ADVANTAGES GIFT GUIDE ’10

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B Y A n d r A Y A VA n t r e A s e

Isn’t it interesting that you can bite into a slice

of watermelon on a hot summer day and trigger

a memory of the first time you ever tasted the

ripe fruit? Perhaps your flashback includes where

you were, what you were wearing, how the air

smelled, who you were with, and what it felt like

when watermelon juice dripped onto your hands

and created a sticky mess. The human brain can-

not help but to connect its five senses when one

sense is stimulated. This is why marketing con-

noisseurs are creating products and messages

that subconsciously appeal to the human brain,

making all the difference in the way recipients

appreciate them. Pay attention to your clients’

innate preferences, and helping them find the per-

fect promotional gifts will be as easy as pie.

Five SensesPerfect Presents for the

Choosing the right gift can be tricky, especially when your clients are dealing with a variety of recipients. But get back to the basics by appealing to the senses, and

the holiday season becomes practically foolproof.

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continued on page 28 >>

About one-quarter of the brain is dedicated to visual processing – more than is involved in any other sense. Products can catch peoples’ attention simply because of the way they look, and in-your-face advertising is proven to sway consumer decisions and reactions.

An important fact to note is that people in different lines of work and of vary-ing ages are drawn to different advertising techniques. Kids are aesthetically easier to please than adults, and sight overrules their other senses even more than it does in older people. In a study published in the medical journal Pediatrics, researchers from Yale University discovered that food products with characters on them affect children’s taste preferences, suggesting that what they see is more important than what the product does and how it functions.

If a dad is trying to find a way to get his children in the bathtub without all the fuss, he knows he can turn to the children’s favorite cartoons for help. To that end, Celebriducks (asi/44398) offers a number of rubber duckies molded into children’s favorite icons, including Popeye, Robin Hood, and Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz gang.

Customized picture frames are a good product for appealing to an older crowd

because of the memories connected to them. Frames are a surefire way to remem-ber invaluable experiences, and they allow recipients to add personal interests to the product. Also keep in mind that many industry suppliers now carry frames that have a variety of other uses, such as the Robotic digital alarm clock and slide-show frame from Bullet (asi/42424) that stores up to 100 photos, shows the date, time and temperature, and can be powered by USB or batteries. Companies can give these to their long-time employees, so each time they look at the picture they will recall both the memory in the photograph and the firm where they’ve spent so many years.

The primary function of our eyes, looking back at evolution, is keeping us safe. Being able to see what’s happening around us is important to everyday life, so it’s necessary to protect our vision as best we can. Help your clients have one less thing to worry about by suggesting stylish American Optical sunglasses from Fields Manufacturing (asi/54100). Sunglasses are a perfect gift for focusing on the protection and coverage that a company can provide its employees or customers. Along with the sunglasses, your client can include a note reading, “Enjoy a safe drive on the path to success.”

Sight

take a look

Celebriducks (asi/44398) offers a variety of bath toys molded as children’s favorite char-acters like this Popeye rubber duckie (81014). Price as low as $5.

Clients will love this Robotic alarm clock with digital picture slide show from Bullet (asi/42424). Price as low as $40.99.

Fields Manufacturing (asi/54100) carries these upscale aviator sunglasses (Original Pilot) structured with alloy gold frames and bayonet temples. Price as low as $90.

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28FIVE SENSES

continued on page 30

Never underestimate the power of scents. Our olfactory senses are directly connected to the part of our brain that controls the episodic memory. Smell is also the only sense that is initially processed in our limbic lobe, the brain’s emo-tional center. “Smell or fragrance is a very powerful clue for memory, so when our sense of smell is awakened, it is connected to past experiences and strong emotions,” says A. K. Pradeep, Ph.D., author of The Buying Brain and founder and CEO of NeuroFocus, a neuromarketing company. As a result, scent tends to have the most influence on how we recall things and how we feel.

Certain scents are used at spas during massages because they’re proven to make customers relax. Resorts often give out gift bags and souvenir packages of scented lotions, shampoos and even pillowcases. One product that would make a perfect take-away for resorts is the sleep mask from DreamTime Inc. (asi/50807). The scented mask, made from silk and velvet, is stuffed with lav-ender flowers to send the aroma down into the nostrils and up into the brain, relaxing the wearer almost immediately. This would surely make a wonderful holiday, Mother’s Day or birthday gift.

