Interesting Facts

Whatever type of promotional mug you are after there is sure to be a type that will meet your requirements. Check out the different types of mugs you can customise with your brand.

Logo Printed Plastic Mugs

Practical plastic… It is precisely what you think! Plastic mugs are brilliant, especially for outdoor events. They are lightweight, durable and are available in a variety of colours. Also, you don’t have the added stress of them smashing if they are accidentally dropped. It’s always nice to know your brand's merchandise is going to survive surprise accidents and last for many years.

Branded Stainless Steel Cups

You then have the option of stainless steel mugs. Similarly, to the plastic mugs, they are exceptionally good for outdoor events. They can be used for hot and cold drinks alike and are very durable as well as shatter-proof. They are smooth and comfortable to hold and look super classy once your logo has been laser engraved! Stainless steel promotional mugs are the kind of smart promo gift that can be used any time of the year.

Promotional Ceramic Mugs

Thirdly you have your regular ceramic mugs which are the most commonly used mugs. As these are made from clay, they are one of the most cost-effective mugs but aren’t as refined as other types. They are fairly durable and won’t break easily but are slightly heavier than the other types of mugs.

Personalised Porcelain Mugs

Lastly but not least, there are porcelain mugs. These are excellent premium quality and have a smooth, shiny surface unlike the duller surface of a ceramic mug. Too many people surprise, porcelain is remarkably strong therefore they do not need to be as thick as a ceramic, making them lightweight and look more refined.

Personally, I don’t think you can beat a good old classic ceramic mug as they tend to have big comfortable handles as well as a large capacity so being a big tea lover they are great for me! That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to have a classier porcelain mug! But whatever option you are after we have it all.

Both of these bags are extremely popular and for many reasons but which side will you take?

Promotional cotton calico bags are firstly naturally grown and biodegradable which of course is a huge bonus! They are durable, lightweight, washable and have a large branding area. What more could you want from a promotional bag? Honestly, this bag suits everyone’s needs from a business perspective and the receiving client’s viewpoint. They are tremendously useful as you can carry practically anything in them making them a huge marketing opportunity as your brand will be seen in a wide variety of places. These are available in a variety of sizes with the natural cotton colour or pre-dyed fabric, so they don’t have to be plain and boring like you may think!

Now for non-woven promotional bags, these are unfortunately not biodegradable as they are made from fabric that is derived from plastic, but this does have a bonus! It makes them more rigid than the cotton calico bags, therefore, making them more popular for business use as they retain their shape and consequently appear smarter. Although these bags are not biodegradable do not be fooled, they are still environmentally friendly as they are always reused reducing the amount of standard plastic bags that are in circulation. Unlike the cotton calico bags, our non-woven bags are available in a wide range of colours and come in a variety of sizes.

Picked a favourite? No matter which style of bag you're after for your next event, the friendly team at Promo Planet can assist you. Contact our sales team for more information on bag decoration and delivery options.

Have you ever looked at plastic bottles and wondered what makes them different to one another? To many peoples’ surprise there are a lot of differences which makes them a promotional item that can be tricky to decide on.

Firstly, there are polycarbonate bottles which are made from a clear and extremely strong plastic. These are more long lasting and durable therefore making them a popular option all round. You can get these in a range of sizes, colours and with different lid options. The Translucent Premium Bottle is a perfect example of this type of plastic bottle and look amazing when customised.

Then there are our soft squeezy bottles which are solid in colour and made from a softer plastic enabling you to squeezy the liquid out. Again, like the polycarbonate bottles, you can get these in a range of sizes and colours as well as different lid options. Our Promotional Sports Drink Bottles 500ml are a great example of this type of bottle. This type of promotional plastic bottle is ideal for schools, colleges and sporting events as they are very lightweight. They are also more appealing to people who have a lower end budget making them extremely popular.

The problem with printing t-shirts for the Super Bowl or any other championship game is that you can't predict the winner! For licensed manufacturers to have promotional t-shirts ready for Superbowl Sunday, they need to print a run featuring both teams as "winners" just in case. Obviously, this year with the Philadelphia Eagles winning their first Super Bowl, there's going to be a lot of New England Patriot championship t-shirts left over and in need of a home.

The good news is that there are organisations such as Good360 and other international charities dedicated to scooping up all these logo-emblazoned shirts and giving them to people overseas in dire need of clothing. Rather than having all manner of t-shirts, hoodies, jumpers, and hats go to waste simply because of the design printed on them, these charities can distribute tens of thousands of items every year to impoverished countries.

