October is the 25th anniversary of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as you can see from the banner above, we’re going Pink-er. Dux D’Lux is no stranger to pink, but during this month we are highlighting breast cancer advocacy by making our logo more pink than usual! Our website home page, Facebook, Twitter, the Quick Quack ezine and even this blog are sporting new colors as a reminder that early diagnosis is the first step toward life after breast cancer.

The NBCAM website offers a wealth of information about breast cancer, treatment, resources and more. With over 190,000 expected new cases of breast cancer this year, the disease is likely to touch all of us in one way or another–both men & women. Commit yourself and encourage the women in your life to perform monthly self-examinations and schedule yearly mammogram screenings!

SPECIALS TO MAKE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MORE AFFORDABLE!

More and more clients are interested in contributing to making customers aware of the issues surrounding breast cancer with promotional products, give-away items and events. To highlight National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re offering two specials on some great health-conscious marketing items that will help your promotions “go pink-er!”

20 oz Pink Sports Bottle
Ergonomic design
Spill resistant pop top lid
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on 2-location (Same design)

Minimum order: 500 pieces
Price: $1.29 each
Set-up: $45
Order by: 12/15/09

Pink Eco Flyer
Holds a standard sized paper plate! Great for outdoor events! Biodegradable, translucent plastic, 9-1/4″ Flyer
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on 1-location

Minimum order: 500 pieces
Price: $1.29 each
Set-up: $45
Place your order by: 12/15/09

Good afternoon, Quacksters! We are so thankful to all our Facebook fans for the great support during Tailgating Week last week. We are delighted to donate 100 free “spirit” cups to the West Point, MS Parents in Public School organization for  mobilizing the Green Wave fans to support their team on our fan page. You guys are outstanding, and we appreciate the work you do on behalf of the public schools in your area.

I wanted to do a quick post to let our blog readers know about something new we’re beginning on the Fan page. I’ve been participating in various social media Twitter “chats,” getting ideas on how we can use Facebook and Twitter to serve and promote our clients better. We really want to provide more value for the followers and fans who’ve invited us into their cyber space.

As a way of sharing some of the expertise we’ve gleaned in our 30-year marketing adventures, we’ve decided to add a daily marketing tip to our social media offerings. In addition to our great specials, client happenings and general Dux mayhem, we’ll be posting what we call THE DUX DAILY each day on our Facebook page. (You Twitter followers will find it in your stream as well!)

Our goal is for each week’s Dux Daily postings to center around a theme that we’ll expand on in one of our blog posts or Quick Quack ezines as well. We’ll share specific tips you can use as you plan your marketing efforts, whether through design projects, website development, screen printed wearables or promotional products.  We’ll also include links to valuable research that will help you know your audience and focus your marketing energies.

We’re still brainstorming ideas for weekly topics, but here are a few of the Dux Daily themes you may see in the coming weeks:

Writing effective press releases

Choosing tee shirt ink colors

Restaurant menu design

Starting a safety program

Writing content for websites

Newspaper design tips

Budget-conscious screen printing

Using fonts wisely

Benefits of blogging

Getting started in social media

Who’s on the internet

Who’s on social media

Effective logos

Creating a logo standards package

We’d love to hear your ideas! What types of Dux Daily tips would you like to see? Send us your comments! Please.

It’s halftime in our special Tailgating Week, and tailgating just wouldn’t be tailgating without delicious munchies on the grill or off! Miss Jenn is quite the munchie aficionado, so eat up! Kids, go ahead and try this at home.

Miss Jenn’s 7 Layer Dip

Ingredients needed (size to fit your team):
Refried Beans
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Salsa
Tortilla chips

How to make:
First, get a serving dish!  Something that chips can easily scoop a messy dip out of.

Layer One: The refried beans.  I heat these up a little bit in a microwave safe bowl.  Typically about a minute.  Then I mix a little shredded cheese into it and put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.  Place this first layer in the serving dish.

Layer Two: Cheese, you will see cheese repeat itself in other layers, but this is one for itself.  Smother the refried beans in a layer of shredded cheesy goodness.

Layer Three: Cut up the lettuce into small bits to layer on top of the dip.  People need to be able to scoop it up easily, so no salad size pieces of lettuce.

Layer Four: The tomatoes can be cut to your liking.  I dice mine to be able to sprinkle them over the top of the dip.

Layer Five: Before I put the guacamole on top I lay a little more cheese down.  I told you it would come back.  I place the guacamole over the top of the dip.

