive sales and improve brand recall dramatically
While traditional promotional products can be effective, premium promotional products can have an even more significant impact on a brand’s image. High-quality items create a perception of value and luxury, associating your brand with premium experiences.
A premium gift shows customers that you’ve put thought and effort into your promotional efforts. Unique and high-quality items are more likely to be kept and used, leading to longer-lasting brand exposure. By selecting promotional products that align with your target audience’s interests and lifestyle, you can increase the effectiveness of your campaign.
When selecting promotional products, consider the following factors:
Sustainability: Consider eco-friendly options to align with growing consumer trends.
Target audience: What are your clients’ interests, preferences, and lifestyle?
Brand identity: How does the products align with your values and messaging?
Budget: How much you can allocate towards promotional products?
Promotional products can be a valuable asset for any brand. By carefully selecting the right items, you can enhance brand awareness, build customer loyalty, and create a positive and lasting impression. Premium promotional products, in particular, can elevate your brand’s image and leave a memorable mark on your audience. By understanding the power of promotional products and choosing items that align with your brand’s goals, you can create a successful and impactful marketing campaign.
TurnKey Promotions are specialists in branded marketing and promotional products. Reach out to our team at any time to help you create the perfect branded gift or promotional initiative to help you grow your brand.
Autumn at TurnKey Promotions means APPA Roadshow, and this year we levelled up our trade show game by attending both Sydney and Brisbane legs of the event.
Roadshow is the biggest exhibition in the local promotional products industry and a staple in our events calendar every year. This is where we get the chance to touch, feel, and critique hundreds of newly released products before bringing them to you, our valued clients.
Here’s a sneak peak at the hottest new products in the industry right now:
Which of these is is your favourite and why?
We are loving the Rollink Flex Earth Suitcase, touted as the “world’s smallest suitcase” for its capacity to fold into an incredibly compact 5cm (9.5cm including wheels) when not in use. Wow!
To enquire about any of the above products, please contact TurnKey Promotions at diana@turnkeypromotions.com.au.
The annual PPAI Expo brings together thousands of industry professionals, suppliers, and distributors for an unparalleled experience of innovation, networking, and education.
This year, more than 16,000 industry professionals from across the globe visited the Las Vegas-based expo to meet more than 1,000 exhibiting companies and discover the latest trends and products set to reshape the promotional products landscape in 2024.
From cutting-edge technology solutions to sustainable and eco-friendly products, the Expo showcases emerging trends that reflect the ever-evolving needs and preferences of consumers.
As the biggest promotional products show in the world (and one of the first in the calendar year), the trends that emerge at PPAI Expo each year often set the tone for the rest of the year. If it’s big at PPAI Expo, you can bet it’s going to be big at home soon.
Exhibitors at this year’s show revealed several trends influencing the promo industry today, some of which were illuminated in colorful lights, while others were less easy to spot.
Sustainability and social responsibility were front and center at this year’s show.
While less than a quarter of the products sold by promotional product suppliers in 2023 were marketed as sustainable, this will likely increase in 2024, with stands of the biggest suppliers in the industry flush with eco-friendly and sustainably-sourced products. More suppliers than ever before spruiked products that not only had eco-friendly characteristics and features, but could prove said features with instantly recognisable eco-credentials.
The sustainability theme was also prevalent in the abundance of wow-inspiring, Instagram-worthy packaging innovations on display at the show, with a notable emphasis on reducing or eliminating packaging waste.
As pandemic-era travel hesitancy becomes a thing of the past, air travel has once again ignited in popularity and products designed to make traveling easier and more convenient for individuals were left, right and center at the Expo. Attendees were presented with a range of innovative solutions aimed at enhancing the travel experience, from travel accessories that optimize organisation and comfort to technology-driven devices that streamline the journey.
In the sphere of apparel, oversized offerings and heavyweight T-shirts appeared to be enjoying a moment, while unisex styles were also a staple in new collections from almost all of the big apparel suppliers on the show floor.
For the last six years, TurnKey Promotions’ supplier-partner Stencil has led the Australian apparel market with their production of high-quality, high-tech clothing.
Stencil is perhaps best known for its famous Cool Dry® fabric, an innovative moisture-wicking fabric that breathes like a cotton, is quick drying and has antibacterial properties, making it cool and comfortable to wear all year round.
Over the past few years, Stencil has invested extensively in new technology to bring to market a number of groundbreaking, eco-friendly fabrics that can be found in some of TurnKey Promotion’s new ranges of polo shirts and apparel. These fabrics include:
Stencil Clime-Ori® Stencil Clime-Ori® was developed by Stencil in partnership with DuPont, using DuPont’s new Sorona technology. Clime-Ori® mixes the excellence of Cool Dry® with the innovative spring-like structure of Sorona, giving Clime-Ori® a an impressive set of attributes including colourfastness and stain-resistance.
