Pink Ink Blog

Last Saturday, I ran my first 5k.  When my friend Kristen and I registered for the race, we received a race packet with directions, our race number, collateral material for other upcoming races and a pen from the sponsor of the race — a realtor in Central Florida named Sandy Fox.

I commend her for sponsoring an event such as the Track Shack Run Around the Pines, however I do not commend her poor choice in promotional product.  This pen (shown below) was obnoxious in rainbow stripes and has NOTHING to do with her brand as a realtor.  

When choosing a promotional product, one should consider the following (1) is it quality, (2) does it represent the brand or your audience, and (3) will it be frequently used or within sight by the user.  This product is none of the 3.  Although it did work — which is more than I can say for a lot of promotional pens I have received — it is not something I would be caught dead writing with.  Nice try Sandy, but think again before purchasing promotional product.  

Since I am a positive person, I will give some constructive criticism.  Seeing that the target is runners (and Sandy has a passion for running), a better choice would have been a water bottle, a bandana, a timer keychain, a pedometer, the list goes on and on.  

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I ended up with my best time ever of 32:24 and finished 23 out of 44 women in my age group (18-24)!