Bankers Advertising

March is Umbrella Month! Spring is on it’s way to us, and umbrellas are a great promo for the upcoming rainy days!

Umbrellas make excellent promotional items due to their practicality and ample space for branding.

Umbrellas are a perennial favorite among our customers, and demand for them is poised to grow. As you prepare for increasingly extreme weather and exercise more robust sun-protection measures, these branded umbrellas are must-haves.

#SB-7100

1. The Dashboard Defender #SB-7100 windshield umbrella keeps a car cool in summer with its SPF 50 UV coating while showcasing your logo. Fits in gloveboxes and unfolds to 57” by 35”. Features reinforced stitching and a Velcro-assisted V-shape for rearview-mirror compatibility. Doubles as a safety tool in emergencies, offering extra visibility with its reflective silver coating.

#26303

2. Just a single button push opens the #26303 GoGo by Shed Rain 58” Windjammer umbrella. Made with recycled polyester, it’s vented and stores in an included case with shoulder strap.

#5050-01

3. Made with a metal/fiberglass frame and recycled-polyester canopy, this #5050-01 42” auto-open umbrella folds to a compact 12”. Features a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood handle and matching recycled-polyester sleeve. Wind-rated up to 25 mph.

#9500

4. Perfect for eco events and companies that prioritize the planet, the 42” #9500 ECO sport umbrella’s canopy is made from recycled plastic bottles. Features a bamboo handle, bungee wrist cord and coated rustproof frame, and fits in a tote or backpack.

#2286

5. Designed to comfortably cover two people, the Shed Rain Vortex V2 vented umbrella #2286 has a 54” tone-on-tone printed canopy made of recycled polyester. Engineered with patented Cable Enforced Technology, it withstands winds up to 75 mph.

#730C

6. Users can kick back and relax in style in this #730C recliner lounge chair with kite umbrella. Features a sturdy steel frame, durable seat, footrest, armrest, cooler, side storage pockets, cup holder and headrest. Choose from blue, black or red.

Umbrellas are a promotional item that will always be appreciated! Talk to your Bankers Promotional Consultant about this timeless promo. Check out our wide selection of umbrellas here!

Every season, we carefully curate the Guide and include only the best! The products chosen for our Spring Guide this year are ones we think show our versatility, quality and best sellers. Read on to hear more about our staff’s favorites.

KRISTIN
#GRDN7 | Outdoor Thermometer | page 2 

#BL1101 | Promotional Loop Terry Beach Towel | page 4

#K81 | Cook’s Choice One-Cup Measuring Cup | page 7

#BCKWHT | Wheat Straw Backscratcher with

                                       Shoehorn and Chain | page 8

BRENDA
#80880 | Soothies | page 6 

#32510 | SCX Design Desk Organizer with 10W Charging Base | page 9

#8875 | 11 oz. Apollo | page 19 

#SM-5755 | The Goods Recycled Felt Collection Meeting Tote | page 16

KEVIN
#880 | Magnifying Rain Gauge |  page 2

#SG02TR | Modesta Holo Sunglasses | page 4

#7262 | Alignment Ball Mark | page 5 

#CL16 | Power Clip Jumbo | page 6

ERICA
#MRPS | Thermacell Mosquito Repeller | page 3

#97018 | Trillah Fanny Pack | page 3

#34081 | Vavavroom Handheld Vacuum Cleaner | page 7

#VPLS019 | Chelsea Little Buddies | page 22 

MOLLY

#970 | Silicone Wrist Disc| page 3

#76015 | Orion 100W Charging Cable | page 9

#751003 | Airhug Wireless Charging Car Dock | page 11

#UHO | Coastal Threads™ Trek Pack | page 17

#AC18X | The Roadmaster Travel Tumbler | page 18

Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant for more info!

View our Spring Guide here for more great ideas!

See our video that breaks down each product and our favorite features!

It’s almost time for March Madness… the time of year when we all become invested in the outcome of college basketball games, and even those who actively dislike basketball find other things to make guesses on in brackets, because the process is just that fun. If you’ve never filled out a bracket, it’s a 50/50 choice at every branching, narrowing a field of 64 down to one winner. Your odds aren’t great, but making the picks is entertaining, whether you’re basing your choice on the skills of the players or which team’s mascot looks fiercer!

According to a Smithsonian article, “you’re more likely to die an excruciating death by vending machine, become president, win the Mega Millions jackpot or die from incorrectly using products made for right-handed people (if you’re a lefty) than fill out a perfect NCAA basketball bracket.” In fact, according to Sports Illustrated, there’s no documentation that anyone has ever done so. Yet every year, ESPN reports, some 70 million brackets are filled out. With that much fun going on, it would be madness not to brand it! Great choices include pens or markers to fill out the brackets (nothing erasable!) or basketball stress balls for when the tensions get high. Check out these other great March ideas:

National Plant a Flower Day

Indoors or outdoors, in a pot or in the ground – get your fingers dirty! Spring is right around the corner, so dig in!

