360 Promotions – let's brand together

In a sweeping 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has eliminated a well-established ban on political spending by corporations and unions, nullifying a series of campaign finance laws and overturning decades of legal precedent. Ruling that the campaign finance laws in question violate the First Amendment, the high court lifted both the corporate spending ban as well as the blackout period that stops groups from buying ads within 60 days of an election. Because the court’s action essentially reversed a prior case first argued in Michigan, the decision will likely be applied to federal and state elections. Obama has pledged to work closely with Congress to mitigate the effectiveness of the decision, possibly by backing efforts that would require shareholders to vote before a corporation could spend money in elections. The court’s split decision fell along political lines, with Justice Anthony Kennedy serving to break the tie and writing the majority opinion.

Many people are calling this a victory for big corporations and it will obviously have an effect on many industries, including promotional products, so…what say you about this landmark decision?

We will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7th for Labor Day.

Last weekend I made a birthday cake for a very good friend of mine and i’m going to share the recipe with ya’ll. This cake is a Paula Deen recipe that I tweaked and if you like chocolate it will make you drool. Even though it’s from scratch, don’t let that deter you, it’s easy to make!

If you’re having a Labor Day party, this will be the big hit with the chocolate lovers on your guest list!

Cake: 1 stick of butter (softened), 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, 1 cup white flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/8 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and 16 oz. of Hershey’s chocolate syrup (you can either get the can or the jug).

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 and butter and flour (2) 8″ round pans. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in another bowl (If you’re like me and don’t have a sifter, just dump it in the bowl and stir it up). Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture and continue to beat. Add vanilla, buttermilk, and chocolate syrup to the mixture and continue to beat. Pour into pans and bake for about 25 mins. or until a toothpick, inserted into the center, comes out clean. Once the cakes are done, let them cool completely before you frost the cakes.

Hot Fudge Frosting: 9 cups of powdered sugar (yes, a whole bag), 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 sticks of butter (softened), 2/3 cup boiling water (I have a glass measuring cup and heated it to boiling in the microwave), and 2 tsp. of vanilla. In a VERY large bowl combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add butter, boiling water and vanilla. Beat on low until all combined and then turn up to medium and beat for 1 minute (personally I have never understood this but I do it anyway!). Once it’s all mixed you need to let it sit out for about 30 minutes or until it’s thick enough to spread as frosting. Tip: When I flipped out the bottom cake, I iced the middle layer and then added the top layer of cake. Next I poured the rest of the icing in the middle of the top cake and let it dribble down the sides and I came back with my knife and made it look pretty- worked like a charm!

If you make it be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you thought?

T-shirts are an ideal promotion to use for events, causes and thank you gifts, just to name a few. The big question is what breakdown of sizes should you order? We’ve created a guideline to help you answer that question.   Is it 100% perfect all the time…of course not. If that were the case we would be predicting things oh, like let’s say the lottery! But, it will definitely help you take the guesswork out of your next t-shirt order!

It’s time again for the super “Creative” list of things that you can use to market your business in a way that people will remember!

August 5^th – Work Like a Dog Day

Well, I thought this was everyday…but I guess some people need a reminder!  Actually this is a great way to appreciate your clients and/or employees for the ALL the days they work like a dog!

August 9^th – Book Lovers Day

Reading is an excellent hobby and makes us happy!  Millions enjoy it and employers look for this “hobby” on resumes!  Great time to give out a book as a promo item!  A book not in the budget…how about a bookmark?

August 10^th – S’mores Day

MMmmm…mmmmm…..mmmmmm – Everyday is a good day for S’mores!  How did a S’more get it’s name?  Legend has it that it’s because after eating them the kids would chant (loudly I am sure!) – “Give Me Some More!!!”  How about S’mores kits with your name proudly imprinted on ‘em?

August 15^th – National Relaxation Day

Ahhhhhhhh…..I can’t wait for this day!  So many of us don’t take enough time to do this, so making it a “National” day is an awesome reminder to stop and smell the roses every once and a while!  Fact is that we REALLY are more productive with a little relaxation under our belts!  Great ideas for this holiday are massagers, teas or candles!

