Earlier this year, we posted about trade show giveaways and the need to strike the right note with audiences. For example, if you are a business exhibiting at a trade show some place where the sun shines year round, like Miami or Albuquerque, don’t pack the logoed ice scrapers and winter items for the show. That’s just common sense marketing.
 
But that doesn't mean that companies can’t plan ahead or tie promo products into the seasons. One thing that makes specialty advertising products meaningful is their usability. Logoed drinkware — whether you prefer coffee mugs or beer glasses — can be used anytime by consumers and, according to Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), they are used a lot. But many other specialty advertising products work well throughout the year too.

 
One of the best ways to add additional value to the promo products your clients give out is to pair items with upcoming seasons on the calendar. Holidays like Independence Day or Veterans Day can be marked with patriotic specialty items. When done right, promo products can honor America’s veterans or the colors of the American flag, while showing your customers’ support.
 
But other companies with a knack for marketing like to keep it general. Offering promo products that signal warmer weather or the kick-off of any sports season can be a good way to connect with people and enable customers to give out items with their logos that will be kept and used. Baseball season and golf season are work well, perhaps because they coincide with summer sun and good times.
 
Baseball has long been considered the national pastime, and baseball knickknacks are popular with both adult professionals and their children. Likewise, golf continues to grow in its popularity. According to CNBC the golf business is bigger than ever, with people from all walks of life tuning in and swinging clubs. Golfers played 490 million rounds of golf in 2012 alone, according to the National Golf Foundation, marking a huge jump in the last decade for this outdoor passion. As such, both golf and baseball provide no shortage of opportunities for specialty advertising and promo products distributors to help their customers stand out.
 
However, if you and your customer base are not into sports, fear not. Instead of balls, bats or golf tees imprinted with their logos, they can opt for something tasty. Summer time and barbecue go great together. According to ASI, 80% of American households own some type of grill or smoker.
 
BBQ items of all types, from metal hardware like flippers and spatulas to wearables like aprons, are easily customized and can find a special place right beside the outdoor grill. You can even go a step further for the most devout grilling gurus out there. Some of our partners offer full utensil sets that include carving knives, stakes and skewers, which make a nice gift for special clients or new prospects. Your customers can also opt to put their logos on specialty canned spice rubs and bottled marinades and barbecue sauces.
 
Just the same, it is not too early to prepare for the winter months and festivities that come at the year’s end. For winter, items can reference the season without getting into the religious side of the holidays. Fun products like snow globes and ornaments can be great giveaways that stoke peoples’ holiday spirit, while winter hats, scarves and even hot tea sets can communicate (and deliver) warmth.
 
Besides holiday-related fun, winter months do also mean sports for some. Even with hockey season ending in June, some organizations are planning ahead. For example the Vancouver Canucks have already started to market their campy “ugly sweater” and wearables for the winter season, hoping to tap fans’ taste for quirky nostalgia.
 
Whatever the season, Idea Custom Solutions will help you customize top quality promo products and wearables. We can also help you hit the mark for your customers with printed marketing and business materials that will help their brands shine.