The Corporate Presence

Category: Tips & Tricks

  • Innovative Superhero or Villain Deal Toys for Corporate Deals

    Innovative Superhero or Villain Deal Toys for Corporate Deals

    Batman…Superman…Wonder Woman…Captain America…Iron Man.

    For moviegoers everywhere, 2016 holds the promise of many things, including Truth, Justice…and the continued overuse of the word “iconic”.

    Scheduled for release on March 25th, “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice” will feature, unsurprisingly, the iconic clash of the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel. Subsequent releases will focus on such lesser icons as “The Flash” (March 23rd), “Aquaman” (July 27th), “Shazam” (April 5th), and “Cyborg” (April 3rd).

    The crowded Mid-Majors of the hero/anti-hero continuum will be represented by iconic up-and-comers Deadshot, Enchantress, Harley, Killer Croc, and the rest of the “Suicide Squad” (August 5th), along with the likes of the “Green Lantern Corps” (June 19th).

    The Corporate Presence, you should know, is hardly a slouch in the icon department. Since our inception in 1981, we’ve done a number of deal toys featuring superheroes and/or villains.

    The real superhuman feat, unfortunately, involves tracking down either one of the surviving deal toys, or even just a photo; but we’ve managed to locate a few for you here:

    Spiderman-Themed Sony Tombstone


  • Looking for Tech Deal Toy Ideas? Here’s a Great Place to Start

    Looking for Tech Deal Toy Ideas? Here’s a Great Place to Start

    Our site now has three separate places for you to find a wider array of tech deal toy ideas–and more quickly and easily.

    You’re no doubt aware of the converging trends currently heating up the tech sector—and therefore increasing the likelihood that you may be scouting around for tech-related deal toy ideas.

    Thomson Reuters reports that 2015 Tech M&A activity already stands at $55.3 billion globally—up 9.5% over the same period in 2014. Beyond that, conditions continue to look favorable for the 2015 tech IPO pipeline.

    As you also no doubt appreciate, “Tech” is a necessarily broad and sometimes imprecise term, one that can cover an array of companies, sub-industries, and verticals.

    To help bring some additional focus and a little more efficiency to your search for deal toy ideas in the tech sector, we wanted to make you aware of some subdivisions we’ve made in the photo galleries on our website.

    We now have three separate categories where you’ll be able to find some initial deal toys ideas for the tech sector: Data Storage & Security, Mobile Communications & Services, and Technology & Communications. Links for these three sections are provided here:

    Availo Lucite Deal Toy

    Data Storage & Security

    Hg Capital Lucite Tombstone

    Mobile Communications & Services

    Technology & Communications

    We will continue to update and refine our photo galleries in the tech sector—as we do with all our industry categories. In the meantime, these changes will help make your experience working with us more efficient and enjoyable.

    As always, we’re available to help you guide you through the deal toy process— regardless of the sector.

  • 7 Employee Recognition Awards That Should Make You Cringe

    7 Employee Recognition Awards That Should Make You Cringe

    What could be more frightening than handing out the same tired, interchangeable, off-the-shelf, clichéd employee recognition awards? Maybe receiving one.

    Looking for creative employee recognition awards?

    Good luck.

    Because let’s face it: trying to find passable, let alone creative employee recognition ideas can be excruciating.

    There’s an inescapable irony here: at the very time you’re seeking to recognize exceptional employee performance—to celebrate individual character and achievement—your options seem to consist almost entirely of pre-fab, cookie-cutter clichés and oddments.

    Full disclosure: our company designs and manufactures custom employee awards—so, yes, we’ve got a vested interest in pushing alternatives to the usual schlocky fare. (Also, customization can—and frequently does—provide a fresh take on many of the ideas below).

    Nevertheless, because of the nature and severity of the problem, we feel duty- bound to offer up this list—-and more as a public service than a sales pitch.

    So, just in time for Halloween, we present….

    First 7 Entries in the Employee Awards Chamber of Horrors

    1) The incomprehensibly contorted Hunk-Of-Metal Award
    Nothing says, “Job well done” as unmistakably as a mangled hunk of metal—-especially if the vendor has taken the additional time and care to give it some swanky name in an attempt to confer class and prestige. The Rochambeau. The Secretary General. The Earl of Sandwich.

    2) The incomprehensibly contorted Glob-Of-Crystal Award
    A close relative of the Contorted Metal Piece, this award’s cachet lies in its…uh, uniqueness. Extra points—and cash for your valued employee at some future yard sale—if there’s some sort of flame motif.

    3) Almost anything in the shape of the number “1”
    At this point, most executions of this idea are so trite–so incredibly platitudinous— that you might as well just hand your model employee one of those oversized sponge hands with the single outstretched finger.

