Friday, December 2nd, 2011
Winter is beginning to kick in and we need to think a little about what we can do to help our elderly friends, neighbours and family members. Problems like arthritis can be made worse by the cold weather and some older folk can’t afford the right amount of heating to keep warm. Everyday tasks like housework, shopping, getting dressed and even opening a jar can become much more difficult to accomplish.
As a company it is important you target your promotional merchandising to the right clients and offer them something really useful that they will want to keep for a long time.
For the more elderly clients or those with a weaker grip a branded jar opener is the ideal gift. These jar openers come hand shaped or rectangular and can be customised in full colour with your logo, message and company name. They look great and are really useful! How many times a week do we open a jar? On all of those occasions, your existing and potential clients could be reminded of your company and helped all at the same time!
Ladies often have to ask their husband to open a jar for them and sometimes a lid is on so firmly even the husband has to reach for the jar opener! If you want to know more about promotional jar openers, see www.mikkis.co.uk.
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Only a month ago we were experiencing very mild weather and feeling lucky people. Amazingly the weather is still fairly mild for the time of year but the nights are dark so early. At 4.30pm it is is very dark and you need a streetlight or torch to safely see where you are going! Now is the perfect time of year to present your customer, staff or potential clients with a promotional item, it’s always nice to give or receive a gift during the Christmas period.
There is now a varied range of promotional torches available, in a range of shapes and sizes, ready for your companies branding! As well as the traditional shaped torches there are torches that are hidden inside a credit card type card; torches that also make a designer desk light,wind up branded torches or ones that can charge via your pc’s usb slot. Most have either bright LED or traditional torch bulbs.
It is always important to think about the lifespan of any promotional item or gadget you are going to give out. Torches aren’t seasonal or just for a specific occasion. It gets dark every day of the year! It is likely to be used more regularly in the winter months but it has potential to be year round, year after year, what super value for money and opportunities for repeat exposure, placing your company at the forefront of your customers thoughts!
To find out more about branded torches, go the premium portfolio section of www.mikkis.co.uk .
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Mouse mats have been a promotional item for around 20 years! An item with real staying power. This means though that manufacturers have to find new and exciting things to do with them?! What more could possibly be done? We have had mouse mats with windows to add your own photo or promotion, mouse mats with calenders printed on or even stuck underneath, mouse mats in custom shapes to represent whats being sold. Mouse mats printed in different styles to allow for the best presentation of the image and now mouse mats with an ultra glossy surface to give a brighter image and really attract attention. If a mouse mat could ever be described as gorgeous, these ones can! Don’t worry though, they still give the same great mouse performance as usual, the surface sure is glossy, but it isn’t slippery.
Great news though, coasters and some counter mats can also have the same, great new finish. Your company name and logo would look amazing under this glossy mouse mat surface and its not even any more money! Have a look at www.mikkis.co.uk to see the whole mouse mat, counter mat and coaster range.
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Promotional USB’s and Flash drives have long been around. They are a proven staple of any marketeers promotional plan. Although usb’s are not the cheapest type of promotional item, their longevity as an item, that can and will, be used for years to come makes them excellent value for money. It’s great though, that every now and again, something new and exciting arrives. That new and exciting thing is – USB people. Very cool little people shaped promotional memory sticks. They can be metalic, plastic in a plain design or even in a work related design. Rubber heads are an option too – very tactile! Of course all these cute little men, (and women), can be branded with your company logo. A choice of memory sizes and downloads are also available. Just what the promotional marketing needed, fun novelty shaped usb’s that aren’t embaressing for any grown up, whatever their profession but are really eyecatching! We have no idea what the next big thing will be to follow the USB people but we will be sure to let you in on the secret, once we know!
At Mikkis we do an enormous range of promotional items, however, these little guys are supplied by our sister company, www.usb-europe.co.uk, why not check out their fabulous range too. 
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
Yesterday a Farmer said to me “I have lived on this farm for 52 years and never have I been able to pick field mushrooms in late November!” It is unseasonably warm and whilst I am not complaining at all to be enjoying such mild weather, it makes me wonder how cold it might get! The last two years we have had more snow than is usual and I wonder if this year we might get even more! The farmer is normally right about the weather, (his livelihood depends on it), he thinks it is going to be BIG snow this year!
I am wondering if lots of my customers think this too as hand warmers have become really popular in the last 2 /3 weeks. If we do get a very cold snap, your customers will be reaching for their hand warmers and leaving them in their coat pockets ready for whenever they venture outside!
Promotional hand warmers and hand warmer keyrings are a cost effective promotional item that will be used this winter and next, so they are a long lasting way of getting your name in front of your customer!
Here at www.mikkis.co.uk we have hundreds of ideas and there is bound to be something for every budget and occasion. As its winter why not check out our christmas themed stress balls at www.stress-balls.co.uk or our christmas promotional snow shakers on the mikkis site.
Friday, June 24th, 2011
It seems that the amazing Duck Billed Platypus may become endangered in its native Australia. The Platypus likes the cool rivers and streams in which it lives but temperature rises in Australia could cause problems for the animal. This strange creature caused problems for naturalists when it was discovered as they didn’t know how to classify it. It has the bill of a duck, reptilian movements but the furry body of a mammal plus it lays eggs. Some people thought it may even have been a hoax when it was first discovered.
