Hi Everyone - At Promofix we produce a lot of promotional bags to support our clients events and campaigns. But instead of just using your new promotional bags to just display your logo or brand - why not start thinking about how you could use these potential walking adverts to there full extent.

We have found some of the best..... cheeky...... & clever examples of how some brands have come up with some great ideas.

Our very own Kathryn Holloway has made it into the "Hot 40 List"

Each year the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards receives hundreds of applications from across the UK. The panel of independent judges has narrowed them down to a shortlist of the very best which we have dubbed the Shell LiveWIRE ‘Hot 40’ - and Promofix and Kathryn have made the final selection, she has already made it into the final six nominees for the Midlands and Yorkshire Region which is a great achievement.

We will find out in October if Kathryn has made it through to the finals in London. Wish her luck and take a look at the 'Hot 40' video below.

In the Promofix office we have taken up a new sport..... Pen Spinning!

This is a huge craze in Japan and China and these guys are seriously good at it! We have been spending quite a bit of time trying to master the basic moves and it really is as tricky as it looks.

Watch the video its quite amazing and if anyone has mastered the art of pen spinning we would love to see some of your moves :)

At Promofix we all love pens - and we have good reason too.

They're our best selling item and we all use them everyday. One of the other key facts about pens is they tend to get passed around the office and picked up by lots of people like clients, delivery men and staff - meaning they can come into contact with quite a few different people. So why does this matter you may think????

Have you ever wondered what are the most popular branded desktop items?

We have complied a list of the best selling items to help you out. Pens came out at number one as they are always useful and they have can have quite a large print area to make sure you get your brand noticed. So when you planing your next campaign give a thought to the Desktop Top 10 and make sure you next promotion is a success.

Desktop Top 10

1. Pens

2. Calendars

3. Mousemat

4. Post-it notes

5. Mug

6. Pencils

7. Desk pad

8. Calculator

9. Diary

10. Notebook

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Now we have all been in that situation where we just can't find a pen. This clip is comedy genius - I think we have all been there..... and how many of those small pens from Argos do you really have. Â :)

Some people out there might wonder and ask the question - Why buy Promotional Merchandise?

Promotional items are a great way of promoting most businesses and they are relativity cost effective too. However they need to be - useful, well thought out, have a longevity to the item too. Promotional items should be used alongside other marketing activities and not the only focus of a promotional campaign other wise they might not deliver as much impact as intended. They are a great way of increasing brand awareness, adding value and rewarding loyalty.

Our new range of promotional seamless headwear items have been a big hit with our outdoor activity and cycling clients as they are great fun and offer a great branding area to display there logo. But everyone in our office can't demo them like this guy --- take a look.

Take a look at our very own Kathryn Holloway as she provides some inspirational advice to ladies at a recent Enterprise UK and WiRE event. The event was held to showcase local businesses women and also to provide an interactive forum for ladies who have just started up there own businesses or they maybe looking start-up.