DREAM IT. DESIGN IT. DO IT.

When brainstorming the best ways to build awareness for your brand, it’s hard to determine the best place to invest your time and resources. Digitally, there are many great opportunities online or through social media to get your brand noticed. But printed products remain one of the most surefire ways to keep your brand in front of your audience. Here are 4 products that could revolutionize your brand: Planner The past few years have seen an explosion in planner purchasing and expanded opportunities in the market. And since planners are generally used daily, your customer will be living life with your custom product, seeing it on a daily basis, and depending on it to keep them informed. This offers 365 days worth of branding that can pay for itself many times over. Planners are infinitely customizable, from design to materials to content to packaging and much more. They can be tailored fully to meet your brand. Is your brand messaging meant to encourage people? Fill your planner with motivational quotes! Does your brand promote healthy lifestyles? Infuse your planner with healthy recipes! There are an endless number of ways to tie a planner into your brand. Journal Journals are also another great tool for branding for many similar reasons. Clever design, logo placement, integration of brand messaging, addition of proprietary fabrics or accessories—all of these are ways to keep your brand in front of your customers. Journals are an important part of many people's daily lives, and they hold their deepest secrets, thoughts, and internal conversations. Connecting your brand with such an important part of people's lives can build a deeper connection as a trusted partner. Notepads Notepads are sometimes an underestimated product because of their sheer size and availability. Yet, it is a tried and true product that has stood the test of time. Here again, you have the ability to tie your brand to ongoing activity that is important to your customers' days. With thousands of thoughts running through their heads on the regular, something as small and handy as a notepad is a great way to help them stay organized. It is a small subconscious way to remind the consumer of your brand and develop trust for other products you offer. Calendars While the world may have gone digital, e-calendars simply do not feel the same as their printed counterparts. Whether a magnetic refrigerator version or a large flat desk model, calendars are still a hot product. And you can find yourself in customers' lives once again on a daily basis as they look to your fully customizable branded product to direct their days. The purpose of branded products is to provide a product or resource that improves the lives of your customers and keeps your brand in their view and minds as often as you can. These print products can be wonderful ways to do just that. If you're ready to create brand-developing products that connect with your customers and enhance your brand, CōDRA is the collaborative partner you need. Contact us here .

Establishing a professional and supportive business relationship with your overseas manufacturer is imperative for anyone looking to grow a business that is dependent on the products they produce. Building those relationships can be easier said than done. Here are a few tips to consider when developing a new relationship with an overseas partner. Timezones Communicating around the world is a struggle, and timezone differences are among the most well-known culprits for making consistent communication tricky. Many large manufacturers and printers could have a 12-hour time difference or higher, making conversations during regular business hours all but impossible. For example, China has about a 15-hour difference from the Pacific Time zone, so 9 AM in China is 6 PM in California. Be sure to schedule phone calls at appropriate times for both parties and maximize the conversations you have at those time. Take what you learn from those conversations and develop your asynchronous communication skills—learn to communicate as fully and clearly as possible without requiring contemporaneous communication. Pictures Details, details, details—they will determine the success of your product. Get them right, and you could be very successful. Get them wrong, and your product's success could be in jeopardy. Language confusion can be a major barrier when it comes to ironing out details, so utilize images to help ensure you and your production company are on the same page. When facing a language barrier, details and explanations are in danger of being lost in translation or misinterpreted altogether. A tried and tested way to overcome this issue is by utilizing reference photos of the details you need in your product. Add precise notes to the photos to be sure your needs are clearly understood, and you can easily overcome communication barriers and develop the best product to represent your brand. Celebrate Holidays Keeping a professional, friendly attitude with your partner can show your appreciation for all the hard work that they do. A great way to do that is to understand the important holidays, traditions, and gifts that are customary for those specific holidays. Send a quick note acknowledging a given holiday or plan a little early and drop an appropriate gift in the mail. Also, take the initiative to research and understand cultural customs that your partners hold. Doing so both prepares you to engage wisely and avoid possible opportunities for embarrassment or even insulting your partner. For example, Chrysanthemums are a very popular flower choice in the States to encourage or show support to someone. However, in many European countries, these beautiful flowers are viewed only as a symbol of funerals and the passing of loved ones. Giving gifts that demonstrate a misunderstanding of cultural norms can become a barrier to building a trusting relationship. The best way to assure your project is completed to your satisfaction is by building long term relationships with your production partner that can be nurtured over time. That's not always easy, unless you are constantly creating products and have the opportunity to communicate regularly. Of course, you can also lean into a trusted, collaborative partner here in the States who have long term relationships already built. And CōDRA would be honored to help... If you're ready to delve into the world of overseas printing and manufacturing, c ontact us here to get started today!

