Variety Show
Drinkware choices abound for better branding options.
Health experts often say you should drink eight glasses of water per day to avoid the unpleasant effects of dehydration and reduce hunger pangs. Unless you’re drinking straight out of the faucet or garden hose, you’re using some sort of vessel to hold all the liquid you consume, even if you never quite make it to eight glasses. But with the endless choice of drinkware available these days, it’s easier than ever to provide your clients with distinctive options to enhance any brand’s message.
“Drinkware in hand is a fashion accessory with the ad message in plain view—a company’s brand around the world for all to see,” says Tami Wainscott, national sales manager for The Allen Company (UPIC: ALLEN).
Wainscott says distributors always need to take into account their market and budget when suggesting drinkware to clients. She says to ask, “Who is the client and what is the purpose of their custom imprinted drinkware purchase?” Then you can make educated suggestions.
As for drinkware trends, Paula Dzik, marketing director at Gold Bond Worldwide, Inc. (UPIC: WORLDWID), says to think in threes. “Our product analysis shows that drinkware has a three-year trend. Materials and colors change according to this pattern. Right now, stainless steel is incredibly popular, and with good reason: it’s the second-safest material that a drinkware vessel can be made of.” Glass is considered the safest choice.
Product safety is of utmost importance in drinkware, emphasizes Wainscott. “We are asked more and more by our promotional products [distributors] questions about drinkware compliance because their savvy clients are asking. We are prepared and have completed, upon request, factual information we can share with [distributors] which they, in turn, can share with their clients. Our partnerships with our vendors over many years in business make it a seamless added value in doing business with us.”
For more information on product safety, visit www.ppai.org and click on Inside PPAI and Product Responsibility.
Mix It Up
These 12-ounce Aluminum Mint Julep Cups come in eight standard colors, including red, blue, green, gold, orange, purple, lime and silver. PMS color matching is offered at no extra charge. When engraved the cup’s silver base shows through. They are FDA and California Prop 65 approved.
Payne Manufacturing UPIC: P209947 www.paynemfg.com
An on-the-go workhorse, The Stanley Classic One Hand Vac Mug is a 16-ounce insulated mug that brings the thermal performance of a vacuum-insulated bottle into a portable mug. Drink morning coffee on the go, one handed and with no spills. The vacuum insulation keeps drinks hot or cold for seven hours, or keeps ice frozen for 30 hours. It won’t rust since it is crafted of 18/8 stainless steel, and it’s naturally BPA-free. It’s dishwasher safe and available in three colors.
Beacon Promotions, Inc. UPIC: BEACONP www.beaconpromotions.com
The 18-ounce LED Mason jar travel cup is perfect for events ranging from weddings to fundraisers to birthday parties. With all the style of a traditional Mason jar, plus illuminating LED lights, a double-walled body for durability and a lid and straw combo, this cup is ideal for sipping on the go with minimal spills. This product has been tested and confirmed BPA-free.
Alight Promos, Inc. UPIC: ALIGHT www.alightpromos.com
Fun and different, these Paint Drip mugs and cover/coasters are sure to stand out from the drinkware crowd. The mug comes in three colors and the lids come in six colors. The lids are sold separately because they fit a variety of the company’s ceramic and glass drinkware offerings. These mugs are ideal for art studios, paint companies, pool companies, water utilities or companies and even blood banks. Custom colors can be made for a 3,000-piece order.
Sabina UPIC: SABINA www.sabinaonline.com
pubWARE® Stemless Wine glasses look like glass, but they’re more durable and impact-resistant. The glasses are comfortable in the hand and keep wine chilled longer than regular glass does. They will not crack, cloud or discolor. Great for outdoor or indoor events.
BIC Graphic UPIC: BIC www.bicgraphic.com
An ideal gift for health-conscious clients, this USA-made 25-ounce PET sports water bottle features a fruit infuser that’s easy to use. Designed to make delicious, natural fruit-flavored beverages, the liquid flows around and through the fruit to flavor the drink; simply add your favorite fruit to the inner basket.
Makana Line UPIC: MAKANA www.makanaline.com
With unlimited personalization capability at a low cost, this HDI Tumbler features a full-color, full-wrap imprint. It’s sweat resistant, BPA-free and reusable with a soft plastic, flexible and color-coordinated straw.
