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Be prepared for the holiday season!
Sure, I could just tell you we have great stuff that you could use to entice your staff members to stay off the naughty list next year. I could let you know all about the promotional food gifts we offer. I could even suggest that you use these treats as add-ons to your staff gifts for the year, or perhaps you might give some to clients for the holiday season. Or I ... uh-oh. Pop quiz.
1. I'd like some promotional food gifts that are:
a. Crunchy.
b. Full of secrets.
c. Low-priced.
d. Shaped like a fortune cookie.
e. All of the above.
2. I'm hoping for an edible gift that is:
a. Sweet.
b. So delicious my staff might not get any.
c. Not delicious. At all. Is "un-delicious" a word? If so, I'd like un-delicious, Alex, for $200.
d. Customizable.
e. Chocolatey.
f. Only A, B, D and E.
3. I'm in the market for edible gifts for my staff, and the gifts must be:
a. Round and in a round container. See, I have this thing with square-shaped stuff.
b. Inflatable.
c. Reminiscent of childhood.
d. Double the Bubble of last year's edible staff gifts.
e. All of the above
I think you see where I'm going with this. If you picked the last answer to all, you passed the pop quiz. If you got one wrong ... well, you might need a vacation. (PSSST ... There are some hints right there along the side.) The products are: 1.Our fab promotional fortune cookies, where you can add your logo to the wrapper and sneak a message on the fortune 2.Yummy wholesale Belgian chocolate bars with promotional wrappers 3. Double Bubble candy jars with customizable lids.
Still seeking out the perfect promotional food gifts for your staff members or clients? Take a peek at our candy and food promotions for extra credit.
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Need a bright idea?
Maybe you're not turned on by keychains, or maybe you're just left in the dark when it comes to their appeal. These fun promotional light bulb keychains with a twist feature eco-friendly compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.
By now you've probably encountered these curly little bulbs. If you're not already using the larger, non-keychain 
version, a switch could save you some money. According to the government's ENERGY STAR Web site, an ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL bulb "will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb."
I have a few of these guys in my house and they always remind me of piglet tails. The CFLs give off a somewhat different light than your average bulb, but I haven't had to replace one yet and a few have even moved from apartment to apartment with me twice.
These promotional light bulb keychains actually light up, so they can help in those moments where you're struggling to find the door in the dark or trying to tell a scary ghost story around the campfire and find yourself without a flashlight. The CFL bulb shape brings a reminder of green initiatives, and CFL bulbs were promoted in the film "An Inconvenient Truth" as one of the ten simple steps to help prevent global warming.
A bright idea? Yes, and one your clients will hang on to. The promotional light bulb keychains make great giveaways and are fully customizable. They're small enough so they won't weigh down key rings, and are an all-around great idea as a custom promotion.
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What would you do with a robot army?
It was love at first sight with these robot USB flash drives. We were scrolling through the ADVANCE Custom Promotions site when I spotted him, and I knew it would be a matter of time before he appeared here on "Your Logo Here."
When I got back to my desk after the meeting where I first met Mr. Robot USB Flash Drive, I immediately searched him on our site and the pictures that popped up further inspired me. First off, that one on the left really reminds me of a robot army. And the headless one, showing where the USB drive is on the robot? Well, that's just creepy and I had to share it.
I posed the question of what you would do with a robot army on the ADVANCE Custom Promotions Facebook page, as well as on my personal Facebook page, to get some ideas for this blog post. Unfortunately, there wasn't any response on the company page, but my own page quickly started buzzing with ideas. Some I can share, and others, well ... I can't. But here we go. Some ideas for using a robot army composed of robot USB flash drives are:
1. Clearing people from paths in grocery stores, city streets and malls
2. Holiday shopping
3. Pest control
4. Automated car detailing
5. Networkless software distribution
6. Infiltrating rival sports teams (such as the New York Yankees and a football team that might play in Texas and that I won't name because they're near and dear to my heart)
7. Cleaning
8. Laundry
9. Removing traffic
10. Fighting off the ninjas
11. Not world domination, because of all the paperwork involved
12. Creating general havoc, by moving historical monuments around
13. Bringing on world peace by stealing soldiers' clothes
Personally, I'm all about the laundry idea. I despise washing clothes, and also doing dishes. I'd put that robot army to work. I'd also appreciate if they could tackle the traffic issues by lifting up cars in front of me to make way. At three inches tall, I'd need a whole bunch of robot USB flash drives to tackle that last task.