Ideas: gardening gloves, gardening tools, blossom kits and seeds

Pi Day

For bakers and math geeks alike! 3.1415 … no matter how many digits you can recite of this irrational number, it’s a totally rational excuse for serving up the tastier version.

Ideas: slice-n-serve pie cutter, apple pie stress reliever, calculator

St. Patrick’s Day

This traditional Irish-American holiday gives rise to parades across the country.

Ideas: shamrock beads, good luck coolie, whiskey set

International Day of Happiness

Established via a U.N. resolution in 2012, this holiday, celebrated by all U.N. member nations, is in recognition of the value of happiness to our health and wellbeing.

Ideas: emoji hand fan, superhero smiley stress reliever

The ideas are endless. Feeling overwhelmed? Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant to help you select the perfect item for your brand building efforts this Spring! Check out our Guide for even more ideas!

2024 is now in full swing! Check out these 2024 trends to help you brand your business. Read below to see some predictions!

Redefine
“Redefine” is about sustainability. It’s about repurposing, reconstructing and redefining the way we live and the products we use in more eco-friendly and socially conscious ways. A great example is the growing consumer preference for “Quiet Luxury,” which references high-quality, timeless styles with elevated materials that have longevity. Redefine means we are reevaluating our products and manufacturing with a continuous goal of making our world more sustainable.

Quiet Luxury

Do not mistake Quiet Luxury as “just another trend.” Typified by high-quality, timeless styles with elevated materials that have longevity, this style movement is here to stay. Embodying the craftsmanship traditionally associated with luxury fashion, Quiet Luxury sensibly combines style with sustainable materials that appeal to the contemporary, environmentally conscious consumer.

Balance

In our fast-paced digital age, finding the delicate equilibrium between unplugging and connecting is essential. This new assortment of gadgets and gear helps consumers navigate converging digital and physical worlds. Striking this balance affords consumers the choice to live with intention. They can travel for work and pleasure simultaneously; they can keep in touch while on the trail they can power up while winding down.

Thrive
Now more than ever, consumers are prioritizing health and self-care. They focus inward to find new ways to heal – from embracing the power of sound to the importance of exploring nature. This year, consumers will continue to seek products supporting cognition, focus, recuperation, sleep, and mood. The products in this collection promote healthy living, stress reduction, and enhanced overall comfort.

Be on the lookout for us to share more 2024 trends soon. Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant for more ideas to promote your business in 2024.

Need some reasons to promote your company with the longest kept promotional product? Here are ten.

VALUE: Even the most budget-priced styles have very high-perceived value. No matter the amount spent, people will think the umbrella cost more, and what gift recipient doesn’t like that?!

LONGEVITY: Umbrellas are kept longer than any other promotional item, according to research by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI)!

IMPACT: Umbrellas make a big impression with a large, visible imprint area, not to mention multiple possible locations! Most styles feature panel printing, both upper and undercanopy, along with wide tie and case imprinting.

CONVENIENCE: Everyone can use more than one, whether they keep them handy at home, the office, in the car or in their bag/briefcase!

UTILITY: Umbrellas are great for the rain, of course, but also for sun and snow protection!

OPTIONS: With wildly popular inverted styles, plus folding, golf, and fashion, our umbrellas have you covered! There are umbrellas that pair with an app to tell end users when it’s going to rain.

UNISEX: Both women and men appreciate a great umbrella, and you don’t have to worry about buying them in a range of sizes like you do with apparel!

FLEXIBILITY: Umbrellas can be used as an appropriate gift, whether it’s for clients, prospects, employees, members, etc.!

CLASSIC: Why give out a gift that leaves people wondering what they’ll ever do with it, when an umbrella always speaks for itself?

COLOR: With a wide range of color combinations and multi-color imprinting possibilities, there isn’t a promotional theme that can’t be matched!
Did you know 45% of all consumers own promotional umbrellas?

Umbrella Day is February 10th and March is Umbrella Month! Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant for more information.

By: Molly Beavers, CAS

The Super Bowl is, well, the Super Bowl of advertising. The Super Bowl is a rare occasion on television when people want to see advertising. The captive audience and high price tag forces advertisers to push the envelope of creativity and campaign development. This traditional phenomenon has broadcasters charging, and advertisers happily paying, millions of dollars for their moment, or seconds, on advertising’s finest stage. This year a 30 second ad is selling for as much as $7 million dollars. Prices are so high because marketers are willing to pay to access the enormous Super Bowl audience. Some 115.1 million people on average tuned into the 2023 Super Bowl to watch the Chiefs play the Eagles (The Kelce Brothers Showdown), making the game the most-watched broadcast in the history of U.S. television. That estimate doesn’t even account for larger viewing groups at private parties, or bars.

