When the first Harry Potter book came out in 1997, I was instantly hooked. A kid’s book, you say? I have seen nine-year-olds, 16-year-olds and 53-year-olds reading Harry Potter and we all love it just the same. I have read every book (at least twice by now), so you can guess that when the movies came out, I was ecstatic! I was also a part of every midnight book release and movie premiere whether I was at the front of the line or crowded somewhere in the middle.

The last midnight premiere I attended was in July 2007, when the fifth installment of the film was released, and boy, did that turn into an interesting event! It was a warm summer night and as I approached the movie theater, I saw that the line was already backed up into the entire parking lot, making its way to the entrance of a local Hooters restaurant (how appropriate and magical). All of my friends were being less than fun this particular weekend, so I ventured to the movie alone with a shimmer in my eye and a pep in my step (and a lightning scar on my forehead that only I knew existed).

When I reached the line I was surrounded by wannabe witches and wizards of all shapes and sizes. It was intimidating, but I stood my ground. Just because I was alone in this Muggle-polluted situation didn’t mean I had to feel insecure about it. But the line became more and more crowded and the space around me was becoming smaller and smaller. Suddenly, I was experiencing an extreme case of claustrophobia. I was gripping my movie ticket so hard it had become sweaty and crumpled. I closed my eyes and thought about wands, incantations, butterbeer and the Great Hall’s famous feasts, but none of it helped.

Finally, they began to let the hordes of people into the various theaters showing the premiere that evening. My stress levels did not get any better. As if standing in the line surrounded by kids hadn’t been hectic enough, I was now literally fighting and thrashing my way to a seat. You would think finding one seat for yourself on a solo date to the movies would be easy. Hardly. You see, during midnight premieres of movies (especially movies with younger followings), children tend to travel in large groups and save 13 seats or so. After tripping over four people, spilling a bucket of popcorn and almost falling down the stairs entirely, I was able to find a lone seat in the nosebleed section. I was content at last!

There is no need to go into the details of my actual viewing experience or discuss the confusing and crowded walk out to the car – all of these things can be left to your imagination. But I will say that after this entire situation was all said and done, I realized something. These midnight movie premieres, although exciting and fun, can cause a lot of anxiety. Instead of using my ticket stub as a stress reliever, I thought, it would’ve been nice to have something else to squeeze in my hand.

Then it hit me. EUREKA! Companies wanting to promote their names and also appeal to what will be one of the biggest movie outings this summer would be wise and ahead of the game to order Wizard Stress Balls as a fun, interactive product to hand to their clients during this “Harry Potter” summer season. These little stress balls are shaped like a wizard who looks like a mix between Merlin and Dumbledore himself! They are the perfect promotional product for a movie event such as this. With the newest installment hitting theaters this July (like a month away!), waving your company’s wand and imprinting these Wizard Stress Balls with the company name would reach your Harry Potter-addicted customers in an understanding and very outside-the-box type of way. Whether your clients hand the product off to their children or keep it for themselves to remain calm during the premiere, these Wizard Stress Balls will work magic to make any stress disappear.

Remember… “It is our choices … that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities,” Dumbledore says. Choose this promotional product, and your stressed-out-from-attending-a-movie-premiere clients (and their children!) will thank you for the rest of their Muggle lives.

Wands up!

Abby Ink

Due to recent friend-turbulence, a messy break-up and the stress that came along with finals and the closing of another semester, I have acquired a new best friend. This friend is the best kind of friend – a friend that won’t ever let you down, is very good at listening, can cheer you up in an instant, and if it gets too feisty you can simply engulf it.

“What on earth could make for this good of friend and how can I get one,” you ask yourself? Well, let me tell you. My new best friend is … chocolate! And luckily for the world, my best friend can be easily shared and distributed, and can also be an extra (delicious) way to spread the joy of your company to the world.

Whether you try chocolate CDs and golf balls or chocolate-covered pretzels and chocolate-filled cookie tins, Absorbent, Ink. can provide a new best friend for anybody who is having a rough day, a long week, or who just needs some comforting and cheering up.

Oh boy. The AC’s not working today. It’s 82 degrees in here. The guys are installing a new one. And it’s got me thinking about summer fun. The pool. And listening to Captain and Tennille.

It’s also a great time to remind you about some of the great products we offer for summer promotions! Here are some of my favorites.

Beach Balls – Great for the beach, at concerts, or other outdoor events.

Sunglasses – Gotta stay cool. And look cool at the same time.

BBQ Sets – Love cooking with fire. And they make great gifts.

Stainless Steel Water Bottles – Durable and BPA free, these have become our most popular line of drinkware.

Flying Discs – One of our most popular promotional items.

Coleman Coolers – Great for keeping cold things cold on a hot summer day.

