Promotional Stubby Holders: Adding Value to You

How to measure your campaign's effectiveness
Once upon a time all you could use to track a campaign was ask each customer how they reached you, use a seperate PO Box or obtained a new telephone line and number. With the age of the Internet it has gotten a little easier with unique URLs and server side tracking, but you still need to make the link memorable and not clumsy. QR codes are a new marketing phenomemon that could help drive measurable traffic to wherever you want people to go!

A large proportion of the cost of a bespoke designed promotion item is the set up and artwork. Once that is done each little addition cost less and less. Even something like adding a custom QR code can improve the value of your product - sometimes for free. QR codes are becoming more and more visible and are a great way to exact a call to action to the tech savvy generation. QR codes can be used to push people to a website, deliver an electronic business card and much more. They can also be used, once people have used their code, to track the visitor and personalise content.

By capturing the QR code below with an app enabled phone (iNigma is a very popular one for both iPhone and Android) the embedded URL can tell me that you came from this article and I can store the date and time you visited, find out how long you visited for, where you went in my website, your ISPs location and even the operating system on your phone!



This QR code can easily printed on Coolaz Stubby Holders - and we can even make up a different one for each one we print! This variable information encoded into QR codes (i.e. each product has a unique code) can be used to further enhance the experience and are an immensely powerful marketing tool whose scope is still being explored.

Promotional Stubby Holders: Adding value to your customers

There are lots of ways to add value to your promotional stubby holders!
With some promotional products even more value to the target audience can be added for little cost, especially those that are made by the much more flexible digital printing processes. Something as simple as a consecutive number can become a valuable offering when it becomes a perhaps a lottery entry or perhaps a means to get a discount, both of which will undoubtedly increase the lifetime of the item as it retained until redemption. Some digital processes also now allow you to add more complex variable information such as names, numbers and addresses. What easier way to make sure your gift sweeps all its competition away and to also impress your recipient as you have taken the time to personalise their gift with their first name!

An ideal addition is one that evokes a subsequent interaction with your website or makes ordering simple and easy - possibly even including a login code that unlocks discounts or specials. A simple QR Code printed on your promotional stubby holder can do this by encoding a unique URL that visitors are pushed to.



Due to the fact they are printed digitally, Coolaz Stubby Holders can also be used as lottery or entrance tickets.

Improve your promotional product’s impact and persistence: Functionality

Generally a promotional item should appeal to the widest demographic possible (although sometimes it can pay to narrow your audience) otherwise the attrition rate is going to be higher. Let’s work through the example of keyring bottle openers: these commonly used items clearly appeal to drinkers, but only those that drink bottled beer, and then only to those of them that prefer premium style beers that do not commonly have a screw cap. So what was wide group has now been whittled down to a fraction that will find the gift useful. The Venn diagram below shows this concept quite nicely:



So while many other people will also accept the gift, only a percentage will see their item often, and most will be put on the spare keys, or worse, the kitchen draw! With keyring bottle openers, and many similar promotional items, adding a further complication is the fact that the group that are going to be most interested in your promotional gift are those most likely to already have an alternative already, thus increasing your competition!

By increasing the functional base of your chosen item you can obviously spread your message much wider and by making it suit the needs of a wider percentage of that audience you can increase awareness further. Using products that are adjustable or have a one-size-fits all aspect are clearly more valuable in these circumstances.

Why not try Coolaz's adjustable stubby holders for you next promotional campaign?

Next > Adding value to the customer

Choosing a promotional product for your marketing campaign: how to improve your promotional product’s impact and persistence

If you type in ‘promotional products’ into Google it gives 51m results, it is easy then to imagine how many promotional gifts, products, premiums and giveaway options are out there! That number of results also tells us that in some way they must work, all those businesses must be addressing a continuous demand. The trick of course is to make sure that when you do use promotional products as part of a marketing exercise that you make the most of your budget. This article aims to give you some hints, tips and thoughts as to how to improve the impact of your promotional product campaign.  

Cost
The number one question asked is ‘how much should I spend (per person) on my promotional product’. This is going to depend on a few important considerations including your target demographic, the competition for their attention and perhaps the type of products or services you are promoting. With that in mind it is worth remembering that if 50% of your recipients are going to ignore the item it might arguably be worth paying twice as much to make sure 100% of half the number of targets keeps a better product around for even longer. A great example of this is direct mailing campaigns where the cost is very low, but success can be as little as a 0.5% to 1% take up. Working it through using 1000 flyers at $200 as an example, each response can actually cost more than $20 each! Could a $2 gift to 100 people, or even a $20 gift to 10, give a better return than that? What is certain is that a promotional gift is much more likely to hang around longer than flyers and mailshots and therefore stand a much better chance of being to hand when the customer needs your product or service and also garnering repeat exposures to your message. Supporting that argument are fridge magnets, which are making significant in-roads into areas where direct mail has traditionally dominated. This is especially true for local businesses advertising their services.