Most businesses don’t have a massive budget to spend on a Super Bowl ad. That’s where we come in….promotional products offer the same effect. They’re a rare advertising medium the people actually want to see and receive. And it’s not just one Sunday night each year, but all of the time.

While the ads are fun to watch they’re also great for gleaning valuable insight into advertising today. It’s about more than what is on the screen. Valuable marketing lessons are found in the buzz generated by the ads and their integration of other channels. Here are a few observations that can be applied when using promotional products.

Ads Are No Longer Linear
Commercials are evolving to be more than just interruptions of our regularly scheduled programs. Advertisers are no longer in control of how, when or where their advertising is viewed. Sure, they can still buy specific time slots, but with social media sharing, turning them into entertainment on demand, it’s not always a straight shot from advertiser to the viewer. To take advantage, Super Bowl advertisers are creating added entertainment value. For several years, in the buildup for the Super Bowl, commercials have been teased, released or even “leaked” prior the Super Bowl to start the conversations early. Just google – Super Bowl Ads for 2024 if you want a peak.

This year surrounding the big game, the commercials now have commercials for their commercials. No joke—the Super Bowl ad process has gone from dropping teaser trailers for commercials to straight up filming a commercial to promote an upcoming commercial. There are a lot that have sequel commercials – before, during and after the game. Others have “cliff hanger” commercials asking you to go online to see the rest. Some are integrating social media or mobile content to further engage. The goal is to give the audience additional engagement options once advertisers have their attention.

Takeaway – Visit with your Bankers Promotional Consultant about having a good marketing mix that gives your audience multiple options to engage your brand. Promotional products should be a part of that mix, because a relevant and useful item tends to integrate itself into the life of the recipient. The additional engagement is appreciated by the recipient and brings value to the advertiser. Few advertising methods are as welcomed into personal spaces like promotional products.

In It For The Long Haul
Super Bowl ads now have the ability to last longer than their time slot. People talk about the ads for days and watch them over and over again. In the days after the big game, websites and blogs are posting articles reviewing the ads thus adding extra life. Since $7 million is a lot to spend for 30 seconds, Super Bowl advertisers are finding value in the conversations that take place on social media and in the blogosphere after the ads have aired.

Takeaway – Look for long term marketing value beyond the initial touch. Promotional products have that long term value built-in as the typical item is kept for six months. They have the ability to start conversations about a brand and encourage people to share their experiences long after they have received the promotional item.

Promotional Products Savor the Moment
Every year you will see the winning team hoisting the trophy wearing promotional t-shirts and caps celebrating their championship. Usually there is a commercial selling the winning team official merchandise to commemorate the occasion. Talk about striking while the iron is hot! The inclusivity adds value by creating a stronger connection between the fans and their team.

Takeaway – People want to remember good times and significant milestones. Promotional products are tangible reminders of those occasions and can connect on an emotional level with the recipient. The effect is not limited to the big events.

People are always open to receiving promotional products. You don’t have to wait until Super Sunday for consumers to welcome our advertising…83% of consumers like receiving promotional products. Promotional products create the same opportunity and excitement.

Will you be rooting for the Chiefs, the 49ers or the Commercials? I admit…I am not much of a football fan and only watch for the commercials. My family and I always pick our favorites. After the big game, I would love to hear from you regarding your favorite commercial or commercials and why.

Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant for winning ideas!

Well, we still don’t know which two teams will be facing off at Super Bowl 2024 but every year, when scrolling through social media, someone’s inevitably going to post: “And I’m officially only watching for the halftime show.” (That’s me every year, but especially this year since it’s Usher).

That’s the thing about the Super Bowl, isn’t it? Even if your team’s not in it, you watch. For many people, even if you don’t like football, you watch. It’s ubiquitous. It’s unavoidable. It’s classic. And, between the game, halftime show and commercials, there really is something in it for everyone.

Wouldn’t it be great if a company could make those claims?

Well, that’s why we’re here: to leverage the marketing power of promotional products to deliver your business Super (Bowl) Successes – campaigns that are ubiquitous, unavoidable, and classic. Campaigns that catch the eye and draw people in, even if they’re loyal to a different brand. Even if they couldn’t care less about the product.

Like the football game of games, a good promotional marketing campaign takes head-in-the-game hard work, like the players on the field. It takes a bold dash of creativity, like the halftime show. And it takes throwing a lot of humor and compassion at the part that people usually ignore in other contexts: the commercials.