ADG Promotional Products UPIC: ADGPROMO www.adgpromo.com
Awesome Accessories
Looking for a refreshing twist on Neoprene can coolers? The unique Home and Away reversible can cooler uses a four-color process sublimated imprint on both the inside and outside. Designed to fit most beer and soda cans, these coolers are fully customizable on both sides and have excellent insulating properties to keep beverages cool and refreshing in the hottest temperatures. All styles easily fit into a pocket or purse to ensure your promotion will travel wherever people appreciate cool beverages.
AZX Sport UPIC: AZXS9472 www.azxpromotions.com
Colorful beverage or luncheon napkins can liven up any event. With 22 napkin colors and 63 ink and foil imprint choices, the creative possibilities are endless. These napkins bring a splash of color to all of life’s occasions.
Carlson Craft UPIC: CARLSONC www.carlsoncraft.com
Protect your furniture in style with a leather coaster set. This four-piece set of four-inch-square coasters comes with a convenient storage box. Constructed using genuine top-grain leather, each coaster also has a soft felt backing. Logo debossing is available.
Dacasso UPIC: dacasso www.daccaso.com
A great product for enthusiasts of outdoor activities such as paddleboarding, kayaking or boating, the Amazing L’il Sucker is made from a special type of Neoprene that, when attached to the base of a can, cup or bottle, creates a seal and when placed on a flat, non-porous surface creates a vacuum that keeps the drink in place, preventing spills. Now you never have to leave your drink behind.
Best Promotions USA, LLC UPIC: bestusa www.bestpromotionsusa.com
Now Starring: Stainless Steel
Take your favorite beverage, hot or cold, with you when you’re on the go with the 12-ounce Arctix™ 3-in-1 Insulator. This insulated tumbler comes with a see-through twist-on lid, perfect for drinking coffee or enjoying iced tea. Featuring 18/8 stainless steel dual wall construction, the tumbler has a deep draw liner and is copper-lined and vacuum-insulated with a sweat-free design. The bottom of the tumbler is designed to hold either the rubber ring or clear lid when not in use. Upgrade your order with TruColor multicolor imprint. This product is made with FDA-compliant materials.
Starline USA, Inc. UPIC: STAR0009 www.starline.com
Customize this unique 14-ounce stainless steel mug with a leather-like band that slides off for easy washing. The band is available in 27 in-house colors and over 100 additional colors upon request.Choose the thread color of the top and bottom stitching for a two-color effect.
DgroupTrevelyan UPIC: dgroup www.dgrouptrevelyan.com
Prevent the outside temperature from affecting your drink with this double-wall vacuum-insulated stainless steel Takeya Thermoflask. It has an easy-to-drink leak-proof lid and a wide opening for ice cubes. The insulation prevents condensation for a dripless drinking experience. Take the Thermoflask on your daily commute, to the gym, to the lake or an outdoor event.
The Allen Company UPIC: ALLEN www.allenmugs.com
Behind The Beverage
42 percent of Americans consider buying their beverages cold as highly important, with another 24 percent saying that it’s at least somewhat important.
73 percent say that packaging options that are easy to carry are important to them. Another 49 percent say that single-serve packaging is at least somewhat important.
53 percent say that environmentally friendly packaging is of some importance.
And all of these factors are even more highly important to younger, Millennial legal-aged drinkers.
Source: Nielson
Case Studies:
Marry The Message
A large regional transportation carrier bought 5,000 Kong stainless steel tumblers. The company is giving them to potential customers and connecting the tumbler’s cold-retention feature to the sales message: ‘Stay cool and relaxed because we’ve got this handled.’
Source: Gold Bond
Bring It To (Virtual) Life
NEXT Products (UPIC: nextpro) collaborated with Charleston, South Carolina-based Karst, Inc. (KARST) on a product for a client company that developed the first gigabit (100 times faster than an ordinary internet connection) community in the state. The client wanted an out-of-the-box technology item to match the progressive nature of their brand with a big “wow” factor for an event. NEXT’s 12-ounce Shelby tumbler with a lifetime guarantee gave them a solid piece, and an augmented reality (AR) feature was embedded into the design for the “wow” factor. When the tumbler is scanned with an AR app, the decorated image comes to life and offers a menu of choices tied to the event theme.
Source: NEXT Products
Julie Richie is associate editor for PPB.