Funky Concepts | Printed Promotional Gifts, Branded Promo Items and Products for Corporate Business Gifts & Custom Merchandise » Blog

How is plastic recycled?

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:52:33 +0000

Many people wonder what happens to the plastic containers they deposit for recycling.

The plastic recycling process requires several steps to turn discarded plastic into new products.

The first step is sorting out the different types of recyclable products at a recycling facility.

During sorting, plastic is divided by type. Some facilities will only process certain types of products, which means that items they can’t handle may be sold to another facility that can handle them, or put into a landfill, depending on company policy.

After sorting, the plastic is ground into chips or flakes, before it is dried and then melted.

Once melted, the material is formed into pellets known as nurdles.

The nurdles can be used as feedstock for other manufacturing processes. For example, they can be turned into fibers to make products such as artificial fleece, or they can be worked into engineered wood products, used to make carpeting, and utilized in the production of products like floor mats and tiles. Companies that want to use recycled plastic can buy these pellets by the truckload for various applications.

Plastic recycling is not simple.

While recycling is definitely a good thing to do, it does not necessarily reduce the demand for virgin plastic. Products made with virgin plastic usually cannot be made from recycled materials. Recycling plastic does reduce the demand for other resources, however. For example, by making engineered lumber with plastic, it is possible to save trees.

Market your business, everytime it rains!

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:12:04 +0000

An advertising medium has to meet a number of criteria.

It has to be appealing.
It should offer the maximum visibility, especially in the public places.
It has to be cost effective to the company.

The conventional advertisements such as the banners or billboard,s or even television adverts, satisfy the first two criteria very well. However, they fail in the third aspect because they are very expensive.

Here comes the use of promotional umbrellas, which is cost effective.

Companies can decide the size, shape and the nature of the printing to be done on the umbrella. The range of colours is huge and there are a wide range of styles to choice from to suit your client’s needs.

Umbrellas are effective public display articles, plus they are a highly useful item, your company will be associated with that usefulness.

When we calculate the cost of the advertisement, we can see that promotional umbrellas offer a great return on the investment (ROI).

94 per cent of us remember the advertiser who gave us a promotional item or the product advertised after we have had it for six months*

Two thirds of us like to hang on to such gifts for more than six months and 44 per cent keep them for over one year*

Would you like to see your message on an umbrella?

Visit www.funkyconcepts.com/umbrellas

*bpma research 2013

Walking Adverts

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:46:24 +0000

What are walking adverts?

Here’s a simple exercise to describe a walking advert. Next time you’re out shopping, take a moment to look around at what everybody is wearing. Count how many shirts you see with brands like Nike, Adidas, GAP and other popular bands on TV and movies.

You’ve just been marketed to—many times over, easy!

You and your employees have got to wear clothes, so why not put them to work marketing your product or service? It’s an easy win for your company, and in some instances, such as at networking events and conferences, corporate clothing will help you stand out in a sea of suits.

At some events, start-ups have even been known to pay people to wear their T-shirts and walk around the venue, which instantly builds a brand.

Organizers of fundraising races hand out T-shirts branded with the charity and sponsors of the event. Runners proudly wear these shirts and are free, walking billboards for these brands.

Why do companies do this? Simple … it’s cheap, effective and creates a tribe of devoted fans and employees who become brand ambassadors everywhere they go in the community. It’s a small investment for more business.

Can we help you become a walking advert?

Visit www.funkyconcepts.com/clothing-workwear/

Eco credentials of products – Blue Angel

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:41:07 +0000

Created in 1978 The Blue Angel claims to be the oldest

environment-related label for products and services in the world.

Focused initially on recycled products the Blue Angel certificate has now been broadened to include other environmental benefits.

The Blue Angel promotes the concerns of both environmental protection and consumer protection. It is awarded to products and services which – from a holistic point of view – are of considerable benefit to the environment and meet high standards of serviceability, health and occupational protection.

Economical use of raw materials during production and use, a long service life and a sustainable disposal – all these are factors of great importance.