Another product in which scent adds to its appeal is sunscreen. For some kids, it’s torture to sit still while Mom spreads sunscreen all over their bodies before they’re allowed to jump into the water. What’s more, the scent might trigger less-than-happy memories from previous beach days when she lathered it on. Perhaps a little Caribbean scent will ease children into the habit of pro-tecting their skin. The sweet smell of mango-coconut sunscreen in a squeez-able bottle from Bath Promotions (asi/38850) might just have the kids coming back for a second application after a few hours of soaking up rays. This scented lotion can be given to kids at schools and day cares, but it’s great for any age group. Car dealerships can use the slogan, “Don’t get burned on your next car purchase. Come to Joe’s Auto!” when handing it out to an older crowd.

Believe it or not, adding fragrance to an otherwise unscented product is all the rage these days. Check out the cube puzzle from Prime Line (asi/79530), available in full color with any desired photograph and with a custom scent. Also suggest scented T-shirts from Clique Here Inc. (asi/45356), customized with any image or design and “tattooed” with a coordinating smell. The scented ink releases a steady aroma, rather than the typical scratch-and-sniff versions. Available scents include everything from fresh-ground coffee to buttered pop-corn, and your clients can also use their own custom formulation.

Our sense of touch is unique in that every other sense has a specific organ linked to it – nose, ears, eyes. Our organ of touch is, well, our entire body. Dif-ferent textures and fabrics evoke feelings in people that cannot arise from any other sense. Gifts geared toward touch focus not only on the softness or roughness of a material, but also on things people experience in a touch – heat, pressure, moisture, etc.

Pradeep says, “When you synchronize the appeal to a multitude of senses, the effect creates a giant resonance. Let’s say you go to buy a towel. You touch it and it feels wonderful, then you smell it and suddenly it takes you back to your old house and the way your mom used to do your laundry.” Marketing to both of these senses at once is sure to lure customers in. A product that appeals to the brain’s endorphins is the wool throw from Pendleton Woolen Mills (asi/77058). Made from 100% wool, one of the warmest materials available in the industry, the throw feels fantastic and carries the soft scent of nature and animals. The throw will resonate with clients from farms or rural areas because it can remind them of home. For an aromatherapy approach, try a multipur-pose candle from Custom HBC Corp. (asi/47934) that burns normally, but the wax turns into massage oils when it melts. Available in sweet vanilla, starfruit, lavender, black current and cucumber melon, this item certainly takes care of two sensory experiences at once. Your clients can give these out with the mes-sage, “We melt the competition away.”

Temperature is engaged in our sense of touch. When a hug is exchanged, both parties get a soothing, comforting feeling that arises from natural body heat. Products such as electric blankets and heating pads are great for the upcoming winter months, but for year-round promotions, consider the Eco-wrap from Ecorite (asi/51654). Made of microfleece and biodegradable con-tents, it can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer. This product is a great gift for people with sore joints and muscles or who simply enjoy hav-ing the ability to heat or cool their bodies in a matter of minutes.

Smell Touch

Breathe In, Breathe out

Bath Promotions’ (asi/38850) mango-coconut scented sunscreen (SS2-30-NAT) is great for the whole family. Price as low as $2.71.

Kids of all ages will have fun with this scented cube puzzle (PL-4275) from Prime Line (asi/79530). Price as low as $2.75.

This sleep mask (DT-SM-0001) from DreamTime (asi/50807) is filled with lavender for a relaxing night’s sleep. Price as low as $6.

Wake up and smell the coffee with this scented T-shirt (DUR-10-01BK-CF) from Clique Here Inc. (asi/45356). Price as low as $7.50.

Can you Feel It?

This candle (16703-003) from Custom HBC Corp. (asi/47934) is cucumber scented and the wax turns to massage oil when it burns. Price as low as $6.66.

Ecorite (asi/51654) offers this temperature-adjustable neck wrap (C-6526) to soothe sore muscles and joints. Price as low as $15.83.

Bundle up the eco-friendly way with this recyclable, 100% wool throw (ZB287) from Pendleton Woolen Mills (asi/77058). Price as low as $61.11.

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Taste is perhaps the easiest sense to find gifts for. Our sense of taste often operates in synch with our sense of smell, allowing us to distinguish thou-sands of different flavors.

