Lands' End Business Outfitters Blog

Is that tacky giveaway on your desk worth $50?

WE HAVE A WINNER! Thank you to everyone who entered our little contest via Twitter and the blog comments. You made us laugh and shake our heads. Plastic frog? Folding pens? Who thinks of these things? But the prize goes to Amber who wrote:

"A 6" chunk of a wood 2x4. Yep, I got it in the mail too! Not only did they waste the wood, but they paid postage to send it to me. But, not to worry, I used it in a campfire! Looking forward to some practical business gifts from LE!"

Thanks for the entry, Amber! We're turning your piece of firewood into a $50 gift card. 

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It's there on your desk. Quietly mocking you. The smiling fingertip puppet from the team offsite. Or maybe a glitter pen stuffed in your last conference registration bag. Some of you even have a drawer full of these things to be forgotten until you move cubes (or companies). Fess up: what’s the worst promo product (aka tchotchke) you’re still holding? 

In early August, you'll have access to a host of more tasteful, professional and useful items perfect for employee or client giveaways from Lands' End. But in the meantime, that tacky one might just pay off for you.

Between now and Friday July 24, 2009, tell us about the worst giveaway product you've ever received and you'll be entered to win a $50 Lands' End gift card.
 
You can enter in a few simple ways:

1. Follow us on Twitter and tweet your entry. You must include #lamegift in your tweet to be entered. Feeling crafty? Post a pic of the product on TwitPic.
2. Post a comment below. Tell us your story in the comments section on this blog and you'll be entered as well. Feel free to post a link to your own blog or a link to a picture as well.

UPDATE: As this is all in fun, please do not include specific names of companies in your tweet or comment. Thanks! 

Giveaway Terms & Conditions
This Lands' End Business Outfitters giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (excluding Puerto Rico), 18 years or older at the time of entry.  Employees of Lands’ End, Inc. and Sears Holdings Corporation and each of their respective affiliated companies, subsidiaries, and advertising or promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons domiciled with such employees, are not eligible. Dates of giveaway are from Tuesday July 21, 2009 through Friday July 24, 2009. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. C.D.T on July 24, 2009. Only one entry per person per day accepted. Winner will be drawn Monday July 27, 2009.  No purchase necessary. Odds of winning are dependent on the number of eligible entries submitted. This giveaway has no cash value and is not redeemable for cash. Lands’ End reserves the right to terminate, suspend or modify the giveaway, in its sole discretion for any reason.

Lands' End has a better price for Screen Print Tees. We checked.

We (ahem) screened the competition. Their Gildan® 2000 Ultra Cotton Screen Print T-shirt against ours. We were confident our merchants put together a great package, but it's always good to have outside reassurance. 

We tested the most popular order scenario: 72 of the same color short sleeve Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton T-shirts, four color design, regular sizes only. 

At Lands' End, you'd pay $422.40 or just $5.87 per shirt. The other screen print big shot? $642.40 or just $8.92 per shirt. Ouch! Here's how it breaks down:

Lands' End: Design set-up: $30; Shirt: $5.45

The other guy: Design set-up: $160; Shirt: $5.50. And they added an $86.40 Run Charge. 

With Lands' End you get up to six design colors included in the price of the shirt. And the peace of mind that comes with our famous promise: Guaranteed. Period.®

Interested in learning more? Read the full details, or send a comment. 

Naming a new product line or service: easy, right?

“We’re going to launch a new branded products line.” 
 
What’s that?
 
The plan: offer customers a great extension of our logo’d apparel line. A concise-yet-complete collection of…brand accessories. Employee incentives? How about customer gifts? Do the words “promotional products” resonate?
 
See, as our merch team was finalizing the assortment, marketing was testing collection names. How do you overcome an audience’s preconceived notions, convey the quality and thought we’ve put in, yet make the name instantly recognizable to potential customers?
 
Focus group testing netted lots of suggestions: trinkets and treasures, tchotschkes, giveaways, hard goods, event swag. “Swag?” That was new to us. But not to the Oscars, which gives “swag bags” to lucky celebrities.  (“Social Swag” was considered but didn’t stick. Survived less than two minutes. Promise.)
 
Our solution? Elevate the creative presentation beyond what you see in the market. Great photography. Messages that focus on uses, needs, solutions. We use “employee incentives” when it fits. “Customer gifts” works too, in certain applications. You’ll hear us call the line “promotional products” more often until we think of something better.