Customised promotional gift – make your clients jump.

Posted on July 29, 2010 by jackodm

Surprise – this promotional gift is guaranteed to jump your customers into action.  Customise the envelope and the shape of the plastic spinner according to your theme and give this fun promo out to unsuspecting clients. Great for

Promotional products like these can surprise older people so we would suggest this is far better for promos targeting younger audiences who will appreciate the surprise more.  Once the trick is played the person can wind up the rubber band again to reuse it – allowing this to become a viral promotional products campaign.

This product can be produced at a low cost, and can be easily customised with the help of our design team.

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Marker Rendering Design – Sarobag

Posted on July 28, 2010 by marianneodm

After a stage of concept development and sketching of the sarobag our staff sat down together to choose the most ergonomic bag from the multiple different options offered by the designers.

As mentioned in previous articles, the Sarobag is a sarong zipped into a bag, and that can be used for carrying beach items: sun screens, sun glasses, water bottles etc. On the beach, the unzipped bag can serve the purpose of a towel.

Bearing in mind the client’s needs and expectations, a few different options were eliminated. This stage is called the phase of screening of ideas in the Key stage of product development so some ideas were bounced around

  • backpack not exactly the kind of bag people expected to take to beach
  • the handbag was too female-oriented
  • the traveler’s bag was too bulky
  • Needed compartment for bottle water
  • etc.

One of the designs that survived the reiterated screening selection process was the following bag:

Simple, handy, unisex, with different pockets for keys or cell phones, this marker rendering of the Sarobag is perfectly adapted for use on the beach. The clip offers additional security, hence the bag can also be carried in town without any risk.

Next stage can be Computer Aided Design (CAD) Rendering.  This stage can be skipped for simpler products but ODM will perform this stage also.   CAD is an obligatory step for complex designs with plastics where moulds required.

Posted in Inventions, Market Trends, New Products, Promotional Products, manufacture in china | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

WordPress Milestone – ODM hits 500 blogs.

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Conor

Delighted to announce that ODM have finally hit the 500 blog milestone.   It’s been a lot of work and ODM would like to thank all of our authors & readers for your continued feedback and support.

We are trying to comment as much as possible on our work with Inventors, Promotional Products campaigns, our factories and what it really means to run a buying office in China.

Working with Entrepreneurs and new business start ups is a core strategy for the ODM Group. Blog Projects like sharing the complete product development case study of the Sarobag, from inception to market, are key to communicating our service and we are glad that you are along with us for the journey.

Our goal is to keep our blogs as informative as possible so that our customers and friends can use this resource for planning their business.   Already, some of our key inventions have been launched on this blog due to the flexibility WordPress publishing has given us.  No more waiting for Trade shows to launch new products…

What to expect for the next year of blogs?

  • Some of our partners around the world will write for us on their International Promotional Product campaigns.  This means we will have more authors from different countries – see Brindes Brasil to get an idea of this local touch.
  • Our Chinese team will be giving some more pointers on manufacture and product development, manufacturing tips, Incoterms, new rules/laws in China and other International Trade requirements.
  • Our Quality Control team will blog about new quality requirements for products.  They will also share more about factories & products they find on their journeys.
  • ODM will publish Monthly special offers on our Blog.  This gives more business to better performing factories and we all profit from economies to scale.
  • More interaction between other blogs (see lists of blogs) & new social media.
  • We will lighten things up by reporting some fun experiences we have on our travels.

Contact us to let us know what other themes you would like us to expand on.  This is your blog too.

Posted in China Living, Company Culture, General China Business, Industrial Products, Inventions, Market Trends, manufacture in china | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Custom Stress Toy – Special Offer

Posted on July 27, 2010 by laviniaodm

Stress balls are a very common promotional product. Cheap and fast to manufacture, these are easily customizable (eg. in shape of company mascot). These gifts fit in well for all different occasions and events – great especially as a desktop promo.

Monthly Special for August – Customized Stress Toys.

