Buying Promotional Coffee Mugs

Why Buy Custom Coffee Mugs?

When it comes to marketing, promotional coffee mugs are one of the most cost-effective ways to attract attention to your organization. Did you know that over 50% of the US adult population drinks coffee every single day? Maybe it's the intoxicating aroma, the rich color, or simply the ritual of pouring a cup that draws you in. Coffee kick-starts your day, caps off a great meal, and enhances conversations with friends. Whether you have a cup-a-day habit or choose to partake more frequently, there's no disputing that coffee is an important part of American culture. So what better way to promote your brand than with custom coffee mugs?

They not only have a higher perceived value than many other promotional items, but they also have a lasting usefulness that other business gifts lack. You probably have at least one imprinted coffee mug in your home or office that you've used again and again. With so many choices in styles and materials, it can be a daunting task to choose the right promotional mug for your business. Let's take a look at some of the most popular types of custom mugs.

Coffee Mug Types

Classic Coffee Mugs

The classic coffee mug is uniformly cylindrical in shape, with a handle, but it comes in a variety of sizes. A basic 11-12 ounce mug is an economical choice for those on a budget. We offer several with full color imprint capabilities.

Bistro Coffee Mugs

The stylish rounded bistro mug, modeled on the mugs from which one might sip cafe au lait at a sidewalk table in Milan or the Cote d'Azur, is a popular alternative style and nice for displaying logos with rounded edges or flowing script.

Cafe Coffee Mugs

If your logo has a crisp, modern design, choose a mug with sleek lines for a contemporary flair, like our tapering cafe' coffee mug. This category also includes 16 oz. latte mugs for everyone who needs their espresso-and-foam fix in the morning.

Camper Coffee Mugs

For those who want a nice, big mug with a rugged feel, the camper coffee mug is ideal. Shorter in stature but wider in diameter, these mugs hold 14 or 15 ounces and have a flecked finish that brings to mind evenings around the campfire.

Diner & Restaurant Mugs

Restaurants or coffee shops should opt for a vitrified ceramic for commercial use, and we offer a nice selection of promotional diner and restaurant mugs ready to take your imprint and look smart use after use.

Glass Coffee Mugs

Perfect for iced or (one of our favorites) Irish coffee, glass coffee mugs look great on a desk or conference table and make an elegant corporate gift.

Travel Coffee Mugs

Anyone with a lengthy morning commute will tell you they couldn't live without a travel coffee mug! Promotional travel coffee mugs are made of a variety of materials, such as plastic, stainless steel, and even ceramic. If your promotion is aimed at commuters, make sure the style will fit into a standard auto cup holder. Perhaps the most important feature of a travel coffee mug is the lid. Lids that offer the ability to close off the drinking spout can help prevent spills and burns, not to mention helping to keep coffee hot.

Travel Coffee Tumblers

Travel coffee tumblers differ from travel mugs in that tumblers do not have a handle but rather a non-slip surface and, in most cases, a contoured shape to make them easy to hold. Like the handle-equipped variety, a travel tumbler's lid is all-important.

Stainless Steel Coffee Tumblers and Mugs

Custom stainless steel coffee tumblers and mugs are extremely popular as promotional items because of their high perceived value. A common material for travel tumblers, stainless steel is durable enough to withstand even the harshest of morning commutes. Some styles are sleek and modern, while others are rugged and feature textural or rubber accents. Stainless steel is often paired with other materials to create a unique two-tone look; the cool silver tone complements a variety of materials, including ceramic, plastic, and even leather. Stainless steel travel coffee tumblers should be double-walled or lined with a plastic liner to help keep coffee hot, and this is ideal for thermo-insulated mugs and thermoses. Stainless steel tends to be the most expensive option for promotional coffee tumbler materials, but the initial investment can pay off in repeat impressions through frequent use.

Acrylic and Plastic Coffee Tumblers and Mugs

Most people probably don't think plastic when they think coffee mug. But promotional plastic coffee tumblers and acrylic tumblers can be a great choice, especially for travel mugs. There are a wide range of color options available to suit any occasion, including effects that couldn't be achieved in other materials. Plastics are durable and can be easily cleaned, so they can withstand frequent use. Be sure when choosing a plastic or acrylic coffee tumbler or mug to look for a style with a liner, as single-wall styles are intended for cold beverages only. There are even acrylic tumblers with stainless steel liners, so you can have the best features of both materials. And unlike most other types of promotional coffee tumblers, there are recycled and biodegradable options available.

Ceramic Coffee Tumblers

A particular style of travel coffee cup has taken the promotional world by storm in recent months. Dubbed the "not-a-paper-cup," the design of this ceramic tumbler mimics the paper cup offered at most coffee shops, complete with a silicone version of the plastic lid. Double-walled ceramic keeps coffee hot and hands comfortable, and some versions even come with a reusable sleeve. Personalized ceramic travel tumblers are ideal for environmentally-friendly promotions, but are also trendy enough to suit almost any campaign.

