JEM Promotional Products supports the VIC Open 2009

Earlier this year JEM Promotional Products supported the VIC Open which is a Beach Volleyball Competition held in February as part of the St Kilda Festival.

As part of our sponsorship we gave Vic Beach 500 Frisbees printed with the JEM Logo and a Towel-in-a-Tote for each of the winners. This is the logo we embroidered on the towels:


The following photos are courtesy of MJR Photography:

You can see the JEM Promotional Products Beach Flag in the background of these photos.







Here are some photos of the winners with their trophies and Towel-in-a-Tote bags donated by JEM Promotional Products.






If you would like to enquire about our Towel-in-a-Tote product contact us on (02) 8205 1334 or enquiries@jempp.com.au. Alternatively, follow this link to our Towel-in-a-Totw product page.

Top 5 Symbol T-shirts of all time!

We had so much fun putting together our blog on the Top 5 Most Famous Slogan T-shirts that we have decided to do a Top 5 Symbol T-shirts. Here is what we came up with:

The Smily Face Shirt

This shirt is sure to put a smile on your dial! It is such a classic and its message is one that people will want to promote forever.

The Peace Symbol ShirtSymbols don't only have to look nice they can also make and statement and that is what the shirt with the Peace symbol does.

The Superman Symbol Shirt

You can channel Clark Kent and wear this shirt under your suit or just appreciate a nicely designed t-shirt and wear it with jeans.

The Batman Symbol Shirt

This is the second superhero symbol shirt in our Top 5 so it is either a coincidence or the superheros must have a great graphic designer : )

The Che Guevara Shirt

While this shirt is more of a photo shirt than a symbol shirt we feel that this particular photo of Che Guerva became so popular and it became a symbol in it's own right.

What are the keys to a great Symbol shirt?

I think there are a couple of things you can do to design a great symbol t-shirt.

• KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid! I know one of the things I like about symbols is being able to draw them myself and therefore the simpler the better. Simplicity is one of the things that makes a symbol easy for people to recognise.
  

• Don't use a lot of colours. Especially when it comes to printing on t-shirts it is a lot cheaper and easier to print one colour. This also makes the design a lot cleaner and easier to look at.
  

Have you got a symbol you would like to print on a shirt? Why not browse through our t-shirts range to see if there is anything you like and then contact our Sales Team on (02) 8205 1334 or enquiries@jempp.com.au. Please note minimum order quantities apply.

Twilight Merchandise Concepts from a Twilight Fan/Merchandiser perspective

The JEM Promotional Products office is dominated by women, we actually only have one male in our team so you can imagine how our discussions all center around fashion and topics like who we think should win So You Think You Can Dance. Today is the release of the Twilight DVD in stores and that got us talking about how much we adore the movie. Combine our love for Twilight and our passion for Merchandise and the next thing you know we have started a little in-house competition to redesign the Twilight Merchandise Range! We have access to so many products and so we think we have thought of some products that we have not seen as part of the Twilight Merchandise range that would be some awesome additions.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE NOT LICENSED TO SELL TWILIGHT MERCHANDISE AND THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE DESIGNS WE HAVE JUST DONE FOR FUN

Twilight Journal

This is our favourite item because we can just imagine Twilight fans all over the World using this Journal to write down their thoughts and feelings. We have mocked it up with a metal badge of the Cullens Crest instead of the Twilight logo because we thought this just made it a little bit more special. It is a great quality leather bound journal.

Twilight Candles

These candles would be a great addition to any teenagers room and will give you great ambiance for reading the Twilight Books or wathcing the movies.

Twilight Bookmark

A leather bookmark is not only a practical item you can use while reading through the Twilight Saga it is also a great keepsake. This bookmark is made from leather and so will last a life time.

Twilight Mug

A mug is another practical item that you can use every day.

Twilight Lipgloss

Hmmm we may have been thinking of Robert Pattison when we picked this product.

Twilight Military Cap

Miltary Caps are one of our most popular cap designs.

Twilight Dog Tag Necklace

This a great item as it is suitable for both girls and guys. We can also laser engrave on the dog tags.