In the past, most of these shirts considered unsellable in the US have gone to people devastated by natural disasters (such as post-quake Haiti). So while it's unfortunate that only half the t-shirts produced for these big sporting events tend to get sold because of the print, we can take heart in the fact that no shirt will go to waste and perhaps somewhere in the world, someone will be wearing a shirt emblazoned with a 2018 Patriot win.

First spotted here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/29884/what-happens-losing-teams-championship-shirts

Aussies love slipping on a pair of promotional thongs or slides over summer and relaxing, but Balenciaga have brought out a new pair of branded flipflops that put all others to shame. These special "pool flats" are no different from any other promotional thong or sandle we might see on a daily basis, but with the Balenciaga logo branded on them these limited edition promo products retail for a staggering $837 AU!

The company is currently going through a marketing push involving traditional promo products such as calico tote bags branded with designs and slogans that are anything but standard or traditional! We probably won't be shelling out for these slides any time soon, and will likely stick with our regular (affordable) promo flipflops.

Slides first spotted here: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/balenciaga-670-slides/

There are practically hundreds of materials used in the manufacture of promotional items

ABS plastic - ABS stands for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. It is a lightweight yet though material highly resistant to impact and heat. Manufacturing modifications can be made to improve its physical properties, making it an ideal material for manucafture of mobile phone cases, small kitchen appliances, toys, luggage, and other household goods.

PU Leather - made from split leather with coating of polyurethane to give it a smooth, shiny finish. It is highly pliable and stretches like spandex. Waterproof and very easly to clean and maintain, most commonly used on executive planners such as compendiums, table covers, card holders, document holders etc.

PP - stands for polypropylene, a plastic polymer that can be used as structural plastic or fiber. This material is found in almost everything we use today. Very resistant to repetitive stress, making it an ideal material for containers that are diswasher safe, water bottles, tumblers, notebooks, bags, etc.

Polyester - plastic priduct invented in early 1940s in Britain that became popular as textile material as it is versatile, quick drying, mildew resistant, and easy maintenance. Products made from polyester include lanyards, visor, caps, conference tote bags, trade show bags, apparel, backpacks etc.

Promotional products provide businesses with an affordable way to advertise their brand by directly reaching out to their target customers. It is possible largely because the materials used in manufacturing these are inexpensive for mass production.

Easter egg is symbol of Christ's resurrection. Painting the eggs red is a beloved tradition in Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches as it represents the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. The shell represents the sealed Tomb of Christ, and cracking it symbolises his resurrection.

Easter egg is believed to be brought on Easter morning by the Easter bunny in many western countries like the United States. In Germany it is the Easter fox. In Switzerland, it is the Easter cuckoo. In Australia, the Easter Bilby replaces the bunny rabbit which is said to have destroyed many agricultural crops. Bilby is a small rodent with a long nose and rabbit-like ears

In sydney, Easter is celebrated with many special events like the Royal Easter Show where the nation’s best produce are showcased. There are parades, joy rides, spectacular fireworks, a wide selection of delicious food and lots of fun activities for families especially for kids. The traditional red Easter eggs are replaced by chocolate eggs or plastic eggs filled with jelly beans or other goodies that children love.

Events such as these are all big opportunities for promotional gift giving. Companies wishing to create brand awareness often sponsor several Easter egg hunts and egg knocking games across town. Promo Planet offers customisation of promotional eggs for your Easter marketing campaign.

Probably one of the greatest inventions of the modern times, the USB flash drives have never been so popular. These small devices are now capable of storing up to 1TB of information including files, photos, videos and music. A lot of us use these USB sticks for the convenience they offer and peace of mind they provide especially since we use them to back up all our important digital files.

Considering their importance and valuable contribution to day to day life, you may wonder how this little thing actually work? It may probably make us appreciate them to a whole new level.

USB Flash Memory

Why are they called flash drives? Well such name can be attributed to the fact that these devices run on flash memory. It is actually a type of electronic memory which allows for easy and quick transfer of information. This memory is not typically used as a RAM (Random Access Memory) but more of a hard drive meaning a much more solid state with all the parts electronic vs mechanical. In fact they consist of grid of columns and rows with a cell and two transistors located at the grid's intersection. Transistors work as gates and are capable of holding electric charge.

Flash memory also operates on low power and does not require batteries to work. In addition to USB sticks, they can also be found in digital cameras, video game consoles and your PC's BIOS chip.

How it Works

For starters, flash drive is connected to your computer via USB port. Most computers are capable of detecting the flash drive's operating systems and proceed with device installation. Once installed, it will be treated by your computer like a typical hard drive. But compared to hard drives, flash memory does not consist of moving parts rendering it virtually noiseless. Access is also faster and it cannot be denied their smaller sizes and lighter wights offer much more convenience.