Paper Coffee Cups

While we hope you'll opt for reusable promotional coffee mugs whenever possible, we understand that some events and businesses call for disposable (or hopefully recyclable!) cups. We offer a variety of custom paper cups to meet your needs. They're a necessity for the restaurant industry, and they can provide the perfect finishing touch to a party or corporate event when you personalize them with your message! Remember that paper cups don't have the insulating properties of most reusable coffee mugs, so don't forget the imprinted paper coffee cup sleeves. There are even reusable versions available, like our foam coffee cup sleeve!

How to Buy Promotional Coffee Mugs

When determining the best options for your promotion, consider the following:

Type. When choosing a type of promotional coffee mug, consider your message and target audience. Do you intend for your promotional mugs to be used in the home or office, where the message will be visible primarily to the end user and those closest to them? Go for a traditional ceramic coffee mug. Does your promotion target people on the go? Opt for a personalized travel mug, as it will both suit your end user's lifestyle and allow your message to be seen by everyone they encounter.

Material. Ceramic is a mainstay coffee mug material that is highly reusable and easy to clean. Stainless steel offers an upscale look and insulating properties. Plastics and acrylics expand design options. Ceramic and biodegradable or recycled plastic options are ideal for eco-friendly promotions, and imprinted paper coffee cups are ideal for large events where reusable mugs aren't practical.

Budget. If you're on a budget, custom coffee mugs are a great choice for promoting your business. For not much more than the cost of a promotional pen, you can increase the perceived value of your promotional item and ensure that your logo will be seen again and again. Smaller budgets can benefit from the lower price points on ceramic coffee mugs. Stainless steel costs more at the outset and makes a great impression.

Grow your business, connect with clients, improve corporate unity, enhance school spirit, or spread the word with a custom promotional product from InkHead Promotional Products!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Ollinger

What All Should A Custom Key Chain Have?

A custom key chain as is self explanatory is one that is custom made to suit one’s specific marketing needs and requirements so to gain maximum benefit out of one’s marketing steps. If you are planning to use this potential tool to advertise your products/services, make sure it has the following things:

-Your company's logo, the slogan, and the colors of your business to help achieve successful and efficient advertisement.

-Your contact information, including your phone number, mobile number, fax number, and email address so that customers know how to get in touch with you when they want your services or products.

-A small write-up/marketing message about your business to give your potential customers information about your specific products and services.

-Direct linking with your business to help the recipients get to know what your do or offer. Custom key chain that is related to your business helps take the guess work out and serves as a strong marketing tool.

-Great quality. No matter whether you choose metal custom keychains or plastic custom promotional item, choose quality over quantity. Great quality help build great business rapport.

If you wish to buy top quality carabiner key chain, metal keychain, plastic keychain, leather keychain, USB keychain, LED flash light keychain, or any other custom keychains made especially for you & your brand, you may visit www.promotionalkeychains.biz

Marketing Strategy : Branding Basics for Small Business

In most of the marketing literature, branding strategies are usually skewed towards large businesses. The nature of these strategies also demands heavy and sustained investment in brand promotion and brand equity development. Often such high decibel brand promotion strategies create an impression that branding is a game for large players.

One of the fundamental question before any marketer is whether to brand or not brand. Although marketing literature suggests that there is an option for no-branding, for all practical purposes a firm cannot escape branding. No-Branding decision is where the firm chose to sell its offerings as generic products or commodities. But even in such a scenario, the firms which are marketing such generic products are distinguished by their company name which should be considered as a brand.

For example if you are a salt manufacturer supplying to retail outlets, although you are not selling branded salt, your company name will act as a brand for your customer ( retailer). Even though such firms are not into selling branded products, they have a corporate brand. Through their sales personnel and transactions, these firms are already building their corporate brand.

One of the most important advantages of branding is that brands help to identify and distinguish the seller. Even when selling commodities, the buyer needs to identify the seller and developing a corporate brand helps in getting repeat business from the customer.

Commit to Branding

The first step in creating an effective brand is a conscious decision to invest in branding the business. Whether it is a corporate name or an individual brand name, the decision to invest in branding will bring in a big difference. Branding is much more than putting a label in the cover of the product. Branding is a long term strategy which involves development of a brand vision and creation of brand personality.

Branding need not be expensive

Investing in branding is not about the money set aside for brand promotion but the level of involvement of marketers in developing the brand consciously. Small and medium enterprises have the constraint of limited marketing budget which forces them to overlook the importance of branding their products/business. But when we look at the long term perspective, taking baby steps now will go a long way in establishing a powerful brand in the future.

Big brands are built over a period of time. It is possible for small enterprises to build powerful brand through a consistent investment in smart branding practices. It is advisable to set aside a small percentage of revenue for the purpose of brand development alone. Consider this budget as a Systematic Brand Investment Plan rather than an expense.

Develop and protect the brand elements

Once a decision is made to build a brand, the next step is to develop powerful brand elements.

Brand elements include name, logo, symbols, mascots, color schemes, taglines etc. These brand elements should be prominently displayed in every communication that goes out from the firm be it visiting cards, gifts, brochures etc.