American Apparel Twilight Hoodie

We understand that Twilight fans are fashion forward and so a baggy hoodie does not fit in with your style. We think there is no reason why you can't wear movie merchandise and still look stylish and so we have mocked-up this American Apparel Hoodie with the Twilight logo.

Twilight Sweatbands

This is a great item for concerts or a a fashion statement piece.

Twilight Beanie

Great for a road trip to Washington or a visit to the New Moon set!

Twilight Photoframe

For that picture of you and your Edward or maybe a photo of you and the Twilight stars if you are lucky enough to meet them.

Twilight Slogan T-shirts

When I was looking around the net for Twilight Merchandise I saw some really awesome slogan t-shirts. We decided to pick our favourite line from the movie and use that for our slogan t-shirt design. The line "You have no idea how long I have waited for you" which Bella's says to Edward came a close second in the best movie quote office vote!

We also could not resist using the line "Do I dazzle you?" on a t-shirt too.


We literally could have gone on designing for hours but we had to get back to work so here are some other products we thought of but didn't get a chance to mock-up are:

• Twilight pack of playing cards with all the stars photos on the back of each card. Robert Pattision definitely gets an ACE : )

• Twilight Cherry Red Lollipop to play on the whole Vampire blood sucking thing lol
  

• A Twilight Backpack to carry all your books
  

Well Twilighters we hope you like our Twilight Merchandise Design Concepts. We would love to see some of your own designs also so post a link to your designs in a comment and we will check it out. We just need to mention one last time that we aren't the official merchandisers for the Twilight Merchandise (we really wish we were!) therefore we can't sell any of these designs and so we ask that you don't contact us about it. I tried to do a search and I think Borders have some official Twilight Merchandise if you are looking for products to buy.

p.s. if you are wondering what the Twilight font is it is Zephyr which can be purchased from My Fonts

The Business Card Pen with 6 Rotating Messages

We have a new pen available that we have decided to rename as The Business Card Pen because we think it would be the perfect product to replace your standard business card. The Digital Widebody Message Pen enables you to print a full colour print on the barrel of the pen including your photo, 6 rotating messages you can use for your contact details and eureka you have a Business Card Pen!

We think this pen would be a great item as election merchandise item for Politicians. The pen offers 6 Rotating Messages which means you could put the Members Name, the Electorate, Office Address, Phone Number, Website Address and Campaign Message! Plus there photo is on there so it will mean constituents will hopefully recognise their candidates.

Below I have shown the pen from 3 different angles so that you can get an idea of what the artwork looks like.

Minimum Order Quantity: 1000 pens per design

Trim/Grip Colours: Black, Blue, Burgundy, Forest Green, Navy, Purple, Red.

Ink Colours - Ballpoint: Black, Blue or Red Ink, Fine Ballpoint: Black or Blue Ink

Turn-around time: 15 working days

Other industries this pen would be perfect for include Real Estate Agents as most Real Estate Agents put their photo on their business card.

Follow this link to get a quote on our: Digital WideBody Message Pen or contact us on (02) 8205 1334

Rudd Stimulus Package Sale Advertisements

Companies big and small have decided to try ramp up sales by targeting their marketing towards getting consumers to spend their $950 K-Rudd Stimulus Money with them. Here are just some of the advertisements I found:

Crossroads Rudd-O-Rama Sale

Rudd-O-Rama 30% off everything at Crossroads. Starts Thursday 2nd April for a limited time.

Conti Stimulus Sale

From April 1st until June 30th 2009, you can now book 12 hours of studio time for your next audio or visual project for only $880!!!

Your Bed Stimulus Sale

Outspark Economic Stimulus Sale

In October last year Outspark has a sale with select premium items in Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice on sale for 25% off.

Kogan - Kevin 37 High Definition Stimulus Package

I have already written a blog on this one so I won't bore the regulars by repeating it. Follow this link to check out my Kogan's answer to your K-Rudd Stimulus Money Blog.

