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specials

• WELL-DESIGNED WORK, promotional products, specials

  Foolishness

  04.01.10 | This post was written by: Haley Montgomery | Permalink | Comment?

  

  Happy April Fool’s Day! The day for jokesters! Nothing adds a creative boost to your day (or your marketing efforts) quite like making the decision NOT to take yourself too seriously. In the middle of a challenging work day, humor can be just the shot in the arm you need to refresh your thinking and shift your ideas outside that boring old box. Good-natured gags among co-workers can be great icebreakers and team-builders, allowing folks to let their guards down and get to know one another. Indeed, humor is a powerful tool. It’s one we sometimes forget in creating well-designed work.

  I’m sold on the power of humor to get my own creative juices flowing. But, I’m in a serious quandry. The fact is; I only know two jokes. What’s more, the two jokes I do know were ones found on the wrappers of Laffy Taffy and Dubble Bubble Gum. I keep them pinned to the corkboard above my computer right below my “expert” patch. They give me a chuckle every now and then. You can see them in the images attached and chuckle yourself! Sadly, I miss the square form of the old standard Laffy Taffy and the waxy wrappers that could be lovingly “unwrapped.” It saddens me that Dubble Bubble’s jokes have been replaced by an admonition to write for nutritional information. The lost impact of humor — and sugar. Oh well.

  

  Joke deprivation and artificial flavor aside, have you considered using the power of humor and fun to attract attention to your marketing message? Just as a good joke can add a welcomed jolt to our thinking, humor can offer ingenuity and a burst of the unexpected to well-designed marketing efforts. I challenged Miss Jen to find us some humor-inducing promotional products for today’s celebration of tom-foolery. And, boy, did she come through! Never underestimate the power of offering your customers and prospects a chance to play. Let’s face it. They’ll take you up on it EVERY TIME. Your message delivered with one of these opportunities for fun may be just the promotional punchline you need to get your message taken seriously.

  

  1. Magic 8-Ball Keyring
  Give your customers and prospects a blast from the past with a keyring version of the awesome Magic 8-Ball fortune teller!
  1.5″ diameter keyring includes a 1-color imprint on 1 location
  Minimum quantity: 150 keyrings
  Price: $2.42 each
  Set-up: $30
  Special expires: 4/30/10

  2. Coin Trick
  Do your customers believe in magic? See the coin disappear and then reappear in this classic coin trick!
  Size: 2.5 x 1/25″ Pricing includes a 1-color imprint on 1 location
  Minimum quantity: 150
  Price: $1.25 each
  Set-up: $30
  Special expires: 4/30/10

  3. Baseball Squeezie Top Pen
  Just in time for baseball season!  Customers can execute their own “squeeze” play with this item.
  Size: 6.5″ long. Pricing includes a 1-color imprint on 1 location
  Minimum quantity: 150
  Price: $1.25 each
  Set-up: $30
  Special expires: 4/30/10

  4. Bendy Pink Flamingo Pen
  Obviously a Dux personal favorite! Your promotions get an extra strut with this rare bird!
  Size: 6.5″ long. Pricing includes a 1-color imprint on 1 location
  Minimum quantity: 150
  Price: $1.50 each
  Set-up: $30
  Special expires: 4/30/10

  5. Folding Coaster Puzzle
  Tease your clients’ brains with this one. Fold your message and see who can sort it back out!
  Size: 3 x 3″. Pricing includes a 1-color imprint on 1 location
  Minimum quantity: 150
  Price: $2.09 each
  Set-up: $30
  Special expires: 4/30/10

  GUESS WHAT? In celebration of April Fool’s Day, I have some t-shirts to give away to the best (family-friendly) jokes posted to our Facebook Page before then end of the week! I’m counting on you to add some new ones to my collection. Give it your best shot! The Dux thank you and our clients thank you for boosting my creativity with laughter!

• screen printing, specials

  Out of the Park T-Shirts

  03.30.10 | This post was written by: Haley Montgomery | Permalink | Comment?

  

  Who doesn’t love America’s favorite past-time? One thing I’ve learned in all my trips to Dudy Noble Field and Left Field Lounge here at the home of Mississippi State University Baseball is that baseball inspires smiles in grown-ups and children alike. It’s the one place where it’s ok for perfecty sane grown-ups to say things like “that dog’ll hunt,” or “c’mon Blue,” or “suh-wing, batter.” I’m particularly fond of the vocal chords of the gentleman in left field who makes his “ball four” distinctly heard clear across campus. Memories!

