Branding is an integral part of any business as it brings you closer to your market and defines you as a whole. Without branding, consumers will find it hard to associate your products and services or worse, do not remember you when the time comes to make a purchase. But it is also not enough that you have a brand. You also need to launch marketing campaigns which will introduce your brand to consumers.

Of course, such campaigns will require a budget and at this point, a lot of businesses think that they will need to spend a lot to meet their marketing objectives. This cannot be farther from the truth. In fact, time and again, it has been proven that there are marketing tools which are not effective but also very much cost efficient. We are talking about promotional products

Making Promo Merchandise Work for You

As an old time favourite, branded items have always been the go-to advertising tool of many companies for the

Probably one of the greatest inventions of the modern times, the USB flash drives have never been so popular. These small devices are now capable of storing up to 1TB of information including files, photos, videos and music. A lot of us use these USB sticks for the convenience they offer and peace of mind they provide especially since we use them to back up all our important digital files.

Considering their importance and valuable contribution to day to day life, you may wonder how this little thing actually work? It may probably make us appreciate them to a whole new level.

USB Flash Memory

Why are they called flash drives? Well such name can be attributed to the fact that these devices run on flash memory. It is actually a type of electronic memory which allows for easy and quick transfer of information. This memory is not typically

Truth be told, a lot of businesses have gone digital. This embracing of technology has even covered the way ordinary employees conduct businesses. Most have ditched the usual notebooks and even laptops and have opted for the more convenient iPad or other tablets.

Each year, billions of plastic bottles end up in landfills which generally do not bode well for the environment. Aside from the fact that they are not biodegradable and can consume so much space, they also pose a threat in terms of the chemicals that can possibly leach and contaminate groundwater. Add to the fact that manufacturers involve the use of fossil fuels; it is not surprising why plastic has earned such a bad reputation.

But this reputation is actually unwarranted as long as these plastic are disposed of properly and water companies choose re-usable, biodegradable or chemical-free plastic bottles. Also, consumer education is important which is why you should consider these following facts:

• The most common plastic used for bottled water is crude-oil derived polyethylene terephthalate. 1.5 million barrels of this crude oil is used each year to meet the demand of a country as big as USA.
• Bottled waters are popular because of their purity, taste and

There is no denying the fact that, even in this day and age when a lot of brand marketing is done via the internet, promotional product still remain to be reliable advertising tools. Businesses love them because customers want them. In fact a lot of studies have proven this statement to be very much true. A survey said that 83% of consumers like receiving promotional merchandise while 48% would want to get them more often. What is more interesting is that 58% of the respondents said they keep the items from one year to as long as five years.

So you want to know why consumers love these promo products? Here are the top three reasons:

• Promotional items are much more interactive.
You have to understand that for consumers the items you choose to give away are not merely marketing tools but useful products. At the very least, there is appreciation of the item’s function and consumers love it when the items they use on a daily basis are from companies they patronize.

Tough times actually call for smart measures and your business can rely on a marketing strategy which is not only effective but designed to fit any budget. We are actually talking about promotional merchandise marketing. It is not a new strategy. In fact, it has been around for many years and has made a lot of brands household names.

Brand advertising using custom branded products has proven to be practical for business start ups looking to spread the word about their products or services but can only allow a small budget and for large companies that need to reinforce their ad campaigns with something more engaging and interactive. Hence the popularity of these personalised promo items.

To make sure you maximise the impressive marketing potential that these products offer, consider these simple guidelines:

• DO make sure you choose a product which can be easily associated to your brand
• DO consider the functionality of the items, keeping in mind the

More than a week ago, the Philippines was hit by what experts believed is the strongest typhoon for 2013, with international name "Haiyan". If you have been following the news, you will learn about the devastation that super typhoon caused, killing as may as 10,000 and displacing more than a million individuals.

The graphic story - telling by international media resulted to the outpouring of help from government of various countries including United States, Japan and Australia. People all over the world are making donations to non-government and humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross, UNICEF and World Food Programme. Even a small cash donation goes a long way. For example, a $5 can buy as many as 10 bottled waters. If you have some cash to spare, you can simply go to the websites of these organisations to find out how you can donate.

Corporate Merchandise Donation

As Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Phillipines, a UN meeting discussing climate change also held

An important emergency tool is the flashlight. We have them in our homes, offices, attached to our keys and even our vehicles in case we need a source of light. Their portability adds to their appeal and for the past decades, these flashlights have evolved and become even more powerful, thanks to LED light.

LED vs Standard or Incandescent Light Bulbs

The popularity of the LED flashlights can be attributed, of course, to the fact that they feature the LED lightbulbs. DEveloped in 1993 by the Japanese, the LED or Light Emitting Diode for the past decades, these flashlights have evolved and become even more powerful, thanks to the LED light.

Source of light: LED produce light electronically while standard bulbs depend on filaments which are heated to become incandescent

Product: LED produces mostly light and little heat while regular lights produce almost the same light with nearly twice the heat

Fragility: the filaments in regular lights are more

Cooking has always been a passion of mine and for those of you who view cooking the same way as I do, you know how pleasurable it is to labour in front on the stove and happily create delicious meals from scratch.

With all the many kitchen tools and gadgets, there is only one accessory I cannot live without - the apron. Yes, this small piece of fabric, which is primarily designed to protect your street clothes, is an absolute essential. These aprons have actually come a long way. To understand what I mean, check out this brief history of aprons.

The Apron of the Old Times

When we talk about aprons, most of us have a clear image in our minds of aprons worn by housewives during the 1950's. You will be surprised to learn that they have actually been around for centuries. Craftsmen of the old days wore thick leather-made aprons to protect not only their clothes but also themselves from accidental piercing as they were handling all sorts of sharp instruments. The same