The following companies are also having 'Rudd Sales':

• Discount Ski Tubes and Gear - 15% OFF Everything Online & Storewide for the Month of April. Any order over $900 will receive FREE shipping Australia wide

• Inverted Body Boarding - All Boards are $250 and all t-shirts are $30 from Saturday April 11th to Monday 13th April.

I am actually a bit surprised at how tame most of the advertisements are, you would think that the word stimulus would have inspired all sorts of cheeky marketing campaigns. I have seen a few cheeky t-shirts with slogans like "Check out my Stimulus Package" and "I've got your stimulus package right here"

Let me know if you spot anything else blogworthy : )

Easter Show Showbag Review

You would think that working in the Promotional Products industry would mean that I wouldn't get excited about promotional items but I actually love getting free products and buying showbags...Easter Show Showbags in particular! This year I have decided to review the Sydney Royal Easter Show Showbags with my favourites:

The Bertie Beetle Showbag

Now how can you go past the Bertie Beetle Showbag! At a bargain price of $2.00 you get a pretty good selection of chocolates.

The Iron Man Showbag

My favourite part of the Iron Man Showbag is the backpack which is designed like armour. This is my showbag pick for boys.

Supre Showbag

The Supre bag has some great promo items including a cosmetic bag and a fashion scarf. It has a retail value of $92.05 and is for sale for $15.00 so that is a pretty good deal. If I was picking the contents I probably would have added one of their famous slogan t-shirts like their "I'm Beached as Bro" slogan t-shirt. This would be my showbag pick for girls.

If you are a company looking at putting together here are my tips to a creating a great show-bag:

• Try steer away from a plastic bag and invest into a bag that will be reused. There are some cost effective bag types such as Tote Bags or Back Sacks that would make a good replacement. You are also doing a good thing for the environment by giving away reusable bags.
  

• Include perishables and non-perishables. Going to the Sydney Royal Easter Show can be expensive especially if you have a large family so if you include some snacks in your showbag parents will really appreciate it. However, it is important to include items that will be taken home and used over and over again as a chocolate bar will be eaten and the wrapper thrown away so it won't act as a constant brand reminder.
  

• Make sure you brand all the items in your bag. While this may cost a little bit extra it will give you a greater return on your investment because when the kids all get home and dump the contents of all their bags onto the floor your branded items will stand out from all the other unbranded items.
  

If you would like us to design a showbag for you please contact us on (02) 8205 1334 or enquiries@jempp.com.au

Top 5 Famous Slogan T-Shirts of all time!

At JEM Promotional Products we have a lot of our clients print slogans on their t-shirts and that got me thinking about what I would rate as the most famous slogan t-shirts of all time. We did a quick brainstorm in the office and this is what we came up with for our Top 5 Famour Slogan T-Shirts of all time:

I LOVE NY T-SHIRT

This is an oldie but also a favourite. The pure simplicity of the slogan and the iconic red heart makes it a definate crowd pleaser.

I'M WITH STUPID T-SHIRT

Another classic that makes your friends or partner the butt of your joke.

VOTE OR DIE T-SHIRT

In 2004 Sean Combs AKA P. Diddy decided to take a stance and get young people to vote in the Presidential Campaign with his message to "Vote or Die". The slogan t-shirt played a huge part in his campaign with many celebrities wearing the shirt to promote the message.

VOTE FOR PEDRO T-SHIRT

Who ever thought that the independent comedy movie Napoleon Dynamite would result in a famous slogan t-shirt. Napoleon Dynamite is a gawky high school student who makes friends with Pedro. Pedro is going for class president but does not realise that after his final speech he needs to perform a skit. Napoleon saves the day by giving a music tape he had received from the visiting LaFawnduh to the sound engineer and performs a passionate, energetic dance routine, which wins a standing ovation from the school audience.

TEAM JOLIE VS. TEAM ANISTON T-SHIRTS

Who could forget the celebrity break-up of the century when Brad Pitt and Jenifer Aniston broke up after 10 years of marriage and then Brad moved on quite quickly into the arms of Angela Jolie. The world was divided over whether they supported Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston with the famous Hilton sisters taking different sides. Celebrities and fans showed their support by wearing one of the famous TEAM JOLIE or TEAM ANISTON t-shirts.

