T-shirts have been extremely popular as promotional items for a long time, mainly because they are affordable, offer a lot of imprint options and shirt colors, and can be worn by anyone regardless of age and gender. But because they have been around as promotional items for so long, the novelty wore off long ago and now they are used mainly for their practicality and convenience. Is there any way to keep this promotional item from being dumped in the “boring and unoriginal” pile? Introducing the smashed, or compressed, T-shirt.

Smashed T-shirts are imprinted T-shirts compressed into a unique shape (with the application of 50,000 pounds of pressure) with an insert card affixed to the top of the shape. Put your logo on the shirts themselves, and use the card to offer other information relevant to the campaign. Smashed T-shirts have advantages: They are novel, portable because of their smashed shapes, and eco-friendly because they are generally made of 100 percent cotton.

In a case study published by distributor Aptco, steel manufacturer ClarkWestern used compressed T-shirts shaped like the cross-section of an I-beam to grab attention at trade shows and sales calls. The shirt’s compressed shape was designed to draw attention to ClarkWestern’s new construction framing product. The shirts were a hit because they were tangible products that the recipients could play with, and delivered an important message about the innovations the manufacturer was selling – before the shirt was even opened or worn!

So freshen up your campaigns with a new twist on a classic favorite.

In a world with an infinite variety of companies and promotional products, choosing the best and most effective hand-outs for your specific company can be a daunting task. It is vitally important, however, to take the time to brainstorm about what kind of products will best represent your company. Promotional action plans that are not well thought out do not reflect well on your company’s endeavors to give back to your clients on a relevant level.

For example, if you’re a woman who frequents nail salons, how would you feel if your salon’s promotional gifts of choice were the standard pens, mugs and business card holders? Although these items are useful within themselves, they are not the ideal product to hand out when promoting your beauty parlor. Why not hand out Designer Manicure Kits or Make-Up Brush Sets? These promotional products obviously speak much more to women visiting a nail salon and will be much more useful AND memorable gift.

A second example could be that you’re the owner of a western wear store and looking to promote your name at a rodeo show. Handing out promotional products such as picture frames or USB flash drives is great, but may not appeal to the specific audience attending this event. For a fun approach, consider a Horse Stress Ball, or a nifty American West Calendar. Not only will the recipients appreciate the gifts, they will give your company credit for speaking directly to their interests and hobbies.

As long as you and your co-workers take the time to put your heads together and muster up lists of the “right” kind of promotional products for every kind of specific event, your clients (and potential clients) will respect your efforts even more.

The 21st century can well be termed the “green century” since the “Think Green, Act Green” movement started gaining real momentum within the last decade or so. People have become more aware of environmental issues, such as global warming and pollution, and their consequences. The wasteful use of natural resources and the dumping of non-biodegradable refuse is coming to an end, and now the need for environmental preservation and conservation of resources is fast becoming recognized as a necessity.

This movement started with regular people protesting against the global indifference shown towards the environment, but it quickly grew to include businesses which changed their practices and introduced new products that were more eco-friendly. This cause now extends to the selection of promotional products that raise awareness of these initiatives. Giving out a product that promotes a company’s name and its commitment to the use of recycled materials has an additional benefit. Along with promoting your company, these products also send out the message that your company cares about the environment.

When the promotional products industry joined the eco-friendly bandwagon, it came up with quite a variety of products ranging from paper pens to metal/paper to-go cups to products made of corn plastic. But one particular product that I think is quite interesting and innovative is the seeded music download gift card. These cards are packed with handfuls of high-quality seeds. When the cards are planted and watered, the paper biodegrades away and the seeds are left to germinate.

What a novel idea! Similar products include seeded party favors, seeded stationery, seeded invitations, and more. Now all that is needed is for businesses to realize the enormous PR value of using these gift cards and replacing the plastic cards with these eco-friendly options.