Salty and sweet treats can be found in gift baskets from Sweet Nut Tree (asi/90392). The supplier offers everything from caramel popcorn to berry trail mixes, and it packages the goodies in decorated tins and collectible trucks that recipients can keep long after the delicacies are gone. Suggest chocolate-covered almonds packaged in a collectible train (TE-3) to transportation company clients, so their customers can keep the empty train container as a lasting decoration.

Products that arouse the sense of taste do not always have to be food-oriented; there are many beverage items in the industry that make it easy for clients to get their message out. One clever idea for a gift that will treat taste buds comes from Indigo (asi/62560): the PUR flavored water purifier (CR-5000). A step up from the original water purifying pitcher, this system comes with one pitcher, one filter and one replaceable flavored cartridge, allowing recipients to enjoy different flavors each time they refill the pitcher. While you’re on the beverage bandwagon, check out mulling spiced spoons from Melville Candy Co. (asi/70528). These spoons are coated in sugar and spices and used for adding just the right kick to apple cider, tea and other hot beverages. The spoons will make a perfect gift around the holidays and are an easy way for your clients to show appreciation and thanks to long-time employees and customers.

Taste taSte the dIFFerenCe

Flavored spoons (MSSP-50) from Melville Candy Co. (asi/70528) spice up hot cider and other drinks. Price as low as $6.46.

Enjoying flavored water at home is easy with this PUR flavored purifier (CR-5000) from Indigo (asi/62560). Price as low as $29.99.

Sweet Nut Tree (asi/90392) offers treats like these chocolate-covered almonds in a train collectible (TE-3) that can be used long after the nuts are gone. Price as low as $47.75.

32 GIFT GUIDE 2010 WWW.ADVANTAGESMAG.COM

32FIVE SENSES

asi/55439

ADV1002223655002_GIG2010.pdf

SE-912

SE-911Aluminum LED Flashlight9 super bright white LED bulbs

On-Off push button

A wrist strap and 3 AAA batteries

Included

4.00 3.75 3.50 3.25 200/36

100 500 1000 2500(4r) PC/LB

Item Size:3 1/2” x 1 1/16” diameter

Imprint Size:7/8"(W) x 1/2"(H)

Colors:Blue, Red, Silver, Black

Heavy Duty Aluminum LED Flashlight9 super bright white LED bulbs

Luminescent ring, On-Off push button

A wrist strap and 3 AAA batteries

Included

5.00 4.75 4.50 4.25 125/32

100 500 1000 2500(4r) PC/LB

Item Size:3 7/8” x 1 3/8” diameter

Imprint Size:7/8"(W) x 1/2"(H)

Colors:Blue, Red, Silver, Black

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Andraya Vantrease is an editorial intern for Advantages.

Hearing is one of the original survival mechanisms, and still plays a large part in learning about our surroundings and staying safe. Hearing also allows us to gener-ate deep memories associated with highly emotional moments from the past. The human brain values and seeks out pleasure and satisfaction, but today it’s often hard to find time to relax and treat ourselves to the sounds of nature.

Sound-related gifts are a great way for recipients to de-stress and tune in to their body’s needs. Many people have lost sight of simple pleasures like hearing the laugh-ter of children or the chirping of morning birds, but they can be reminded with soothing music or sounds. Desk fountains like the ones offered by Power Sales and Advertising (asi/79083) make useful gifts for those with a lot going on in the office. The sound of the fountain’s calm, trickling stream soothes the mind.

Team up with the forces of nature and suggest a product that will help hard-working staffers relax at home. Carson Specialties (asi/44110) offers aluminum wind chimes that cater to your client’s desired pitch and help listeners release negative energy after a busy day at work. They make great gifts for people of all ages and can be personalized with logos, messages and images, as well as a variety of chime sizes.

Your clients and their customers can escape entirely from the loud sounds of everyday bustle with headphones from National Vendor Inc. (asi/73480). In addition to all the features of a typical set of headphones, the new Sony Housing Fontopia set includes a silent cap for users who want to turn off the music and experience the bliss of complete silence.

Hearing SImple SoundS

Carson Specialties (asi/44110) offers this wind chime (88011) made of 100% aluminum. Price as low as $13.30.

Sony Housing Fontopia head-phones (MDRE828LP) from National Vendor Inc. (asi/73480) create silence when it can’t be found naturally. Price as low as $8.77.

This desk fountain (WFL-ROC) from Power Sales and Advertising (asi/79083) provides a soothing environment in the office or at home. Price as low as $23.35.