The research is important for three reasons. First it highlights the potential problem for the platypus of climate change. Secondly it shows that climate change can have implications not only for land living animals but also for water based animals as the rivers and streams heat up. Thirdly, it highlights how climate change can have an impact on many creatures including the Platypus.
It is the Platypus’ insulating fur coat that allows it to survive in zero degree temperatures that may be its downfall as temperatures rise. The only place for the Platypus to cool off is in its burrow but it can’t feed there so has to be able to go into the water to survive.
The rising temperatures will probably make the Platypus’ move location to find deeper cooler streams in which they can thrive. If the trend continues it may be that they will end up congregating in areas such as Tasmania, King Island and Kangaroo Island where the temperatures are cooler.
Whilst we can’t supply you with a Platypus we can help you if you would like an animal stress ball to give away as a corporate gift. We can provide animals as diverse as a ram, mouse, toucan or puffin as well as panthers, gorillas, pandas or frogs. To see our entire range of stress balls just visit us at www.stress-balls.co.uk or www.mikkis.co.uk where I’m sure you will find something of interest.
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
We here at USB Europe have an extensive range of recycled flash drives. In fact we have a whole web site dedicated to Flash drives alone. If you would like to visit this site just go to www.eco-usb.co.uk and you will find our extensive range there. The range includes wooden and bamboo drives some with built in key rings. Other recycled drives are made of paper or aluminium and they all come in a variety of designs and memory sizes of course.
An unusual recycled USB is the USB wristband a convenient and snappy products popular with the younger generation. We also have our most popular models in a recycled version such as the Pod, Wedge, Twist Drive and Card USB.
We also have recycled flash drives on our main site www.usb-europe.co.uk where you will find an extensive range of flash drives. If you wold like to know more you are more than welcome to contact us and we will do our utmost to be of assistance to you.
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
War Horse wins 5 Tony Awards in the US
The UK export play War Horse has scooped 5 Tony awards in the US including Best Play. War Horse opened at the National Theatre then moved to the West End and then went on to Broadway. The play, based on a 1982 novel, tells the story of a horse in the carnage of World War 1. The play also won design awards for scenery, lighting and sound and has been made into a film by Steven Spielberg.
If you would like to purchase something reminiscent of this great play then we can supply many war related promotional items such as stress balls in the shape of a tank, an army man, a grenade, an armoured truck or a military helicopter, or if you would prefer we can supply a horse stress ball. To view all the items we have on offer you can visit our sites at www.mikkis.co.uk or www.stress-balls.co.uk where you will find a huge range to choose from.
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
UK house prices have not yet recovered it seems as the national survey of house prices suggests that prices actually fell in April by 1.1%. This makes the whole year trend a drop of 0.3% on last year. A survey of chartered surveyors suggests that people are still being put off by the economic climate and continued mortgage rationing.
Although mortgage borrowing actually rose in April the Council of Mortgage Lenders said that this was not the likely trend for the year.
The surveys published this year all seem to show a slight downward trend in house prices, as well as a widespread variation in house prices throughout the UK.
A RICs spokesman said that interest in buying property has remained flat throughout the year due to both the economic climate and the lack of mortgage funds.
It seems that house prices in England remained the same whereas in London they grew by 3.6%. Northern Ireland saw a drop of 15.2% as did Scotland 1.2 % and Wales 1.4%.
If you work as part of the housing market then why not consider purchasing a house stress ball to promote your company. We here at Mikkis can supply these as well as bricks and many other housing related stress balls. We are all providers of all kinds of promotional items and corporate gifts so why not visit our sites at www.mikkis.co.uk or www.stress-balls.co.uk where I’m sure you will find something to spark your imagination.
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
Doctors have finally been able to obtain an image of the brain as it slips into unconsciousness. The image shows the brain’s waxing and waning of electrical activity that occurs when the brain slips from consciousness into the unconscious state.
It seems that different parts of the brain are talking to each other as consciousness slips away. It is hoped that the work will ultimately help doctors to pinpoint damage caused by stroke and head injury. The findings support a theory put forward by Dr Susan Greenfield of the University of Oxford that different parts of the brain inhibit each other as consciousness wanes.
The new technique called Functional Electrical Impedance Tomography by Evoked Response (fEITER) is a more compact process that fMRI, which can be easily used in the operating theatre. It works by sending low electrical impulses through the skull by way of tens of electrodes and the signals are interrupted by the brain’s own electrical signals and tissue.
It is hoped that this technique will be able to tell much about patients with stroke or head injury as well as tell us much about consciousness itself.
If you would like a little reminder of this technique or are just interested in brains generally then why not consider purchasing some brain stress balls to sit on your desk? These are miniature squeezy brains intended as stress relievers. They are the ideal corporate gift especially if you are in an NHS related profession. To see our entire range of stress balls and our other promotional gifts just visit us at www.mikkis.co.uk or www.stress-balls.co.uk where you will find a huge range of items to choose from.