    4) Almost anything involving an eagle
    “Eagle with talons”. “Eagle crouching”. “Eagle lurching”. “Eagle cresting”. “Eagle Diving”.“Lurking, cresting eagle with talons”…Does the world really need another eagle award? Do your employees really want to see another eagle award?

    5) The pseudo mythological figure award
    Who exactly is that heroically posed guy on the award, again? Is it…Prometheus? Wait, wasn’t he the guy who ended up chained to a rock? “Hey, can someone double-check what we’re honoring this guy for?!”

    6) The ubiquitous Star trophy
    Almost any off-the-shelf variation on this theme is almost too scary to contemplate. Again, a customized employee recognition awards alternative can make this idea work.

    7) The “Ring-Around-The-Rosie” Award
    The clear-cut winner in the team award category, this one typically depicts faceless stick figures of indeterminate gender formed in a ring and holding hands.

    Is it too late to try out for another team?

    [divider]

    David Parry is the Director of Digital Strategy for The Corporate Presence, which specializes in deal toys and custom awards.

  • Deal Toy Ideas for Spin-Off “Mania”

    Deal Toy Ideas for Spin-Off “Mania”

    Interesting Deal Toy Ideas for Spin-Off Transactions

    “Hewlett-Packard, eBay, Barnes & Noble—the rash of spinoff announcements this year has been dizzying”.

    The CNBC report quoted here goes on to note that 62 spinoff transactions are expected to be completed by the end of this year—-the most since 2000—and that the trend is likely to be sustained well into 2015.

    Your most immediate interest in this trend might simply be getting a deal toy done; and toward that end, we wanted to provide some examples of potential designs.

    Deal Toys Incorporating a “Spin” Theme

    The “spin” theme is an obvious design hook for transactions of this sort, and one you may at least want to consider. There’s an almost infinite variety of deal toys with spinning elements that might suit your budget and timeline.

    Of course, you may ultimately decide to forgo the “spin” idea altogether, and maybe opt for something related to the company’s core market, logo or other deal-related feature (see “Creative Deal Toy Ideas: 7 Frequently Overlooked Sources of Inspiration”).

    Please keep in mind that—as we mention throughout this site—the burden of coming up with design ideas won’t fall on you. Any design input or preference you provide us is more than welcome; on the other hand, you most likely don’t have the time, energy, or inclination to sit around fleshing out potential deal toy designs. That’s OK. That’s our job.

    leidos saic spin off deal toy ideas

    Some Spinning Tombstone Design Tips

    Back to spin-off designs…

    Without getting too much into design specifics, we wanted to provide two very basic tips for spinning pieces of this sort.

    • Cost Saving: many designs incorporate spheres for their spinning elements. This can be expensive—and may cause you to scrap the whole concept unnecessarily. A more affordable alternative are flat spinning discs—like those in the CareTrust tombstone shown here.
    • Functionality: In a deal toy design of this sort, functionality has to be a paramount consideration. A common flaw with designs like this is top-heaviness. Our experience is that recipients of designs like this are bound to play with the spinning element—and if that immediately causes the piece to tip over, it’s not going to reflect well on you.

    Again, we’re always available to guide you through the design process—whatever the type of deal or client.

  • “Help! The Lucites in My Order All Look Different”

    “Help! The Lucites in My Order All Look Different”

    Lucites in your deal toy order will vary. That’s just the nature of the Lucite production process; but where and how your Lucites vary is the real issue.

    “I’m here in our conference room with my colleagues…”

    Unscheduled calls beginning with these words tend not to end well.

    But in my experience, the caller, usually an analyst, typically goes on to say something like:

    “We’ve taken each and every Lucite in our deal toy order out of the box and lined them up on the conference room table. Many of them look different. Some Lucites are even different sizes. Some Lucites are thicker, some are taller. We measured them with a ruler. Our dinner’s tonight. I don’t know what to tell my MD. I want answers.”

    Lucites Are Not Mass-Produced No. 2 Pencils

    If we were talking about, say, surgical instruments—and not Lucites—a lack of product uniformity like this would be troubling, to say the least.

    But let’s face it, we’re talking about Lucites; and though no one could reasonably expect you (or most anyone else) to know this, Lucites are different.

    The Lucite production process is extremely labor-intensive and many of the production steps are performed by hand. Each Lucite piece, for instance, is sanded and buffed by hand—and this causes slight differences in their height, width, and thickness.

    Your MD Probably Knows Something You Don’t

    Similarly, the position of anything you place inside the individual Lucites—and this would include either the paper or clear materials containing your deal text—will vary as well. Here again, anything to be inserted in the Lucite must first be layered into a semi-liquid substance by hand; and the Lucite is then placed inside an oven. And as anyone who bakes can tell you, the process itself creates subtle differences. Shifts occur during baking process, and even the position of the piece within the oven can cause subtle variations.