  • Mould charge for Custom Design Stress Toy @ US$ 388.
  • 10,000 pcs of custom stress toys @ US$ 0.48/pc
  • Includes free design service to help you make your own shape.
  • Includes 2 colour logo print on the toy
  • Includes Quality Control on order
  • FOB China pricing
  • Assuming 5.5cm diameter for the toy
  • Material – Polyurethane foam
  • If required, mould takes 25 days.
  • Production takes 30 days.

For simple designs (eg. soccer ball shape) the price can be decreased further – depending on the number of colours used, the shape and complexity for mould, and number of colours in logo.

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Visiting Fabric Markets in China – Sarobag Prototyping.

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Conor

When you decide to develop any new bag in China one of the key things to get right is the fabric and general raw materials for manufacture.   Last week we visited the fabric markets with staff from our buying office in Shanghai.  This is part of the product development process of the Sarobag.

Once you have a design concept or trend in mind, you can choose fabrics that communicate these.  Generally, it is the designer’s responsibility to shop for fabrics but our merchandisers also get involved here.. Fabric salespeople can be very helpful so even if you are not an industry professional you will be able to learn a lot on your visits – do not be put off..

Here are some key questions to think about before your trip in order to mentally prepare yourself and be in better negotiating position.

  • Material composition for the fabric?
  • When do you need the fabric?
  • Where will you manufacture?
  • How much fabric will you need?
  • Which  colours to associate with your brand or designs preferred?
  • What weight you are looking for?
  • What width you need for the production?
  • Technical specs or characteristics required for this fabric?
  • What is your budget?

Next step, we must pick up some sample yardage at this stage.   This is an extremely important step in the fabric selection and production process. It is the time for you to see if your item, or items, works in this fabric. For the Sarobag, given there are 2 functions (garment as Sarong / carrying device as a bag) this is quite a critical step.

Sample yardage involves ordering a small amount of yardage, generally 3 to 5 yards / meters.  With this sample you can cut and sew a sample bag. Doing this allows you to see if the fabric works well and hangs well with the styles you had in mind.

At the markets you may also find more complex materials such as Interlining for the construction and other accessories which add to the overall quality of your bag.

Posted in China Living, Company Culture, General China Business, Inventions, Market Trends, New Products, Promotional Products, manufacture in china, prototyping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Baseball design Cookie Jar manufacture

Posted on July 26, 2010 by cocoodm

Remember as a child looking everywhere in the kitchen to find the cookie jar?   ODM propose offering this baseball-shaped cookie jar as a great promotional product.  High perceived value and great symbolism attached.

Besides just a normal cookie jar, this shape/material could be redesigned/changed to make a piggy bank.  Can also adapt this to target different sports/ball shapes as well..

Good logo positioning on this sample with the “Angel™” logo positioned at the front of the baseball – website address painted at the back of the baseball.    What other promotional gifts would you like us to include as a set to create a nice packaged gift? Candies, mini baseballs, baseball cards etc…

Instead of promoting for baseball, what do you think of fruit-shaped or stadium replicas for cookie jar? Customize and design any cookie jar for your customers and be remembered for your Promotional giveaway campaigns!

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Custom Logo Design – Sarobag case study.

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Conor

Moving along with development of the Sarobag, we wanted to get a marketing storyboard ready for our clients in order to showcase our idea and the brand we are developing.   With other designers working on the general bag styling and construction, our graphic artist started on the logo design.

Sarobag, the abbreviated form of Sarong & Bag, is a beach product.  Therefore the logo is designed with a beach theme in mind. The letter “R” in the word “Saro” is the distinctive feature in this logo, made to resemble a palm tree swaying in the wind. Palm trees are closely associated with beaches, so when people see the logo they will subconsciously make the connection to beaches.

The pantone colour combination was also carefully chosen, using light and fresh colors to make it look young and funky.  The orange is to help the logo stand out, while the eco-friendly green compliments it as well as giving color to the “leaves”.  This colour combination is very pleasing to the eye.  The font used is Berlin Sans, to add a fun touch to the logo.   See some other tips from our designers below….