Layer Six: I am not a fan of sour cream, but many of my friends are.  When making this, they say it tastes great to have sour cream spread over the top.  I like to just put a dollop on the top of the dip for people to eat as they see fit.  Either way works for this tasty treat.

Layer Seven: Drizzle salsa over the top of the dip for a finishing touch.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Other good items to mix in: Hamburger meat with the refried beans.  Sliced jalapenos to accent the top.

In honor of TAILGATING WEEK: A super fund-raising idea!

Dux D’Lux was delighted recently to work with the Parents in Public Schools program in West Point, MS to produce spirit-building items and a successful fund-raising campaign.

Through contacts in our Facebook account, PIPS approached Dux D’Lux about producing some custom flags the organization was interested in hanging at each school in the system to build excitement and community pride. We helped them created simple but effective standard 3 x 5′ green flags to reflect their team colors.

Then, PIPS came up with a great fund-raising idea to capitalize on their high school fan base, spurred by years of successful football teams. We were so pleased they decided to work with Dux to create fan tee shirts targeting men, women and Green Wave fans of all ages. The Dux D’Lux art staff produced designs for both black and pink tee shirts from the group’s ideas, and we were able to keep the costs down by sticking with 2-color artwork.

PIPS kicked off their year and took tee shirt orders while Tailgating at WPHS’ first home football game. We printed over 500 tee shirts and completed them just in time for homecoming! Way to go, PIPS, for your excellent work in support of West Point public schools!

Oh, and congratulations on a great Homecoming win. Go Green Wave!

Let Tailgating Week begin! We’ve been gathering lots of great ideas and fine-tuning our sports fan-talk for this week’s special tailgating theme. Please stop back by every day for great promotional ideas and tips. Don’t forget that we’re culminating the week with an online Tailgate Party on our Facebook Fan Page this Friday, Oct 2. We’ll be giving away our Most Valuable Team prize to the team with the most recommendations–100 FREE 22oz cups or plastic megaphones for use in game tosses, fundraising, etc. Go fan up!

Wow! With football season in full swing, tailgating is a popular past-time for college and even high school fans. But, even if tailgating’s not your thing, products geared toward outdoor activities can be valuable incentives as the days get cooler. Miss Jenn has found a few great promotional product ideas that would make great raffle give-aways, client “thank-you” gifts or company events. These are also great additions to your employee or sales incentive program– perfect for game or outdoor weekends. If you’re thinking ahead to client or employee Christmas gifts, add these to your holiday wish list!

KOOZIE PICNIC BASKET
This custom-imprinted insulated cooler is a great option for outdoor events, and tailgaters will love it?
Has sturdy alumninum handles and includes a 1-color imprint in one location.

Minimum order: 15
Price: $25.32 each
Set-up: $50
Order by: 12/25/09

CAPTAIN’S CHAIR
This special pricing is a great deal on a very popular Tailgating and outdoor product. The folding chair with arms has a 300 lb weight limit and includes two mesh can holders and a zippered mesh pocket. It comes with a nylon carry bag with strap and draw string — perfect for game day!
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on 1-side

Minimum order: 24
Price: $18.87 each
Set-up: $50
Order by: 12/25/09

MICROFLEECE BLANKET
Great for those cold nights!
Rounded corners and whipstitching, nylon straps with handle and hook/loop closure
Shipped individually rolled and strapped
Pricing includes embroidery up to 10,000 stitches in 1-location

Minimum order: 48
Cost: $16.75 each
Set-up: $90
Order by: 12/25/09

For all those sports fans out there, Dux D’Lux is celebrating Tailgating Week beginning Sept 28. We’ll be sharing great Tailgating promotional product choices, yummy recipes, school fundraising ideas and more on our social media profiles, ezine and blog. The week will culminate in an Online Tailgate Party Facebook event on Friday, Oct 2.

We’re looking for contenders for the school team most deserving of custom-printed team spirit give-aways. What makes a team the most deserving? The number of fans of course! “Fan” the Dux D’Lux Facebook page Sept 28 – Oct 2 and leave a comment about your favorite high school, junior high or pee wee team — football, soccer, volleyball, cheer squad… any sport, any age! Just include your school and your sponsor organization. The team with the most endorsements will get their choice of 100 FREE custom imprinted 22 oz stadium cups or megaphones to use for fundraising, game tosses, pep rallies, etc. We’ll announce our Most Valuable Team during the Online Tailgate Party on Oct 2.

