Promotional items are often viewed with suspicion and skepticism – yet there are always original discoveries among them.
Every year, the Cologne-based publishing house
WA Media presents the so-called "Promotional Gift Award". This time a five-headed jury had met virtually for two days and evaluated 164 submissions of 130 enterprises exactly. 46 products and campaigns were awarded, which once again stood out for their special creativity and variety. Turgid haptic promotion still takes place using materials such as paper, cardboard and paperboard.
Sustainable cell phone holder
Nowadays, cell phones are functional work tools in business, multi-tasking tools and virtual network hotspots in private life at the same time.
Touchmore's "Flixcard" pop-up cell phone holder transforms smartphones into a desktop canvas or video conferencing room, providing a tool for mobile people and home office workers.
"Flixcard" was awarded in the category "Giveaway", is made of multilayer laminated cardboard and is as light as a credit card. The cell phone pocket holder is made from recycled cardboard in accordance with the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and ICTI Class A (social) standards. Individualization is possible in four-color offset printing.
Environmental quiz as a card game
"Ökofuzzi" by
Erich G. Döbler e.K. is an environmental quiz for puzzle fans and won the "Communicative Product" category. Thus 100 playing cards with 200 questions – in each case two questions on the front and answers on the back – energize by pondering to thinking. Additional individualization is possible on the packaging or a sleeve, and advertisers can also integrate up to five of their own question cards into the game.
Both the design and the production and marketing of the card game have been designed to a high level of sustainability. Accordingly, no plastic is used in the entire product, which also complies with the toy standard and is manufactured in Germany. Furthermore, mineral oil and cobalt dryer-free offset printing inks are used, the product is shipped completely CO2-neutral and (if available) in used cardboard boxes.
New Advent calendars
Advent calendars are one of the classics of the promotional products industry, and the products always provide a boost to innovation and creativity. Consequently,
Offsetdruckerei Schwarzach has developed a 2020 Advent calendar with a mechanism made of cardboard and corrugated board that scores points for originality. When the handle is pressed, a chocolate ball rolls freely out of the opening, and a rotary wheel above the handle indicates the corresponding date. Likewise, the manufacturer has fitted the tree's removable snow cap with a magnetic holder and decorated it with subtly glittering Iriodin lacquer.
Filigree patterns in hot foil, additionally embossed and textured on the handle, are another eye-catcher against the background of the tree. Finishing and printing are carried out in a climate-neutral manner, and an initiative for long-term unemployed people in the Vorarlberg region (Austria) took care of the finishing. Due to the high-quality look and feel as well as the original functionality, there was an award in the category "premium product".
"Craftsmanship" at Christmas
More and more brand-name companies, among which are now not only confectionery or cosmetics manufacturers, are bringing out their own Advent calendars. The professional tool manufacturer
Hazet recently did this together with Touchmore – and equipped its "Santa-Tools" Advent calendar with a 26-piece premium tool set – one and a half kilos of concentrated haptics.
It doesn't come without molded plastic parts. Nevertheless, it won the award in the "special design" category. In addition, the integrated gift card generates higher traffic and sales for the web fan store. Equally, the product is an ideal element of customer loyalty. According to the supplier, many employees took part in an internal collective order and proudly gave it away to friends and family.
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Frank Baier,
Editor-in-Chief «Bindereport»