If you're in the business of creative marketing you may already be familiar with Brandelopes, which were used by (and feaatured on) the Ellen Degeneres Show during her 12 Days of Giveaways over the holiday season.

For those who haven't heard of them yet, a Brandelope is really just a customized version of a FedEx or Priority Mail envelope. Printed on both sides with full-color graphics, Brandelopes are a great way to create visual excitement for your direct mailings & increase your open/response rate. However, it's not the traditional Brandelope that I'm excited about today - it's their new product - the TABELOPE - which is a Brandelope with one very important feature... a tab that turns it into a file folder:

While this is pretty much identical to the Brandelope, it's the tab feature that I think is genius. Hardly anyone would hang on to a Brandelope after opening it up, but a Tabelope has the extra functionality of a file folder that makes it much more likely to be kept, possibly even for years after it's opened. This is especially true if it's used to deliver information or documents that need to be kept or referred to over time, such as tax returns or insurance policies. Since it's printed with your contact information, a Tabelope is a great way to keep that info literally at your recipient's fingertips in their file drawer.

With the entire front of the 9 x 11-3/4" sized Tabelope available for your custom graphics and message, this is a great vehicle for delivering your brand image with eye-popping full color impact. Priced at around $2/each (with a low minimum order of 200 pieces) this is creative direct marketing that even small companies with a modest budget can afford.

Here's how the tab feature works:

This is a GREAT swag idea for:
Tax Preparers
Insurance Agents
Realtors
Finance Companies
Mortgage Brokers
HR Departments
Appraisers
Property Managers
Banks & Credit Unions
Attorneys
Senior Living Communities

INTERESTED IN BRANDELOPES OR TABELOPES FOR YOUR COMPANY OR NON-PROFIT?

We'd be more than happy to send you a sample of either the Brandelope or the Tabelope at your request. We can also quote your custom Brandelope or Tabelope project and help you with artwork development if needed.

Phone: 866-247-4320 (Toll Free)                 Email: Sales@Swagconnection.com

Thanks for reading & keep coming back for more swag ideas for your creative marketing!

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!