Customised logo design should follow a few basic guidelines.  ODM product designers suggest you can make or break your logo by following some of these rules.

  1. A logo has to be simple and scalable, but still pack a punch. Picture this – you have a really complex and messy looking logo which actually looks really impressive, but what happens when you scale it down to maybe an inch in size, can people still tell what it is?
  2. Typography or font used in the logo must be legible. If people cannot read what is on your logo, then what is the point of having a logo?
  3. The logo must be compatible with the image you want to portray. For example, you wouldn’t design a logo for a law firm filled with flowers and fun fonts, would you?
  4. It has to be unique and recognizable. If your logo is unique and recognizable, it helps people to remember it.
  5. Good choice of colors that make viewing pleasurable. Your logo’s colors should contrast against white, as it is one of the more commonly used backgrounds. Use complimentary colors for it, so that it is easy to look at. Consider how it will look in monochrome as well, because there will be situations when the logo cannot be printed in color, such as in receipts.

ODM helps inventors in all aspects of development including logo & website design.

Posted in Company Culture, General China Business, Industrial Products, Inventions, New Products, Promotional Products, manufacture in china | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shenzhen Fur & Leather Expo.

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Conor

ODM staff will be visiting the “Shenzhen International Leather Fashion Exhibition” (Website in Chinese only) which is taking place from 12-14th August 2010.

It was designed to expand the domestic China market and act as a business platform for the industry.   Positioned as a leading regional fair for fur garments, leather, handbags, luggage, shoes and fashionable accessories, this exhibition will focus on integration of the supply chain – from the creative design process to consumption.

Shenzhen’s unique industrial structure and location in Guangdong, make it a key supplier for China’s footwear & leather products.  Some key brands on show will include Belle, Hasson, COBO , Alida, Wealthy, O Deli, DISSONA, when U.S. cents, SASA, dense Si Luoni, race camp, horse-day slavery, Dani, Race School, Annunciation angel, Cardin slave, Miyuki, Hua-day slavery , Beijing fur, Jinbao Na, NBL, Batu, the poetry Yu, P. ROSSA, silver fir, Giorgio, gold Marseilles, Malaysia-day slavery, Luo Saite … …

China has become the world’s largest fur producer and exporter of products.  For fur products, it also happens to be the world’s most promising consumer market. After years of development, China’s fur industry gradually formed its own characteristics, in the international market to have an increasingly important role. With the rapid development of the global economy, the international fur industry is experiencing an unprecedented strong momentum of development.

This is link to the website in English using Google Translate.

Posted in China Living, Exhibitions, General China Business, Market Trends, Promotional Products, manufacture in china, prototyping, trade fair | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Concept Development Stage – sketching the Sarobag

Posted on July 26, 2010 by jackodm

Following on the ideation process for the Sarobag, ODM’s product designers made some basic sketches of the idea to present to our team for comments and opinions.   These sketches are performed freehand to start with.

The sketches were then meticulously analysed in relation to design, style, add-ons, accessories, materials etc…   The construction, functionality and utility of the Sarobag is strongly scrutinized with round table discussion.

Key staff involved at this stage also include sales team to discuss client needs, merchandising team for manufacturing options and of course our Chinese bag factory.   Some of our the sketches below.

FYI.  This is Step 3 in the development process for the Sarobag. Concept Development & Testing.  (See key stages of product development)

Posted in General China Business, Inventions, Market Trends, New Products, Promotional Products, manufacture in china, prototyping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ballantines Gift with Purchase promotion.

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Conor

Ballantines are running a good Gift with Purchase promotional mechanism in Asian duty free markets.   Golf has a strong image with Asian consumers – therefore giving away promotional gifts such as a putting set allow the brand to be associated with the game and its image.

See also Dewars promotional campaigns and their partnership with Calloway.

Posted in General China Business, Market Trends, Promotional Products, manufacture in china | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment