Coasters Beyond Beers, Clubs and Bars

We have a lot of fun at Coaster Factory. If you're into graphics, creativity, printing and promotion this is a very cool place. In a promotional product printing business such as ours we work with a multitude of different brands across a huge spectrum of industries. After so many years one begins to observe interesting trends along the way, not only in design but also in messaging. Look a little deeper and you begin to notice innovative business ideas emerging from old ones, new technologies replacing old ones, organizations shaping the way we interact with the world competing for eyes and revenue.

We always say in the specialty advertising print business, “If it can be printed, it can be printed on a coaster”. Sure breweries and beverage brands are still some of our biggest customers, however the scope of those printing their brand messages on coasters has become extremely broad and varied. Take a look at what we're seeing lately.

The APP Train Trend

One of the more unique trends we are seeing is the explosion of the mobile app for smartphones. 

There are a lot of trends emerging that have the potential to change the landscape of promotional products. Coasters are really a hot item and very much a part of the current trend itself. The types of businesses who are choosing to print on them is also interesting, if you're a trend watcher.

With the advent of the tablet and other mobile media devices you'll notice a saturation of Apps in the digital marketplace. So how do businesses strive to drive clicks and downloads? How do these company’s steer traffic to those crowded virtual shelves at the App stores? There are several techniques to captivate your target audience, most notably social media networks, blogs, online videos, kickstarter campaigns and ads (such as Google and Facebook) to target audience interest. Then there is the physical drink COASTER!

Coasters provide a perfect medium to engage people to interact with their products.

They can serve multiple purposes in promotion. Both serving as the functional drink coaster we all know and love, they're also a tremendous platform to promote brand awareness as well as directing us to interact with them via a mobile device. It isn't necessarily all about the mobile APP however. It could be as simple as a QR code graphic that takes the user to a landing web page. We've noticed a huge increase in QR Codes imprinted on promotional items, especially coasters.

What other sectors are we seeing the QR code? Real estate brokers, insurance company's, medical industry, financial services, government agencies, hospitality & entertainment industry, travel brokers, and retailers are among the growing list still turning to the use of QR codes. Customers who order drink coasters are realizing that QR codes on coasters are an easy way to tie their traditional marketing methods into the new digital landscape. Some thought that the QR code might be dead, but simply is not true. The rapid growth in smart-phones means more and more customers have the power of the Internet at their finger tips almost everywhere they go and the QR code is very much still well and alive.

#Hashtags are another big trend we are seeing printed on Promotional Coasters. Hashtags are a kind of glue that can hold your marketing campaigns together across a multitude of mediums bringing you greater audience engagement. 

We don't want to go too deeply into what is a hashtag as we expect you probably already must know by now, however Twitter nicely sums it up this way: “The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.” Source: Twitter. So essentially they are keywords that will help you find your target audience. This brilliant little # symbol can also now connect conversations on Google+, Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram. 

Creating a unique and memorable catchy hashtag phrase has the ability to unify ad campaigns across social networks, your website, TV advertising, and more. We are seeing it on printed promotional items such as Coasters as they nicely tie digital marketing campaigns. Almost every television show and tv commercial you see has a hashtag displayed in the corner of the screen somewhere, which is a way for the brand to let you know that if you search for that hashtag word or phrase on Twitter, for example, you will find out more information about whatever they are promoting encouraging you to engage in chat. It could be about a service, product, public service announcement or a charitable campaign seeking donations, or just about anything else.  

The following are just a snippet of some of the TOP promotional trends we're seeing printed on Coasters

Coaster Factory is North America’s premier beer coaster manufacturer, providing exceptional service and the highest quality custom coasters printed on premium European pulpboard.

High Quality, Coaster Printing, Colors & Materials: Our offset presses print FULL color (CMYK) on BOTH sides of your coasters (spot color is available). Not only do Coaster Factory's authentic European Pulpboard coasters effectively absorb spills, they’re lightweight, firm, and look great too!

Great Prices: We offer competitive pricing on any size coaster order, from 1,200 into the millions! We have standard value pack pricing for most common quantities and can provide quotes for larger or customized orders. Have your artwork, logo, picture or design printed full color on both sides with many size and custom shape options.

Fast Delivery: Need your coasters quickly? Whether your order is large or small, you'll receive your custom coasters fast. We offer standard as well as GUARANTEED RUSH production options (extra fees apply).

Your brand is the most powerful tool in your toolbox and coasters are a unique, useful and cost effective way to promote your product or message. The biggest brands have known this for a very long time!

CALL us at 1-866-BEERMAT

Add an element of authenticity and flair to your promotion with these thick, durable coasters made with eco-friendly European pulp board printed with vegetable-based inks.

Need a quote? Click over to our Custom Coaster Quote Form. See our coaster designs by viewing our online Coaster Factory Showcase. ​Check out our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.

Do you have customization ideas you'd like to try? Talk to one of our representatives and we will look into it for you! Check out our stock library coaster shape pricing options!!

blog post by Alex Zafer