The Most Valuable Team will have their choice of these two great spirit-building give-aways:

22 oz Smooth Stadium Cup
Available Colors: Red, white, royal blue, yellow, green, orange, black, beige, natural, pink and purple
Cup size: 5 5/8″h x 3 5/8″t x 2 5/8″b

Megaphones
Colors: red, white, royal blue, yellow, purple, orange, black and green
Megaphone size: 7 1/2″ x 2″ x 5 1/4″

More of a college or pro sports lover? We have some fun prizes for lucky fans posting the best smack-talking, pom-pom waving cheers during the Facebook Online Tailgate Party on Oct. 2. Don’t miss it!

And don’t miss the opportunity to get your favorite school team some freebies! Bookmark this link for the play-by-play: fans.duxdlux.com or login to our Facebook page at facebook.duxdlux.com.

Eco-friendly products for the pool construction industry

When Frank Wall called Dux D’Lux to inquire about our marketing services, the first question he asked me was, “Are you the girl who likes frogs?” The Queen had included a blurb about me in our company newsletter explaining my love of watercolor painting and the collection of frogs on my desk. The tidbit sparked Frank’s interest because he was looking to create a point-of-purchase display for one of his product innovations featuring a watercolor frog. That was over 10 years ago, and Dux D’Lux has been helping Frank market his inventive products ever since!

In 2008, Frank began a new company called Frank Wall Enterprises for which we were excited to design a great website! The company’s mission is to provide innovative products to the pool construction industry based on Frank’s 30+ years of experience as a successful pool builder. He seeks out products that will make the construction process easier for the builder and offer the best innovative options for their pool customers. He’s recently highlighted some exciting products that are environmentally friendly!

Frank’s flagship product is the AquaForms forming system. This re-usable aluminum modular system allows builders to create building forms for their pools much more quickly, saving the additional time and resources required in hand-building pool forms for each construction project. Dux D’Lux was able to consult with Frank on the naming of the product as well as design the logo.

Additionally, Frank Wall Enterprises also offers FLEXI-Forms, a Flexible concrete form board to form and pour concrete pool decks, sidewalks, patios, driveways and any concrete surface with curves and tight radiuses. The plastic FlexiFORM board is manufactured with 100% recycled HDPE plastics — the kind found in milk bottles! In fact, one roll of FlexiFORM is made from 129 plastic milk jugs! Unlike other types of plastic, HDPE is the most environmentally stable — giving off no harmful fumes into the environment. The Healthy Building Network recommends HDPE resin-based products as the most environmentally friendly plastic building materials.

Way to go, Frank! Thanks for providing your industry with environmentally sensitive product solutions. Oh, and thanks for asking us about our frogs!

It may not feel like it in Mississippi today, but Autumn begins at 4:18 CST today! With all the rainy weather we’re having and the cooler temperatures on the way, it’s the perfect time of year for a good cup o’ joe! Miss Jen sent me four great specials on ceramic mugs that we just had to share. Ceramic mugs are a great environmentally sensitive alternative to styrofoam cups. Plus, they are a very effective promotional item. Your message on a coffee mug will be seen as many as 10 times per day. Wow!

12oz Classic Ironstone Mug
Classic design, shiny finish and C-handle.
Available colors: white, blue, green, maroon, black
Shipped with safe pack packaging
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on 1-side

Minimum order: 72 pieces
Price: $2.75 each
Set-up: $50
Place your order by: 12/1/09

Two-Tone Newport Mug
Check out that maroon & white option, Bulldog Fans! Nice.
New twist on classic mug
Comfortable O-handle
Colors include: white/maroon, white/blue, white/green, white/black
Includes Safe Pack packaging
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on 2-sides

Minimum order: 144 pieces
Price: $2.98 each
Set-up: $50
Place your order by: 12/1/09

11oz Budget Mug
Shiny finish
Large C-handle
Available colors: white
This item is shipped with safe pack packaging
Pricing includes 1-color imprint on 1-side

Minimum order: 72 pieces
Price: $2.14 each
Set-up: $50
Place your order by: 12/1/09

11oz Picture Mug
Full color printing!
Top selling ceramic mug style
Large C-handle
Available colors: white
This item is shipped with safe pack packaging
Pricing includes 4-color process imprint

Minimum order: 72 pieces
Price: $4.70 each
Set-up: $50
Place your order by: 12/1/09