Every year has tremendous significance, and each is always anticipated with high hopes of dreams coming true, achievements, betterment. A calendar, with every new month, represents a blank canvas for our lives to be painted. Appointments, vacations, get-togethers with families and friends, holidays to celebrate, and other reminders.
And calendars, no matter the size or type, also serve as a personal expression tool – areas to doodle. So that the end of the year, each calendar becomes a personal story.
Calendars are so popular that one resource, Halo Branded Solutions, offers a total of: 102 budget calendars, 155 calendars by theme, 154 wall calendars, 50 desk calendars, and 11 pocket calendars. “Promotional calendars give brands additional exposure every time someone checks the date, extends a deadline, and notes a vacation,” the website notes. “They’re used as reference points nearly every day and can be inexpensive and fully customized to target very specific audiences. Custom calendars are used in homes nearly as much as offices, and HALO has many options to fit both needs. From oversized desk calendars to portable pocket planners, there are many cost-effective options that clients will love.”
But – “nobody needs a physical calendar because everyone has a smartphone or other device that shows the date.” This is likely the key objection, perhaps the sole objection, you may encounter. And, Carrie Lewis, marketing and communications manager for BIC Graphic has a counterpoint: “It seems digital devices can do anything, but that doesn’t mean they are the best planning tools. A paper calendar is one spot where people can keep notes, to-do lists, schedules, and reminders. I’m not sure of any single digital app that provides all that same functionality in one place,” she relates.
Bonus, she offers: calendars generate a huge number of client impressions as they are in front of customers for 12 months or more. It’s a great way for clients to get their business noticed for a full year. Oh, and if you think the paper calendar is not appreciated by younger generations, Lewis disavows that notion as well. “Younger generations like Millennials absolutely support paper planners, journals, and calendars with nearly 1/3 using a promotional calendar every day,” she cites.
According to PENS.com, “on a basic level, think about if one person sees your client’s logo then mentions his or her business name to two other people. When you multiply this by the number of people who may see your client’s promo calendar throughout the year, the cost of advertising his or her business totals pennies per day.”
The supplier also advises what type of calendar may be most suited for specific audiences. For example, weekly planners are attractive for clients whose end-users are on the go (like a sales force). Magnetic calendars are great for families to post on refrigerators, and therefore may be suitable for a wide array of local service companies (from auto detailing to spas/salons, to HVAC and plumbers, to landscapers and banks).
Lewis adds that calendars are a highly attractive promotional piece for service businesses that want to encourage clients to book future appointments or remind them of seasonal offerings. “For example; landscapers, HVAC technicians, or business service providers can leave behind promo calendars as a reminder for clients to re-book.”
Epromos offers several simple suggestions that will resonate with a wide number of disparate clients: “Help your clients remember your brand as well as their daily appointments with a sleek desktop calendar. Lend your logo to households and offices with an assortment of magnetic calendars with your company's contact info on them. Help your own staff stay organized with the tasks you give them by gifting them professional looking portable planners they can take anywhere. Or hand out classic versatile wall calendars, fit for use in any context.”
2020: Some Ideas
Mines Press offers custom tri-fold calendars with themes that include golf, color block, USA, landscape, peace, beach, and wildlife. Tri-fold calendars, according to the company, combine a greeting card and a branded calendar that fold to fit perfectly into an envelope for mailing.
New from Royal Industries is (#1919) the Metallic Color Cardstock Cover Monthly pocket planner. According to the company, the new monthly planner is manufactured with a cardstock cover. It features 32 pages and shows one month on a two-page spread. The planner inside is printed in one color and runs 14 months from December through January. This planner includes pages for important phone numbers and dates as well as advance planning areas. Also included are a metric conversion chart, time zone chart, area code map, and an important holidays page.
New from BIC Graphic is the Gratitude Planner (#8108), which Lewis describes as "great for short- and long-term planning with added space for daily gratitude journaling. Studies have shown that simply writing down what you’re thankful for at the end of the day can lower stress levels, induce relaxation, and help you sleep better."
Also new for 2019 is BIC’s Everlasting Desk Calendar (#5811), a perpetual beech wood calendar that features movable blocks allowing the recipient to display the month, weekday, and day on cubes that fit in the provided imprinted base. An unusual and beautiful gift!
As a society, our lives are overflowing; further, there really is no longer such a thing as a “9 to 5” lifestyle. Calendars are more relevant and appreciated than ever.
CASE STUDY
Carrie Lewis, marketing and communications manager for BIC Graphic: “A pet food manufacturer partnered with a nationwide pet store to provide food samples during special adoption and vaccination events. They also wanted to add a branded item to accompany the sample that would be kept and used by the new pet owners. They chose the (
#7007) Puppies & Kittens Spiral Calendar because the adorable imagery had universal appeal and it kept their brand in front of new pet owners for a full year. The calendars were distributed at pet store events and with food samples as part of a new pet owner kit. The manufacturer was happy to participate in a good will campaign and provide a useful item with a longer lifespan than just the food sample.”