The annual company picnic. You’ve been there. Hot and sticky outside, with cold fried chicken and warm potato salad and all the watered down lemonade you could possibly drink. It doesn’t have to be like that, though!

City National Bank & Trust turned up the heat this year by throwing a “Family Fiesta” for their employees on Cinco de Mayo. “From the invitations to the employees to the event itself, we focused on the Cinco de Mayo theme,” said De Roin Motah, Marketing Manager, “and it was a hit!” 

With 35 locations across the state that are open six days a week, the event planners had to find a central location for the picnic… and it had to be on a Sunday. “The reason for the family picnic is to get our families together,” De Roin said. “They are all part of our bank’s family and we want them to meet each other. It builds teamwork and camaraderie.”

And, the event planners have learned a few things about throwing a great company party. For instance, hosting the event in early May avoided the oppressive Oklahoma summer heat, but it was also before graduations, weddings and vacations. Experience has taught them to plan plenty of activities, too. The Family Fiesta featured:

• A live DJ
• A photobooth
• A rock climbing wall
• Several large bounce houses
• Pinatas for the kids and for the adults
• Face painting
• A cactus ring toss
• A volleyball tournament
• Adult relays
• A jalapeno-eating contest (the highlight of the day!)
• And a line dance at the end of the day!

“We also learned to hire out for the family picnic,” said De Roin. “When the employees are working the event, they don’t get to enjoy it… and that defeats the purpose of getting everyone together!”

To that end, City National had the event catered by Ted’s Cafe Escondido (a VERY popular Mexican restaurant in OKC) and had a vintage ice cream truck arrive for dessert.

Next year, the annual event (which had over 400 attendees!) will probably move to a different venue, such as the OKC Zoo, where the entertainment factor is provided by the venue for a change of pace, said De Roin. However, everyone will certainly remember the 2013 Family Fiesta! 

As marketers, we are required to not merely be creative and insightful in developing strategies for communicating our message to our target audience. We have to ship it:

“Real artists ship.” – Steve Jobs

“Are you a serial idea-starting person? The goal is to be an idea-shipping person.” – Seth Godin

While these two innovative thought-leaders are using “shipping” metaphorically in reference to following through on ideas, there is a direct connection to your marketing materials, too. If your branded products never make it into your audience’s hands, they do absolutely no good. The problem, of course, is shipping your collateral without breaking the bank. ROBYN can help.

With over 50,000 packages going out our doors each year, ROBYN Promotions knows a thing or two about shipping. Our clients trust us to manage their projects from creation, through the manufacturing process and into our climate-controlled warehouses. However, it’s our sophisticated shipping practices that ensure their products will arrive at the right place, at the right time, every time. And that’s what counts.

It’s no secret that shipping product is expensive. Between higher fuel costs, a shortage of drivers and more demand than ever, you need a partner who can help you avoid over-paying for shipping. ROBYN typically saves their clients between 15-30% on freight because our volume commands the best UPS rates.

There are more ways for you to save on shipping, though!

• Plan for shipping on the front-end
  • Plan on sending 5,000 mugs to that tradeshow in Las Vegas? Fantastic! What if you only give away 3,000 of them? How are you getting the rest back?
• Bank your orders
  • Instead of Angie in accounting ordering envelopes from the company store on Tuesday and Tom in HR ordering lunch bags on Thursday, it’s cheaper to order them all at once and make it just one shipment.
• Set-up standard shipping dates
  • Many of our clients have a bulk order shipped on specific dates. Unless it is an urgent situation, shipments only go out on those days. The company typically pays for the freight, which means employees do not have to pay for shipping!
• Keep enough products in inventory
  • Expedited freight is always more expensive than standard ground freight. By keeping enough products on the shelves, you avoid having to rush items for your events.
• Use branded boxes
  • Many of our clients have found that by using branded boxes for their branded materials, they are easier to identify, track and locate within their own facilities, thereby eliminating the need to re-order due to being misplaced.

ROBYN’s shipping department continuously reviews packaging and shipping methods and makes revisions as needed to ensure our clients are getting the best value for their shipping dollars. Recently, a ROBYN client ordered case quantities of five different products. A thorough analysis showed shipping these five boxes separately would cost the company $106.40 (compared to $140.15 quoted at the UPS Store). However, by re-packing the items into three boxes, the charge became $80.79 (compared to $120.31 at the UPS Store). That’s a $60 savings on just one order!

Often times, our clients are concerned about their employees incurring shipping charges on items they have been gifted. The ROBYN branded products company store provides a variety of ways for you let employees order their products without having shipping added. It’s a great solution around the shipping charge issue!

Having the perfect promotional items ready to go at a moment’s notice is just the beginning of a winning campaign. Being able to ship the right item at the right time in the most cost-effective manner is what seals the deal. That’s why shipping is a cornerstone to the success of the ROBYN Company Store Solution.

“People who get their feet wet must learn to take their medicine.” Sage words from Mary Poppins. Indubitably, Mary would love the new Pop-Ins Umbrella Share program in downtown Oklahoma City… no spoonful of sugar required!

“The concept for the program was really born out of necessity,” says Tim Berney, president of VI Marketing and Branding. “Downtown has become a pedestrian environment and we’re often caught going from one building to another without an umbrella on rainy days. We thought it would be nice to be able to provide folks a courtesy umbrella to borrow – like borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbor.”

Of course, a savvy marketer like Tim would never pass up a golden opportunity to gain brand awareness by putting the VI logo on these moving billboards, but his team has taken it to another level. “We wanted a more global acceptance of the brand, so we partnered with Downtown OKC and have provided an opportunity for other companies to purchase umbrellas imprinted with their logos and include them in the umbrella share program.”

The Pop-Ins umbrella share program provides umbrellas for anyone to use. They simply grab an umbrella from the stylish umbrella stands (sponsored by Bob Moore Land Rover) strategically located in buildings all over downtown and leave it in the umbrella stand at their destination. Borrow. Use. Return. It’s that easy. As Mary Poppins would say, “Why complicate things that are really quite simple?”

To launch the initiative, VI and Downtown OKC led a procession of umbrella-wielding folks down Park Avenue and around the corner to Leadership Square where a press conference was held. Not one, but THREE Mary Poppins characters were there for pictures before going different directions, in and out of buildings, to garner attention for the program. And it worked.

“We have already fielded many inquiries from companies who are interested in being a part of the program,” said Tim. If you, or a company you know downtown, might be interested in learning more about the Pop-Ins program, check this out. After all, “Well begun is half done,” says Mary Poppins.