You can purchase your own robot army comprised of robot USB flash drives and put them to work, as well, getting the word out about your company. They're customizable and, yes, at times headless. Your logo will go right on the robots' bellies, and, as the robot army picture above illustrates, they come in a variety of colors.
Thanks to my friends, I can no longer get the image of a group of these little robot USB drives stomping on bugs (in their pest control role). They would be good at keeping the ninjas down, too. What would you do with a robot army?
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What could these environmentally friendly jute tote bags be made of?
We're subjected to a gajillion advertisements a day. That's my expert opinion, and I know there are solid numbers behind this, but I prefer made-up, funny sounding numbers for the point I'm trying to make here. (For the sticklers, The New York Times reports that the number is something like 5,000 per day for those living in a city. I stand by my gajillion.)
In the past few years, the trend toward greening everything has blown up, and I know that if I'm told something is "green," I'd like to know the whys and hows behind that statement. That may not always be the case, however, and it's easy to get pulled under the sea of green when searching for truly eco-friendly products.
I've probably been to the page of every eco-friendly product we have at ADVANCE Custom Promotions, and I do tend to take the "green" words on our site for granted. That stops today. I hunkered down and came up with an extensive list of said green words appearing on our site. I'd like to peek into what they really mean, and then share my findings, hence the "eco-friendly products word hunt" title.
First up: Biodegradable Jute
What I Think It Means With No Prior Knowledge: Note that in future word hunt posts, if I have even an inkling of what something means, I'll let you know. No cheating. However, just for fun, I will cheat slightly and pretend like I don't know the word group is supposed to refer to something environmentally friendly. Reality-based fake definitions would be boring here.
For "biodegradable jute," like the stuff that makes up the jute tote bags, like the one pictured over there (hi, advertisement 3,435 today!), I am truly clueless. I know what biodegradable means. A banana, for example, is biodegradable, right? That one's easy. Jute, on the other hand, sounds to me like it must be some type of musical instrument, because it's kind of a combination of jukebox and flute, and both of those produce music. My conclusion with no prior knowledge is that biodegradable jute is a musical instrument (I'm picturing flute-like, here) that can play the song "Crazy" by Patsy Cline and won't be around in the next million years because it will go back to being part of the earth. And that's what our jute tote bags are made of, millions of tiny flute jukeboxes all playing "Crazy" very, very quietly.
What It Really Means: Well, I mostly got the idea of "biodegradable" correct, although even the Federal Trade Commission is still a bit shaky on what exactly that term means when it comes to marketing, according a post on The New York Times' "Green Inc." blog, which quoted an FTC representative as saying that even a piece of fruit may not be biodegradable.
The reason? Most trash in the United States goes to landfills, and the FTC's rules on environmental marketing state, "the entire product or package will completely break down and return to nature, i.e., decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal." Throwing trash in a landfill (if that's customary disposal for said product) typically discourages it from breaking down, so that's where the definition gets tricky.
Now to "jute." This is a plant fiber (think cotton) that's used to make burlap. By its nature, it is biodegradable (will break down into nature after not so long), so saying "biodegradable jute" is a bit repetitive, but I look at it as saying "delicious chocolate." Chocolate is, by nature, delicious, so that's a bit repetitive, but the "delicious" further clarifies that the chocolate is good.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, jute plants are typically grown in India. In addition to jute shopping bags like the ones pictured here, jute's also used to make burlap sacks, rug backings and twine, among other uses.
There you have it - snippets of knowledge about those eco-friendly buzzwords. Your friends will, like mine, probably make fun of you for knowing this, and these bits of information may have pushed out your high school locker combination from your brain, but now you know what's behind our biodegradable jute tote bags. Do you tend to take "green" words for granted, or do you check them out first? Share your thoughts below.
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Navigating our Web site has never been simpler!
