Bankers Advertising

Drinkware trends evolve with lifestyle trends. It’s all about functional style – making hydration a part of your daily routine while keeping it interesting and relevant. Drinkware is also carried as a badge of honor. A really sporty looking bottle shows your athletic side, while a particular brand on a tumbler shows your personal affiliation or interest. So give your customers drinkware they can carry with pride.

We have identified 3 key drinkware trends to keep your eye on:

Cool Gear Shaker Bottle (#46041)

Mix it Up – protein shakes and smoothies are all the rage as fitness trends continue to promote meal replacement drinks and post workout hydration supplements. Cool Gear Shaker Bottle (#46041) – protein shakes continue to grow within the fitness industry. This bottle has a mixing ball that ensures your protein powder is well blended.

On the Double – double opening lids – wide mouth for filling AND smaller opening for drinking. Neon Juniper Bottle (#46047) – double opening twist lids – one for cleaning or adding ice, one tethered twist on cap for drinking.

Two for One – A single tumbler that works for hot and cold beverages – keep things simple! Color Splash Tumbler (#45909) – Double-wall insulation intended for hot or cold beverage use

Remember these trends as you’re planning Spring and Summer events to promote your business or encourage employees.

One of the hottest trends in promotional products these days is portable power chargers. Did you know…

• The average person checks his/her phone 110 times a day
• The average smartphone battery lasts less than 8 hours
• The average person spends 2.7 hours a day on their phone just for fun

Bankers Advertising is excited to bring our clients  myCharge® by BIC Graphic – a leading retail brand! Sold by over 20 major retailers, myCharge® is #1 in market share for portable power banks. Trust myCharge® for an impactful, quality gift executives and road warriors will appreciate and count on.  They make the perfect client gift or sales incentive item.

Learn more about portable power chargers:

What are Milliamps? Mili Ampere hour (aka Milliamps, aka mAh) measures the energy charge that a battery will hold and how long a battery will run before the battery needs recharging. Most smartphone batteries range from 1400 to 2800mAh, while tablets range anywhere from 4000 mAh up to 12000 mAh.

• We offer the 2200 mAh myCharge® AMPMINI 31878 and the 6000 mAh AMPMAX 31879.

What is “output”? Output defines the total amount of amperes (A) that the device can release. For most smartphones, 1.0A is sufficient and will charge at the fastest possible rate. For tablets, you need a minimum of 2.0A to charge at the maximum rate.

• The myCharge® AMPMAX 31879 has a 2.4A output, perfect for charging tablets.

What impacts Charging Time? Charging time is impacted by a variety of factors, including capacity, power supply and device you’re charging.

• myCharge® offers Peak Power™ technology. This technology allows us to maximize the amount of available power into the portable charger based on the input source (car, wall outlet, computer) which allows for faster recharging.
• New myCharge® portable power banks recharge their internal batteries at rates up to 200% faster based on the input source.
• When you charge both the myCharge® portable charger and the device in parallel, you can reduce charge time by 25% or more.

Worried about compatibility? Compatibility refers to the ability of two devices being able to be used together.

• myCharge® offers Smartsense™ technology which allows full compatibility with any device that recharges via USB.
• myCharge® products automatically recognize the device being charged for faster charging and deliver the maximum power to your device.

Why does “efficiency” matter? It’s the ability to minimize the loss of energy created through the transfer of power. Many portable chargers are less than 80% efficient.

• All myCharge® products are more than 90% efficient, maximizing the power to your device

Worried about Battery Power & Protection? Seen the recalls in the news?

• myCharge® products have all been developed using the thinnest, lightest, high density Samsung batteries, allowing for more power from a smaller footprint.
• All myCharge® products meet FCC requirements and are tested to UL1642 and UN38.3 requirements to ensure safe operation.
• myCharge® offers two layers of battery protection (active & passive) to prevent products from  overcharge, undercharge, overcurrent, over-temperature and short-circuit .

We’re proud to offer our clients the leading retail brand of portable charging devices. Check out our top sellers below.

myCharge (R) AMPMINI Portable Charger

myCharge (R) AMPMAX Portable Charger with Flashlight

Use your Year-End Budget Dollars for Effectively for Your Business

If you’d had a reasonably good business year, you might be thinking about how your tax liability will affect your bottom line results.  It is a shame how some businesses see having a large end-year budget as an excuse to throw an elaborate end of year party.  As fun as those are, there are more effective ways you can help your business in using your year-end budget to help increase your business next year! We came up with the best way on how to use your year-end budget effectively for tax planning through marketing! If you need some ideas you have come to the right place!

Using your Year End Budget Through Marketing Products

Imprinted promotional items and advertising expenses are great way to reduce that tax liability of having a huge year-end budget.  Did you know that some imprinted promotional items can be considered an office supply purchase and not an advertising purchase? Products such as imprinted pens, memo books, calendars, key tags or even employee uniforms such as embroidered Polo-style shirts or jackets could fall into this category. Even if your imprinted promotional item budget has been spent, check to see if there are office supply dollars are available. If the budget allows, think about purchasing your office supply items for the New Year now… it could be advantageous from a tax standpoint!

