To Brits they are sweets, to an Aussie lollies – but Americans love their candy. Wherever you are and whatever you call them these personalized products are sweet giveaways. And, what’s more, they are used by a huge selection of companies at Trade Shows and Exhibitions even though they are not necessarily the first product into the marketing mix.  

Nevertheless, there is a place for personalized gift sweets, lollies and candy such as cereal bars, chewing gum, cookies, foil wrapped chocolate coins, fortune cookies, fruit drops, humbugs, jellybeans, luxury chocolates, popcorn, mints, sugared almonds and, of course, the original personalized gift giveaway – a stick of rock!

A stick of rock started life as a humble and cheap vacation souvenir. And yet, this self same promotional item is now used by multi-nationals the world over. The next time you visit a Trade Show take notice of the number of sweets, candy and lollies used as giveaways.  

With the logo, product or company name through the centre and a striking sticker, a stick of rock is one of the more inexpensive promotional items and can be associated with a number of products. Furthermore, a stick of rock, often presented as bite-sized chunks in striking wrappers is an attractive idea.

A straightforward way of using mints as promotional products is to have a large container on a reception desk so that visitors can refresh their breath before meetings. Other popular ways of using mints are in small envelopes printed with a motif and sales message, mints in personalized visiting card containers, tins of boiled mints for the glove box, mints in a personalized click dispenser and, surely the most unusual packaging for a mint yet – a promotional pen mint dispenser! 

Simple and effective they may be but there are other ways to use sweets, candy and lollies such as, for instance, the old chocolate money routine. Chocolate money, as part of a mailing package, suggests that the recipient can save lots of money by investing in a product or service. On the other hand, the mailer might indicate that the money be may be used as a discount at a forthcoming Exhibition or Trade Show.

Jellybeans have long been favorite sweet giveaways as promotional products particularly if molded into attractive product shapes of airplanes, autos, cell phones, cola bottles, hearts or teddy bears. Packed into an individual pyramid shaped carton – printed with an eye-catching message – they have a notable short-term impact.  

Similarly, a fruit flavored piece of candy in an arresting personalized wrapper punches well above its weight when used at a product launch or other corporate event. One of the more creative ideas in recent years has been to present lollies, jellybeans, Neopolitan chocolates, truffles and other goodies in calico bags with an attractive drawstring. This has added impact with bags printed in full color on both sides. Another variation on the theme is to use cotton bags with a personalized ribbon, a Venetian bag with a swing tag or miniature shopping bag.

 

Recent additions to personalized products as sweet giveaways are large chocolate bars, chocolate shaped as a wall plaque complete with a molded product and strapline. 

You cannot get more humdrum than the everyday products discussed in this article, nonetheless, mix these dull and boring products with a creative mind and the results can be astonishing and prove that lollies and candy as personalized products are sweet giveaways.

Jack has been writing articles on sales and marketing in the personalized gift sector for nearly 4 years. Come visit his latest gift website which also helps people find the latest and best deals available in travel coffee mugs.

Handbag Styles

A handbag is a handbag right? Wrong! There are many different styles out there. Here’s a quick look at the most popular styles right now.

The Shoulder Bag

With the exception of clutches and handheld bags (bags with handles too small or short to be worn over the shoulder), most handbags fit into this category. Every woman should have at least one shoulder bag in her wardrobe. They’re practical (but that doesn’t mean that can’t be stylish!) and come in handy on shopping trips, out running errands or for the office. They free up your hands to carry other items.

Here are examples of shoulder bags:

Hobo bags: A crescent-shaped, usually unstructured bag. But that’s not always the case. Modern variations include more structured hobo bags, drawstring hobos, skinny styles, even square hobos and bucket hobos.

Totes: Totes are roomy bags, usually rectangular with single or double straps. Totes are available in structured and unstructured styles.