I'm an avid online shopper. I seek out exactly what I want and even have an account with a shopping site to categorize future purchases. There's nothing better than coming home to a box or bag stuffed with shoes or a coat or smoked pork jowls (I haven't ordered that last one yet but it's on my wish list).
At the ADVANCE Custom Promotions, we've simplified the shopping process with our new Find It Fast tool. When the shopping tools were first released earlier this week, I tested it out immediately. My targeted imaginary purchase: a talking pen, of course.
I chose my category (Pens & Pencils - Fun Pens), the price point (Any Price, as long as the pen talks to me), the quantity (300-500) and the turnaround time (Any Turnaround Time). A click later, a plethora of goofy novelty pens - including the talking ones - popped up on my monitor.
You can further narrow your options down by occasion, sales and closeouts, 24-hour rush products and full color promotions, so finding that perfect promotion is a breeze.
In addition, our categories that are now listed down the left side of the homepage. Searching for buttons and pins for your next promotion? One click and you're there. You're just a couple of mouse clicks away from having that package show up at your door, so go check it out!
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We have many options, including custom printed sweatshirts, to keep recipients merry and cozy.
I had one of "those" aunts growing up. She'd always buy me clothes for the holidays, but never anything that I would ever really consider wearing. Granted, nothing was as bad as little Ralphie's Easter Bunny costume in "A Christmas Story," but her choices were pretty frightful. One year, I received your typical ugly holiday sweater - emblazoned with a reindeer and made entirely of itchy wool. Another year, it was pajamas dotted with dogs. I was too old for dog pajamas at the time. In the interest of full disclosure here, though, I will admit that I still wear the dog pajamas. What can I say? They're comfortable. And I ditched the reindeer sweater long ago.
Don't be "that aunt" when it comes to picking out custom apparel for your staff or customers this holiday season. We have plenty of choices in custom apparel, and a plethora of price points for you to choose from.
Couture: Hey, I know saying that a fleece pullover jacket is stretching it for "couture," but I'm going metaphorical here. Your staff will likely feel way more comfy in these custom printed sweatshirts than any Lady Gaga-inspired feather and satin number, anyway. You've got six colors to pick from, and, of course, there's a spot for your company logo on these custom printed sweatshirts. As a bonus, you can order these fleece pullover jackets in quantities as low as 12, though if you order more, the price drops. Cost: $24.09 for 36+, with bigger discounts as the quantities go up.
Moderate Maven: Bring the budget back a bit with these custom printed sweatshirts. When the temperatures drop, hoodies edge out all other clothing as my favorite winter duds. Once again, these custom printed sweatshirts comes in six colors, can easily work for men and women and is made by Hanes®. The fabric blend ensures that staffers won't be wandering around with sleeves up to their elbows after the hoodies are thrown in the wash. Cost: $16.49 for 36+, with bigger discounts as the quantities increase.
Budget Fashionista: It might not be as warm as the others, but slap a thermal shirt or long-
sleeve shirt under these customizable T-shirts, and you're good to go when the weather gets chilly. We have oodles of color choices in these custom-printed T-shirts, and for the women in your office, it's not the typical tee. I've received those big square T-shirts before, and they're great for tooling around the house, but I prefer a more fitted look when I'm out, and these custom-printed T-shirts offer a more flattering fit. Cost: A steal at $7.79 each for 36+, and like all of our products, the cost goes down as the quantities go up.
Of course, as all of these options are customizable, feel free to embroider or print any "auntish" design from your youth on any of them. The custom apparel above is comfy enough, so your staff members may not mind.
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The flu itself, however -- not so much.
I've written about him here before, but never really went into much detail about Nathan Scott Phillips, my kitten. He's actually more cat than kitten now, thankfully, but still manages to get into trouble on a regular basis. In his little cat calendar, he writes in "cause chaos" in pen, and sets at least an hour a day aside just for that purpose. This allotted time has been cut down from eight straight hours of havoc, so he's definitely maturing.
When I spotted our icky-yet-kinda-cute flu design graphics offered at ADVANCE Custom Promotions, the one pictured in this post sorta reminded me of the little white monster that I cohabitate with. I love lists, have a limited knowledge of the flu virus and therefore put together a list of the ways that my cat is like our cartoon flu in the flu flighter design.