Koozie Can Coolers – Yep. I’m good with drinking a beer on a hot summer day.

Garden Tool Sets – Another fine promotional gift for the warm seasons.

Insulated Coolers and Bags – We’ve recently expanded our line of insulated bags. Some great totes in here!

Thermometers – In case you really want to know how hot it is.

Maybe I should remove the one in my office. Gotta get my mind off the heat!

If you happen to be in a few select cities you may find a random wallet on the ground from Burger King. Inside, there’s a note from The King to keep the wallet, cash ranging from a $1 bill to $100 bill, a gift card to Burger King, a “driver’s license” featuring The King, and a map of Burger King restaurants in the area in which the wallet was dropped.  If you are one of the lucky ones, snap a picture of you and the wallet and send it to us!

Toys not only inspire young children, but motivate adults who are in the wrong career, as well. A direct mail campaign for Monster.com emphasized the importance of a job that fits by distributing packages of toy soldiers containing one gun-wielding pink ballerina. The bag reads, “Stuck in the wrong job?” Apparently a lot of people felt like the ballerina in the soldier bag because new IP visits and registration increased significantly.

Source:Direct Daily

A marketing concept at the coffee shop chain Oh It’s Fresh! proves that some things are better said with pictures than with words. Single portions of milk distributed within the coffee chain feature the image of a milk cow’s udder, giving the impression that you’re getting milk straight from a Holstein. Although it’s borderline disturbing, you definitely can’t miss the message.

Source: I Believe in Advertising

As ingenious as the Post-it is, sometimes getting your point across takes a little more creativity. Take this snazzy toaster designed by Sasha Tseng for example. Notes written on the message board are toasted onto the bread of your choice, leaving a breakfast-time message that’s hard to ignore… unless you’re really hungry.

Of course, if you’re looking for a long-term reminder, try something a little less perishable like a message fan or a custom notepad.

Question: The Career Center wants to encourage new students to register for information on internships, job opportunities and career fairs. How do we inform students about this service?

Answer: A great way to reach new students is during orientation. Coordinate with orientation administrators to set up a booth or work shop for students to attend. Hand out fun, yet practical items to students who register for the program. Products such as ice scrapers, mouse pads or lanyards imprinted with the career center’s contact information serve as reminders for students to utilize the services.

[If they can make up the word ‘Bracketology’ we can get creative too!]

College basketball teams are deep into their conference schedule and March Madness™ is just around the corner. Bars and restaurants can benefit from the excitement of March Madness™ by implementing marketing strategies that optimize their brand exposure and increase sales traffic. Traditional marketing strategies such as newspaper ads or radio spots can be effective, but including a sales promotion or premium product in a marketing plan has been proven to be even more successful. These ideas can be customized to fit your business and customers’ expectations to create a fun and exciting atmosphere for March Madness™.

Tournament Brackets: Spice up bracket contests by awarding participants who correctly complete a region or round of games on the bracket. Discounts on a product or service or imprinted products can be given away as prizes. Breaking down the bracket and prize pool increases the number of winners, which boosts traffic at the business. Display the grand prize at the business location to increase word-of-mouth or “buzz” marketing for the prize and brand.

Prize Drawings: Create a prize drawing for a March Madness™ watch party sponsored by your business. The winner can invite friends to watch a basketball game and enjoy snacks, refreshments and other special treatments provided by the business. Other prizes can be given away such as imprinted bottle coolers or tee shirts. Not only are drawings a great way to attract customers, they can also be used to survey participants. It gives your business an opportunity to ask customers about your product or service and how it can improve.

Promote Game Day or Night: Create a calendar and label featured games that will be broadcasted at your business. Place the calendar on dining tables or at a bar where customers can view the schedule. A great way to attract customers to game nights is to create a trivia game. Trivia questions can be general or customized for different themes. Get creative with prizes and include your brand name. Glassware imprinted with the brand logo or message is a great giveaway.

She may hold the title for biggest celebrity meltdown, but that doesn’t keep her from moving forward in the business world. Her new fragrance, Curious Heart, launched a couple of days ago.

Although it sounds like her marketing gurus have it under control with Curious Heart (in addition to traditional marketing they launched an online-viral marketing campaign), her public relations team is at the end of its rope.

Here are a few ideas to help turn the tables, and re-brand Britney into a life lesson.

• Follow the steps of your mama: Write a book. How about the title “Toxic: How Not to Live Life – The Britney Spears Story.”

• To support the book, go on Oprah and cry. Cry the entire show and beg for forgiveness. Then hand out Round Bounce Back Stress balls to the audience and discuss everything you learned in therapy about how to handle stress.

• Tour the country and hold lectures giving an inside-look on being a celebrity.

• Last but not least, stay out of the bars.

Obviously, she needs some serious help right now, but if she can get her act together she may be able to save face.