Here are other suggestions for the best way to spend your Year End Budget through Marketing:

–        Purchase imprinted promotional pens for your employees to keep on-hand for their own use, and to hand-out to your customers. Everyone loves pens, and it’s always frustrating when you can’t find one. Why not be the person to make them available all over town? Bonus… your business name is on them!

–        So, now that you’ve got imprinted promotional pens… you need something to write on. Consider Memo Books. We sell millions of these babies, and that’s a true testament to how useful and appreciated they really are. Plus, these can definitely pass for a supply item. Once again, your employees will use them on the job, and so will your customers…and see your name each. Why buy? Because, marketing!

–        Do your employees need a uniformed look? It’s important that they’re clearly identified as an employee, plus they look clean-cut and professional. Embroidered apparel is a nice way to accomplish that, and they keep your employees comfortable. It will fall in the supply or uniform category.

So, as you wrap up your budget this year, consider imprinted promotional items to use up the remaining supply budget and reduce your tax liability. We’re not the IRS, but we’re certainly creative, aren’t we?

Interested in making some custom logo products for your business? Click here to SHOP NOW.

What are you thankful for? Click here for a free printable – and get your family involved!

Promotional Calendars are literally a billboard for your message. Did you know that 70% of logo product sales are made up of promotional calendars? So… what does that mean? It means that 70% of businesses who’re incorporating logo products into their marketing mix are using advertising promotional calendars. It also means that your competitors are likely using these powerful little marketing tools.

With that being said, it is TIME to think about promotional calendars. The year is coming to a close, and it’s time to think about how you can thank your customers for this year’s business. It’s also a good way to send loyal or new customers into the NEW YEAR thinking about you from the very beginning. If this isn’t enough to convince you, here are 4 more reasons you need advertising calendars for your business in 2015:

Timely…

There is no gift or product that is timelier at the year-end than the promotional calendars. Your customer’s 2013 calendars are about to expire. Plans for next year are already in the works! A new calendar is sought-after, appreciated and put to good use immediately at home or work (or both)! People know EXACTLY who gave them their calendar last year… did it come from you? It should!

Personal…

Calendar advertising is the definition of personal advertising. Whether distributed in person or by mail, the advertising calendar is referred to daily, multiple times becoming an integral part of the recipient’s life. We offer many logo products to select from, but promotional calendars are the ONLY ones that are in your customer’s lives 365-24-7.

Engaging…

People always respond favorably when they’re presented with a product they deem valuable. They’re engaged from the START. You’re the advertiser, and you’re getting the opportunity to “engage” with your recipient every time the calendar is used.

Shareable…

Promotional Calendars are seen and tell YOUR story to numerous people every day – family, friends, guests, colleagues, and more. The calendar constantly tells people about who YOU are, where YOU can be found and the products or services YOU offer.

If you haven’t incorporated calendars into your quality logo product stash, now is the time to do it!

Need we say more? Check out our product database to peruse the calendar options available to customize and order! Looking for something super special? We’ve got 100’s of additional options available to you. Simply give us a call at 319-354-1020 or email us at sales@bankersadvertising.com. We look forward to serving you!

Iowa City, IA, October 31^st, 2014 — Bankers Advertising Company, www.bankersadvertising.com, a promotional products distributor has been recognized by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) as a Powerful Partner.  Bankers Advertising, along with three other promotional products industry companies, was chosen for their keen ability to forge collaborative partnerships with their suppliers through clear communications and a higher level of creative selling.

This fall, PPB Magazine asked industry supplier readers to nominate distributors who exhibit the best examples of true teamwork. Bankers Advertising Company was nominated by Cedar Crest Manufacturing – an imprinted writing instrument supplier in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Douglas C. Miskimen, President at Cedar Crest Manufacturing submitted a nomination to letter to PPBstating, “In its 113^th year of existence, Bankers Advertising committed to distributing our brand new line of writing instruments. Sales steadily grew over the ensuing four year period… This dedication for our start-up company had a dominoes effect on helping us get established in the industry. A high level of business integrity and professionalism is demonstrated consistently by Bankers Advertising Company.”

Bob Kral, Vice President of Marketing at Bankers Advertising said, “We are honored to receive recognition for our partnerships within our industry. These relationships make a powerful impact on our ability to serve our clients with the best in promotional solutions, quality products and fair pricing,”

Established in 1896, Bankers is one of the oldest and largest promotional products distributors. Bankers specializes in providing promotional products for marketing, tradeshow promotions, sales meeting supplies and communication tools, business gifts, awards programs and advertising calendars.  For more information about Bankers, call (319) 354-1020 or visit www.bankersadvertising.com.

Although the year is approaching the end, it’s the beginning of the big holiday season. No matter what you celebrate in the upcoming months, everyone considers it gift season of some kind. It is time to start thinking about how you will recognize and celebrate the loyalty of your top customers and employees with branded gifts.