Do you think you have a slogan that could be the next big thing for slogan t-shirts? We have a whole range of t-shirts that can be printed with slogans. Follow this link to our t-shirts page.

Top 5 Famous Band Shirts

Check out the Top 5 Band Shirts that are recognized world wide.
Not only are the bands famous world wide the t-shirt designs are also quite simple, making them stand out.

#1 - Rolling Stones
The shirt doesnt even have the bands name printed on the shirt at all yet as soon as we see the mouth with the tongue hanging out we know its the Rolling Stones. It simple and bright design makes it stand out and be easily remembered



#2 - The Ramones
The bold large text that RAMONES is written in on this shirt makes it easy to be seen from a fair distance, the logo underneath takes up most of the shirt - Its all about Maximum exposure!


#3 - Beastie Boys
Not only does the shirt come in a bright yellow, the logo and photo printed on to the shirt is done in contrasting colours to the yellow.
#4 - Muse
Simple and straight to the point in a plain neat text, the thick lines above and below the text bring more attention to the area, also the text being in capitals also benefits the design

#5 - The Who
Funky design that takes up most of the area on the shirt first draws your attention, the positioning of "The Who" in black is done in a way that has the arrow from "The "Who" in grey pointing up to it, therefore your eyes follow the vertical pattern it has created, exposing you to the bands name not once, but twice!
If you are interested in getting any other band merchandise for your next gig please contact the team at JEM on 02 8205 1334 or send us an email to enquiries@jemmp.com.au. For more band merchandise ideas check out our myspace made specifically for bands: www.myspace.com/jem_merchandise

Commonwealth Bank of Australia Money Box - the Power of a Promotional Product

Have you been following the latest Commonwealth Bank TV Advertisements which all focus around the design of their money box.

Here are the TV Commercials if you have not seen them:

The campaign message is that Commonwealth Bank are dedicated to teaching kids about money. I think this is a great example of how a promotional product can become something iconic. I still remember opening my first Dollarmite account and being given my Commonwealth Bank money box. This is actually a photo of the Commonwealth Bank metal money box that I still have in my room and use every single day!



Here are my thoughts on why the Commonwealth Bank Money Box is a successful Promotional Product:

• It is a simple product that relates to what they are trying to promote
• The product is useful and so people have no hesitation using it
  
• The design using the Commonwealth Bank building is unique and instantly associates the product with the Commonwealth Bank brand
• They have remained constant with their design so that it has had time to mature and people now recognise it

Most importantly they have linked the money box into their other forms of advertising such as the TV Commercials but they have kept their message the same which is that they are constant and reliable and that parents can trust them to teach their kids about money.

"Im with the band..."

Think, what are the two items that fans jump scream and fight over while watching their all time favourite band on stage?

The drumsticks and guitar picks of course!




Here at JEM we can supply your band with their very own personalised guitar picks.
We sell the best guitar picks used by musicians all over the world. We can print full color in vivid detail. Bundle them in clamshell Packs or individually - the choice is yours!



But what are your fans going to do with guitar picks if they are musically challenged? Well we have the solution!!
Put your personalized guitar pick on a key ring!


The pick keyring also comes with a mould of a guitar, how awesome is that!
Now your fans can carry your name around with them everywhere!!!



Now i mentioned before the drumstick, at JEM we came across this new product that will get your fans into the beat of things. You know the type of person, the type that picks up a pair of pencils and does an impromptu drum solo, like they're playing to a crowd of thousands- not a water cooler and the photocopier? Pander to your fans fantasy with these perfectly formed and personalized drumstick pencils!


Pretty self explanatory, your fans can keep writing and drum away to your beat until their hearts content whenever the moment takes them. Excellent for your musical fans or those who want to pretend to live the rock star dream - "I'm with the band"
For more information for any of the product shown above or if you are interested in getting any other band merchandise for your next gig please contact the team at JEM on 02 8205 1334 or send us an email to enquiries@jemmp.com.au. For more band merchandise ideas check out our myspace made specifically for bands: www.myspace.com/jem_merchandise

Branded USB People

About 4 years ago USB's were the hot ticket promotional item around as they were innovative and new; now everyone hands-out USB's on a regular basis and so customers no longer get excited when they get one for free. JEM Promotional Products are now able to offer a new and exciting USB that should definitely get people's attention...USB People.