Satchels: Satchel bags are typically small to medium-sized zip-top bags that usually wider than long. They can be structured or unstructured and have shoulder straps or be hand-held. Hand-held satchels are often referred to as bowler bags, like the and the

Barrel Bag: Like the name implies, a barrel bag is cylindrical and resembles a barrel turned on its side, often with a long, thin shoulder strap.

Flap-enclosure bags: Flap style shoulder bags have a flap enclosure that folds over, typically about midway down the front of the bag, with a clasp, turn-key, snap, or other fastener. Check out the Flatiron long shoulder bag.

Cinched and Drawstring bags: The cinched or drawstring bag is a fun variation of the shoulder bag. They gather at the top in place of a flap or zip top. The Bulga Brown leather ‘Krystal’ cinched bag and the Christian Dior black lambskin ‘Cannage’ quilted large tote are examples.

Quilted bags: Quilted leather bags are a popular leather handbag style that incorporates the quilted texture into fine leather, like the Balenciaga (pictured below) ivory quilted goatskin “Matelasse” small bag.

It can be mind boggling while shopping for a handbag. I hope this shoulder bag guide is helpful. Happy shopping!

Amy Covington is a fashion writer with a penchant for silk scarves, designer handbags and anything luxury. Amy maintains three blogs for Belisi Fashions, a luxury accessories brand based in Palm Beach. On her women’s fashion blog, readers get a regular dose of beauty tips, fashion, health and lifestyle articles, product reviews and commentary.

As the name suggests, promotional drawstring bags are items with string placed on the inside seam at the top closing. The openings of the items are pulled at the top with the drawstring and tied to close. The way these products are made, makes it easy to carry and use for any needed reason. One of the latest fashion accessories you will see being used by the younger generation is that of drawstring bags. These products are widely used these days for a variety of purpose including the need for promoting a company, product, or a new brand which is to be released.

You will find that some of these bags are made of clear plastic to showcase the promotional products of some companies. Companies that offer samples for trial to customers tend do so using small promotional drawstring bags. Promotional bags thus serve the dual purpose of holding various items together and that of advertising the company at the same time. The choice of material can be counted on to add elegance to the presentation of the gifts. By providing the bags with a dustproof and waterproof covering, the contents inside are safe from becoming wet or dirty.

Promotional drawstring bags can be found available in many different colours. These products, unlike other advertising means, allow a reusable type of publicity for many shops, advertising agents, companies and even online vendors. Whatever height of business that people wish to reach, the use of drawstring bags as a promotional method can sometimes help to catapult a product into the viewing area of potential customers. This is why some brands are very famous whereas others are not.

You can find that some of these items, have been made mostly out of plastic but there are other materials like felt, silk, nylon, denim, jute and cotton which can be utilized just as well. Some designers combine different materials to finalize a unique look to their products. Depending on the material used, the construction of the bag and the size chosen, the amount and weight of items which can be put into these bags is limited.

For the most part you will find that promotional drawstring bags have the company logo either printed or embroidered on the sides. Since these bags are a means of identity, different companies will have different choice of bags to optimize their customers’ choice. The cosmetic industry requires transparent and strong bags whereas gift shops need to keep a stock of opaque and high quality gift drawstring bags. For this reason some shops will have a wide selection of bags in various sizes which can fit into one’s pocket while others can be used to carry larger stuff.

Interesting embellishments placed on these products not only make promotional drawstring bags attractive, but you can also put them into good use as everyday bags. The choice of embellishments can be done according to the market the company wishes to attract. To catch the eyes of potential customers many companies look to using a few bright colours instead of playing with a swirl of many.

These are the interesting and wonderful ways that you will find these promotional drawstring bags being brought to your attention. As you use these products look to see how your attention and liking has been bought to life in a simple looking bag.

For more information on Promotional Bags visit Promotional-Merchandise.org.uk. Here you will find more articles and tips on marketing items as well as a Quick Quotes form where you can conveniently submit your request in one form and get responses from multiple suppliers so that you can find the best price and promotional items for your marketing needs.