Search Schwag

This custom t-shirt is the closest we’ll get to see Yahoo and Microsoft making a business deal, at least for now. The shirt is made with combined ring-spun cotton, which gets softer with each washing. You can find this logo on promotional hats as well, and other products will likely come out to play at the idea of the two CEO’s of the powerhouses coming closer to making a deal. Several months ago Microsoft executives were in the Silicon Valley to have talks with Yahoo upper management, and since nothing new has come up yet it doesn’t seem as though anything will be set in stone in the near future.

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This past month, Dunkin Donuts has initiated its Keep It Coolatta promotional campaign with the help of its network in Facebook. Currently, the company has over 800,000 fans on Facebook and 23,000 followers on Twitter. In order to win prizes from the campaign, Dunkin Donut Facebook fans first have to buy a Coolatta, take a picture with it, and then post that picture on the Dunkin Donuts Fan Page wall. Contestants then must put this image as their profile picture on Facebook to be entered into the drawing for a daily giveaway.

However, if their names are  drawn they still must have that same picture as their profile picture or they do not win the giveaway. What a fantastic idea to use promotional photography with your customers as a marketing tool, especially when it involves Facebook! This also will save Dunkin Donuts some money because they won’t have to distribute any promotional products; the contestants will do all the work instead by going to the store if their name is drawn.

I recently stumbled upon Twitter’s new “Tweet on Tees” website, which is partnered with Threadless; an art community that creates new graphic design t-shirts every week. The site features custom t-shirts that have funny one-line tweets plastered on the front. As a member of Twitter, you can submit your own tweets to be featured on t-shirts and receive $500 if your sumbission is selected. Members can also get paid $140 for nominating a tweet that gets printed. Twitter is constantly upadating its features in the social media world, and this is another addition that will advance the Twitter community, as members can now sport Twitter’s promotional apparel and have an incentive to make more tweets with the chance of making some money.

Last year, Microsoft handed out these promotional pocket cards to students participating at its Imagine Cup competition. The competition is sponsored by Microsoft every year and encourages students to compete in an array of computer technology categories such as software design and game development. The card has a small piece of plantable seed paper at the bottom which contains the seeds of a native Australian shrub called the Callistemon. Microsoft did an excellent job of utilizing eco-friendly promotional products in motivating students to be uber-aggressive in creating sustainable products for the future. This year’s finals are held in Egypt — maybe Micrsoft will give out some custom digital products this year!

In late May, Yahoo! jump-started its new “Make It Green” promotion, along with its new website dedicated to the campaign. The search engine powerhouse is encouraging the public to submit ideas for green products to the new website. The winners will have their customized eco-friendly product manufactured while receiving $2,500 and a portion from the sales of the product. It is not clear when the contest will end, but ideas so far have ranged from custom reusable bottles to hybrid hair dryers!

Google does a stellar job of taking care of its employees, co-workers, and users. Even if you do a contract job for Google, it’s likely that you will receive a promotional product or two in appreciation of your work. Whether it’s a custom frisbee, promotional t-shirt, or imprinted notepad, it’s always an honor to be mailed some schwag from the most dominant computer software superpower in the world.

On June 8th, Microsoft ran an all-day live infomercial promoting its new search engine called Bing. The event aired on Hulu, and was hosted by G4’s Olivia Munn and Saturday Night Live’s Jason Sudeikis.  Aside from explaining the benefits of Bing for hours on end, the infomercial also featured an array of guest celebrity appearances and comedy sketches. Just like promoting a business with custom corporate gifts, the Hulu infomercial is another example of how you can spread the word about your company in a cost-efficient manner. It would be nice to see some promotional computer accessories distributed to consumers by Bing as an additional way for search engine to gain more users and fans.

Over the past several years, Google has been experimenting with adding a its own promotion label to video ads they have been running. They made this change in order to test out promoting Google products, such as its checkout services at the top of its own search results pages. The label titled “Google Promotion” can be seen in the top right corner of ads listed in organic search results pages. This lets consumers know that the Google is advertising its products while making online purchasing easier. Google has found yet another way to spread its brand awareness, and has initiated similar promotions with searches for custom watches and other products.

Promoting your business through social media networks is all about finding widespread preferences and hobbies among consumers. After all, users of MySpace, Facebook, and other networks post their interests for your viewing pleasure, so why not take advantage of this to bolster your marketing campaign? Businesses have the opportunity to enhance their reputation two-fold by integrating social media networks into their marketing campaigns, granted that they combine this with giving away free conventional products to consumers such as custom sports apparel and promotional digital products. 

Take MySpace’s comic book page as a perfect example. All MySpace users can sign up to MySpace’s comic book page to preview the hottest comic book releases out on the market. The site also includes relevant news on the comic book industry and offers sneak-peaks to unreleased editions! It’s clear that MySpace works effectively for more than just advertising your business, it can also generate extensive buzz marketing if your product is part of a hobby or activity that consumers love.

Experimenting with social media campaigns has become common for large corporations and small businesses alike. Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have helped businesses leverage the networking capabilities of these sites to increase brand loyalty and awareness while establishing more links to company websites; a critical component of Search Engine Optimization. For example, companies have established Twitter accounts to update their consumers more quickly on product and industry information, while YouTube provides an interactive outlet for showing tutorials and podcasts.

In light of this trend, Skittles has recently altered its website to be more “web 2.0″ oriented and enhance its promotional product offers and campaigns. Now, when users visit skittles.com, they are directed to the Skittles fans page on Facebook. Here, you can find wall posts, videos, discussions and other categories that make Skittles an evolving product, which generates more loyalty from its fans worldwide. The new website design is so successful that it increased traffic to the site by 1332% in one day! Speaking of Skittles, promotional food and custom candy products are always creative ways to increase the visibility of your brand name, but never count out the potential of social media networking.