Hot Markets for Intimates

1. Colleges, sororities, fraternities, and spring breakers.

From the college gift shop to the cell phone company that wants to stake out a spot in Cancun for spring break to sign students up for a wireless plan, intimates are a great giveaway. Frats and sororites are also great candidates for loungewear promotions.

2. The spirits industry

In two words- LIQUOR COMPANIES. From in pack promotions- where there is thong inside every six pack to retail sales, liquor companies are selling a sexy young image.

3. Resorts and Hotels

Boxers are a great souvenir with the resort name on the band or the leg. Resort gift shops often sell boxers and other sleepwear. In addition if the resort is known as a romantic getaway branding women's intimates would be a natural for the gift shop or in room gifts.

4. The Entertainment Industry

Boy shorts for local radio station giveaways are very popular. They also work well for TV shows and rock band merchandise to give away or to sell after a concert. The entertainment industry is all about edgy hip promos.

5. Trade Shows

Now, this may seem a bit strange to you- but it's a great way to create a buzz. Get a conservative company to give away panties or boxers and everyone will be coming to their table to see what all the fuss is about.

I see London, I see France, I see promotional underpants!

Okay, let's get the blushing out of the way, yes I said it underwear and yes it has it's own place in the promotional industry and it should hold a category in your apparel sales arsenal. Now, while your clients may feel desensitized to the novelty of the branded apparel items that they have used for giveaways over the years, it's almost guaranteed that intimate apparel will still hold a great deal of novelty and interest and defiantly humor for all involved. Intimates are also at a great price point for small giveaways and promotions. For the price of a mug or a T shirt you can get two or three times the impact with using intimates.

While not often actually seen when worn by customer, underwear does pack a large promotional punch. But the category can be sensitive to many. Intimates are personal and have strong associations, positive and negative, for many people. It's important to remember that the mere mention of a thong or bikini can catch clients off guard when presented. Since underwear can seen risque to some clients, please feel your clients out to see what would be appropriate for them.

Some clients are perfect customers for intimate apparel, think of liquor distributors and bars not the ultra conservative financial institution. I don't think we will see Wells Fargo on a thong any time soon! A college campus giveaway or spring break promotion will be much happier with their name stretched across a boy short then a grocery store, so please think of your client first!

With the right client with a young and progressive brand intimates can communication their message effectively and reach their target audience.

The new fasion trend- PLAID!

Plaid has made its way into the corporate apparel market, inspired from the Brit tartan look. Showcased in Fall 2009 by Christopher Kane, DKNY, and Bottega Veneta, this season's plaid patters opt for a less traditional palette consisting of blacks, greys, blues, and browns with wider striping. The plaid styles are great for men and women and is versatile across client bases. Plaid adds some excitement to an item, while still being conservative. Plaid dress shirts are hot sellers for corporate customers who want something different when using promotional apparel. When clients are spending money, especially right now, they want to get the most bang for their buck and plaid is doing that. Plaid is unique because it features both color and simulated texture in its design. It's best when worn one piece at a time, for example a plaid shirt with solid pants. Less busy busy patterns work better for office settings.

So next time you go to order your corporate apparel, look into plaid, its different and classic!

News Flash! Use Flash drives!

Offer Big Marketing Opportunities USB flash drives - also often referred to as thumb drives or jump drives - act as reusable portable hard drives. These small units - about the size of a pack of gum - can easily be carried in a pocket, worn around the neck like a necklace or used as a key chain by your clients and prospects. There are even USB flash pens - with the flash drive "hidden" inside the writing utensil.

USB flash drives plug directly into your Universal Serial Bus (USB) port of a computer and are typically built to hold between 64 megabytes and 2 gigabytes of data. The popularity of flash drives have grown significantly over the past several years as storage capacities have increased and USB-enabled computers have become ubiquitous. The popularity and capabilities of flash drives has led to the advent of flash drive marketing.

The use of USB flash drives as effective marketing tools is continuing to evolve for forward thinking marketing professionals.

Thumb drives can be stamped with a company’s logo and as a result, custom logo USB drives have become trade show and convention favorites.

Companies are giving branded custom logo flash drives to key customers and prospects providing them with an instant reminder of your company every time they use the flash drive to transfer files or back up a document. Providing your customers (and potential customers) with a branded custom logo USB flash delivers a great way to market by keeping your brand in front of customers while giving them something of real value they will use over and over.