A great way to increase employee moral is to give employees an incentive that will encourage them to partake in company wide activities. I am sure most of our blog readers have heard about the Motivators Buck Program. This award winning program allows employees within and between departments to give out "bucks" for colleagues that help them out, do something that shows they are a team player, or simply make them smile. This program is just one example of a way to bring employees together. Each buck acted as a raffle ticket towards an end of year holiday party. Tons of awesome items were up for grabs and I even won an Apple Ipod last year!

There are many others ways to get empoyees involved! If you are looking to raise awareness related to health and wellness, I would suggest our branded Health: Diet and Fitness Journal. This item serves as a useful tool for keeping track of daily food and beverages consumed, including calories, and even exercise with personal training pointers. Filled with detailed pages where the participant can read about healthy eating tips and helpful online resources, employees will stay motivated and enthusiastic about getting in shape and taking on healthier lifestyles. I find that there is something about writing down your daily habits that makes us more accountable. Reward them with a promotional His & Her Personal Care Kit and they will be smiling from ear to ear!

I've been thinking about trying to come up with a common theme for my blogs that I will continue to reference week after week. After all the positive feedback from last weeks post (Kim actually made the Spaghetti Squash and it was a success!), I decided to do another recipe this week. I hope everyone likes chicken because this recipe is really easy and really delicious!

First, let's get together all the ingredients and logoed kitchen/home necessities:

1 package of chicken breasts (thin)

Fat Free Mozerella Cheese

1 package of asparagus

Mrs. Dash Salt Free Seasoning (or any seasoning you like!)

Imprinted 60 Minute Tomato Shaped Timer

Branded Set of Four Measuring Spoons

1 cookie sheet and 1 piece of tin foil

Custom imprinted 100% Cotton Apron

Once you have all the ingredients together, the rest is simple! Don't forget to preheat the oven to 350 degrees and have your branded Therma Grip Designer Series Oven Mitts handy! Today's recipe has seven simple steps:

Step One: Wash and dry the chicken, place the chicken on a tin foil lined cookie sheet

Step Two: Wash the asparagus, set aside

Step Three: Use the branded Set of Four Measuring Spoons to measure out 1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Salt Free Seasoning (add more if you like!)

Step Four: Sprinkle seasoning on chicken (both sides) and put a tablepoon (or more) of fat free mozerella cheese inside each chicken breast

Step Five: Take asparagus and place it on top of the cheese and across the chicken so it forms a cross shape with the chicken (I used 4-5 pieces of asparagus per chicken)

Step Six: Grab one end of the chicken and roll it around asparagus

Step Seven: Bake on 350 for about 25 minutes. Don't forget to use your branded Therma Grip Designer Series Oven Mitts when the timer goes off!

This recipe is totally interchangable with different veggies or types of cheese. I have also stuffed the chicken with roasted red peppers as well as spinach and feta cheese. Suggestions are always welcome! Enjoy!

PS - I served it with Spaghetti Squash (see last weeks post) and some diced tomatoes! What a great combination!

Recently, I have a new found love for healthy cooking. I don't know if it is in connection with my new years resolutions to be healthier, or just a hobby, but I totally love it! Now, by healthy cooking or cooking healthy, I don't mean boring steamed veggies or plain old grilled chicken. I mean creative dishes that are outside the norm, or were outside the norm for me. With that being said, one food group I am trying to stay away from is carbohydrates. I tend to be what one would call a "carb loader." I totally love my carbs! However, I realized that carbs ultimately make me lazy and tired, two qualities that do not fit in to my new years resolution. Therefore, I started going online to find fresh, new ideas for simple substitutes.

Pinterest has became a haven for me to find recipes and tricks. Pinterest is a "vision board-styled social photo sharing website and app where users can manage and create theme-based image collections," while giving credit to the original source. The "pin it" button allows a picture to be added to your board, while linking it back to the host site. So far, my favorite discovery has been spaghetti squash. Many of you may already know what this is, but for some (insert co-worker Adam Brown) this will blow your mind!

Here's how I do it:

After putting on my branded Denim Three-Pocket Apron, I set aside my promotional 60 Minute Pig Shaped Timer, find a cookie sheet (grab enough foil to cover the sheet), a logoed Slotted Spoon and my favorite branded Laguiole 5-Piece Knife Set and I am good to go!

Now, follow these 5 easy steps:

Step One: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Step Two: Wash and dry spaghetti squash

Step Three: Cut in half (length-wise) and use logoed Slotted Spoon to remove seeds

Step Four: Set promotional 60 Minute Pig Shaped Timer for 40 minutes (or until a knife can be inserted with little resistance) and place both halves of squash face up on cookie sheet (I usually line the cookie sheet with tin foil)

Step Five: Use a large logoed Slotted Spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash

And voila! Other ingredients to consider adding might be veggies and grilled chicken, olive oil, salt and pepper, or even toss in some shredded cheese and marinara sauce! To each his own! What would you add to your spaghetti squash?