Without getting too much technical, the entire process goes through several steps including Tunneling and Erasing.

The USB connector acts like an interface while the flash memory chip performs the actual data storage. There is a tiny RISC processor which handles the storage control and a crystal oscillator that produces clocks signals and manages the device’s data output. Most USB flash drives come with LED indicator lights and write-protect switches. As their popularity grows, USB flash drives have become favourite promo merchandise. Now, they are available in fun novelty custom shapes which make them even more eye catching.

Each year, billions of plastic bottles end up in landfills which generally do not bode well for the environment. Aside from the fact that they are not biodegradable and can consume so much space, they also pose a threat in terms of the chemicals that can possibly leach and contaminate groundwater. Add to the fact that manufacturers involve the use of fossil fuels; it is not surprising why plastic has earned such a bad reputation.

But this reputation is actually unwarranted as long as these plastic are disposed of properly and water companies choose re-usable, biodegradable or chemical-free plastic bottles. Also, consumer education is important which is why you should consider these following facts:

• The most common plastic used for bottled water is crude-oil derived polyethylene terephthalate. 1.5 million barrels of this crude oil is used each year to meet the demand of a country as big as USA.
• Bottled waters are popular because of their purity, taste and healthiness. At present, there are different types of bottled water including Spring water, Sparkling Water and Mineral water.
• A lot of water companies have made concerted efforts in the reduction of the negative effects of bottled water in the environment. Some have shifted to the use of corn-based plastic bottles which could be naturally degraded in 80 days while there are companies, such as PepsiCo and Coca Cola, which have cut their plastic use by producing thinner bottles.

Reusable Drink Bottles

Consumers obviously, have a lot of say on the impact of bottled water on the environment. If you would like to help reduce such impact, consider these suggestions:

• Re-usable water bottles such as glass or aluminium bottles are great alternative for bottled water.
• Invest in a water filter so you can consume filtered tap water instead and refill your personal water bottles. Better yet, invest in a distillation or reverse osmosis home system.
• Buy 5-gallon refillable water containers, if you prefer to buy mineral or distilled water, instead of small water bottles for use of home.
• Spread the word and increase awareness. For businesses, it would be a good idea to hand out promotional products such as reusable water bottles and jugs. You can include a message along with your corporate name or logo for more impact.

World famous brands all have stories behind their names. Some are matter of fact and straightforward whilst some are uniquely fun and have hidden messages. These company names enjoy high brand recall and practically synonymous with global corporate success

Story of Famous Brand Names and Logos

Found of Jeff Bezos wanted the company name to start with letter "A" because it would always appear on top of any search. He scoured a dictionary and picked "Amazon" because ts the biggest river in the world, exactly what he hoped his company would be. Judging from the unbelievable size of Amazon's warehouse, he got exactly what he hoped for!

As for the company logo, notice the yellow arrow below the word Amazon, how it connects A to Z? it means they sell everything from A to Z! It also resembles a smile to represent how the shopping experience on Amazon website makes their customers smile.

Is a sport apparel manufacturer from Germany. Did you know that people originally thought the name ADIDAS stood for "All Day I Dream About Soccer"? Many are still unaware that the company's name was actually take from the founder Adolf Dassler, nicknamed Adi, who is also the brother of Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler founder of another famous shoe brand Puma.

Adidas logo always incorporated the three stripes, currently depicted as three slanted stripes resembling a mountain. This symbolises the challenges that athletes must overcome to realise their goals.

"Starbucks" was taken from a character in the classic novel Moby Dick, set amidst the 19th century American whaling industry. Although it has no connection whatsoever with coffee, it was a romantic link to the seafaring traditions at the coffee traders of old Seattle. So now each time you sit back to enjoy a cup of Starbucks coffee, think of of this story and transport yourselvers into that romantic past.

But wait! Before you sink into another coffee-induced stupor (if that were possible considering it's supposed to pick you up), consider that beautiful two-tailed siren in the middle of Starbucks logo. She not only blends well with the nautical theme they wanted, she is also a siren from Greek mythology, put there to lure unsuspecting customers into buying and obsessing over expensive coffee! If you are a Starbucks addict, you probably wouldn't mind.

Successful Companies and Their Logos

A company's success may or may not be directly related to their choice of a name or even the design of their logo. Often it is the kind of product or service that they offer that makes or breaks them, and when success does come, it is the company that actually lends a different dimension to the name. The logo however evolves to reflect the times and to create a stronger brand identity for the company. Just like the brands described above, many company logos become famous in their own right.