With the USB People you can choose from their extensive range of Stock USB People or you can create your own design to make it look like your staff uniform. I decided to create a USB person for JEM Promotional Products.

• You start by selecting a body colour

• Select a hair style and colour

• Select your eye style - down to specifying the type of glasses your USB person will wear
  


• Select Mouth Style
  

• Select Clothing

• Add you Logo


• Select your Socks & Shoes

I went through all the steps and I think the USB person I created to represent JEM Promotional Products looks pretty awesome.

There are a whole range of stock USB People that you can add your logo too including the following:

If you are in a band or an artist you may considering releasing your next album on a USB and making the USB people look like your band members. You could have one to represent each band member and fans can either pick their favourite or collect the set!


If you are looking for something slightly different you could get a USB Person Pedometer or USB Person Clock:

For a more executive style we also have Metal USB People:


Create your own USB world with the accessories which also happen to be USB Hubs:

USB People Caravan Hub

USB Mini People Winner's Podium USB Hub

This product is patented and can only be sourced through authorised suppliers; contact JEM Promotional Products for a quote by emailing enquiries@jempp.com.au or calling (02) 8205 1334. We also have an Online Enquiry Form that you can complete.

An Alternative to the Black T-shirt

When you think band merchandise the first thing that comes to mind is a black t-shirt with the bands name slapped on to it.

Band t-shirts are great, but with so many awesome bands out there you can only have so many band T-shirts in your wardrobe, and so many black ones at that.

So why not go for something different?

At JEM Promotional Products we stock a whole range of innovative band merch ideas.

Why not give you fans a bottle opener with your bands name printed or engraved on to it or even a hipflask

.

If you want a cheaper option get printed lighters, stubby holders and embroidered wristbands.

Or get a little cheeky and get branded underwear.

The possibilities are endless, don’t just stick to the norm, stand out from the crowd and make sure you don’t blend into the endless sea of black T-shirt merchandise. - Add us as your friend on myspace and check out more of our range of band merch products

If you are interested in getting band merchandise for your next gig please contact the team at JEM on 02 8205 1334 or send us an email to enquiries@jemmp.com.au

Kogan's answer to your K-Rudd Stimulus Money

Now here is one very cheeky but clever marketing campaign from Kogan. On the 5th of March they launched their Kevin 37 High Definition Stimulus Package. Coinciding with the government handout they are selling a Kevin37 inch HD LCD TV which is going to cost $900 - the amount most Australian's will receive as part of the stimulus package.


They are also going to be giving out a free promotional t-shirt with each order that plays on the Kevin 07 Election Shirts.


Ha ha they were even cheeky enough to provide a link from their website to to ATO website where people can get more information on the tax bonus.

Lego Business Card people

My brother came across this interesting product on the SeeSaw Designs blog; they are lego people or 'mini-figs' customised to be business cards for the employees at Lego. They are even designed to look like the employee by matching their hair colour, style and accessories like glasses.


I wonder if Lego will start developing a range of celebrity lego people like how Oprah has her own Barbie...it could be the next big thing : )

Custom Design Poker Chips

Are you having a poker themed client function and what to give your guests something memorable to take home from the event? JEM Promotional Products can custom design Poker Chips that would be a perfect product for your event.

Features:

• Choose from Acrylic, ABS or Clay
• Printed up to 4 Colours on both sides
• You can add a keyring attachment

Please note there is a minimum order quantity.

If you would like to enquire about this product please contact us on (02) 8205 1334 or enquiries@jempp.com.au

Etiquette to Wearing the Band Shirt

I go to my fair share of gigs and i like to purchase the bands merchandise at their shows for a bit of memorabilia and because they usually have some pretty cool designs on them.
But what are the rules to wearing your band/Concert T-shirts?
I have been going through polls and blogs to get other peoples opinions about this topic, this is what i have found so far.