The Voice of the Martyrs , one of the world’s largest nonprofit organizations supporting persecuted Christians, came to CōDRA with a singular goal—to create products that allow people everywhere to partner with persecuted Christians worldwide. From that desire, we partnered together to design and create a couple of different products to achieve their goal. The first project, The Smuggler Band, which is a wristband featuring unique signature text patterns on both sides, was a brand-building product VOM chose to draw attention to its mission. CōDRA and VOM collaborated and iterated to develop a product that not only offered high-quality materials for the wearer that was durable and comfortable, but also served as a conversation starter for the meaning of the band. The Smuggler Hat soon followed. The next project created a hallmark product for VOM. Seeking to redesign their Global Prayer Journal in a high-quality format, CōDRA worked diligently with VOM to sample numerous polyurethane leathers, testing each sample through multiple rounds of heat stamping at various pressures to create the perfect, eye-catching front logo. The journal’s 4-color interior pages include information about each of the restricted nations and hostile areas where VOM serves persecuted Christians, as well as inspiring photos and blank journal pages that provide a smooth surface for journaling prayers for the people of those nations. CōDRA is happy to have partnered with VOM to create a collection of products that showcases the heart of the brand and has become a source of connection with their partners and furthers the mission. If you're ready to create brand-developing products that connect with your clientele and further your mission, CōDRA is the collaborative partner you need. Contact us here .

“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” Vietnamese Proverb Donor relations for a nonprofit can be some of the most brutally difficult work a person can undertake. But it can also be some of the most important and rewarding. Building deep and lasting relationships with others who are equally as passionate about your common mission and helping them experience the joy of giving is as beautiful as it is agonizing. But as you see the mission moving forward (bearing fruit), it is absolutely imperative that you remember the ones who enabled the planting of the trees —your donors. Donor appreciation gifts are far from a new idea—as long as donor recognition has been a part of donor relations, people have been giving and receiving them. The real danger is growing stale in your ideas and efforts, so we’ve listed out guidelines for a few types of gifts you could offer to keep things fresh and interesting. Meaningful Gifts Sometimes sentiment goes a long way, especially when the mission of the organization invites donors into a very personal or sentimental story. These types of gifts focus less on the value of the gift itself and more on its meaning . A gift as simple as a journal with a personalized, handwritten thank you note or quick story can connect your donor quite deeply by expressing gratitude in a very personal manner. These gifts can also be cost-effective so they are perfect for large groups or gatherings of donors. Practical Gifts Gifts that have a practical, everyday use can both be a wonderful way to express gratitude to your donors and a potential marketing tool. Items like tote bags, key chains, journals, hats, and wrist bands that are well-branded can be very useful for expanding your marketing plan. Product marketing of this type helps you turn your donors into ambassadors for your brand as they go about their daily business. Just be sure that the products you choose are high quality, attractive, and actually useful. Anyone can slap a logo on a product. Make sure yours stands out. Personalized Gifts Although similar to the meaningful gift category above, personalized gifts add a particular and special touch that make it just right for an individual. Gold foil stamping or monogramming your donor’s name on a high quality gift meant just for them demonstrates your desire and ability to know them. It shows that your desire is not simply transactional, but relational. Regardless of the financial level at which your donors support your cause, each gift given should be well thought out. They are designed to say thank you for the support each of your donors offers your organization. With so many potential options for gifts, one thing is clear—whatever you choose must match the quality and thoughtfulness consistent with your brand. Partner with CōDRA to create the right product and connect your donors to your mission for the long haul. Contact us here .