For most of us, with every New Year, comes new resolutions. With that being said, I decided it was time to purchase a new scale. After my boyfriend made it clear that just because I was purchasing a new scale, did not mean that the number would go down (Boo!), I went for it anyways. The one we had was older and required a tap before you could get on it. The newer scales allow the "daring" to simply step on for their weight. The old one was black plastic, the new one is glass and sleek looking. Either way, it wasn't an exciting purchase as scales tend to be depressing, but I needed a new scale in my life. Thanks to Amazon's Prime Shipping option, I received my shiny new scale in just 2 days! Opening it with caution, we put in the batteries and got it all set up. To my surprise, the box had more than just the scale I had been expecting. It had none other than a promotional body tape measure! I think I was more excited about the branded body tape measure than the scale itself. I happen to really like the promotional tape measure they selected because the tape locks in place. This makes it easier and more accurate to read. Tip: One important thing to remember about promotional items is that they are most effective when they compliment the business, service or product they accompany. Kudos to Eat Smart for doing just that!

While visiting my family, friends, and co-workers (of course!) in NY over the holidays and New Year, I spent some time at my Dads optical store in Great Neck. Without even realizing it, his store had promotional products everwhere! And I am not talking about the promotional mints that Motivators did for him either. I am talking about promotional items that were given to him from lens companies, frame companies, insurance companies and many more.

Two of the items caught my eye above the rest. The first was a branded basketweave ballpoint pen. The main reason this one stands out is simple. It is one of my favorite custom executive pens because of its weight and the weave design texture on the body of the pen. Of all the promotional pens in my custom imprinted bamboo stripe pen holder, this is by far the first one I grab. This works out well for Definity, a brand of progressive lenses, as my dad really likes the pen too! In the best case scenario, using the pen will remind my dad of their brand, and if suitable for the client, he will choose their brand of lenses.

The second promotional item that I encountered was a promotional non-adhesive note pad. New York Eye actually left a few notepads at his office and that was certainly to their benefit. I noticed that the first branded note pad on each table was one from New York Eye. Being that the promotional pad has many other brands on it, such as: Seventeen, Taka, Jubilee, Reality, Eddie Bauer and Coleman, to name a few, this must have been a joint sponsorship. One thing I really like about these branded non-adhesive pads, is that the imprint area is so large. The consumer has just about the entire product to customize which makes it really favorable for joint sponsorships and creating very affective brand awareness. How would you choose to customize your promotional notepad?

Many of you probably already know the Motivators slogan, "Branding Opportunities That Work!", so I would like to show you promotional products AT work, doing what they do best. Yesterday, I posted some images from my client, Rocket Fuel's, Client Party, where they distributed promotional plastic mint cards. Instead of just handing them out to each person, they decided to place them around the party on various tables so clients could pick one up as they like. In this way, they were able to reinforce their brand while celebrating with their top clients.

I really like how they got creative with them and added them in between the cake pops for dessert! First of all, cake pops are totally genius! While I do like cake, sometimes, a large slice is just too much. A small little "pop" is just the right portion to fulfill my sweet tooth. While placing the mints on the dessert display, Rocket Fuel was able to include the brand name so that clients remembered the main reason why they were there. I find it is easy to get caught up in the eating, drinking, and chatting at parties, but Rocket Fuel managed to bring their slogan, and logo to the forefront of their client party without overdoing it. Congratulations Rocket Fuel, A + for a job well done!

After being appointed the Marketing and Promotions Director of my dad's optical store Great Neck Opticians, on Long Island (possibly be default) ...I was really excited to show my dad what promotional products are really about! With that being said, I did some research on the most powerful promotional items during the winter months, since the store is located in NY and we were about to hit the winter season. I went through many different options and came across the custom imprinted 7" Polar Ice Scraper. Of course, I discussed this option with my dad and he loved it! The promotional ice scraper would be a great give-a-way as we entered the cold, snowy winter. After a few different proofs on the artwork, my dad was ready to order. Of course, after just 5 business days of production and shipping time, his order of branded ice scrapers arrived! See below for a picture of how great they came out!

The response from his customers was overwhelming. Some were even requesting more than one so that the other members of their family could keep one in their car too! All winter long his customers reminded him of why he made such a great choice and he reminded them just the same by giving out the fantastic promo item to begin with! The hand-held promotional ice scraper put up a tough fight against Old Man Winter in 2010. The best part is that his customers can use them this year as well! Talk about promotional items that just keep on giving!

Fortunately, since the response last year was so outrageous, my dad returned for my services a second time. This year, I decided to take it into my own hands and make all the marketing decisions without him! Risky, you might say, but I knew with the help of my Motivators co-workers and our skilled graphic artists, I would be able to make him proud again. With that being said, I decided to go with one of my favorite promotional items... branded mints! I love them mostly because they are small enough to keep inside your pocket or handbag and you can also leave them in your car. I like to think of them as an over-sized business card or a business card with a bonus!

