mighty badges - Influencing Identity

Donation Spotlight: Bethesda Thrift Shop

Our customers are amazing! And to help all of our customers realize how important they are to us, we’d like to spotlight a donation that we’ve recently made. We were contacted by Scott Glidden of Bethesda Thrift Shop in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Bethesda Thrift Shop is run by Bethesda Lutheran Communities. “They are a Christian organization that provides homes for people with developmental disabilities across the country. They create connections that support people on their journey to live the best life possible.”

Glidden shared the following mission statement with us. “(We are here) to enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through services that share the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Coller Industries provided a donation of Medium Plus Mighty Badges™ to Bethesda Thrift. Each Mighty Badge™ comes with a reusable, metal back plate, a printable insert, and a plastic lens that snaps onto the back plate to make the whole system work. This product is a wonderful option for those who need a quick, reusable name badge for volunteer positions.

“We use your name badges to recognize our volunteers for their hours of service. Some of our volunteers have over 19,000 hours, so they are very proud of their badges,” said Glidden. “The volunteers have just loved them in the past, and it is nice to see how much it means to them to give them one. I always let them know that they were donated by Coller Industries.”

Glidden describes Bethesda Thrift as “a place that welcomes volunteers who help support our mission. We pride ourselves with the fact that we have paid staff and volunteers with disabilities working in our store. We have demonstrated that people with disabilities have different skills and abilities and are able to have meaningful jobs in our community. We have helped many of them find stable rewarding employment.”

Bethesda Lutheran Communities is a national leader in providing homes and support, promoting awareness, and advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They operate in 14 states with more than 300 program locations and they succeed through the passion of their employees and volunteers who make a difference every day in the lives of those they support.

Company Branding with Name Tags

A company’s brand is what they are, what they want to be, and what they aim to become as a whole. It can be a promise of quality, trust or service. Branding is what makes a company or organization truly unique. A brand should make any company stand out from its competitors and lets the consumer know what to expect from that company.

What is company branding?

Branding is one of the most important parts of any business, whether it be large or small. Building a strong brand helps a company or organization be financially strong. Product marketing is really where this process all begins.

In order to be successful in marketing a company’s brand, one must have a strong branding or marketing strategy. To determine the brand of a business, one must identify a target market and the product or service distribution means. By doing so, the organization can communicate the brand to this target market. And with the use of personalized ribbons, a company’s brand will truly stand out. Personalized ribbons are truly a great tool in company branding.

A few things to consider:

Brand Identity: This is the customer’s knowledge of and ability to recognize the brand.

Brand Meaning: This is the character of the brand beyond the image, and includes product or business features, reliability, value and experience.

Consumer Relationship: This is the attitude of the customer toward the brand.

Remember that a brand is the means to communicate with a chosen market. Each brand needs to be visually stimulating, thereby encouraging product loyalty. Carefully designed branding leads to a secure business or organization. An organization’s brand should posses the above characteristics.

Many of our name tags and other personalized products can have a logo added. Name Tags can be laser engraved or printed with a logo and company name as well as a person’s name. Name Badges come with printable inserts that can easily have a company logo added. Even order custom lanyards with a company or organization logo to promote branding at a corporate event.

An organization’s brand serves as a promise to the consumer. Whether this promise is of services or product, remember that the brand will be used in a marketing strategy and requires copious research. Consumers must understand a brand to increase the effectiveness and value for the company.

Business Ethics and Name Tags

The point of this article is to show how important it is to wear proper personal identification (i.e., name tags and name badges) when building business ethics. Without name tags, people can be left in the dark in situations at a bank or a grocery store.

Business Ethics

And without a name badge, Scott Ginsberg wouldn’t be who he is today. To quote Scott, “Everything I needed to know about business, I learned from that name tag!”

Anecdote 1: (from every day life)

Adhesive name badges in four colors: red, yellow, blue and green with a handwritten name.

Have you ever walked into a store and wanted something specific but there was no one in sight to help you find it? We’ve all experienced this. We’ve all wandered a store looking only to, desperately and at the last minute, find someone who can help. And, typically, this person isn’t wearing any identifiers, especially a name tag or name badge, that would have suggested he/she could help in the first place.

Anecdote 2: (from Scott Ginsberg)

Scott Ginsberg the name tag guy with a my name is name badge and who is about using name tags to define business ethics.

“So there I was, sitting in the audience at a seminar. Surrounding me sat hundreds of us wearing one of those little, handwritten, adhesive name badges. When the event was over, we all filed toward the exit. I approached the door and noticed a small trashcan filled to the brim with used name badges. And that gave me an idea. A crazy idea. Maybe I should keep my name tag on all night! About 10 minutes later I met up with a friend of mine at a local ice cream shop. And that’s when it all started. That’s when the silence was broken. People began to say hello. Random students walked up to me and started conversations. Even complete strangers yelled “Hey Scott!” from across the room!”