For the burgeoning boot-strapper with a brilliant new idea, Kickstarter’s search filter can be quite an adventure. Imagining a project or product rising to the top of the “Most Funded” list, I’m quite sure, has been the catalyst for numerous campaigns over the years. And why not? We all dream of success, and people buying into our product—even before it’s on store shelves—gives us not only the operating capital we need to get it there, but also the satisfaction of thousands of votes of confidence as people click the donate button. Some of the most successful products of our time began as crowdfunded campaigns, like Ocular VR, Popsockets, Pebble Time Smart Watches, and the inimitable card game, Exploding Kittens. So much planning is required to execute a successful crowdfunding campaign. Understanding what made others so successful can give you a head start and move you more quickly toward your goal. It might even get you on that “Most Funded” list you’ve been scoping out. Here are a few steps to make your crowdfunding campaign more compelling and raise your chances of being funded: Tell a Great Story Billy Mays could sell just about anything. And he did. As one of the most successful Pitchmen in history, he gave impassioned pleas for his products that moved people to pick up the phone. He did it by creating the ability for customers to imagine themselves using his products—he told a compelling story. And people bought in. A lot. As much as you love your product, you’re not the one who needs to be convinced to invest in it. You’ve already bought in. You need the people who will visit the project to imagine themselves in an improved situation because of your product. They need to not be able to imagine themselves passing on it because of how much they love the story it would help them enjoy. 2. Use Photos and Video for Visual Impact Often, great story is communicated best without words, or at least, with as few as possible. Keeping your donors and supporters engaged with your campaign through high-quality visual elements can be key to growing it. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or videographer to produce excellent photo and video, but it will pay off in support and investment if done well. Assuring that your products are properly portrayed in your campaign can lead not only to donation, but could lead your donors to become brand ambassadors and share your campaign with all of their friends, as well. 3. Understand the Market (and Marketing) for your Product Everyone has great ideas on products that they believe can be useful to others, mainly because they know the products would be useful to them. But to really be able to build excitement about the product, you need to understand how it fits in the market and who exactly will need it. Make sure you research the market, understand your competition, understand your audience, and are able to as simply as possible communicate the value your product is going to add to your customers’ lives. Though crowdfunding platforms have marketing built in, don’t rely solely on their efforts to get your project in front of all the right people. You need to develop and execute your own marketing plan, even if it’s as simple as having your friends and family on a social media posting schedule and paying for a few ads on your favorite platform. Don’t leave the success of your campaign in someone else’s hands. 4. Build a Good Plan For Fulfillment and Present It Well Showing your backers that you have a solid and well-developed plan for the production and distribution of your product can make them feel reassured, raising their level of trust and the likelihood of having your project funded. It is imperative that you talk with your printer, distributor, and production team to establish all these action plans before you launch your campaign and very articulately include them when you do. Be very clear about your plan, including information on your production partners, and raise the trust of potential backers. All these tips can help make your crowdfunding campaign a smashing success, so keep these in mind as you develop your strategy and you may just make that “most funded” list. Partner with CōDRA to create the right product and execute an excellent crowdfunding campaign. Contact us here .

You may have an incredible product, perfectly designed, and ready to disrupt the market. But if you can’t get it in the hands of your customers, you’re dead in the water. And the current freight situation, both domestic and overseas, can be a massive hindrance to your go-to-market plan. So we’ve noted a few tips for navigating the current reality to give you the best opportunity to avoid delays or overcome them as you prepare for a new product release. Plan Your Orders Earlier Seems like a no-brainer, right? But many businesses miss deadlines for getting their products on shelves during peak seasons because they simply start the production process too late. And in the current situation, it could be because they don’t factor the shift in shipping times into the equation. The same timeline you utilized for the last product likely won’t work now . Maybe it will, but that’s a big chance to take. The same timeline you utilized for the last product you ordered likely won’t work now. As much as it may feel out of place to see Christmas decor in the aisles during Labor Day, the freight industry is doing what retail stores have pushed customers to do for years: plan ahead. Right now, you’d be wise to include an extra 6-8 weeks more than you typically would in your production timeline. This will help ensure you are not stressed as you approach launch day. The extra steps in planning can be uncomfortable, but they likely will pay off both financially and logistically. Plan ahead and think a little farther out about what your customers will need a year or more from now. They’ll find it somewhere, and if your products are still on a ship somewhere instead of on the shelves, it will be from one of your competitors. Research Freight Forwarders Good production partners understand the level of trust that goes into sending your goods across the Pacific. The best ones have long-standing relationships built on open and ongoing communication. However, you may have your own resources, as well, and you should always speak up and go with the option that best fits your needs. If you have a trusted freight partner, a good production partner should be happy to work with them (they are always looking for new, proven partners, anyway). And if there is anything the we need right now to address the current lag in freight and shipping, it’s creative minds coming together to find feasible solutions. Increase Order Quantities In the past you may have had the luxury of ordering 4 times a year (an order for each season), or even twice a year with no issue receiving your products on time. But one of the best solutions to navigating this ever-changing freight market, is to combine your orders and ship as much as you can at once. This has a couple of benefits. Combine your orders and ship as much as you can at once. First, shipping a full container load is faster than a partial container load. Meaning, if you have enough product (pallets) to fill an entire container, you are likely to receive it more quickly than you would if your product only filled half a container. Many shippers wait around to fill the rest of a container if one is not full. And a given port takes a lot longer to sort through partially filled containers to locate your product when it is combined with other peoples’ products. When a container is yours alone, there is no searching required. Second, the price difference between shipping partial and full container loads is quickly narrowing, which may make it worth paying the extra amount to get your product in your hands faster. Additionally, plants may sometimes provide discounts when multiple orders are shipped together. So it may behove you to look a product or two ahead in order to save some of the production costs, shipping costs, and ensure that your product will be to market on time with plenty of supply to fill the orders you’ll receive. Freight delays are certainly no reason to avoid the production process; you just need to plan well for possible problems and search for sustainable solutions. If you're ready to create brand-developing products that connect with your customers and enhance your brand—and you'd like help with all of these timeline details—CōDRA is the collaborative partner you need. Contact us here .