Which is the best type of advertising media?

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:09:16 +0000

The first ever in-depth independent national survey into the power of promotional merchandise in the UK questioned businessmen and women about their behavioural trends and preferences for different promotional gifts.

One of the most significant findings of the survey is that promotional merchandise can deliver a higher ROI than radio and outdoor advertising and a ROI that is equal to TV and print advertising.

The cost per impression for a mug is £0.001, a mid-range pen £0.001, a calendar £0.004, a USB stick £0.005 and an umbrella £0.003.

With an average cost per impression of £0.003, these figures compare extremely favourably with the cost per impression of other media with TV coming in at £0.008, radio at £0.003 and advertising hoardings at £0.003.

Colour your marketing, purple!

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:43:16 +0000

Colour has a huge impact on us and used correctly, it can have a positive impact on our business marketing. It can visually identify the brand’s characteristics, values and aspirations.

Purple is a magical, intriguing and spriritual colour.

It takes awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of spiritual values.

It is highly introvertive and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation.

It has associations with royalty and usually communicates the finest possible quality.

It is a perfect mix of red and blue.

Being the last visible wavelength before the ultra-violet ray, it has associations with time and space and the cosmos.

Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality.

Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

Look at our Pinterest board on Colour your marketing, purple!

Alternative names for purple – lilac, violet,lavendar, mauve, amethyst

Pantone references - 264PC lavender/5145PC mauve/2573PC amethyst/2627PC deep purple

The Color Marketing Group, an American company, specialises in colour research, consultancy and
projections.

Their research tells us that:
• colour increases brand perception up to 80%
• colour widens readership by up to 40%
• colour ads are read up to 43% more than the same ads in black and white
• colour may influence the customer’s buying decision by up to 85%.

Charity 2013

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:47:44 +0000

This year our charity support has changed slightly as we are now going to support more than one charity.

The first charity that we have chosen to support this year is, The Children’s Air Ambulance.

The Children’s Air Ambulance has existed since 2008 and was taken over by The Air Ambulance Service in December 2011.

Since then they have used our expertise to make the dream of providing a bespoke helicopter transfer service for seriously ill children a reality.

We have donated 1000 charity wristbands for them to use in their promotion and fundraising work.

Clothing branding options

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:21:30 +0000

Stand out with branded clothing, advertise your company, your message or yourself!

Branding options include

Embroidery
Vinyl print
Heat transfer
Print

Let us help you choose which method suits your garment, needs and budget.

Colour your marketing, green!

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:59:15 +0000

Colour has a huge impact on us and used correctly, it can have a positive impact on our business marketing. It can visually identify the brand’s characteristics, values and aspirations.

Green is the colour of nature.

It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility.

Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety.

Green is directly related to nature, so you can use it to promote ‘eco’ products.

Dark green is also commonly associated with money.

Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace.

Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Look at our Pinterest board on Colour your marketing green.

Pantone Reveals Color of the Year for 2013: PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald Radiant, jewel-toned Emerald promotes balance and harmony

Alternative names for green – Emerald, olive, jade, lime, chartreuse, light green, dark green

Pantone references - 358PC – light green/347PC – bright green/ 334PC – emerald

The Color Marketing Group, an American company, specialises in colour research, consultancy and
projections.

Senior marketers give insight into role of promotional items

shelley.jacksonwoodall — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:04:56 +0000

The BPMA have shared their 2012 research questioning senior marketers from across the UK about their purchasing and usage of promotional merchandise.

One of the most significant findings was that spend in 2012 increased, or remained stable – with 49% of respondents saying that they will be increasing their spend in the coming months.

Key findings

83% of senior marketers plan to increase, or maintain spend, on promotional merchandise from last year to this
66% of senior marketers purchase promotional products at least every 3 months
73% of buyers use merchandise at promotional events
63% of buyers use products for brand awareness and re-branding
Merchandise is used because it targets customers effectively, ensures brand messages last longer and creates loyalty.

Let us help you support your marketing campaigns this year with promotional merchandise – see what a difference it can make.