Stencil Nano-Gear® Produced in both 100% cotton and poly/cotton blends, Stencil Nano-Gear® uses nano-scale polymers (engineered to attach to the individual fibres) to leave the finished garments astoundingly stain-resistant and wrinkle-free.
Stencil Bio-Weave® Stencil’s newest natural fibre combines traditional techniques with high technology to create a fabric unlike any other. A close cousin of rayon and lyocell, Bio-Weave® utilizes revolutionary wood-pulp manufacturing techniques to produce a fabric that has longlasting colours, is wrinkle-free and kind to sensitive skin.
The Sorona Polo
This year, TurnKey Promotions introduces Stencil’s Sorona Polo– proving that scratchy, uncomfortable eco-friendly fabrics are a thing of the past.
Comprised of an ecologically responsible plant-origin fibre, the Sorona Polo not only offers unmatched wear characteristics, but also requires 30% less energy to produce than a comparative nylon shirt. Our new Sorona Polo is also manufactured using natural fermentation in place of chemical processing, reducing its environmental impact without sacrificing quality or performance.
The finished product is smooth, silky and available in a range of attractive colours that won’t fade with wash or wear thanks to the fabric’s inherently high UV resistance.
To enquire about the Sorona Polo or any of Stencil’s fabrics, please contact TurnKey Promotions on 1300 153 707.
On the 26th of January 2023, Australian citizens at home and abroad will celebrate the 235th birthday of Australia.
While the date formally commemorates the establishment of the first British colony in New South Wales, the holiday has taken on a much deeper meaning in recent years.
Australia Day is a great opportunity to come together and celebrate the place we call home, regardless of what your belief is about the date of the holiday itself.
Today, you will find that Australia Day is commemorated not so much by formal ceremonies but by colourful, festive events that seek to promote a sense of community, multiculturalism and inclusion.
Why should you celebrate Australia Day in 2023?
Celebrate your national and cultural identity as an Australian individual or organisation.
Reflect on the past and acknowledge Australia’s significant cultural and ethical transformation throughout the past century.
Promote values of inclusion, diversity and multiculturalism.
Simply put, Australia is a great country to live in, and we should all acknowledge how lucky we are to live in a country renowned for equality, fairness and its democratic values.
Businesses can celebrate Australia Day with a fun Australia-themed promotion or marketing campaign. Be inspired by some of these great Australia Day-themed products from TurnKey Promotions:
Full Size Sublimated Bucket Hat Fully customizable polyester bucket hat. Available in three adult sizes (57/58/59cm) or three children’s sizes (54/55/56cm).
Premium Sublimated Socks Premium polyester socks available in one size that suits shoe sizes from EUR 38 – 43 and AUS 7-12.
Waterproof Temporary Tattoos Promotional temporary tattoos are non-toxic and easy to use! Available in 4 different sizes that can fit onto any part of the body.
Reversible Foldable Stubby Holder A secure neoprene base lets you slide in full beer bottles without worrying about them falling out. Cuts at the base let you fold the holder flat for easy storage.
To enquire about any of the products listed above, please call TurnKey Promotions on 1300 153 707. Alternatively, for more great Australia Day-themed products, please browse Turnkey Promotions’ Australia Day 2023 Catalogue.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(RSPCA) gathered reports and statistics for 2019 showing that approximately 61%
of households in Australia own pets. This gave Australia one of the highest pet
ownership rates in the world and calculated over 29 million pets in total.
Amongst these amazing percentages it was calculated that the most common owned
pet were dogs coming in at 40%. Although
the number of people owning pets may seem massive, it should come as no
surprise when you consider the top four benefits of owning a pet as reported by
owners. Relational benefits (love, affection and companionship), life being
better in general, happiness, and the improvement in mental health and
well-being. Pets become part of families and pull at our heart strings earning
themselves a well-earned title of “Fur Babies”.
We wanted to take a month to celebrate the fur babies of Australia by creating a catalogue (View Here) that is aimed at promoting animal care, happiness, and good ownership. Branded merchandise adheres to the basic standards of advertising, needing to be the right product, to the right person at the right time. Pet owners are a dedicated demographic, fiercely loyal and accustom to daily routines with their pets. This creates a perfect opportunity to place your brand into a high exposure environment surrounded by good times and cuddles (puppy cuddles are the best).