The next logical step is to protect the vital brand elements like Brand Name, Logo, etc. This is very important to prevent plagiarism and to challenge the rip-offs and copy cats.

Explore promotional opportunities

The fragmentation of media is in fact a big blessing for small brands. The proliferation of media has given lot of low cost promotional opportunities for small brands. The competition among the media has kept the advertising rates low especially for second –rung media. Small brands can make use of regional media options in a much more effective way than large brands operating in a national scale. Local newspapers, radio stations, cable TV channels offer excellent cost-effective vehicles for small brand promotions.

Brand promotions through these low cost media may not give a substantial ROI or a significant impact in sales in the short-term. In the long term, such small media exposure will increase the visibility of the brand and benefits will start accruing.

Corporate brands which operate in a business to business environment should explore their brand promotions in a different manner. For business brands, sales professionals are the biggest promoters of the brand. It is important for small businesses to ensure that the sales force is communicating the right kind of message to the customer. Business brands should try to communicate their brand message through every possible contact opportunities.

Every business has some communication materials like brochures, pamphlets etc and these materials offer some amount of information about the company and products. When endeavoring to brand development, these materials are of immense value. These materials should communicate the core Brand Manthra to the consumers. It is commonly observed that these communication materials are only used as a product catalogue rather than a branding tool.

It is a myth that brand building is expensive. Brands are built over time and through consistent systematic investment. The new highly connected environment has opened up many cost effective promotional platforms which can be used by small business to build their brands.

Use An Uninterruptible Power Supply To Protect Your Computer Equipment

Features:

Increase the lifespan of your computers, peripherals, and electrical equipment

The power from the wall socket is always fluctuating, and this causes some form of damage to your electrical equipment in the long run. PROTECT helps to minimize such damage, thus increasing the lifespan of your equipment.
Space minimizing design

Its dimension and weight have been reduced dramatically. Besides its space-saving compact size, PROTECT also impresses you with its elegant appearance. The one-piece housing design fits easily on or under the desk.
Auto restart when the AC recovers

This model will automatically switch to battery mode and power the load using its battery when utility power fails. PROTECT will auto restart and recharge its battery when the utility power reutrns even when it is shutdown.
Simple to install and operate

Are you a PC gamer or an Internet user? PROTECT is easy to install and operate for such users.

Cost effective & affordable

PROTECT is a mass produced product and as such, is affordable. It is targeted at the entry level market for mass uses.

Specifications
Model: PROTECT 500

Capacity in VA: 500VA
Capacity in Watt: 300W
Input Voltage: 230V
Noise Level: Less than 45dB
Backup Time (with 1 PC load and one 15" monitor): 15 min
Recharge Time: 10 hours (to 90% after complete discharge)
Dimensions in mm: 90 x 135 x 330
Net Weight in kg: 5.5

FREE delivery in Singapore for all orders, while stocks last. International orders are welcomed.

Intel Core 2 Duo and Extreme Processors

For a company like Intel to stumble and that too, badly, for the two years prior to the launch of the now runaway hit, the Core 2 Duo has been quite an experience (not to be confused with the P4, Core Duo - whereas the P4 Core Duo could complete three instructions per cycle, the Core 2 Duo can complete 4 – and that is without talking about processing power and efficiency). Especially when the underdogs, AMD had almost overtaken it.

But then, all that has changed with the introduction of the Core 2 Duo and the rest. It was when Intel decided to scrap the Netburst micro-architecture that never reached the potential that Intel believed was possible, and focused on the Pentium M architecture designed by their Israeli team that things started brightening up.





The architecture of the chip is simply known as Core, of which the products include Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme. Both run on an 1066 MHz FSB bus and are built using 65nm transistors. Again, both are dual core chips, with the Core 2 Extreme coming with a higher cache and a higher clock speed. (There is also a workstation version of the Core architecture – Woodcrest Xeon.)

These processors are built on a 143 sq mm die and are made up of 291 million transistors, regardless of their L2 cache size. While rivals AMD use 90nm tranistors on their chips, Intel uses the 65nm ones.

Code named ‘Conroe’, Intel’s Core 2 Duo will have a mobile counterpart, named ‘Merom’.
Following are the various versions of the Core 2 Duo that are available.




Testing by PC World and others show that the Core 2 Duo processors are the fastest amongst the range considered for the desktop PCs. (Of course, we haven’t talked about the Quad Core ‘Kentsfield’ series from Intel – consisting of two Conroe chips.)

Apart from that, the Core 2 Duo series boasts of lower power consumption, resulting in lesser heat and higher performance.

Of course, the disadvantage is that you cannot use the processors on your existing motherboards as these processors - though they sit on the same Socket 775 interface as with the earlier Pentium 4 sockets – require different chipsets. Major manufacturers are ready with their motherboards which can use these Intel powerhouses, e.g. Gigabyte, ATI, nVIdia.

While it is difficult to say that whether investing in a Core 2 Duo motherboard makes sense in terms of longevity and it is known that the processor is incompatible with a lot of Pentium-compatible chipsets, it depends on the customer to make the call.