In general it is easy to get lured into more is better when it comes to promotional giveaways, but it is often not applicable so take time to plan your campaign in advance. Think about who are you sending it too: what are they interested in? What do they use every day? How can you make things easier for them to interact with you? If you can address these questions then it is just a matter of working out the cheapest option that fits the bill.

Next Post > Functionality

March 2012 – Labour Day, St Patrick's Day and The Melbourne Grand Prix

March 2012 What's On...

Labour Day
Australia celebrates Labour Day or Eight Hours Day, every March this annual public holiday commends the economic and social achievements of workers.

Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. So enjoy the long weekend!



St Patrick's Day
St Patricks Day is also celebrated this month - a cultural and religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick, the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a worldly celebration of Irish culture in general. The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services, Irish symbols and the wearing of green attire- although this is a bit of a misconception, as the phrase "the wearing of the green," meant to wear a shamrock - St. Patrick used the three-leaved plant to explain the Trinity of the Christian religion.

The day also celebrates the lifting of Lent restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol, however, Irish pubs used to be closed on two days of the year: Good Friday and St. Patrick's Day - So ironically enough, in Ireland until recently, on St. Patrick's Day you couldn't actually get a drink!

Today, St. Patrick's Day is probably the most widely celebrated saint's day in the world and with Irish Pubs in abundance in Australia I am sure that you will find the perfect way to celebrate this year!

Here are some of our design ideas to help you with your celebration this year...







Grand Prix 2012
You may also be aware that the Melbourne Grand Prix 2012 is taking place on Sunday 18th March 2012... Drivers take to the Albert Park street circuit for the first Formula 1 race of the 2012 season.

With two Australians on the grid for the first time - Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo - and a host of young guns competing, the roar from the stands will equal the roar from the cars.

Check out a Couple of stylish Grand Prix themed ideas to keep your beer cold this year, even if you're watching it from the comfort of your lounge:





Enjoy :-)

Finding The Perfect Wedding Dress Style For You!

All heads will turn as the beautiful bride makes her grand entrance on the biggest day of her life! As we all know finding your dress needs to be just like finding your groom ... the perfect fit!! and as we also know that we are all unique  we have to consider both personal taste and of course our body shape awhen making the choice! Make sure that you do a little bit of research about what will best enhance your wonderful figure!

Here are some examples as to which styles suit so that you can make sure that you look and feel fabulous on your special day!! We have added an example gown and design for your Coolaz drink holders to match...

The Hourglass
Hips and shoulders are a similar width with a defined waistline. Choose from A-line, Ball Gown, Princess Line or Fishtail.

Ball Gown Style Dress

Chocolate Stubby Holder Design

The Pearshape
Hips are wider than shoulders. Look for A-line, Asymmetrical, Princess Line.

a-line-strapless dress

Red Formal Stubby Holder

Straight and Slim
Hips, shoulders and waist are similar width. Look for Ball Gown, Sheath, Empire Line.

SHEATH Style bridal gown

Floral Wedding Design

Square
Shoulders are wider with similar hip and waist. Choose from A-line, Asymmetrical or Ball Gown.

Asymmetrical pleated gown

Floral Wedding Design

Triangle
Shoulders are wider than hips. Look for: Cocktail or Fit n Flair.

Fit n Flair Style Dress

Black & White Formal Design

Woodland Rustic Wedding Styles 2012

Rustic Woodland Design Ideas

Woodland Rustic Wedding Styles

Yet another trend for 2012 wedding themes brings us the Rustic Woodland Country look, think natural wood effects, shades of green, love birds outdoor settings and enchanting tree decorations.
To suit both outdoor and indoor weddings this woodland rustic chic can be carried across all decorations, bouquets and bombonierre! You can combine this with a country music theme or a barn dance style wedding for a really unique wedding.
Don't just think brown ... Shades of teal mixed with birds, twigs, moss and peacock feathers are the perfect complement for a rustic wedding.
Here are a few rustic inspired wedding designs for your Coolaz stubby holder wedding favours …

Vintage Style Wedding Coolers

Vintage Rose Design Stubby Holders

Rustic Heart Cooler Design

Rustic Vineyard Stubby Holder

Rustic Country Design

Winter Wonderland Wedding Ideas!

Winter Wonderland Wedding Ideas

As much as we would not like to wish the summer away the popularity of a winter wedding is certainly on the up and there will be plenty of brides who will be busy planning their fairytale winter wedding for this year’s snowy season!

Winter Wedding Flowers

The good news is that sleeves and high necklines are back in so remember that when you choose your wintery bridal gown. Plus you can add an elegant faux fur bolero or a snug cashmere wrap for some extra warmth.
When thinking about your wedding colours and wintery theme you should go for a combination of white, ivory, cream and pale blue flowers for a cool effect. There is no shortage of the popular wedding flowers in winter. Gerberas (gerber daisies) in their multitude of colours are available, as are tulips, roses and chrysanthemums.
Candles are also perfect for a winter wedding as they create a warm romantic atmosphere, plus there are so many different colours available that you will have no problem matching the scheme of your wedding.

