

It’s that time of year again when you sit down with your advertising budget and decide what promotional items to order for the New Year. The best place to start is always with the most popular products available on the market. Here is a quick top 10 list to give you an idea of what the hottest promotional products are expected to be in 2010:
· Pens- No matter how many times you order these things, it never gets old. The core of the promotional product industry is the millions of brightly colored customized pens that are stockpiled in warehouses across the world. Business owners have been purchasing promotional pens for decades as a source of cheap advertisement. You just can’t go wrong with this one!
· Mugs-Yep! Another promotional product that has been around since the age of the dinosaurs. You aren’t going to knock this one off the top ten list anytime soon.
· Hats- You or a member of your family has at one time in their lives worn one of those cheesy promotional caps with the mesh in the back. There is some weird attraction to these hats after you reach the age of 50 and most business owners cash in on this opportunity year after year to fuel the popularity of this product
· Bottle openers- Openers come in so many sizes and shapes now a days that they have rocketed into the top ten as a favorite promotional product. You can’t beat the price on these things and it’s common practice to just toss this in the silverware drawer whether you plan to use it or not.
· Stress Balls-These are just a necessity for most of the high strung corporate blokes sitting up in their big corner offices. Stress balls were one of the greatest inventions of our time and have been in the top 10 list since their debut. This is a must have!
· Thermo Mugs- These mugs have grown in popularity so much over the past few years that it’s impossible to not order at least a case of these things for the guys at the office. Most business persons will forget where they left their child before they forget where they left their thermo mug. Take a look around downtown around 7am in the morning and count how many of these puppies you can see. Clearly a winner.
· Key chains- Simple and affordable. These are commonly used as giveaway gifts, but due to the mass quantities ordered every year, the have a place in the Top 10.
· T-shirts- Another no brainer on this one. T-shirts are used to promote everything from an opening of a restaurant to the winner of the body shot contest at the local bar. T-shirt orders have fluctuated over the past years as economic times have went down, but the always seem to make their way back up the top 10 list.
· Polo Shirts- These basically go hand in hand with T shirt sales as far as popularity is concerned. Those of you that have bought a new car or attended a business seminar know that you will be walking away with a polo shirt! These are at the top of the list for medium to corporate size businesses.
There it is….the hot list for 2010. Pay close attention to this prediction as you go about your business in 2010 and really take the time to notice how many of the above promotional products are lurking around!

Playing on the Idea with Promotional Products
When thinking of effective promotional products to give away, why not giving the kids a treat? This way you are pleasing Dad and Mom, too. Think of “plays” and “games” and other activities that fascinate kids. Now, you can toy with the idea of putting your brand name in one or two sides of a big dice block, the bubbly kid shouting the brand every time it flips on view – or something like it....
Simple, Effective Advertising Strategy: Use Promotional Products
You are working alone on this one, flipping through magazines or stock photo books to jump-start your thinking. Stock photo books give you something visual to think against. Magazines, too, are filled with inspirational editorial design. You went to a newsstand and picked some foreign publications. You are thinking of ways to help you get outside the walls of your own head, and give you a starting point that’s more interesting than a blank screen....
Promotional Products – Baseball Caps
What promotional product goes everywhere with you, can be worn by men or women, and can be worn day after day without having to wash it between wearings? Baseball caps, of course! Baseball caps are incredibly popular and many people love wearing them on a daily basis.
That's why getting your company's logo, url, name, or business message put on a baseball cap is a great way to get the word out about your business. Diehard fans of baseball caps will wear them everywhere and expose dozens or even hundreds of people to your business every single day. In some instances, thousands of people might even see your message.
...