Exploring demographics and helping our clients consider new
audiences is what makes TurnKey Promotions unique. We launch custom themed
catalogues every month and each one is dedicated to exploring new ways to reach
your target audience. This month’s Pet Catalogue pulls at my heart strings and
reminds me of a marketing manager I had the privilege of working with a few
years back. She worked with a local bank and was looking for promotional
merchandise to include for the opening of a new branch. Before contacting us
she had conducted some preliminary research of the neighbourhood where the
branch was to be located and determined that there was a very high volume of
dog owners. When we met, she reported back her research and we collaborated to
create a promotional gift aimed specifically at dog owners. While this might
seem like an odd choice for a bank, it was well thought out, targeted and ensured
a successful opening event for the bank. Exploring demographics can really make
a difference to your promotional product campaign. If we dive deeper into the
61% of households owning pets we will find that 64% of those pet owners are
female and 65% are from households with incomes of $50,000 or more. Diving a
little further we can also find that 75% of those aged 18-24 are pet owners
(Gen Z) and 66% of those aged 40-54 are also pet owners (Gen X). In fact, over
three-quarters of families with children ages 6 or older also report back as
pet owners.
Remember your target audiences can be bound together with beautiful
strings like owning a pet.
Branded pet products is a growing trend in the promotional industry, but we searched far and wide within our supply chain and put our findings into an easy to browse catalogue just for you.
If you’re looking to bring something new to your next event
or promotion you can always count on us to help you stay on target and outside
of the box
( Sharpen. Write. Repeat. Then Plant. Pencils with a dual purpose)
Four ways to embrace eco friendly items and incorporate them into your marketing.
Live it.
One of the best ways to promote reusing, recycling and reducing is to live by example. Make sure all of the products you are selecting haven’t been “green washed’ and actually are providing a positive impact on the environment. A lot of items are marketed as ecofriendly, but to really embrace the idea we encourage you to get invested into the “why” and link that back into your branding. If you are branding a water bottle, consider placing an inspirational phrase on the reverse side. Something as simple as “Fill. Drink. Repeat” has a massive impact and reminds the recipient that the item is reusable. You can also find products that speak for themselves and we’ve included a few in our newest catalogue “Eco Living”. A perfect example is the reforest jute tote bags. For every 100 units sold the manufacturer arranges a tree to be planted within reforestation areas of Australia. To help illustrate this program we have added a small recycled tag to the bag straps which alerts recipients to the program. Contributing to good initiatives creates good vibes and this is exactly the association you want with your brand. Another great option in our catalogue are the water bottles crafted from sugar cane. Each bottle has a stock sugar cane graphic printed along the base which helps celebrate the natural materials used to create the bottles. In addition, the bottle supplier is actively contributing to a clean water charitable fun and each bottle sold helps to provide clean water for three months to one person in the Central African Republic.
Plant it.
Connecting back to nature creates a genuine sense of giving back to the environment. Items that can be planted or placed in gardens are a great way to get your brand involved. Select an interactive item like potted plants, a butterfly or bee hotel (featured in our catalogue) and your brand will have repeat exposure as each unit grows. We also have an innovative pencil in this month’s catalogue that can be planted at the end of its usable life cycle. Each pencil has a water pouch built in and once planted will degrade, releasing the water and seeds. Products linked to being planted open great possibilities for brand enhancement messages like “grow with us” and “new beginnings”.
Need it.
Choose items that can be incorporated into every-day life.
Most landfills are loaded with single use disposables, many of which are used
and disposed daily. Coffee cups, plastic straws, and plastic bags sit at the
top of this list and ecofriendly options are not only being sought by consumers
but also by local state and government agencies. Bans on plastic straws and
plastic bags are on the rise, along with reusable coffee cup programs which are
popping up in fast moving metros. This creates the perfect time to put your
brand on trend, in demand and all while staying ecofriendly. Reusable bags made
from fibres like jute, cotton or cork add a natural beauty to your branding.
Along with these bags, recyclable paper straws, and reusable coffee cups
(especially those made of unique materials like rice husk) provide a great
solution for reducing landfill. Your brand’s exposure is maximised with items
used daily and if you can achieve that along with helping the environment your
brand is #winning.
Gift it.
Two terms that are rarely married together are eco friendly and corporate gifting, but we’ve included a couple ideas to achieve both and take your brand to the next level. Starting with premium sunglasses that come packed with a jaw dropping backstory. Each pair is crafted from re-purposed skateboards and the results are stunning. Top of the line luxury sunglasses make the perfect summer gift and being made from skateboards is a great conversation twist. Next up is a must have tech item constructed with bamboo, organic cotton, hemp and recycled plastic. With natural crafted Bluetooth speakers your eco friendly gifting is sorted this season. These stylish 10-Watt speakers combine quality sound with a sustainable design and are sure to spark both intrigue and delight with recipients.
