Incentive - March 2008 - (Page 54)

CES Lessons PAGE 57 The Finer Things PAGE 62 Incentive experts found a lot to love at this year’s consumer electronics showcase China and crystal may be delicate, but they make strong impressions on employees Top Honors PPAI announces winners of Pyramid Awards By Jeanie Casison Asleep in the Air s airlines continue to reduce legroom and amenities, Pac’nNap’s Planecomfort offers a way to bring some coziness back to a plane trip. The Planecomfort set combines a blanket, pillowcase and pillow in a compact bundle. It features an inflatable pillow, convertible pouch/pillowcase, By Alex Palmer omerica Bank drove brand awareness and increased customer attraction with chess set giveaways. Ciba Specialty Chemicals put safety first with an integrated “Road 2 Zero” initiative featuring caps, T-shirts and coolers for its employees. Field agents and managers at Essex Insurance Company enjoy greater camaraderie because of a fun contest that incorporated custom bobbleheads. These and the other winning campaigns of the 50th annual PPAI Pyramid Awards competition sponsored by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) confirm the motivational merits of merchandise in marketing. “The purpose of the Pyramid Awards is to recognize the effective use of promotional products in business and institutional marketing programs,” says Noreen Prohaska, awards committee chair for PPAI. Twenty-six PPAI promotional product distributor members were honored as winners of the Pyramid Awards competition during The PPAI Expo 2008, held in January at the Mandalay Bay C Convention Center in Las Vegas. The big winner, Geiger, based in Lewiston, Maine, took home four awards, including gold in the Goodwill category for the Essex Insurance Company campaign; silver in the Consumer category for its work with Beauty by Belinda; bronze in the Goodwill category for helping College Park Communities encourage resident retention; and bronze in the Not-forProfit category for an internal fund-raiser soliciting contributions for a cancer research awareness event by The Barbara’s Choice Fund. “This year’s award winners were more compelling and provocative in nature,” Prohaska says. “There was a unique array of creativity mixed with technology, and they were a step above conventional promotional products.” Promotional products are proving to be quite the powerful tools in helping organizations achieve their objectives. Other exemplary Pyramid Award campaigns include the gold-winning consumer procontinued on page 55 A Planecomfort pack can be one of the first things a traveler receives and one they hold on to after the return flight. Helen Baxter-Southworth, president of HBS & Associates LLC, used the imprinted gifts on a trip with corporate trainers. She describes how a year after she gave them out, a client was still and a 50- by 60-inch microfleece blanket, for complete in-air comfort. The outside zippered pocket can be screenprinted with a company or program name, so the appreciating hers after an arduous trip to India. “She said, ‘It was so nice to have my own blanket and pillow on that long trip; every time I saw your logo I was reminded of you.’” 54 | Incentive | March 2008 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - March 2008

Incentive - March 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Delivering on Diversity In The News Cover Story: Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace Incentive Interview: Paul Levesque on Why Awards Fail Case Study: AEIS’ Max!-imum Incentive Program Mine Employees’ Creativity with Innovation Incentives Incentive Must-Reads The Third Annual Gift Card Roundtable My Turn: Motivation or Bribery? Everybody Get Together In Her Shoes: Why Bosses Should Be Flexible Incentive Primer: Passport Problem-Solving potentials Here and Now Is CES Electronics Heaven? China and Crystal: More Than a Pretty Face Travel News Florida: What’s New on the Beach? Smooth Sailing for Incentive Cruising Come To Hawaii And Take It Fast Last Word: But Enough About You

Incentive - March 2008

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