- Kind of cute but dangerous. If our flu design graphics are an accurate depiction of what the flu virus looks like, you have to give the virus cuteness points. Similarly, Nathan Scott Phillips often appears to be pretty darn cute. Just don't turn your back, or he'll be slowly dismantling the couch from the inside out. Curtains and drapes everywhere quake in fear when he approaches.
- Comes around when you least expect it. Walking through the living room, a little white paw will strike out from under the sofa, followed by a hopping cat body. It scares the heck out of me. As a bonus, sometimes I'll be carrying something that I instantly drop. Likewise, the flu often appears when you least expect it or at the most inconvenient time.
- Makes me sneeze. I'm slightly allergic to cats. I have two, so obviously this is a minor inconvenience. The flu also makes me sneeze. The flu design graphics do not.
- Dislikes shots. I haven't asked the cartoon flu virus in our flu fighter design about this, but I'm guessing he's not too keen on vaccines. Nate also dislikes shots and firmly believes that they will eradicate him.
- Highly contagious. When I first brought the kitten home, he hid under the bookcase and then the couch for three days. I had to gingerly push bowls of canned food and a little dish of water under whatever apparatus to get him to eat. I was certain he would be a hiding cat, but things changed pretty quickly. Now, visitors are instantly approached by Nate, and he doesn't leave them alone, making him ...
- Tough to get rid of. Like the flu, once Nate's in bothering mode, he doesn't give up easily. My oldest cat knows this well, and my cries of "LEAVE SALLY ALONE" are met with blank stares. Products adorned with our flu design graphics will be something your potential clients will find hard to get rid of, as well.
- Wiggly. I'm not sure if the flu virus really wiggles when under the microscope, but I've always imagined it does. The cartoon flu in our flu fighter design certainly looks like a wiggler. Nate also wiggles, often.
- Long names/many names. Swine flu, novel H1N1, Novel 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus, H1N1 and the multi-tasking "H1N1 Also Known as Swine Flu" used in newscasts. Nate, Nathan Scott Phillips, Weenie (because he looks like a hot dog), Bad Kitty, Hey-You-Stop-Swimming-in-Your-Water-Dish, LEAVE SALLY ALONE.
As you can see, the similarities are staggering. Nate, in his next life, will be a cartoon flu germ or a microscopic virus. Pick out your favorite from our flu and germ designs and slap those designs on hand sanitizers, T-shirts or whatever you please. At least cartoon flu designs can't yank down curtains, so spread our flu design graphics (and not the flu itself) around.
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And you can, too!
Sometimes a little offbeat is the way to go. We like to eat here at the ADVANCE offices, and groups plan entire days of grazing, moving from desk to desk gathering homemade treats. We'll also use any excuse to chow down, and Friday was no exception.
You know those crazy holidays that no one celebrates? We can find them. One of my friends from work tracked down the fact that October is Popcorn Poppin' Month. Yes, popcorn poppin' gets a whole entire month, thanks to the powerful popcorn lobby. I do like their enthusiasm, and you get a good hint of it in this video, which shows popcorn popping in slow motion. The site notes, "If you look closely at the beginning of the video you'll be able to see steam escape from the first kernel as it bursts." I can understand that passion and excitement about a snack food. I feel the same way about bacon.
In order to properly celebrate those crunchy little kernels and their month, a group of us hit the kitchen or stores and brought in popcorn-themed food. As usual, I had no clue what to make. My fallback is usually peanut butter fudge, delicious and fattening, but obviously, that wouldn't work. I headed to the Internet for some inspiration.
I typed in "popcorn" on my favorite recipe site, and a bunch of recipes popped up (no pun intended ... or was it?). Some were too bland for my taste, and I did hone in on a spicy popcorn dish, but opted out because not everyone loves kicking it up. Then I spotted popcorn salad.
Bacon, you say? Bacon, mayonnaise, popcorn, cheese, carrots and celery? Really? I'm a firm believer that bacon plus, well, anything, equals delicious. I trotted off to the store to pick up ingredients.
