Bankers Advertising

Client need:

A technology company was looking for a unique gift item at a Star Wars themed conference. They needed to use their logo in conjunction with the conference logo.

Solution:

The client’s promotional consultant suggested the Sabre Umbrella. This umbrella features blue, red, or white lights that travel up the shaft for colorful night-time enjoyment. This large umbrella also comes with a flashlight at the bottom of the handle… like a light saber! The umbrella was a huge hit (or shall we say… force?) with conference goers.

Client Need:

Carroll Creek Farms is a startup farm run by two young professionals that grew up in the city but always dreamt of living on a farm. The farm raises ethically-raised livestock and sells meat at local restaurants and farmer’s markets. Carroll Creek Farms was looking for a gift-with-purchase idea to be used as a product-buying incentive.

Solution:

Our Bankers Advertising Promotional Consultant suggested a branded tote bag. Bags generate nearly 6,000 impressions with just 1/10th of a cent per impression. Recipients were sure to keep the bag and use it!

Carroll Creek Farms was asked by the Ohio Pork Council to provide something for their wall display at the Ohio State Fair this year. Their branded totes were the perfect thing to showcase their logo in a large manner.

If you ever doubted the lasting power of promotional products, take a look at this beautiful fan that we received in the mail recently at our headquarters in Iowa City! The following letter was sent with it, detailing the trip it took to get to us. Between the letter and the text on the fan, we were able to determine that it’s over 100 years old! Statistics are only so convincing—share the story of this beautiful keepsake the next time your customers are wondering what kind of staying power their investment in promotional products is likely to have. The research from Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) tells us that 18 percent of consumers keep their promotional products for more than 11 years. This evidence shows that, with the right product and the right customer, they just might last a lifetime.

…….

Dear Bankers Advertising Co. 

This lovely fan was given to me many years ago by an aunt who bought it in an antiques shop on the Hudson River, just north of [New York] City. Just today, I noticed that it was printed in Iowa City, where I lived for a few years when I taught at [the University of Iowa]! I have such fond feelings for Iowa, and it occurred to me that it might be time for the fan to return home. Imagine my delight to find that Bankers Advertising is still in business and family owned. I hope that you will enjoy this bit of your history as much (or more!) than I have. I live in Washington State now, so imagine how far it has traveled.

All the best, Rebecca Platzner

…….

Client Need:

A University was looking for a fun way to promote biking and bike licenses.

Solution:

The University’s promotional consultant suggested a bike seat cover… like shower caps for your bicycle seat! They are an eye-catching, brand promoting and functional way to track biking number and needs on campus. They plan to hand them out at student orientation events throughout the summer as well as their back-to-school festival in the fall.

Client Need:

A transportation and logistics company wanted to put a focus on employee retention.

Solution:

The company’s promotional consultant suggested a useful, high-end gift with tech appeal.

The items were to feature a company hashtag (#GotMoxie). The hashtag is their internal motivator… they want employees who have “moxie”- (a.k.a. the ‘IT’ factor) and the ability to face challenges with spirit, courage and determination.

Together, they selected the most perfect welcome kit for new team members. The kit featured five best sellers and was a real hit!

• El Dorado Smart Backpack in beige/tan or black/gray
• Budsies Bluetooth Earbuds
• EnergyBar 2200mAh Power Bank in black or white
• Argonot MFI-certified Cord with Micro-USB
• Ringr Smartphone Multi-tool

Client Need:

A food processing company is always looking for fun kid’s ideas, but especially for the month of June, which is National Turkey Lover’s Month.

Solution:

Their promotional products consultant suggested a custom-made turkey mask for kids to wear. The company tied it to a social media campaign along with a hashtag where parents were encouraged to post pictures of their kids wearing the turkey masks and celebrating. The masks have been distributed at fairs, community events, and school classroom visits.

Client Need:

An industry-leading tech company needed a gift to give all employees at an annual meeting. Additionally, they were looking for a way to help employees stay focused on their company goals.

Solution:

Our promotional consultants helped the tech company select a retail-inspired Insulated Beverage Holder and Tumbler. To keep things interesting and colorful, they choose 3 colors of the tumbler to assort amongst the employees. The front of the tumbler featured the company’s brand. The back of the tumbler featured the company’s quarterly goals. This way, employees could have company goals in-hand and never out of sight.

Client Need:

A tech University was in search of a way to get prospective students interested in their school.

Solution:

Our promotional consultant helped the university come up with a unique tech product idea for a large mailing. The students were mailed virtual reality sunglasses to add to their mobile devices, then directed to a virtual reality app to take a virtual tour of the campus. The artwork included the University’s logo along with a hashtag to encourage social media sharing.

Fred Rogers was known for saying “Look for the Helpers.” That’s what Nurses Week is all about! Look for those helpers, then recognize and honor them.