  And, what says memories for your business or organization like t-shirts?

  Major League Baseball’s opening day is April 4th and we’re celebrating with our DUX ON THE POND Special on custom screen printed t-shirts! Now’s your chance to get “out of the park” savings on t-shirts just in time for end-of-the-year school club ts, Class of 2010 ts, church conference ts, and yes, baseball team ts! It doesn’t matter what your event or occasion is. You can’t go wrong with a good t-shirt!

  Take advantage of these special discounts on your next screen printing order of short-sleeve, no-pocket crew neck t-shirts. Just print this page or mention the coupon code when you place your order!

  Now through April 30th
  Take $15 off your next order of $150 or more (code DUX15)
  Take $25 off your next order of $250 or more (code DUX25)
  Take $50 off your next order of $500 or more (code DUX50)

  [Order total excluding shipping, sales tax and royalties.
  May not be combined with any other discount offers.]

• WELL-DESIGNED WORK, marketing, specials

  Green Writing

  03.29.10 | This post was written by: Haley Montgomery | Permalink | Comment?

  It’s easy to think “green” in Springtime because we are getting our first glimpse of it all around us in nature. Those first tiny bright green leaves budding from the bare branches really let us know the warmer season is on the way!

  We’ve been thinking about new things a lot lately as we’ve been evaluating what’s in store for the quack! blog. We have some exciting new themes to share with you in the next few days and some well-designed posts in the future. All this exploration of blog writing had us thinking about writing in general–and about “green” writing in particular.

  Miss Jenn, our resident promotional guru, shared with me two great utensils for “green” writing. These eco-friendly pens are made with post-consumer recycled paper. They are an ideal choice for your promotional message, and they show your commitment to conserving natural resources as well. Well-designed responsibility! We like it!

  SPECIAL PRICING NOW!

  Dual Function Eco-Friendly Pen/Highlighter
  A recycled paper barrel with wooden clip houses a chisel tip highlighter and pen with fade resistant ink.
  Colors available: Natural paper barrel with green, red, orange, blue or black trim.
  (yellow highlighter)
  Pricing includes 1-color imprint in 1 location

  Minimum quantity: 250 pens
  Price: $0.79 each
  Set-up: $40
  Special expires: 12/31/10

  

  ECOL Retractable Pen
  Made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, this retractable pen is available in black ink with a medium point tip.
  Trim colors: black, blue or green
  Pricing includes 1-color imprint in 1 location

  Minimum quantity: 300 pens
  Price: $0.85 each
  Set up: No charge
  Special expires: 4/30/10

  GREEN WRITING

  We’ve noticed that “green” writing extends beyond just your utensils. The “green” values of conservation, economy and reuse actually work pretty nicely when you’re crafting your message, too. Well-written verbiage is an essential element for any good marketing effort, whether it’s a Facebook status, a brochure paragraph or a web page. As you’re testing out your new “green” promotional pens, try out these quick tips for quality “green” writing as well….

  1. Replace two words with one. Edit your text rigorously. If you can use one word instead of two or three to describe or explain a concept, do it! Cull out unnecessary expressions. Simple and concise messages are much easier to absorb.

  2. Use “active voice.” Harken back to the admonition of your 8th grade English teacher. You’ll use fewer words when you write your sentences in the “active” rather than “passive” voice. For example, rather than saying “Our service was voted the best in the state by Media XYZ,” try using “Media XYZ votes our service the best in the state.”

  3. Use “action” words. Your message will be dynamic and more on-point when you use action words. Instead of common verbs, consider more descriptive choices that can highlight your effort and expertise. For example, instead of “Miss Jenn found…,” try “Miss Jenn researched,” or “Miss Jenn brainstormed,” or “Miss Jenn unearthed.” Action words lend more impact to your message.

  4. Vary your sentence structure. A string of simple sentences can become boring. Try a mix of simple and compound sentences to add interest and provide natural rhythm for the reader. Employ a parallel structure for making comparisons and presenting concepts in a series.  The repeated structure will lend more power to your statements.

  5. Reuse! Yes, it’s ok to reuse your verbiage. In fact, it’s a marketing essential. Maintain a consistent message by repeating it in various venues. Be sure to use the same tone and perspective with all communications. In addition, use the time-honored journalistic approach of offering a “who-what-where-when-why” introduction along with a summary paragraph for any lengthy text.