My house smelled delicious, like a bacon air freshener (see also: what I want for Christmas). I chopped up the celery stalks and mixed the concoction together as the popcorn burst in the microwave. The recipe recommends holding out on mixing everything together with the popcorn until right before the dish is served, so my creation spent the night apart in my refrigerator.
The next day, as coworkers stopped by and gave incredulous glances, I mixed it all up and placed the bowl of popcorn salad on my filing cabinet, awaiting grazers. No, I didn't try it - at first. Then after some encouragement, I manned up and tossed a scoop on my plate.
It ... was ... good. Unbelievable. I took my dish over to a more populated area of the office and waited for
feedback. I wasn't crazy! People liked it! I ran from my desk to scrawl "Bacon Rulez" on a bathroom stall wall.
I sampled the other creations, like that Pirate's Booty pictured up there, and a popcorn-themed take on marshmallow squares. Everything was delicious, and Popcorn Poppin' Month, or day, in our case, was a success.
Now, as you know, October's winding down, sadly. I say Popcorn Poppin' Month should be year-round, however, and we should never forget the spirit of this great month. We have the main ingredient to an amazing Popcorn Poppin' event, custom microwave popcorn bags. Make your own video of popcorn popping, whip up some popcorn salad or send clients to the movies with their custom microwave popcorn bags. Always, however, remember the moral of the story when it comes to anything: Just add bacon.
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Stock up on customizable products for American Education Week gifts.
Do you remember your favorite educator? I had a few really great ones. My seventh-grade English teacher, my fourth-grade teacher, my high school art/homeroom teacher and two amazing professors from college come to mind.
I have a few friends who teach at the school districts around here, and it's a job I completely admire but could 
never do. I can't imagine trying to relate to the multitude of personalities encountered daily, and I'd crack under stress immediately, as I'm a dreadful public speaker.
The National Education Association is gearing up for American Education Week, Nov. 15-21. If you have a group of teachers you need to get gifts for, we have this shiny apple keychain that would work, and it's customizable, tiny and will make a great accessory to any key.
For this year's American Education Week, the National Education Association has big plans, according to information on its Web site. Each weekday has its own theme:
- Monday, November 16: Open House Day. From national commemorations to local events, Americans will celebrate public education.
- Tuesday, November 17: Parents Day. Schools will invite parents into the classroom for a firsthand look at what the school day is like for their children.
- Wednesday, November 18: Education Support Professionals Day. Individuals who provide invaluable services to schools are recognized for their outstanding work.
- Thursday, November 19: Educator for a Day. Community leaders will be invited to experience the day as educators and to experience the challenges of teaching and the needs of students.
- Friday, November 20: Substitute Educators Day. This day honors the educators who are called upon to replace regularly employed teachers.
Besides the apple keychain, we have other customizable products that would work well as American Education Week gifts. Could you see yourself as a teacher? Did a teacher ever leave a great impression on you?
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Writing on notebook comes up blank.
I tutored students at my college in writing and learned tons of techniques for when writers get stuck. My favorite method of unclogging a writer's block is freewriting, where you just write whatever pops into your brain about a topic. Most times, you can find some thread of inspiration in the freewriting babble, and that sticks.
I've been looking at these scrubs notebooks for some time now, and have come up blank each time I try to write something on it. I turned to freewriting for inspiration, but ended up with a bunch of dead-end ideas.
Don't get me wrong. I love these little notebooks. They're customizable, healthcare-related, brightly colored and 
the line width is just right (I'm pretty picky about line width). They would make great giveaways, and the scrubs notebooks will be something that people will use and can act as good conversation starters.
Maybe it's because I have Halloween on the brain, but the first thing I wrote down in my freewriting exercise on the scrubs notebooks was "zombies, disembodied body, headless, write on innards." Yeah, that's a #fail right there.
The next thing on my (college-ruled) legal pad is "Sears - folding." I worked there for three years when I was in high school and college, and remember fondly folding shirt after shirt after shirt. My friends still admire my ability to make my T-shirts into perfect rectangles, and these scrubs notebooks brought back all of those familiar feelings about a perfectly folded top. Still, that's not really enough to write a blog post on, so I went back to the drawing, er, writing board.