So whether you’re in it to root for the teams, to check out the Usher halftime show or to pick up some tips from the commercials, remember that all three work together to draw in the over 113 million people who tune in every year. Work hard, get creative, and rely on us– and you’ll deliver Super (Bowl) Successes every time!

Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant for more touchdown ideas!

Unless you avoided people, public places and all of social media in 2023, you know it was the year for 40 oz. tumblers. If you paid even a little attention to trends, you saw the Stanley 40 oz. Quencher take over in promo and retail. Suddenly, women and girls of all ages were lugging around huge tumblers full of water.

Stanley is a brand that’s been around for years. Founded in 1913, it was known for decades for its classic steel vacuum bottles and lunch boxes in its signature Hammertone Green, mostly used by the workers who first built the country’s infrastructure. The company’s items and its clientele were both suited to spend time outside in the elements.

That changed in late 2022, when a combination of brand flexibility, new executive faces, image retooling, earnest influencers, savvy affiliate marketing and swoon-worthy lifestyle shots – plus a bit of luck – launched the 40-oz. Quencher into the stratosphere. The tumbler is an object of adoration, lauded by millions of social media users and so worshipped that consumers this holiday season camped out in tents outside Starbucks locations to try to score the special-edition Stanley x Starbucks style, many with plans to resell them online for huge markups.

So, what caused this sudden success? Their marketing strategy pivoted.

In 2019, at Stanley’s behest, the three female influencers behind The Buy Guide (a popular ladies shopping blog) cautiously placed an order for 10,000 cups – all of which they promptly sold. Their success convinced Stanley to re-prioritize the Quencher and, at the same time, add a focus on drinkware for women.  Stanley’s new president decided they should go all in on this new female audience. They launched brand new colors that were pastels and colorful (opposite of what they done the last century).

We’ve been offering alternatives since the very beginning because of high demand, but companies who want the brand name are willing wait and have the budget for the popular brand.

While celebrating the product of the year, we also want to highlight similar products that have been able to keep up with the Quencher in terms of performance.

Pelican Drinkware Rivals Stanley®

Popular Science has been writing articles about the best technology for more than 150 years and they named Pelican’s 40 oz. Porter™ the best tumbler in the industry. The Porter™ keeps drinks cold for hours. This longevity is thanks to a copper lining that works with double-wall vacuum insulation to prevent thermal loss. Be sure to check out this style #PL1008 and other Pelican drinkware. The other Pelican styles shown have the same effective insulation that will leave your customers satisfied with the final product. Check out their wide assortment of trending colors!

While we have seen several Stanley orders this year, clients have also found success with similar styles that have been tested and hold ice just as long. Our favorites are the Intrepid , Denali,  Apex and  Maxim Tumblers shown below. Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant for more information.

In early December, Pantone released their Color of the Year – Peach Fuzz.

“PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It’s a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.” It’s a hue that echoes an innate yearning for closeness and connection, Pantone decided to choose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.

Although Pantone named its 2024 Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz, in early December, the color experts released a whole palette based on New York Fashion Week trends earlier in the fall. These hues include some of the earthy colors that have been popular in the past couple of years, but perhaps most notably, the palette points to the middle of the rainbow, focusing on oranges and greens, plus a bright yellow and a handful of blues.

If your brand has a strong connection to design and aesthetics, staying updated on color trends is important. Our company and industry suppliers pay attention to the color trends throughout the year. We’re excited to see more of this sweet, peach color in 2024, along with the palette from fall 2023.

Check out our flyer of Peach Fuzz products to brand with your logo!

Contact your Bankers Promotional Consultant for color ideas that can help enhance your promo efforts.

Promotional ceramic mugs are a cost-effective and enduring marketing strategy supported by empirical evidence and statistics. They offer repeated daily exposure, long-lasting visibility, and positive brand associations, making them a compelling choice for businesses looking to enhance their marketing efforts.
Daily Exposure:
Research shows that individuals use mugs an average of 2.8 times per day for hot and cold beverages, resulting in repeated exposure to branding elements.
Longevity:
A study by the Advertising Specialty Institute revealed that promotional products, including ceramic mugs, have a lifespan of up to 7 years, ensuring prolonged brand visibility.
Eco-Friendly Options:
A study found that approximately 42% of consumers have a more favorable opinion of companies that offer eco-friendly promotional products, highlighting the positive impact of sustainable ceramic mugs on brand perception.

Checkout the #222XX 14 oz. Ledge Ceramic Mug from ETS is on page 19 of the Fall Gift Guide and the #CW154CP Full-Color Ceramic Mug. Contact us for a variety of styles!