Rule #1
When going to another bands concert try to stick to the same genre or band influence on your t-shirt.
Eg a: Reel Big Fish at a Less Than Jake Show - Yes.
Eg b: Michael Buble at a Disturbed Show - No.

Rule #2
If you are going to wear an older concert t-shirt to the new tour of the same band, you must wait at least eight years, otherwise you will look lame and won't get the credit for being a long time fan - However there is a loophole - buy an old concert tour t-shirt off ebay :o)

Rule #3
NEVER wear the shirt of a side project band of any of the former or current band members that are involved in the band you are seeing.

Rule #4
You do not wear the shirt you just purchased at the same concert. Especially if it is over what you were wearing before (I admit I may have committed this rule on a fair few occasions :oS)

Rule #5
You are not allowed to wear the band shirt you just purchased for at least 2 weeks after the concert, unless of course the concert was out of town and you have no other clothes to wear home.

Rule #6
Do not wear a concert t-shirt you purchased from the band at a second show on the same tour.

Rule #7
No Beatles, Bob Marley or Jimi Hendrix t-shirts, unless you have actually been to one of their concerts.

Rule #8
It is a violation to wear a concert t-shirt that has been signed by any band member. (It really should be framed and looked upon in awe)

A poll on Metalsucks.net shows that most people think that its ok to wear the band shirt to the bands concert.. because really. where else are they going to wear it?
Most people also voted that iron maiden are the only band who is allowed to wear their own t-shirts on and off stage.

So now that your up with the band t-shirt etiquette, grab some band merch off us!
check out some of our band merchandise on our website or check out our myspace and add us as a friend!

New Article Online: Compulsory Promotions for Franchisees and why they work

JEM Promotional Products have added another article to our Resources library with the focus on Compulsory Promotions for franchisees and why they work. Here is a sneak preview:

At JEM Promotional Products we work with many franchises not only on their core merchandise range but also on their in-store promotions. Franchises are in a unique situation when it comes to planning their marketing campaigns; although each franchise has a different owner they are all using the intellectual property of the Franchise owner and therefore the Franchise owner must grant permission for the franchisee to use their brand name in any marketing.

Many franchises work where the franchisee pays a marketing and advertising levy which is normally a regular flat or percentage-based fee paid into a centralised advertising or marketing fund (Franchising Magazine, March/April 2009 Vol.22/NO.2). It is up to head office to determine how best to spend this money so that each franchisee benefits equally.

One of the most difficult decisions is picking which advertising medium will benefit everyone equally; putting a newspaper advertisement in a local paper in Queensland will not help a franchisee in Western Australia. Many franchises opt to use the money for an in-store promotion where the customer gets a free gift with purchase as this is a fair way of spending the marketing funds. Many franchises have what they call a Compulsory Promotion which is separate from the marketing and advertising levy.

We define a Compulsory Promotion as a promotion that the franchisee must participate in by purchasing the minimum number of promotional products required however the franchisee is not limited to the maximum number they can purchase. No franchisee is exempt from participating in the promotion without a valid reason.

A good example is a Free Gift with Purchase Promotion. Head Office may determine the promotion, franchisees pay a certain amount to be involved and this amount can be part of or on top of their marketing and advertising levy.

The article continues on our website with:

• Why Compulsory Promotions work
• Tips to improve your Compulsory Promotions

Follow this link to read the full Compulsory Promotions for Franchisees and why they work article online.

2 in 1 Toothbrush & Toothpaste

The USA is the hub of the promotional products industry internationally and so we see lots of really interesting products made in the States. This one is a 2 in 1 pocket toothbrush and toothpaste. You pop it open to release the toothbrush and then if you squeeze the barrel it releases toothpaste at the top.

It is great for people who are on the go and travel a lot as it can be stored in your handbag or glove compartment.

You can brand this product with your logo as well as a pouch that it can be packed in. This makes the item a great giveaway item for dentists or other hygiene industry's.