Day By Day
It’s hard to beat the promotional value of advertising calendars
With the ubiquity of smartphones and cloud technology, you might assume that printed calendars are becoming a promotional advertising tool of the past. However, research shows just the opposite. Not only are printed advertising calendars still used in homes and offices today, they are highly valued.
A 2010 study of calendar usage in the workplace, co-sponsored by PPAI and The Calendar Advertising Council, shows that 79 percent of respondents enjoy receiving calendars as a complimentary gift and that eight out of 10 respondents report having a printed calendar at work. When asked what type of calendars they used at work, 48 percent said they used a wall calendar while one third referred to a desk calendar. With one of the lowest cost per impressions in the industry, printed calendars are still very much up to date.
“Now, digital technology advances mean that it’s easy and affordable to create fully customized calendars that are even more powerful company branding tools,” says Jerome Hoxton, president of Tru Art Advertising Calendars (UPIC: TRUART). Custom calendar design is a consistently and rapidly growing segment of the calendar business because uniqueness, along with clear messaging, is key to making any business stand out in today’s crowded marketplace.
“Custom calendars address this need by combining images with copy content that specifically defines what the business does and the benefits they provide to customers and potential customers,” Hoxton says. Effectively, calendars provide another vehicle for content marketing, which is about telling and showing customers not only what you make, do and sell, but also who you are as a company.
“Calendars deliver text and image content in a highly effective way, not the ‘hard sell’, intrusive marketing we’ve all come to guard against. Giving a calendar is personal—that’s how business relationships build and grow,” Hoxton adds.
Hoxton sees demand for calendar advertising steadily growing. “Advertisers know that calendars are used, appreciated and maintain daily contact in a way no other media matches for the investment.”
Compelling Calendar Choices
With proprietary light sensor technology and patent-pending design, this video calendar is a unique marketing tool for companies with the ability to provide 12 months of customizable video branding. A new video plays when the user turns the calendar page to the next month. A replay button lets the user play it again if desired.
Global Tech Branding Group LLC, UPIC:gtbgroup www.ikyp.com
Make your next calendar extra special with this USA-made custom calendar featuring 12 monthly photos and one cover photo that you provide.
ADG Promotional Products UPIC: ADGPROMO www.adgpromo.com
These personalized promotional desk calendars prominently display a client or employee’s name in each month’s image. Plus, your full-color logo is printed on each calendar sheet. Submit your list of names and receive a unique, personalized calendar for each person. The pre-scored back folds into an easel to set on a desk.
Drum-Line, Inc. UPIC: ABGH1356 www.drum-line.com
When you need to see three months at a time but have a small amount of wall space, this horizontal calendar is a great choice and provides all the necessary features for effective time-keeping, advanced planning and reference. It offers a generous imprint area for conveying important business information.
Tru Art Advertising Calendars UPIC: TRUART www.truart.com
Who doesn’t love the beach and the feel of an ocean breeze? Give the gift of stress reduction or promote a travel-related business or tropical location with a beach-themed calendar magnet.
Magna-Tel UPIC: MAGNATEL www.magna-tel.com
Promote your business alongside beautiful National Geographic images with this collection of seven National Geographic calendars offered under the Triumph® by BIC Graphic line. The calendars feature iconic images centered around popular themes such as Wildlife of the World, World Scenes and Rural Scenes.
BIC Graphic UPIC: BIC www.bicgraphic.com
For a unique, lasting and creative gift, give this perpetual MoMA calendar that shows month, date and day with colorful polystyrene cubes. Simply rotate the cubes to show correct date.
International Merchandise Concepts UPIC: IMC1 www.Imc-miracles.com
The next best thing to going on a wine country tour is the wine country tour calendar. Recipients enjoy a visual tour of scenic vineyards from around the world matched with helpful information about wines and suggested foods that pair well with them. Printed on recycled gloss stock paper, this 13-month calendar is environmentally friendly as well as informative.
Hotline Products UPIC: HOYL0001 www.hotlineproducts.com
Go old school with this Italian leather pocket weekly planner, which makes a nice gift for clients or employees. It’s available in nine colors.
Scully Leather UPIC: S174962 www.scullyleather.com
A full-color desk calendar pad with plenty of room to plan your week and create your to-do list is twice as useful as a simple calendar. With 10 stock layouts or a custom design, the calendar pads include premium reinforced leatherette corners in a choice of six different colors.
Bebco UPIC: BEBCO www.bebco.ocm
Always handy and effective, this traditional calendar desk pad stays in front of customers 365 days a year to help them keep organized while conveying your message.
House of Doolittle UPIC: HOD www.houseofdoolittle.com
Beautiful American scenic landscapes are featured on this 13-month appointment calendar. A great item for insurance agents, brokers, financial consultants, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, real estate and more, it can be ordered stapled or spiraled.
Beacon Promotions UPIC: BEACONP www.beaconpromotions.com
Choosing Effective Calendar Images
A study on the psychological impact of image streams by Rider University photography professor John Suler, published in the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies in March 2012, reveals that certain types of photos are more memorable than others, which has important implications for image selection in custom calendars.
Suler showed 200 photographs to students and then asked them to close their eyes and allow one of the images they saw to surface into their awareness and write down what they remembered about the photo and how it made them feel.
The study’s results showed that the most memorable images were ones that evoked feelings of peacefulness, joy, contentment, love, relaxation, comfort, security, oneness, rejuvenation, synchronization, immersion and pure tranquility.
“Paradoxically, contemporary media continually bombard us with a neverending stream of fantastic, supercharged and exciting images, when what really attracts people is simply a return to a state of oneness and tranquility,” says Suler. To increase memorability, associating a company’s brand with an image that evokes these positive feelings is a psychologically smart strategy.
Promotional Calendars + Direct Mail Service = You’re Hired
Providing your clients with complete and easy direct mail distribution services is worth considering as a way to stand out from your competitors. “Direct mail ensures that advertisers reach every key customer, plus it enlarges the opportunity to expand market influence to wanted prospects and into new geographic areas,” says Tru Art’s Hoxton. Your clients will love the ease and added value of your company providing packaging, addressing and the best methods of delivery at the lowest cost. “Today, mailboxes are far less cluttered than email inboxes so a direct-mailed calendar stands out,” Hoxton adds.
Julie Richie is associate editor for PPB.