There is no denying that this has been a tough year. As a young (founded in 2006) and growing promotional marketing firm, the recent economy has hit us very hard here at Quintain Marketing. In previous years, our goal was always to hit certain sales targets. This year, the goal was to still be in business by the year’s end. I’m thrilled to say that – so far (knocking on wood) – it looks like we will achieve that goal.

I’m someone who tends to look on the bright side of things and stay upbeat, so I like to think that some good things have come out of this very difficult time. The very best thing that happened this year was that I gained a new appreciation for so many things that I used to take for granted. There is really no better time to celebrate all of these positive things in life than now – Thanksgiving.

This year, I’m giving thanks for:

• Incredibly loyal customers who have stuck with us through trying economic times. I’m proud to say that not only have we not lost any customers this year, we’ve built our customer base and are working with an exciting array of organizations from a diverse range of industries. Many of these firms have had to dramatically scale back their spending this year, but they continue to come back to us with jobs and we’re happy to work with them, whether the projects are small or large. Thank you so much for sticking with us!
• The most amazing employees who have put their heart and soul into making sure that we provide top notch customer service. Thanks especially to Jessica, our principal Project Manager, for her incredible attention to detail and the professionalism she brings to the office every day!
• Vendors I can really count on to deliver for both Quintain and our customers. We’ve worked hard these past few years to develop strong relationships with a core group of vendors that we think have top quality products. That work has really born fruit this year when we needed items produced or decorated on a tight timeline, or when shipments got lost and our vendors reproduced items on a rush basis to ensure our clients wouldn’t miss their deadlines. They do this all very much “behind the scenes,” but I hope they know how much we appreciate them.
• The best business partner in the whole world – my husband John. Somehow, we work together on a daily basis and still manage to have a great marriage. I’m so lucky that I get to share this crazy ride of entrepreneurship with my best friend and husband!

As we head into the holiday season, I’m hopeful that the experience of the past year will make us all stronger and more focused on what really matters, but that we will all retain this feeling of gratefulness. I can’t help but believe that 2010 will be the year we exhale, relax a little, and rejoice in the knowledge that things are slowly returning to normal. And maybe – just maybe – my goal can once again be to hit my sales targets!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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One of the most – dare I say genius? - yet totally ridiculous inventions of the past few years has weaseled its way into the promotional products industry. That’s right, I’m talking about the SNUGGIE.

I know you’ve been dying to get your logo on a snuggie and the opportunity is now all yours. Since the snuggie is only, after all, an extra long fleece blanket with sleeves, decoration options for promo snuggies are pretty much unlimited. Screen printing, embroidery, laser etching, appliqués, or dye sublimation – the choice is all yours! Promotional snuggies are even available in a rainbow of color options-choose from burgundy, red, colbalt blue, camel, green, black, pink, navy, or brown.

Think the snuggie is only for grandmas and those too lazy to put on a jacket? Think again. The band Weezer cuddles up in snuggies too! They’re even including their new cd “Raditude” with every Weezer Snuggie purchase. Sweet deal!

Hmm … seems like the only place the snuggie hasn’t invaded yet is Microsoft Word spell check. But neither has the brand name “Crayola,” and they’ve been around since 1885!

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Finally! There is a rewards program that doesn’t “reward” you for accumulating debt! Don’t get me wrong, the popular Rewards Programs offered by Chase and American Express are great ways to recognize customer spending, but I’m not going to use my AmEx to pay my bills just to get free stuff.

PNC’s Points Program allows you to earn points for using your Visa check card (with or without a pin) and PNC Visa credit cards. Along with everyday purchases, you can also earn points for adding direct deposit, paying bills online, or receiving your checking account statements online.

Now, I admit I may be a little biased in my opinion of PNC’s program because I am already a PNC customer. But even if I wasn’t, their incentive program would definitely make me consider switching banks. How great is it that I can now get free stuff for doing things I would do anyway? Plus, the rewards range from gift cards and airfare points, to products from Apple, Bose, Movado, Nike, Krups, DeWalt, Flip Mino, David Yurman, Garmen, Michael Kors, Mont Blanc, and Dyson (just to name a few.)

Not only is the program itself awesome, PNC set up a really informative and interactive website to help its customers understand it. Unlike most rewards programs, you don’t have to already be a member to see the options for rewards. So if you are a little skeptical about signing up, just take a few minutes to surf the site. You’ll learn more about the program or you can check out the points calculator that helps “guesstimate” how many points you’ll get for your purchases, etc.

Setting up customer reward programs is an effective way to attract and maintain customers. Whether your budget for a rewards/incentive program is large or small, Quintain Marketing can help you set up a successful program for your customers.

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I don’t know about you but I hate desk clutter- I can’t focus with a million things on my desk! One of the very few accessories I do keep on my desk is a perpetual calendar- I just adore this thing! Perpetual calendars are great for people who don’t write on calendars but still like to have a calendar in front of them (like me- HELLO BlackBerry Calendar) plus I can’t fit my plans/appointments/birthdays into those tiny blocks anyway!

Unlike the usual 12 month calendar, the perpetual calendar lasts forever. So if you order perpetual calendars your client or prospects will be looking at your logo for years instead of just the current year. They range in price from about $3 up to $35. I’m currently using Pidio, but I also really like the Oceanus Series (both are from LogoMark.)