"Notebooks get cold." Do they, Lynn? I've never asked a notebook if it was comfortable, but this nugget of information popped up in my freewriting. All of my other notebooks are running around topless, but the scrubs notebooks are toasty and warm in their customizable shirts.
So freewriting, in this case, was unsuccessful. I did learn some things about myself, however. Apparently, I like zombies, shirts folded into rectangles and warm notebooks. What would you say about the scrubs notebooks? Do you have any no-fail writing techniques?
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Take an interest in these credit card hand sanitizers.
I had a run in with the credit card fairy a few years ago. Fresh out of college, I barely made the ends meet working three jobs, and I lived in a room in a house. It wasn't a studio apartment or anything fancy like that, but a teeny attic room without a bathroom (I shared with strangers ... your 20s are all about adventures, right, and it wasn't much worse than the shared college dorm bathrooms).
I held off getting a credit card all through college, and then caved, although I don't remember the specific circumstances that led to that little shard of plastic arriving in my mailbox. I rang up debt, but not that much. I freaked out a bit and went to a credit counselor, who basically laughed me out of her office, as my piddly little balances were nothing compared to what she'd seen.
I knocked the debt down in a few months, and vowed to never, ever use those cards again, except for business travel when I knew I'd be reimbursed (and when I'd usually need a credit card for the room deposit). Now I've come to the lovely responsible stage where I use only one for the cash back incentives and promptly pay it. I figure those cash back incentives put at least a dent in the interest I rang up in my earlier years, so take that, credit card company.
One credit card I can support is this little credit card hand sanitizer. It's cute and compact and holds a decent amount of hand sanitizer for the size. You can put full color artwork on these credit card hand sanitizers, and they're on sale meaning, unlike most credit cards, they won't eventually ding your bottom line. The credit card hand sanitizers are also part of our virtual workshop, so you can play around with your logo or one of our designs before you order.
The handy size makes them easy to tote around, unlike some of the big dispensers and wipe containers some of my coworkers here are lugging about (you know who you are). The credit card hand sanitizers are also a nice way to remind clients and staff to watch out for germs as flu and cold season really gears up. You won't be able to use these for a rental car deposit, but they'll make a great impression and generate a lot of "interest" in your business.
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Spare Mother Earth and conserve your caffeine habit.
My dad's been a coffee drinker for as long as I can remember. His new obsession is with those little packets of instant coffee, and he's also really caught up in being more frugal, so he figures he's saving money by skipping a stop at the local gas station for his cuppa joe while still getting the required caffeine rush. As a bonus, he insists the little one-serving packs of instant coffee taste better than gas station brew, and I can't say I disagree.
I'm fine with all of this, but did cringe a bit when he whipped out disposable coffee cups that look exactly like the ones you get at coffee shops or gas stations, complete with the big lid and the Styrofoam lining. He even has a 
little box of individual sugar packets to make the experience just like a real trip to grab a coffee. That's one little plastic pouch that holds the instant coffee, two little sugar packets and a cup and lid that are going in the trash each day. Next time I come home, I'm sure he'll even have the little individual creamer cups just to nail that "I'm really at a gas station" feel. It just seems like, well, kind of a waste.
I know he's going for authenticity, trying to capture that "I paid $3.87 for this cup of coffee" sensation. It just can't be environmentally friendly, no matter how you slice it, to use a different (albeit pretty) disposable cup each morning. And honestly, after shelling out money for the instant coffee, the throwaway cups, the sugar packets and probably soon the creamer cups, is he really saving money anymore?
I'll admit, however, that I am a big fan of those nice little disposable cups with the lids and the little drinking hole and the snap-back tab. They're easy to tote around, and the lid's a nice touch. While sorting through some of our products recently on the ADVANCE Custom Promotions Web site, I came across these gems, environmentally friendly coffee cups that perfectly mimic those gas station/coffee shop throwaways. They're one of our new products, and these environmentally friendly coffee cups are insulated, just like the coffee cups you get at your local fill-up station or favorite coffee shop, thanks to double-walled porcelain sides and silicone lids.
You can put your logo on the cups, and just like the real (disposable) things, the environmentally friendly cups will fit into cup holders, perfect for the morning rush. I sincerely hope my dad gets one of these reusable coffee cups as a giveaway soon. The environment will breathe a sigh of relief.
