Loading ...The Time For Calendars Is Now
Calming landscapes beckon us to faraway places, cuddly critters remind us to donate and quirky trivia questions keep our minds stimulated between deadlines. Calendars give us all these things and help keep us organized, to boot. But how do you make a printed calendar a hot item in an increasingly paperless world?
Phil Martin, national sales manager for St. Charles, Illinois-based supplier Warwick Publishing (UPIC: WARWICK), shares his insights. “We are creatures of habit. That is what makes calendars such a good product to sell—repeat business. When you are used to having that ‘reference’ calendar in plain sight and accessible, you feel lost when it is not there. When you are working on your computer it is much easier to look over and reference the desk calendar sitting by the phone, or look at the wall, than it is to keep toggling back and forth on your computer.”
Martin adds, “I have yet to ever see desk or wall calendars ‘crash’ or get a virus; no blue screens of death with a desk or wall calendar.”
“The digital world changes every second. A calendar on the wall stays there. In sight—in mind,” says Andy Mackay, president of Colorstrike/Liquid Technologies (UPIC: CSLIQUID) in East Northport, New York.
Selling calendars is a matter of implementing tried-and-true practices for Martin’s team. “I have two words that will help people sell more calendars—show them. Get some calendars for your own use and hand them out or mail them out to customers and see what kind of reaction you get. It is refreshing to walk into a client’s office and see your calendar on their wall or on their desk,” he says.
Mackay adds that being target-specific with calendar choices helps keep clients interested, and making the items cross-functional can bridge the gap between traditional and innovative. “I love bringing new products to our industry. I always try to develop something that is going to turn heads and be so cool and unique that it’s like handing our distributors a weapon; a tool to blow open the doors of even the most seasoned promo product buyers who think they’ve seen it all,” he says.
Size up these creative, yet classic options for helping your clients stay on task.
from left to right
See the year unfold before you—literally—in a customizable Photo Calendar Card that collapses into thirds for mailing. Perfect for sending a photo greeting that can be enjoyed all year.
Make a splash with the 1800’s Wave Calendar, a 3D, four-color wonder that’s mailable. Pick from available themes or create a custom design.
Warwick Publishing UPIC: WARWICK 800-383-7149 www.warwickpublishing.com
No matter their taste, recipients will find something to love about 13-month Wall Calendars chock-full of slick muscle cars, snappy street rods, robust wildlife, flowers in bloom or snapshots of America’s stunning natural wonders.
Fey Promotional Products GroupUPIC: FEY 800-533-5340 www.feyline.com
Take a tour of the picturesque Northeast without ever leaving home, thanks to the 13-month New England Scenic Calendar, which includes scenes of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Catch the eye of local tourism and historical groups with this regional masterpiece.
Beacon Promotions, Inc. UPIC: BEACONP 507-233-3831 www.beaconpromotions.com
These Tent Calendars provide ultimate personalization because not only is the recipient’s name in each image, but each photograph can be customer-supplied to completely and uniquely brand the advertiser’s message. Choose from the different styles: The Big Picture, The Horizon and The Snapshot.
Ad-A-Day UPIC: AD-A-DAY 800-695-5885 www.ad-a-day.com
It’s hip to be square when you save the date with a Jewel Case Calendar, which features 12 loose calendar pages and a custom cover. Musicians and music teachers will get plenty of feedback with these.
Promote calm living and keep stress in check with the Stress Test Calendar, available in three styles: hearts, grins and bears. Patients and physicians alike will find it livens up even the most sterile environment.
Magna-Tel, Inc. UPIC: MAGNATEL 800-467-2537 www.magna-tel.com
When plans change, the Stick-Ez Calendar lets clients make their mark using dry-erase pens. Pitch its potential to clients like veterinarians, air conditioning repair or landscaping businesses so customers can save the date with ease.
Mix and match photos in the Image Personalized Calendar to create an eye-catching promotion any time of year; all versions of this calendar can begin with any month.
All eyes will be on PromoClear™ Translucent X Ray Calendars, which look and feel like real X-ray images. The cleverly packaged calendars, which feature a variety of images including people, cars, suitcases and more, are sure to be the talk of any physician’s office.
ColorStrike/Liquid Technologies UPIC: CSLIQUID 631-261-4922 www.colorstrike.com
The holiday cheer lasts all year long with Deerfield Greeting Card Calendars, two-in-one calendars that clients with high seasonal traffic can use to boost their bottom lines during off-peak months.
ADG Promotional UPIC: ADGPROMO 800-852-5208 www.adgpromo.com
The Weather Almanac Calendar, which features full-color images of storms and fun, informative facts and insights about weather, makes a great educational tool for news outlets and emergency services groups.
Hotline Products, Inc. UPIC: HOYL0001 800-225-2114 www.hotlineproducts.com
You’ll never lose sight of an important date when the House Calendar Magnet is mounted on a frequently seen surface such as the family fridge. Clients who want their services front-and-center are sure to see the benefits of this magnet, which comes in 15 colors and is made in the U.S.
Evans Manufacturing UPIC: EVANS 800-745-3826 www.evans-mfg.com>>Promotion: Building Interest For An Architecture Firm
“An architectural planning and design company that specializes in community planning needed to build their name among prospective clients and their industry peers. They had been in business for nearly 50 years but felt it was necessary to reestablish their name and strengthen their reputation in their newly competitive landscape.
Their promotional consultant recommended a custom calendar that would command attention in the offices of investors, civic organizations, resort developers, colleges, universities and city planners. The large-format Multi-Photo Year-in-View® calendar was the answer.
Their custom Year-In-View® calendar included:
- Full-color photos of the company’s best work
- Year-in-View® calendar pad
- Important dates and events printed on the pad
- Tinning at top and bottom to make it lay flat all year
- A plastic loop for hanging
The architectural planner specializes in the latest trend in college living: upper-class, resort-style apartment complexes with amenities such as a community pool, workout room, music listening rooms, computer labs and arcades. These were featured on the calendar.
The architectural company was able to maintain prime “real estate” space in the offices of their target audience with a full year of advertising. The custom calendar showcased their work and enhanced the recipients’ awareness of the company’s expertise within their industry.”
- Jerome Hoxton, executive vice president at Iowa City, Iowa-based distributor Tru Art Advertising Calendars (UPIC: TRUART)
>>How Do We Keep Time?
The calendar is based on three key astronomical events:
- A day, which is the time from one sunrise to the next sunrise—one complete rotation of the earth.
- A year, which is approximately 365.24 days—one complete orbit of Earth around the sun.
- A month, which is approximately 29.53 days—one complete orbit of the moon around the earth.
Since these time spans are not easily divided, calendars have always been imperfect. Some were rooted in tradition, while others evolved as humankind gained a greater understanding of science and astronomy. Some calendars, like the Christian calendar (which is the primary calendar in use today) focused on the earth’s orbit. Others, like the Islamic calendar, focused on the moon’s orbit. Still others, like the Jewish calendar and Chinese calendar, combine both.
-Source: Calendars Through the Ages, a WebExhibit from the Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement
