giving away logo merchandise
Usually, my busy days translate into early bedtimes. My friends like to call me lame because of it, but the truth is, I feel more energized and usually get more done by going to sleep at a decent time and waking up relatively early.
So I was surprised when it was one in the morning and I was still wide awake. I was tempted to blame it all on the coffee I'd drank earlier; I had drank it a little later than I normally do and I'd had an extra cup. Or maybe it was because lately I've been a little more stressed than usual. Either way, I wasn't sleeping, and that landed me on the couch in front of the TV, searching for anything of value to watch. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that late night is the worst time to try to find television programs of value, so I was left watching paid programs.
Don't get me wrong, paid programs are great when you're looking to spend a little money. From promotional products like mugs and wallets to logo merchandise emblazoned with a famous person's trademark, you can find almost any product you need from a paid program. Of course don't expect to enrich your knowledge watching these things either; that's why they're called “paid advertisements”.
The paid program I was watching tonight was talking about wince and chocolate baskets, cute professional stuffed animals, and all sorts of other corporate gifts that one would be motivated to purchase. Personally, I didn't understand what the big difference was between normal gifts and corporate gifts, except that corporate gifts can be more expensive looking (really more expensive altogether) and more tactful, I suppose.
Watching this paid program about companies advertising products reminded me of the times when I attended tradeshow giveaways as part of my job as a columnist for the school paper. The trade shows were a great places for companies in specific industries like cell phones or even corporate gift baskets to come out and show potential customers their products. Not only are these shows a great way to market products, but attendees often get free stuff in the process, and who doesn't like free stuff?
Having sufficiently bored myself with late night programming, I headed to bed. If I didn't fall asleep immediately, I'd have a real hard time waking up the next morning. I'd have to finish my paid program adventures another day.