No matter what direction you want you want to explore, there are eco friendly initiatives at every budget level. Tiptoe into the idea or dive headfirst and start contributing to the reducing, recycling, and reusing trend wave. The demand is here, the impact is real, and your brand deserves to be placed where it matters most. We love this chapter in the promotional products story and are excited to share our newest release “Eco Living” catalogue.
Should you or shouldn’t you start planning for Christmas three months out?
Why you should?
Preparation, most of us believe is key to smooth sailing. And we all know Christmas time is where stress levels can be peaking. Getting organised early on can avoid last minute panic stations.
You have adequate time to shop around for best pricing for gifts, food, decorations, plane tickets, etc.
If you are a lover of everything Christmas, so extending one of your favourite times of the year from one day to three months, makes complete sense.
You actually love the build up / anticipation more than the day of Christmas, and therefore dedicate most of your focus on this part.
You have lots of family coming and need the 3 months prior to mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for the day.
Dietary requirements are not limited to one person at the table anymore. Every person and their dog has a food allergy / intolerance / preference. If you are catering, this certainly requires an excel spreadsheet.
It’s the perfect excuse to buy new stationery to help you plan and organise. If this is you, check out some of my latest favourite stationery items.
Planning now helps you remain flexible when the last minute Christmas drinks/ catch-ups, pop-up. Waltzing in feeling stress free and completely present.
You love lists and event planning and so this is your time to shine.
Why you shouldn’t?
Three months is a quarter of the year, and anything could change your pre-determined plans.
You potentially miss out on Spring because your head is stuck in Christmas.
A gift 3 months out may seem like a good idea at the time, but fast forward 3 months, and it could become yesterday’s novelty. Some tried and trusted denim suggestions.
You have lost your Christmas spirit… This is where, I believe, self gifting comes in. Love thy self!
You are extremely introverted and find Christmas festivities unbearable and therefore do not give it more thinking time than required.
Your work life is all about planning, and so in your personal life, you take a break. If you are looking for Work Christmas gifts check – see page 23/24 of our look book for some ideas.
You are not sure if you will be here at Christmas or booking a trip away so you can avoid Christmas all together.
Christmas feels like groundhog day. Same day, different year!
I know it may feel a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but it does make life a lot less stressful when you can plan ahead. Particularly when it comes to gift giving for customers, staff, suppliers, business partners… and particularly when the quantities are not small. Planning helps you stick to your budget, ensure stock availability, delivery and quality is spot on.
Some interesting information on the power of gift giving, I found recently from 2018/19 Forbes article:
“Detailing the return-on-investment for a business gift, Jennings reveals that C-suite executives are especially impacted by a gift that tells a story and facilitates a deeper personal connection, which 94% of top executives believe is important to business success. Over 80% of C-suite executives believe that business gifts generate measurable positive ROI in addition to intangible benefits. “Gifts humanize business,” said a survey respondent. “It pays for itself two fold,” said another.”
Let me know if you want to talk Christmas gift giving for your customers, shareholders, suppliers, partners and/or staff. I have loads of gift ideas – both new and the classics that never falter.
It isn’t a bad problem to have, fending off the sun rather than the rain. But as December comes and falls away and we all stumble forward, probably more than a little tipsily, into the blinding sun of 2019, more than a few of us will be feeling the heat.
It’s easy to spend Christmas week cooped up inside, nursing a nice port and eating yourself into a food coma, but then it’s time to get out and let the fun of the sea and surf wash away the accumulated kgs. Or at least move the eat fest to the beach.
Either way you’re going to need a spot of shade, and with the holiday season being a time of friendship and family, you’re probably going to need a lot of the stuff. Beach umbrellas are a mainstay in the arsenal of any sun lover. The stars of postcards and boardwalks, you can’t have a beach without a beach umbrella. Easily stored, carried and large enough to keep everyone cool and relaxed.
Large but also lightweight, the Bahama Beach Umbrellas eight panel design fits all the necessary specs for safe fun in the sun. Boasting a reflective silver lining with a UPF 50+ protection, short setup time and a nifty carry case, it’s a product that’s going to get around.
With options for screen printing and digital transfer, branding is exceptionally easy. Beaches are wide open, easily accessible spaces that provide a lot of visibility and footfall. With a striking design and logo on the showerproof polyester canopy, it’ll be easy to stand out, come rain or shine.
There is logic in creative thinking and expression. Despite whether the creative or the audience is aware of it. Unconsciously we are drawn to design that follows at least one or more of the key principles of design. On the other hand, we repel, and feel like something isn’t right or is missing if none of the principles are adhered to… which may be what the designer is trying to achieve. Hence the importance of firstly knowing what your desired outcome is of any design piece.
