I would have to say my favorite promotional item is a t-shirt!  I don't know why wearing a shirt that has nothing to do with anything I belong to, root for or even work at, just makes me happy.  Recently we had a bunch of t-shirts in the office that went unclaimed.  I grabbed a few for my girlfriend and myself to.  It was some company I have never heard of with no address on the t-shirt.  We both wore them a few times and found it funny.  About a month after we were in Seaford stopping at a dunking doughnuts.  After we grabbed our coffee we were walking to the car and BOOM right across the street on Merrick Rd. was the company whose name we have been representing for the past month!!  We got a good chuckle out of that and I thought to myself, promo tees are the way to go.  Even people who don't know who you are will represent your brand!!

I love getting mail! Don't lie; I know you love it too! Whether it is a short note, big package, or postcard, mail is fun and exciting especially when you least expect it (of course, bills are left out of this category of "fun" mail).

With that being said, my Alma Mater, The U, is always on top of its mail game. They send friendly notes all the time letting me know what is going on around campus within the Alumni Association, and are always reminding me to pay it forward!

This year, we renewed our football season tickets to watch the Canes at Sun Life Stadium, and part of the ticket price is a donation to the Alumni Association. I must say, the U knows how to say thanks! The other day, I received a letter with a note on the envelope stating -- Canes Care Package!

The envelope had some weight to it, so being in the promotional products industry, I played the guessing game. What could it be? They had already done the hologram luggage tag, and I knew it couldn't be just a note. Was it a pen? Bumper sticker? Magnet? All of the above?

I was super excited to open it up and even more delighted when I realized what it was! One of my favorite promotional items has always been the magnetic picture frame. It is mailed as one piece but can be broken apart to make one single magnet, in addition to a magnetic frame. I love to show my U pride, so I know this will take a spot front and center on our refrigerator!

 Then, I noticed that was not all! There were also two stickers proudly stating that I am a "2013 Hurricane Club member." Awesome!

It really is the little things! With this small care package, the U has once again reminded me why it is a great to be a Miami Hurricane! I think we can all learn something from this -- you don't have to spend a fortune on branded items to say thanks. If you are working with a small budget, or a huge quantity, branded magnets will get great exposure. Plus, they have digital imprinting capabilities for beautiful branding.

So, I must give another special shout out to the U -- I can't wait for football season!

The golden rule for responding to negative customer feedback, whether in-person or online, is to acknowledge what the complainant has to say, and to do what you can to resolve the issue quickly (and quietly).

Far too many companies, however, choose to ignore feedback. For more on why that's an awful ideal, check out our friend Erik Johnson's article, "How to Respond to a Negative Post."

And then there those are businesses that lash out at clients who have less-than-positive things to say. (As you can imagine, this never goes over well.) Case in point: Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The restaurant was recently featured on the season finale of "Kitchen Nightmares," and ticked off host Gordon Ramsay so much that he felt they were beyond help and walked out. (That's never, ever happened before. Huge red flag.)

As if that wasn't enough negative publicity for Amy's Baking Company, after receiving a string of customer backlash yesterday via social media, owners Amy and Samy Bouzaglo went off the wall. Read this Huffington Post piece to see just how bad it got. (Warning: NSFW.)

And it gets worse. Later that day, the posts disappeared, and the owners claimed that they'd been hacked: 

The moral of the story is... well, there are a couple of morals to this story.

1. If you want customers to perceive your business as thriving and well-run, you probably shouldn't agree to appear on a TV show about how badly you need help.

2. Learn to suck up your pride and take good advice.

3. Own up to your mistakes.

4. Aim to make your customers happy. (Not throwing insults at them on Facebook is a good start.)

What other tips do you have for avoiding an Amy's Baking Company-esque PR disaster?

P.S. Need help repairing your brand's reputation? We've got a few promotional ideas we think you'll love...

Parties, concerts and BBQs -- they're all better when you add beach balls to the mix. Have you thought about adding your branding to these fun summertime giveaways? Here's why it's a good idea:

1. Beach balls scream "SUMMER!"

There's no better way to kick off the summer season than by handing out beach balls at beaches and parks this Memorial Day weekend. It's the "unofficial start of summer," and people are ready to start celebrating. This promotional idea works especially well if your company is seasonal (ice cream shops, landscaping companies, etc.).

2. Beach balls add fun

No matter what the event or occasion, throw in some beach balls and it's instantly more fun. I've seen it happen at restaurants, bars and even performances. It gets the crowd pumped and improves the overall mood. Even better, when you add your company's name and logo to beach balls, recipients automatically associate your brand with the great time they're having.

3. Beach balls have a large imprint area

Without getting too technical, beach balls generally have a good-sized imprint area. What does that mean? It means that your business' logo will be easy-to-see. Plus, if you're creating beach balls for an awareness event (like a 5K, for example), you have plenty of room to add a message of support for your cause.

So get your beach balls in time for summer, and watch your brand exposure soar!