Incase you’re wondering how well received perpetual calendars are-A few months ago one of our clients used a perpetual calendar as a dimensional mailing promotion for a vacation. We showed the calendar they chose at a tradeshow a few weeks ago and somebody swiped it (go figure!)

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If you want a gift to give this holiday season that will stand out above the rest, consider a wine opener or wine stopper from Laguiole®. Inspired by hand craftsmanship perfected over the centuries by French knife makers, Laguiole® is synonymous with unrivaled quality. The symbolic bee that marks each Laguiole® product signifies a level of commitment to precision and function.

One of our favorite classic bottle stoppers is from Laguiole® and is packaged in a wooden keepsake box that can be branded with your logo or message. We also love the stainless steel wine opener which features ergonomically designed handles and lever allowing one-stop wine opening. The opener is also packaged in a beautiful wooden box.

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Television this past Wednesday night was bumming me out (“Glee” wasn’t on and the Phillies were on their way to losing the World Series) until I stumbled upon “Cougar Town” on ABC. Not only was there a little eye candy (Grayson, shirtless) within the first 30 seconds of the episode but to my shock and delight a plug for promotional products!

Jules: “You know why you’re our favorite mortgage broker Larry and not just because of your promotional stress balls, although this thing is great…”

Larry: “I gotta go, you got my number…”

Jules: “I sure do, right here on this ball.”

Check out the scene in the episode “Don’t Come Around Here No More” for yourself-it’s within the first 2 minutes of the show. Thank you Hollywood for the unintentional plug on the value of even the smallest of promo products! If you’re a mortgage broker or just someone who wants to help their clients reduce stress with a promotional product…give us a call we’ve got plenty of options.

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I recently read an article from an industry publication about Millennial Marketing and why it’s time to shift focus from the Baby Boomers onto the Millennials. Are you wondering who exactly are these Millennials and why should we start marketing towards them? Millennials are teens to under-30 adults, they’re 70-plus million strong and by 2015 they’ll be spending $2.45 trillion annually.

The two most important things to remember when selling promotional products to the Millennial Generation-the product should have an “it” factor and it has to be free.

Do a promotion with a product that’s already a popular within this age group because chances are everyone wants one, not yet everyone has one, and even if you do (already have one) you’ll take another. A great example- Wayfarer shades (note: the original Wayfarer has been made by Ray-Ban since 1952 and can run you over $100 a pair.) Buy the promotional wayfarers for under $5 and Millennials will be flocking to you. I recently had a conversation with a peer who had gotten sunglasses branded with the Peroni (beer) logo that she loved. Someone took her pair and she has been dying to find another pair. Hmm that sounds like a successful promotion to me!

You can expect that Millennials will want whatever your promo is- for FREE. Listen, you want them to buy your products, get into your brand then they need some kind of incentive and their favorite kinds are the free ones. Case in point- my freshman year of college outside of my dorm there was a credit card company trying to get students to sign up for accounts and guess what they were enticing us with-the infamous, “COLLEGE” t-shirt from ‘Animal House’. Trust me; you would have thought they were handing out $100 bills with the crowds of kids. The front of the t-shirts had “COLLEGE,” the back had the credit card company’s logo. Simple enough but everyone wanted a shirt-which you weren’t getting without signing up for a credit card.

Millennials are also huge technology and social media users. Who doesn’t have a Facebook account in this generation? Very few. Facebook was started by and made popular by: college age students (aka Millennials). Step-up your social media usage if you want to market to this group. They’re on Facebook and Twitter- so if your company doesn’t have accounts on social media sites, I suggest you sign up.

What’s the best way to learn how to effectively market and advertise to millennials…work with companies like Quintain Marketing who employ a few of them!

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Annapolis, MD November 1, 2009

Quintain Marketing announces the addition of Anna Millhiser to the firm’s management team. Anna is Quintain Marketing’s social media expert. She holds a BA in Communications and Media Studies from Northeastern University and has five years experience in the marketing and promotions industry. Most recently, Anna was a Development Associate at Community Servings, a Boston based non-profit, where she managed the organization’s Web 2.0 marketing campaign and integrated new marketing mediums. Prior to that, Anna was a member of the team responsible for event planning and promotion for the Human Rights Campaign, and a Sports Marketing Consultant for TRACS, Inc.

At Quintain Marketing, Anna is primarily responsible for the execution of Social Media Optimization (SMO) campaigns for a range of clients. Her work includes establishing and maintaining Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, YouTube, Yelp, and other accounts for clients; copywriting for blogs; analyzing SMO performance via Google Analytics and other tools; and helping build social media communities through linkages, cross-posting, and other tools.

“Anna’s background in Web 2.0 marketing is a real asset for us,” explained Kathleen Booth, Quintain Marketing’s Owner and CEO. “Our job is to keep our clients on the cutting edge of promotional marketing, and the online realm is an important channel through which we can work with them to promote their brands. By bringing Anna onto the team, we’ve been able to expand our capacity to carry out social media optimization work for our clients.”

About Quintain Marketing
Quintain Marketing is a promotional strategy consulting firm located in Annapolis, MD. They offer unique, creative and high quality branded products, dimensional marketing, social media optimization, and web-based employee, customer gifting and incentive programs.

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By Kathleen Booth

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