We hope you remember to celebrate one of these fun and quirky holidays in August – Let us know all about it and we will post it as an upcoming feature!

I love companies that combine fun, creativity and branding into one amazing marketing concept! So, two thumbs-up to Chick-Fil-A for celebrating Cow Appreciation Day on July 10^th (see blog post from June 15^th)! How are they celebrating you ask???

· On July 10^th Chick-Fil-A will award a free combo meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) to any customer who comes to any one of the chains restaurants dressed as a cow – There are over 1,300 locations across the country to test it out!

What does it take to qualify as “Dressed as a Cow”? According to www.chickfila.com –

· An effort has to be made to be dressed like a cow from head to toe to qualify for the free full combo meal

· For customers who want to join in partial cow attire, such as a cow headband, cow printed hat, vest or purse – a free entrée will be given

· Need some ideas on how to accomplish this for free “eats” ? How about taking a white t-shirt, white shorts and white socks and painting black spots on them? Head to toe right? They also have a lot of other ideas on their website

You can check out the full details at www.chickfila.com or on their facebook page by clicking here.

….and that’s no Bull! (couldn’t resist….again)

*Please note: 360 Promotions will be closed July 2nd & 3rd. If you have an emergency, please email jennifer@360promos.com. Thanks!

Last weekend was Father’s Day and I went to East Texas to see my family. On Sunday morning, after my Granny made pancakes, she decided that we needed to go through old memorabilia to see who wants what. In case you’re wondering, I am so NOT a pack rat and while I love my family and want keepsakes of them, you have to know when enough is enough…Right?

As we were going through the boxes, you will never believe what we stumbled upon…. a custom calendar and imprinted car trash bag from 1965! Yes, they are both 44 years old but are in mint condition! They are from the grocery store my Grandparents owned and my Granny kept them all this time.

I am so glad that I took the time to stroll down memory lane with my Granny and she gave me the calendar so that I can take it and have it framed. Now you know that even promotional products can make priceless family heirlooms!

Using Promotional Products as part of your advertising mix is absolutely the way to go, but like any other part of your marketing plan….the pieces have to come together in a way that really benefits and drives your business.  We are in the business of helping you tie it all up, so we’re not just being nosy or entering your information into some marketing mix of our own – we just really want to help you succeed and have a great experience using Promotional Products!

Help us…Help you!

P.S.  The soapbox says “Thanks for your time” – see you soon, but not too soon!

One of the most common questions I receive, in regards to artwork, is “can you take a jpeg?” Well, the answer to that question is yes, but 98% of the time we will have to have the art redrawn to an EPS format because it’s the standard for artwork.

Wikipedia defines EPS as “Encapsulated PostScript, or EPS, is a DSC conforming PostScript document with additional restrictions intended to make EPS files usable as a graphics file format. In other words, EPS files are more-or-less self-contained, reasonably predictable PostScript documents that describe an image or drawing, that can be placed within another PostScript document.”

Do you understand that definition? Me neither! To put it simply EPS is a type of file that is created in specialized graphics programs….i.e. Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. It allows us to make your art bigger or smaller, depending on the imprint area, without changing the original image.

Original File in EPS

If you’re thinking of creating a new logo it’s always a good idea to have the designer draw the original in EPS. The cool part is that from an EPS file you can save it as a jpeg. or PDF.

In turn, if you’re not sure what format your current logo is in or you need to have it redrawn as an EPS, just let us know and we can help you with that– and save you a bundle, too!

Blogging is a new adventure for me so when Ricci Neer told me that she was going to host a blog club once a week, I was ecstatic!

For those of you who don’t know her, Ricci is a  New Media Personality, blogger, live tweeter, emcee and all around social media diva who is super nice and willing to help out the *newbies* -many, many thanks! It’s always cool to learn from the best

Our first meeting was yesterday and it was great! There were some people in our group who signed up for their first Wordpress account and others who have been blogging but still want to learn more.

The plan is to meet every week and blog together- Not only am I excited about becoming a better blogger but it’s also good for the accountability factor!