Banners on a Roll is Going and Growing with Social Media
@world, hello, please meet @Bannersonaroll
With 24 years in the promotional print and advertising business, Banners on a Roll® is going and growing with social media.
When we started Banners on a Roll, we made a commitment to create a people-centric company that understands the value of promotional products and how they make your brand, your event, your marketing efforts come to life. We created a brand and buying experience to understand our clients’ needs and reflect our belief that people matter most. To us that means that our top priorities are to serve our customers, care for our employees and educate our customers to become savvy consumers.
The Secret To Effective Event Branding
In my previous life, I was a non-profit fundraiser, who was in charge of community events. The only banner signage available then was conventional, vinyl banners, which, as you know, are quite costly. At each event I was the “banner guard.” Not only did I ensure that the event ran smoothly, but also I made sure that the banners were not stolen. Ugh! What an awful job! I constantly had to keep my eyes on the signage. Then after the event it was my job to roll up the banners carefully so that I could reuse them at other events. I wish that I had had Banners on a Roll! It would have been so easy to unroll a line of repeating imprints, put them up, and leave them for fans and participants to take home as souvenirs. I also would have had ready-made table skirting for registration tables and banquets.
Hello, Please Scan My QR Code: The Offline and Online Worlds Collide
Envision this. You are at a social gathering. People are mingling, chatting, and exchanging cordial pleasantries. Suddenly you overhear two people talking. One says to the other:
“Hello, nice to meet you. Please scan my QR Code.”
What?! Scan my QR Code? Really?
Yes, really. What you overheard could in fact happen. QR Codes are no longer a “what’s next” innovation from Popular Science. QR Codes are reality. As we discussed in one of our earlier blog posts, “Twitter, RSS Feeds, Facebook, oh my! Is Printing Getting Run Off The Press?” the offline world continues to seek stronger communion with the online world. QR Codes are a manifestation of this communion. The surge of online innovation has spurred a resurgence of offline innovation. And this is only the beginning.
Take Facebook for example … recently TechCrunch reported early rumors that this behemoth of a social network was experimenting with the integration of personalized QR Codes with online profiles. Print the code on practically anything and all your friends will be able to take a picture of it and instantly view your Facebook profile in all its glory.
See the Types of Products That Help Make March Madness Come to Life
Who doesn’t love March? The NCAA basketball tournament kicked off yesterday and everyone is checking their tournament brackets wondering who is going to be the next Cinderella story.
Arguably the month of March generates the most exciting, dare we say, “maddening,” moments in all of college sports. The passion, affinity and excitement you feel throughout the season, and especially over the next few weeks, are why we at Banners on a Roll® enjoy working with colleges and universities around the country promoting events all year long. It’s really quite infectious.
Scroll down to see the types of products that help make March Madness come to life!
Twitter, RSS Feeds, Facebook, oh my! Is Printing Getting Run Off The Press?
Every year more and more new technology emerges and those who live and breathe the printing world are faced with the question “Is print going to be replaced by a new technology?” Will the digital products of Amazon, Apple, Google and others replace the printed word? Everyone knows this is a controversial topic. Clay Shirky, in fact, wrote a provocative piece on this topic last year and his post spurred 1,200+ comments. And so it goes ….
We would be myopic if we were to ignorantly gloss over the forces of the digital age and their implications on the way we do business and the new types of business models that are emerging. There is no doubt that there is a macroeconomic and technological big shift, but in our microcosm of printing promotional materials, we feel the printed word is here to stay.
Advertising and business will forever be interconnected and the modes of advertising are changing, however the Internet is not the panacea. Not everyone is as Internet savvy as the 18 year old college student who spends an hour a day on Facebook. Yes, it’s safe to say that the older generations are gaining significant traction when it comes to the web and social media and those 18 year olds will one day rule the world, but the key to this entire puzzle is figuring out how digital and print compliment each other not how one can destroy the other.
We Support the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation – Providing Service All Year Long
Even though the prime-time holiday season has come and gone, the needs of disadvantaged children have not. Giving and caring for others should be a focus throughout the entire year. One client of ours is truly exemplary in providing service and works hard at it all year long.
Meet the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. For those who are less fortunate during the holiday season, Toys for Tots steps in to lend a helping hand by providing toys for children all around the United States. Toys for Tots was founded in 1947 by Major William L. Hendricks of the United States Marine Corps and to this day still accomplishes every year the gift of giving by bringing a toy together with a child during the holidays.
This last year was particularly successful:
“The results of the 62nd annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Campaign, conducted during October, November and December 2009, have been tabulated. The results are: U.S. Marines distributed 16.4 million new toys to 7.4 million less fortunate children throughout the nation. This was one of the most successful campaigns in the 62 year history of Toys for Tots – and this in spite of the economy.”
Below are some videos that always bring a smile to our faces when we see the United States Marine Corps helping others. We support or troops for their involvement in our communities around the country.
Lindsey Vonn and Susan Van Allen…“Sisters” at Heart
For years I told my family how, as a child, I would often ski at Buck Hill, a metropolitan ski area in Minneapolis. I used to laugh and tell them I would ski down the hill and practically end up on Interstate 35. It’s really metropolitan!
During the Olympics, I was surprised to find out that Lindsey Vonn learned to ski at the same place. Being the older “sister”, my experience was many years ago, she followed in my ski-tracks. Recently, I broke my finger and I’m now sporting a full hand/arm cast. What a coincidence that Lindsey broke her pinky finger just the other day at the Olympics. She just has to be like “big sister” Susan!
I wish Lindsey continued success and a speedy recovery.
Get well soon!
Some of the Most Clever Advertisements of all Time!
At Banners on a Roll® we love clever promotion and advertising and after scouring the Internet, and compiling what we like, we wanted to share with you some of our most favorite advertisements we have ever seen. These are just fun to look at. Take a gander and let your creative juices flow ….
Don’t drink and drive
2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Marketing Signage and Products: not only the biggest stage for athletes but also for printing
The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada are in full swing. The worlds-best athletes have been training for years just for this moment. While it is the biggest stage for sports stars across the globe, it is also the biggest stage for marketing signage and promotional products. On every athlete, behind every news conference, around every competition, are print products. Marketing teams from around the world are blanketing the city of Vancouver with print. Take a look at these photos to really get an idea of how much printing is actually used at the Olympic Games. There truly is no bigger stage.