Winter Wedding Candles

Here are some of our winter warmer inspired ideas for your Coolaz Stubby Holders:

Winter Wedding Stubby Holder

Winter Wedding Cooler Design

Winter Rose Wedding Stubby Holder

Wintery Pattern Stubbie Holder

Winter Style Wedding Cooler

Ideas For Your Beach Wedding

As the trend for a relaxed and casual style of wedding is on the rise, we will certainly see an increase in the number of Beach & Destination Weddings this year!

So choose a long flowing sundress, kick off your heels and go naturally barefoot to your ceremony. Make sure that your invite states that ‘thongs’ and sandals are welcome and that you have plenty of water bottles in an ice filled bucket on hand at your hot beach location (don't forget your Coolaz water bottle coolers too!)

With all that in mind there are so many different ways that you can decorate your ceremony and then of course follow the theme through into the casual evening reception. Here are a few ideas to help you get started with the beautification of your Coolaz Beer Coolers for your picturesque beach wedding!

Photograph your feet and capture a little piece of ‘you’ to share with your guests…

Beach Wedding Stubby Holder

Go casual and encourage that all of your guests wear 'thongs'...

Beach Thongs Wedding Stubby Holder

Write your names in the sand and send them into us…

Names in the Sand stubby Holder

Or, you can use one of our templates…

Hearts-in-Sand Stubby Holder

Starfish Beach Wedding Stubby Holder

Use your favourite beach as a background and then insert pictures of the happy couple...

Beach Photograph Stubby Holder

Take a picture of your own Beach Box or Beach Hut for a really personal touch…

Beach Box Hut Stubby Holder

Perhaps you are having seashells as a theme for your table decorations …

Seashell Wedding Stubby Holder

Use an image of the location that you are getting married…

Bali Beach Stubby Holder

Thailand Beach Stubby Holder

After Your Beach Wedding

After your big day is over and you wake up in the comfort of your beach fronted resort make sure that you call your photographer back, put your dress one last time for the ultimate wedding shoot… Trash the Dress! This will be the perfect ending to your wedding adventure and will make brilliant photographs for a follow up ‘Thank You’ to your friends and family for sharing your special day! Here are some fun ideas...

Trash the Dress Stubby Holder

Trash the Dress Stubby Holder

You’re Engaged - Wedding Planning and What To Do Next! (Part 2)

Now that you have organised your engagement party, set a date and sent your ‘save the dates’ you can get stuck into the planning of your big day!

Here are a few more pointers for what come's next...

Choose Your Bridesmaids

Bridesmaid choice will be different for everyone, some will have one special friend or sister and others will have a bunch of besties, you could even choose a ‘Man of Honor’ if you had a close male friend or brother that you wanted to get involved! You are of course the best person to make the choice, you know who will be excited to get stuck into the wedding planning alongside you and who would have a better time as a guest.

black & white wedding dress

Buying Your Dress

If you have enough time between your engagement and your wedding the recommendation is to buy your wedding dress six to eight months before the big day. That way you will have no drama close the wedding! The dress will be a personal choice and there are so many different styles, colours and tastes to choose from – consider your wedding theme when you select the dress – perhaps you have a black and white theme in mind;

B&W stubby holder

Choosing the Bridesmaid Dresses

It is more than likely that your theme or colours will be based around your bridesmaid dresses, so once you have decided on a final look and feel for your wedding you can start looking for the perfect dresses. You can visit our recent blog for more ideas on dresses and themes as featured at this year’s SAG Awards for a few colour options and ideas 'Wedding Ideas Inspired by the Red Carpet and the SAG Awards 2012!'
Whether you go for bold and striking colours or subtle taupe or champagne, we will be sure to have a design to match;

taupe bridesmaid dress

taupe beach design

teal bridesmaid dress

Teal stubby holder beach

Your Seating Chart

Depending on the number of guests you have coming, the venue, and how you have planned your big day will depend on whether you will need to organise a seating plan. If you do have a formal dinner arranged then you may like to consider a design that includes a guest name, so that they can be dotted on the tables a combined place name and gift idea! Here are some ideas;

Place Name Stubby Holder

Place Name Stubby Holder

Place Name Stubby Holder

Choosing Your Flowers

Book your florist early and check for the latest trends in flower types, bouquets and colours to help you decide on what will be best for your wedding – you can read our blog 'Wedding Trends – Flowers 2012' for this year’s ideas and designs.

Flower Design Stubby Holder

The First Dance – Choosing Your Song!

You may already know what song you will choose, perhaps it is the song that was playing when you got engaged or the first track that you danced to together?! Whatever song you choose will be special to you … you can even consider subtly using the words in your design;
A Classic Love Song: Nat King Cole – When I Fall in Love

Nat King Cole Lyrics Stubby Holder

Cheesy Love Song: Can't Smile Without You - Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow lyrics stubby holder

Planning Your Honeymoon

It once was traditional to leave for your honeymoon straight after the reception or the day after your wedding, lots of couples are now waiting until a few weeks or even months after to give a little more time to save for your dream holiday!
Don’t forget your ‘just married’ Coolaz stubby holders, you can send in your own photographs, or even go with something that matches your wedding theme/colours:

just married stubby holder design