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Take a look at our big-haired pens.
I mentioned this before, but in case you missed it, ADVANCE calls King of Prussia, PA, home. We have two offices here, nestled in a suburb that, without traffic, would be half an hour or so from Center City Philadelphia. Let me just say that the sports fans here are pretty much a lot like you've heard - passionate, a bit crude at times and head over heels for their teams.
I watched the last few batters of the Phillies post-season game last night with my fingers spread in front of my eyes, peeking from my perch on the couch and hoping for just two more runs. Those runs didn't come and there was a bit of a pitching debacle, but the series isn't over yet and the Phils will head out to Denver this weekend with it tied 1-1.
It must be the Phillies Phever, but I swear this silly looking pen (look at the green one) closely resembles the Phils' mascot, the Phillie Phanatic. Sure, the pen has sunglasses, but that big snout and huge mess of green hair just conjures up the smell of hotdogs at the park and the sight of the Phanatic skirting around Citizens Bank Park on his ATV. Is it a sign (go Phils!) or just my imagination?
The other colors are cute, too, and the one on the right reminds me of a watermelon, while the one on the left makes me think of a lion or lemon-lime soda. If you put your brand on there, the pens are likely to leave a lasting impression. What do you think? Do you see a resemblance between my pen friend over there and the Phils' mascot?
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Keep patients and staff in the know with these swine flu pamphlets.
Swine flu, also known as novel H1N1, has caused a media frenzy since it first emerged. If you're in the healthcare field, you're probably hearing many myths floating around and seeing people who are either overly anxious or not doing enough to prevent contracting H1N1.
ADVANCE put together these handy little swine flu pamphlets to get the facts on this flu strain out. These H1N1 
brochures come in two flavors - staff or patient - and can be customized with your logo. The staff version includes tips on what to do at work, and nine facts about H1N1. These facts answer commonly asked questions about the virus and make up the meat of the swine flu pamphlets.
In the patient version of the H1N1 brochures, advice is given on how to take care of someone who's sick and when to contact a healthcare professional, in addition to the nine H1N1 facts mentioned above.
The swine flu pamphlets are easy to read and ditch the medical jargon in favor of terms that patients and staff can clearly understand. The graphics on the front are simple and striking, with the little wiggly flu virus itself taking center stage.
In addition to the swine flu pamphlets, ADVANCE Custom Promotions also combined a few of our portable and workplace hand sanitizers together with the brochures to make an entire H1N1 custom package that you can use for staff or patient education. The package comes with your choice of one of two portable sanitizers, your choice of one of two workplace sanitizers and copies of our swine flu pamphlets. If you'd like other types of hand sanitizers for the package, we have plenty and you can contact us or click the link at the top of the homepage to live chat to work something out.
Keep patients, staff and others aware of the flu but help to dispel myths with our tri-fold swine flu pamphlets. Throw in hand sanitizers to make a package that you can share, and you'll help spread awareness and not the flu.
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Spare the environment as you get your corporate message across.
Love it or hate it, the holidays are approaching. According to a U.S. Census Bureau press release from 2005, 1.9 billion Christmas cards go out each year. That's nothing to sneeze at when you think about the number of trees that went down to make those cards.
I liked the advice given in this column from Grist, an environmental news source. A reader wrote in asking how to be more eco-friendly when it 
comes to corporate holiday cards, and the answer came back suggesting cards made from recycled paper holiday cards instead of the old standbys.
You can probably see where this is headed - ADVANCE Custom Promotions can help you out. We carry these eco-friendly recycled paper holiday cards, and they're shiny, professional and made of up to 100 percent post-consumer fibers. The paper is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and the cards are manufactured by a factory that uses renewable energy. It's a guilt-free solution to getting your corporate greetings out without doing harm to the environment, and you can even customize the message inside with your business or family name, and the greeting itself, which reads "Wishing you every happiness this Holiday Season and throughout the coming year," isn't even set in stone. We have other options available, so you can choose the greeting that fits you to a tree ... er, T. Get the word out without knocking any trees down with these recycled paper holiday cards.