For those of you that didn't already know, National Teacher Appreciation Day was on Tuesday, May 7th. It is very important to thank our teachers for all of their hard work and effort in shaping our youth each and every day. With that being said, I was so excited when my mom texted me a photo (yes, she now knows how to text pictures) of the gift she received from her school on Tuesday.

These sticky note holders are a great teacher gift! Not only can the teacher leave them on his/her desk, but they also have a nice plate which can be branded on the front. The leather look is very classy and I know firsthand that all the teachers at her school really love them!

So, next year make sure you reach out to the teachers in your life and get them something special. Motivators has tons of amazing gifts for the people that really make a difference and others to help you represent school spirit!

May 8th and May 9th is the ASI Show in New York at the Javits Center! For those of you that do not know what ASI is, it stands for Advertising Specialty Institute, or as we call it promotional products heaven!

Our office split into two groups and took a bus to attend the show to see what new promotional products are in the market. Everybody has a great time walking the show and picking up all the free samples that are given out. My favorite giveaway at the shows is the little hot dogs!

When everyone came back to the office today with their goody bags, my favorite item was a bag that Adam picked up for himself (see below). I can't wait to attend the show tomorrow and pick up a sample for myself! 

I am going to go a different way this week.  Normally my blogs are about sports, beer festivals or promotional items.  Not this week!  This week it's more so about after the sale or purchase.  It's about the customer service aspect of things.  Selling someone an item and promising the world is the easy part.  It's the delivery and follow up that's tough.  what do you do if the customer isn't happy?  What do you do if the item is faulty?  How do you handle an irate client?  

There is no exact way to handle this situation, but my recent experience with Oakley was as perfect as you could be!  I had an issue with a pair of expensive sunglasses I purchased over a year and a half ago.  The frames seemed to have a bit of a weak area and the screw constantly needed to be tightened.  Another issue was the area by the edge of the lenses were constantly rubbing against the edge of the frame and making some pretty nasty scratches.

After some research online I found this particular style had been discontinued and after to a call to Oakley, the replacement parts were totally sold out and never coming back.  For a moment I was annoyed.  I spent a lot of money to have a quality pair of sunglasses and because of a defect from the vendor, I'm out of luck?  Well that though didn't last too long, as the representative I was speaking with quickly rectified the situation.  She offered me 40 percent off any sunglass in stock!  So after owning these for over a year and a half and with an expired warranty they were still going to try to make me, the customer happy.  I accepted the offer and will be picking out a new pair this weekend!  Had they not done that I could of went with another brand and paid less but because of their willingness to help me out, they have a customer for life!

So, I know I blogged about the Miami Heat last week, but I am sorry to say that this week they will be my topic of choice again (but, by default! I promise). When you live in the middle of the craze of this team, it is difficult to escape it so I have found myself embracing it.

Anyways, as I entered my gym yesterday morning, I noticed the two huge statues that were typically bare were now sporting Heat branded promotional t-shirts. Now, it is hard to tell by the picture just how large the statues are (I wish I was standing next to them), but they are ridiculously huge! Take a look: 

I will say that I did chuckle a bit at the creativity of it all, but it proves my point that the Heat is EVERYWHERE. I got a closer look and realized that these tanks appear to be actual shirts, so don’t think your eyes are deceiving you!

Being that the gym is located in the Four Seasons hotel, I appreciate that the Heat has found a way to get noticed, without overdoing it.

Or did they? After all, they did not throw beach balls and backpacks all over the place; they simply dressed the statues to represent their team. Undecided? Have an opinion? Let me know what you think!

This past weekend was a very tiring and sad one for me. It was my grandparents last few days in America and we had lots to do. We were invited for dinner by framily friends on Friday and Saturday night, which meant that we were not able to accept guests that wanted to say goodbye to my grandparents. Of course nothing like last minute, everyone decided to come on Sunday because their flight Monday 12:50 p.m.

Saturday morning we went out to breakfast all together. Most of the day was spent running last minute errands and packing. My mom is super crazy with sending all the kids something so she packed four huge bags for my grandparents to take back.

Yesterday I had requested to be off in the morning so I can go to the airport with my grandparents. When we got to the airport, we were greeted by Kobe Bryant and Leo Messi ...well not them actually but a cardboard image of them that advertised Turkish Airlines which read "Fly with the Best". Of course I had to take a picture of this awesome promotional product and show you all-- see below! Seriously though, I truly do believe Turkish Airlines is the best!

If you want to start your week out on an emotional note (and who wouldn't?), you've got to check out Apple's latest iPhone 5 ad. Because it gives us feels, and in the best way possible.

The TV spot shows people across the world using the iPhone 5's popular camera for a variety of reasons, from recording a live concert to sharing photos of custom food products on Instagram.

Apple's new commercial makes you feel like the camera, and indeed the iPhone 5, was designed with you in mind. And there's something about the soft piano playing in the background that reeks of nostalgia.

Watch it below:

P.S. Don't you think the video is vaguely reminiscent of our custom cell phone cases commercial?