WHAT ARE THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
There are six basic principles, however, some theories state there are up to 20 principles, but from research it is a further dissection/layering of one of the key principles below. The basic principles will suffice in creating ‘good design’. The theory is that at least one of the design principles should be incorporated to achieve good design, however, all the six principles can be incorporated into the one piece.
Alignment
This helps us to create order and an invisible connection between elements. In today’s world, the number of messages that we engage in / cross our path each day, makes it essential for us to make it easy to understand quickly what it is that we want to the audience to think or do. It is a simple but effective way to creating sharp design. Interestingly, the word alignment, infers a feeling of balance and peace.
Repetition
Something that is used when you have multiple pages or pieces typically, but we can also see this principle used in one-offs. In this case, it would be for the purpose of making a very strong statement that leaves an imprint. Repetition, generally, is about creating consistency. Consistency makes people feel safe, provide clarity and helps build trust. Unless your brand is very established, playing around with the treatment of your logo for example, will only confuse your audience, whilst forgoing the opportunity of building familiarity with your brand.
Contrast
Contrast is all about emphasis. You can achieve contrast with type, colour, images, shapes, lines, etc. It’s a great tool to help guide the viewer, also playing a role in the principle of hierarchy (below). Creating strong contrast definitely helps with grabbing attention. So if you have a big message you want to get across, use contrast. You will see this principle adopted in many political movement communications.
Hierarchy
Is a means of prioritising the message order, so the design doesn’t create chaos and lose the viewer, as they are not sure what path to follow to take in the information. Our eyes, when looking at something, are looking for order of where to start and where to end. When it comes to a marketing message what is the order from the most important to least important in the eyes of the viewer: is it your logo, the message, your website, the visual, the contact details, etc? It’s crucial that we think from the viewer’s perspective. This has created many interesting conversations between creatives and clients on the percentage of space given to a logo!! Currently the trend of minimisation is impacting how and where and if we position various components… and leaving us to ask the question… do we actually need them at all?
Balance
It is what it says. You can achieve this in two ways: symmetrical, when the weight is evenly distributed (ie, two equal halves) and asymmetrical, through using contrast (eg, dark and light). Keep in mind what you are trying to achieve and whether this design principle is applicable.
Colour – Is not a key principle, per se, but we think it’s worth including.
A game changing principle to any design piece. The key is to know how far you can take colour and when to pull it back. In most design courses, colour is the last thing you get to play with so you can focus on learning to leverage the effectiveness of all other principles. A good discipline to establish. Work on the order first and then play with colour. There are millions of colours, each every one tells a story. So think about the story you are creating with the colours you are using. If you are looking for inspiration, look to nature. There is a magic in natural that achieves colour combinations that we might not ordinarily be able to achieve.
WHAT ROLE DOES THIS PLAY WHEN IT COMES TO PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS?
In 1919, founder of Bauhaus (An art school in Germany), Walter Gropius had the idea that design should meet the needs of society.
This thinking is still relevant today. Before we step into designing any promotional piece, we must try to understand how it will meet the needs of the user/audience. The more aligned we are with this, the more value the audience will place on the item. So staying close to what’s trending is important to ensuring your brand/business stays relevant. A well thought through promotional product clearly denotes your relevance in the market … an image speaks a thousand words. Doing something for the sake of doing it, without the thinking, will come through and may devalue your brand in its market.
What we are seeing now is how, what were once considered promotional products, have become a merchandise range, for companies like VB and Tiffany’s. It has become a means of leveraging their engagement across new channels and new audiences. In itself, it is/has become a marketing medium that the consumer is paying for. For the reason that the brand value has been well established. VB has engaged fashion designers to create their new range of apparel line – which is a big step forward.
Before you go straight to the ‘promotional product’ consider the following:
Start with your customer
Research what is trending in the industry and consumer market
Be clear about what you are trying to achieve
Consider some concepts
Think about the message and the relevance.
When you go into design, apply two or more of the design principles listed above.
GREAT DESIGN ADDS VALUE
At first you may not being able to assign a monetary value to great design, however if it’s having an impact on perception, then this is the beginning of a new era for your brand, business and you. You, is in reference to how you think and feel about your brand. That it is worthy of the investment, that the customers are also worthy, that the alignment with your desired brand positioning (if your current one doesn’t cut it) is crucial to continuing to build ‘perceived value’. And perceived value, at the end of the day, is a ‘real value’. Sometimes our biggest challenge is knowing our true value!!!