Business Ethics Anecdote 3: (from someone required daily to wear a name tag)

“The only purpose of the name tag is for a customer to be able to refer to the name tag wearer in the context of a compliment or complaint. I wear a name tag every day and find that it isn’t a huge thing for me. However, I will say that name tags are generally considered appropriate in this particular field (banking). I do give credit to the executives here as everybody wears one, not just the peons.”

A name tag is merely a symbol that represents several core values that Scott holds close to his heart. “The truth is; my name tag and my values are one in the same. You see, my name tag represents friendliness, approachability, fun, creativity, uniqueness and casualness. Let’s face it, if you wear a name tag all day, every day, wherever you go, you will stand out, and people will notice.”

Attending a Networking Event with Name Tags

Badge holder with a printed insert and matching lanyard and imprinted badge ribbon to help make connections at a networking event.

Lanyards, name tags, reusable badges and even signs are useful tools for any conference or convention. And the corporate event name badge is one detail that has been overlooked too much. For years people have been dealing with this awkward situation over and over again at event after event. As such, setting the stage is just as important as attending a conference or networking event. However, there are many roadblocks along the way.

Here’s the scenario:

“You’ve just arrived at your weekly, cookie-cutter networking event, and after walking up to the registration table, you proceed to search across a sea of identical plastic name badges with tiny print for the one with your name and company printed on it. You’ll affix this name tag to your shirt at the least awkward angle you can finagle, and proceed into a crowded room of people all arching their necks to scope out the people worth chatting to while trying not to stare at someone’s chest for too long. (And most likely many have chosen to position the name) tags to be hidden in the folds of jackets or flipped around entirely making them impossible to read. Good luck with that one.”

Let us help you with finding the perfect solution to this problem. We offer products that facilitate networking and promote making those important connections. Our name tags and reusable badges are perfect for use with our lanyards and other fasteners.

For many people, the idea of wearing a name tag evokes the stale idea of the epic “Hello, my name is…” variety you might find at an awkward mixer or high school reunion. But a name tag is a valuable tool and, when used in fresh and creative ways, it can be an effective tool in helping people at a networking event and when interacting with each other.

Still not convinced on wearing name tags at a networking event?

Here are some creative ways to use any name tag or reusable badge to help eliminate any awkwardness while at a networking event.

Try omitting titles and company names. Use this as an effort to associate people more with what they love to do, or excel at, than what they do for a living. Focus on the individual.

Move beyond the work domain. Try using reusable badges with a catch phrase or other conversation starter to get people to mingle.

Incorporate a theme. It doesn’t matter what the theme is, just as long as it’s geared toward getting people flowing through the masses. After all, it’s about making those important connections.

Name Tag Deficiency Syndrome (NTDS)

Is there really a condition called Name Tag Deficiency Syndrome?

From Scott Ginsberg, The Name Tag Guy:

“Over a half of a million people suffer every year from Emblema Nomenpenia, more commonly known as Name Tag Deficiency Syndrome (NTDS). This debilitating condition has run rampant through the American business community for many decades, experts say, although only recently has it been classified.”

Symptoms: You may experience localized font shrinkage, inflammation of the company logo, noticeable eye irritation due to cluttered texts, absence of upper chest name tag placement and mild conversational uncertainty and frustration.

Possible Side Effects: Beware of sudden, sever attacks of name forgetting, possible networking anxiety, unapproachable behavior, missed opportunities to make new friends or business contacts, and feelings of annoyance due to the inability to say hello to a new member or employee whose name you can’t read because their name tag is turned backwards.

While NTDS is completely “made up,” the side effects are serious! However, this disease is easily treatable and completely curable!

Kris Hay, Communications Coordinator at the University of Puget Sound, offers her advice:

“When it comes to networking, a name tag is a necessity. Anonymity is not to your advantage in these situations. Worn properly, a legible name tag helps people remember your name and then quickly move on to exchanging information with you.

“A poorly located, illegible, or absent name tag can cause consternation, and even embarrassment. A name tag should make it easy for people to meet and greet you without having to gaze at body parts other than your face. Wearing your name tag correctly demonstrates your etiquette and networking savvy.”

Come find your solution to Emblema Nomenpenia (NTDS) at www.nametag.com! We have all possible solutions. From blank name tags to name badges to customized name tags with a logo, we truly are your one-stop shop for all things related to personal identification!