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Its purpose is to recognize “the mother of modern nursing” as a salute to her influence and inspiration. Developing routines to reduce Crimean War soldier mortality, Nightingale laid the foundation for professional nursing. Her actions, practices, and writings are still relevant today, and the observation and patient evaluation skills she defined remain an important part of present-day nursing basics.

The nursing profession has been supported and promoted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896. Each of ANA’s state and territorial nurses associations promotes the nursing profession at the state and regional levels. Each conducts celebrations on these dates to recognize the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community.

Recognizing how nurses inspire, innovate, and influence healthcare is an exciting way to celebrate the achievements of the entire healthcare system. Here are some excellent ways to both promote the celebration of Nurses, recognize their hard work, and keep your brand visible throughout the week and beyond:

Full Color Mug with Four Assorted Tea Bags

Encourage nurses to give themselves a little rest and relaxation (and caffeination!) with this 15 oz. full color mug with four assorted tea bags! The stoneware mug can be customized with a full color dye sublimated imprint of your company’s name, logo or marketing slogan and you can add a ribbon for the perfect finishing touch. It comes with four assorted tea bags.

Aqua Pearls(TM) Spa Mask

Nurses need their rest so they can be on the A-Game during their long (and sometimes overnight) shifts! The spa mask can be so therapeutic and put them at-ease. It comes with elastic strap with snap fasteners to stay put. Simply microwave for warm therapy or freeze for cold therapy. Nurses will thank you every time they get some shut-eye.

Hand Sanitizer/Lip Balm Combo:

Be prepared for your hands and lips to thank you! Our newest hand sanitizer and lip balm combo shares our fantastic Iced Pear scent. With this duo, you can fight off germs and dry, damaged lips in one easy reach thanks to the 65% ethanol content in the sanitizer and broad spectrum protection in the lip balm. The silicone attachment that keeps them together is great for placing on a purse, bag, or backpack keeping your name clearly visible wherever nurses go.

HoMedics(R) Portable Sound Spa

It’s no secret that nurses often work crazy hours and are forced to get rest in wherever they can. This portable sound spa can create a peaceful sleep environment and fall asleep faster. It’s compact for on-the-go nurses. Choose between four soothing and rhythmic sounds!

Sweet Spot Lunch Cooler

It’s functional and stylish! Nurses will have a “sweet spot” for your brand when handed with this awesome gift! Keep your sweets and snacks cool; featuring a zippered main compartment and front slip pocket.

On March 29, a much-anticipated film hits the theatres: Ready Player One. Based on the 2011 nerd favorite by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One is set in the year 2044, primarily in the virtual world of the game OASIS. The premise is a typical teen adventure flick—underdog kid turns One True Hero thanks to skills that fail him in the real world, but shine under particular circumstances—but the fun of the shtick is that the main action occurs in this alternate world tangential to our own.

This movie comes at an opportune time, as virtual reality (VR) – a given, apparently, in 2044 – is just starting to explode in 2018.

The concept has been around for decades. Even before the first headset, Oculus Rift, was introduced in 2012, or the first programming language (Virtual Reality Modelling Language) was developed in 1994, the ideas took root in some of the earliest science fiction. Canadian author Laurence Manning wrote a series of short stories in 1933 called The Man Who Awoke, which include a description of a world where people can trade their natural senses for electronic impulses and program their desired “dreams.”

While we’re still just as far from those 1933 notions as we are from Ready Player One’s more ambitious concepts, VR is now firmly ensconced in our actual reality – and the marketing world is taking notice. Four years ago, the same year that Facebook purchased Oculus VR for a hefty $2 billion and Sony announced a VR headset for the PlayStation 4, Google introduced Cardboard, a holder for smartphones that creates a stereoscopic, or 3D, image when used with the appropriate app.

The low-cost design of Cardboard and the concept of pairing it with a smartphone are what really opened the world of VR up to the public, and to promotional products. Now, in 2018, there is no scarcity of similar devices ready for branding, from the self-assembled cardboard sort (Veracity Virtual Reality Headset) to collapsible versions in more durable materials (Folding Virtual Reality 3D Glasses) to a padded set with an adjustable lens and elastic head strap (Utopia Virtual Reality Headset).

No matter the price point, VR headsets are a perfect place to drive branding— and they offer a unique opportunity to pair content with product. Universities can send VR headsets to prospective students to give an immersive 3D tour of their campus. Newsmedia can add dimension to print and video content.

Luxury retailers can use VR to sell the experience that their product provides. Immersive storytelling is a unique way to explore the mission of a brand, and companies have the chance now to get in on the ground floor of this soon-to be ubiquitous new marketing trend.

Interested in showcasing your brand on a VR product? Browse here.