It's the time of year when the new 2010 catalogs start arriving in the Swag Connection mailbox, and they're a great source for new swag ideas to share with my blog readers. As soon as I saw this Capri Computer Bag, I couldn't wait to tell you about it. Classy, feminine, affordable and airport-ready, this is my new favorite computer bag for the female executive:

Gemline #2604 Life In Motion Capri Computer Bag

This bag is the perfect size for travel - 16.25" x 12.5" - and it features eye-catching design as well as great functionality. It's made of easy to clean microfiber with simulated leather accents and features Gemline's "Viewpoint System" sleeve (shown in the photo below) with a detachable buckle for easy laptop security scanning.

This handy sleeve accomodates a laptop up to 14" and tucks easily into the main compartment:

Additionally, you'll find a zippered, padded compartment with a multi-function organizer to keep business accessories organized and protected. The 25" handles make it easy to carry this bag on your shoulder if needed, and the metal feet keep the bag stabilized when upright.

This bag is available from Swag Connection with your custom-embroidered logo in quantities of 12 or more. Priced at a little over $50, this would be a great incentive or reward for the high-performing women on your company's team.

INTERESTED IN THIS BAG WITH YOUR COMPANY LOGO?
Simply give us a call or start with an email for more details or an itemized price quote from Swag Connection:

By Phone: 866-247-4320 (toll-free)
By Email: Sales@Swagconnection.com

Thanks for reading & keep coming back for more great Swag Ideas in 2010!!

Today I came across a very good article on BusinessWeek.com titled "Don't Neglect Internal Branding" by Steve McKee, which is a great reminder that delivering a great brand experience begins with communicating what your brand stands for INSIDE the organization. The best brands are built on a company culture that involves everyone in the brand experience - not just the marketing department. But building that culture and keeping everyone in the loop can be a challenge, especially with large or geographically diverse organizations.

Howard Schultz of Starbucks made headlines recently by closing all of their locations for a company-wide meeting that focused on helping every employee to understand and deliver the Starbucks Brand Experience. One-time "big events" like that are great for rallying the troops, but what about a week, a month or a year from now? Internal branding has to be more than just a one-time event. It also needs to involve on-going communication of the company's values, culture and brand promise to its employees and stakeholders.

What better medium for that on-going Internal Branding is there than swag? Emails get deleted, company memos get filed away, meetings are soon forgotten... but that coffee mug with the company's mission statement is a daily, visible reminder of what your company brand stands for. Lapel pins, mouse pads, sticky notes, calendars and pens are all great, inexpensive swag ideas for carrying internal branding messages throughout your organization in a highly visible way.

Simply distributing swag items internally to remind employees of the key points of your brand promise is one way to keep everyone on board. To kick it up a notch, consider creating contests where those who are delivering the brand promise receive a special, exclusive gift of swag. A distinctive company-logo jacket, duffel bag, padfolio or travel mug would all be great rewards for this sort of internal branding initiative.

One last point I want to make about swag and internal branding, and that is the importance of employee morale - especially in trying times like these. If your company isn't rewarding people with raises or bonuses this year, giving appropriate and useful gifts is one way to show your appreciation.

LOOKING FOR SWAG IDEAS FOR YOUR INTERNAL BRANDING?

Swag Connection is here to help you. Here are two ways to get good swag ideas - browse our catalog library or use our searchable product database on SwagConnection.com. Better yet, contact us and tell us about your needs and budget - we'll come up with great ideas that work for you.

Phone: 866-247-4320          Email: Sales@Swagconnection.com

Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave comments - we love to hear from our blog readers!

I read somewhere once that the average office keyboard is covered with more germs than the a public toilet seat. If that's true, it's really gross, but it sure makes one think about the spread of germs in an office environment - especially now during cold and flu season.

Happily, I've found a great new swag idea that can help stop the spread of germs while inexpensively promoting your brand at the same time:

Introducing The Anti-Microbial Mouse Pad!

Ecoswag Item HND-33124

We recently got a sample of this soft-surface mouse pad and have been using it for a few weeks. It's comfortable, durable and grippy, which are the 3 things we like in a promotional mouse pad. This pad gets bonus points for also being made from recycled rubber, which is why we added it to our Ecoswag.com website. Given the combination of low price, full-color graphics, recycled material and anti-microbial protection, this may be the best promotional mouse pad on the market!

More about that Anti-Microbial Protection and how it works:
Dirty desk surfaces create ideal conditions for harmful microbes to grow and reproduce. To fight these microbes, our supplier (HandStands®) uses built-in antimicrobial technology to provide an added level of cleanliness.

Here's how it works: when microbes (bacteria, mold and mildew) come in contact with the product surface, the antimicrobial protection penetrates the cell wall of the microbe and disrupts key cell functions so the microbe cannot function, grow or reproduce. In simple terms, this HandStands® mouse pad featuring antimicrobial treatment is designed to:

? Last the life of the product
? Leave the mouse pad looking great and odor free
? Withstand over 75 washings in hot water

Why The Swag Queen LOVES Mouse Pads as a Promotional Item:
I think with or without the germ-killing angle, promotional mouse pads are one of the best things you can put your company logo on. They're the quintessential desktop advertiser, literally putting your information at the fingertips of your recipients. Because they're printed from edge to edge in full color, feel free to go crazy with your artwork design. Add the facts that they're small, lightweight, inexpensive, easy to store and easy to distribute (including via mail) and I think you can see why I think they're a great staple swag item for practically every business or non-profit.

IDEAS FOR USING THIS SWAG IDEA EFFECTIVELY:

• Include useful information on them for your target audience. For example, the HR Department of a large corporation could put frequently-called numbers for benefits questions on these pads and distibute them to all employees
• Include them in your press kits or information packets
• Mail them out to your clients and/or prospects with a special offer

INTERESTED IN THIS SWAG IDEA FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
We'd be happy to help you! You can order this item online through our Ecoswag.com website, or contact us by phone if you prefer. We will gladly answer any questions, send you a sample or quote your custom mouse pad project.

Our Phone: 503-281-6420 in Oregon, or 866-247-4320 Toll-Free
Our Email: Sales@Swagconnection.com

Thanks for reading my blog & keep coming back for more timely swag ideas!

Just a quick post to tell everyone about a new feature we just added to our Swagqueen.com website called a ZoomCatalog library.

Here's the story - I'm an active social networker and made a connection on LinkedIn with the founder of ZoomCatalog. She was a promotional products distributor (like me) for many years and (also like me) she was appalled by the amount of catalogs our industry puts into the waste stream every year. Unlike me, she made it her mission to do something about cutting down on catalog waste and the ZoomCatalog concept was born!

The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I was just trying to put together a 'catalog library' of sorts on my own (using links to supplier websites) but what ZoomCatalog has to offer is much more sophisticated. It's allowed me to add an entire online library of catalogs to our website, each exactly the same as the paper catalog versions we have here at our office. The pages are flippable, it's easy to use, and the technology enables you to search the entire library by keywords if you're looking for a particular type of item.

I invite you to check out SwagQueen.com's Zoom Catalog Library for yourself & would love to hear your reviews or comments. New catalogs are still being added to the library, so over time it will become an even better resource for finding swag ideas.