Coming up with the artwork and tagline was not as easy. I wanted something catchy and fun, that would still be very much relatable for his customers. Finally, I remembered a slogan that my dad had mentioned in the past. His vision was slightly different, but it is his company after all, so the least I could do was use his slogan. We went with "We Got Framed at Great Neck Opticians." As you can see in the artwork below, we created a family (much like mine!) all "framed" in their new eyeglasses or sunglasses. Just like a family portrait, they are all within a picture frame (to further go along with the theme). As mentioned above, I wanted this to be like a business card, so we also have the essential contact information for his store. I made an executive decision and we moved forward to production.

While I was visiting NY over Thanksgiving, I decided that was the perfect time to showcase the custom imprinted mints. My plan was to leave one on his dinner plate as a surprise! Thankfully, it totally worked! My dad's first reaction was - "Awesome! I love them! I'll take 200!" My response is the best part.... "Perfect, dad! I am so glad. I already have 300 waiting for you in the living room!"

I guess this is why I was "appointed" after all...

When my dad let me know he was looking into buying a new Prius, I was skeptical. I did not know anything about eco-friendly cars, other than the fact that they seem to be taking over… (the HOV lane that is). After bringing his golf clubs to the dealership to make sure they would fit in the trunk (not normal, I know) my dad decided to go for it! He realized it was time to make a change and that the benefits of having an eco-friendly car were many. Not only can he ride in the HOV lane to work (if you are familiar with the Long Island Expressway, you will understand his excitement), he can also save tons of money on gas (trust me, I would know because he tells me each time I see him - Love you Dad!). I will admit that his new car is really awesome and I am totally jealous. When I visited NY over Thanksgiving, I was able to see just how cool it is. For example: When we were waiting at a red light, there was complete silence from the car. Since the car was not using any gas, it felt as if the car was off – quite scary but quite impressive! You can also see a digital image of the car on the dashboard that lets you know if battery power or gas is being used. While I am super excited for my dad and his new ride, I was even more excited when the Toyota Dealership gave him a promotional gift at the end of the transaction, basically, a branded Thank You!. Advantage Toyota of Lynbrook thanked my dad with a promotional stainless Steel Vacuum Bottle. Great for transporting your coffee or tea to work, this custom imprinted Coffee Thermos screams gratitude and appreciation. Now, my dad has a constant reminder of the helpful staff at Advantage Toyota in Lynnbrook, not only each time he gets into and out of his car, but also when he drinks his morning coffee. Sounds like a great deal to me! Wouldn’t you want your happy customers thinking of you each morning with their daily coffee? 

Last week, I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family, friends, and co-workers in lovely New York. To my surprise, the weather was beautiful, and I couldn't even complain about cold breezes or snow fall, as I am now a Floridian. My flights were painless with no delays or "on the plane issues" as I like to call them: i.e. crying babies, snoring passenger next to me, or someone with a nasty cough. JetBlue even greeted me with a promotional snooze kit. Complete with ear plugs and an eye mask, I was able to "put everyone on mute" (as they called it) and "create night time in the blink of an eye"). I guess since many airlines are cutting costs by making branded neck pillows and custom imprinted blankets available for purchase, they still want you to leave the flight with a little piece of the JetBlue experience with some R&R.

When I turned the package around, I noticed they must had some help from a sponsor. DenTek, included a sample of one of their promotional dentals items, the Floss Picks as well as a coupon on future purchases. We all know that times are tough, but there are so many great promotional items that you can find on Motivators.com that are thoughtful ways to let your customers or employees know you appreciate them! Feel free to pick my brain at any time - that is what I am here for!

Everyone celebrated this past Friday by honoring our Veterans and the date of 11/11/11. For many, there might not have been as much significance of 11/11/11, a date alignment which occurs only every 100 years AND every 400 years on a Friday, but I thought it was pretty awesome. Actually, my boyfriend and I had a party to attend. One of his close family friends has a birthday on 11/11, and we were invited to the birthday celebratation in Ft. Lauderdale.

When we arrived, I immediately noticed the custom imprinted Champion cotton tee with 11/11/11 on them.

They also had branded 1-ply white coin edge dinner 1/8 fold napkins to go along with the 11/11/11 theme.

The aspect that I was most excited about was the very nice woman, Tammy, I was introduced to. While having a conversation about my job at Motivators promotional products (DUH!) a mutual friend introduced us. Tammy happens to sell branded coasters that she makes by hand in her home kitchen. Her company name is Tammy's Great 4 Gifts. She had several samples on her and I was totally intrigued. Each one is made with extra TLC and you can order in sets of four. She mentioned that she loves using cute phrases and quotes. One of my favorites was: "I don't repeat gossip, so listen carefully!" Check out some samples she had in her bag! What would you write on yours?