    In fact, part of the cachet of Lucite deal toys is that they are so very customized, and they do vary slightly—something, ironically, your MD probably already knows and appreciates.

    Keep in Mind Your Client’s Perspective

    Remember, we’re talking here about relatively subtle differences in a Lucite production run; if those differences are extreme, then you may have a quality control issue. But just as a matter of perspective, keep in mind that your clients will be looking at each Lucite piece individually—and will not, immediately upon receipt, proceed to line every single piece up. They will instead be distributed to individuals who will look at them as distinct, individual pieces.

  • 7 Surefire Signs You Chose the Wrong Deal Toy Company

    7 Surefire Signs You Chose the Wrong Deal Toy Company

    You can avoid choosing the wrong deal toy company. Here are the 7 warning signs that the deal toy company you may be considering (or already using) may not be the right one.

    1. They’ve Got No Depth

    It’s one thing to run a lean operation; it’s another to regularly risk leaving you in the lurch as a result of any number of routine (and predictable) circumstances—vacation days, sick days, family obligations, another bank’s rush job—you name it. If their deal toy company has only, say, two artists or salespeople and one is out of commission, the fallout is going to be pretty predictable. Need something done urgently for your rush job? Don’t worry: the “other” artist or salesperson, whose workload has just abruptly increased by 100%, will be sure to get around to it—just as soon as he’s done dropping off that package at the UPS Store.

    2. They’re Not an Approved Vendor

    There could be a legitimate reason they’re not approved at your bank, but if turns out you get stuck not only paying for tombstones out of your own pocket, but having to chase down other team members for their share as well, that won’t be much consolation.

    On the other hand, it could be that the deal toy company has a lousy reputation—or no reputation. It could also be that they’ve been in business only slightly longer than the average food truck; and while they’re no doubt brimming with ideas and strategies on how you can help them get approved, do you really have time for that?

    3. They Don’t Own the Process

    Wait, didn’t you and your team just spend an inordinate amount of time and energy putting together a deal? Then why are you stuck taking the lead in the deal toy process? Wasn’t this supposed to be the fun part?

    Make no mistake: most deal toy companies are grateful for any preliminary ideas and input you might have. The problem is one of degree.

    The creative onus shouldn’t fall entirely—or even mostly—on you and your deal team. Why are you the only source of creative or original ideas on this project? For that matter, why are you the only one keeping tabs on your timeline for the dinner, and trying to move the process along?

    4. They Don’t Respond to Your Calls/Emails

    This is a classic, first-date danger sign; and if things start off rocky, how likely are they to improve over time?

    If your deal toy company isn’t attentive to you at the outset of the process, how available will they make themselves if things were to go wrong? Exactly how long should you wait to find out? Until a snowstorm’s looming and your MD is demanding assurances that the deal gifts arrive in time for your dinner… in Cleveland… tomorrow? Or grilling you on why the piece is not only late but bears no resemblance to the artwork you had passed along?

    Disaster doesn’t have to strike for this to become an issue. You’re accountable internally for the tombstone process; what are you going to do if no one’s being accountable to you?

    5. They’re Clueless on Pricing

    You’re in charge of the deal toy. You finally, at long last, have managed to get a consensus on a design. Everyone, including your MD, is fired up about seeing the designs… And then you get that sheepish message (usually delivered via email or voicemail to avoid a direct exchange) that goes something along the lines of: “I, we, just got pricing for that design you guys really liked. Uh, it looks like we can’t do it within your budget. Sorry, ‘bye”.

    Welcome back to Square One. Now you just have to break the news to your deal team.

    6. They Don’t Understand and/or Appreciate Your Timeline

    “But you didn’t tell me you had a closing dinner!”

    These are words you really don’t want to hear.

    …and you shouldn’t. So unless you were just informed that the closing dinner is in Kuala Lumpur next Tuesday—in which case you have a rush situation on your hands and there are options that should immediately be laid out for you—your deal toy company should never—ever be blindsided by a deadline. Knowing your deadlines, and when (and where) you may have a closing dinner, should have been a crucial part of logistical planning from the outset (and should, in fact, have shaped the very designs you were shown).

    Timing shouldn’t be an afterthought.

    7. They’re Clearly Pushing One Material

    Be leery of any deal toy company whose website, marketing materials—or suggested designs—steer you almost exclusively to some pet material.

    There’s a strong possibility that their all-purpose solution won’t be the best choice for your tombstone—from either a cost or aesthetic perspective.

    David Parry is the Director of Digital Strategy at The Corporate Presence.