Just about anything you need—at just about any time—is available at the click of a button, information included. Digital communication certainly carries the lion’s share of the communication load these days. But, though digital communication can deliver quickly and has a number of advantages, there remain a few deficiencies in its use—a few things it cannot deliver that should be important in your communications as a nonprofit. Here is a list of three advantages print communications provide over digital. Tangibility There is something special about holding a book in your hand—the texture of a high quality journal page or the soft cover of a book. The tangibility of print pieces delivers a very real sense of ownership in the work your donors invest in. It’s not only a reminder of the mission or means to share stories of impact, it’s a way to connect them in a very real and tangible way to the ongoing work. Print products engage more of your senses through aesthetic beauty, the sound of turning pages, the feel of spot gloss or leather on the cover, and even the smell of the materials or ink. Until digital scratch-and-sniff technology advances, there is simply no way digital communications can produce the same effect. Maybe someday soon... Personalization Marketing and communications continues to drive toward further and deeper personalization. Advancements in AI and bots have enabled businesses and nonprofits to personalize sales and service processes, and automation has simplified the process of keeping a brand front-of-mind for delighted customers who purchase again and become vocal ambassadors for the brand. Physical printed products are the OG version of personalization. A beautiful coffee table book or story-filled magazine on a desk or a personal planner on the kitchen table are tangible ways to communicate and build ambassadors for your brand. While your brand is fleshed out through both digital and physical presence, print products in prominent places within your donors’ homes cement a place for your brand in their personal stories and stand as a testament to others who come into their homes of the importance of your organization in their lives. Impact The human brain is an incredible machine, and it locks away millions of memories . But not all memories are created equal. Print content has proven to be more memorable than digital content , which likely has a lot to do with tangibility—engage more of the senses and heighten the impact. A print product in hand simply increases the ability for your brand—your mission—to stake a claim in the hearts and minds of the donors and investors who will be vital in the accomplishment of your goals. Certainly, you should utilize all the existing and emerging digital tools at your disposal. The benefits of immediate and continual communication through those means is absolutely undeniable. But do not miss the opportunity to accentuate and enhance your communication for long term impact through physical print communications. Partner with CōDRA to create the right product and connect your donors to your missions for the long haul. Contact us here .

A global pandemic, shortage of workers, raw material shortfalls, shipping delays, and myriad other global factors have led to increased prices for products the world over in 2021. The overseas material and shipping markets are no exception, and price fluctuations are not new to our current situation—they happen. Getting ahead of the pricing game requires understanding possible changes in the market, production seasons, and many external factors. Here are a couple of ideas to help you stay ahead of rising costs. Quote Your Brainstorms Great product ideas can ultimately drive the growth of your brand, but so many great ideas never come to fruition because people are overwhelmed by the final price tag. So make finances a part of your brainstorming process. Make sure you understand the full picture of the production and material costs along with any potential additions you may need so you fully grasp the sustainability of that product in your shop—even with potential ups and downs in material costs. Understanding all of this from the start can prepare you for any fluctuations you may face and give you time to thoroughly review and edit a potential product before making the commitment to manufacturing it. You’ll have the opportunity to make any adjustments necessary to assure it fits and remains within your budget. Purchase Early The requested arrival date for your product will definitely determine the start time, but it is not the only factor. One of the greatest considerations for both price and timeline (which can affect price itself) is production season. Peak production season can push prices and timelines, so maximizing your budget and staying ahead of the pricing curve can mean planning early to avoid the hottest production windows. Overseas printing peak season falls roughly between May to mid-July as printers and manufacturers work to accommodate the U.S. holiday season. Plants will be busy, materials will be more scarce, and ports will be extremely full, which can influence an increase in overall pricing. With this in mind, potentially starting earlier to avoid inflated cost and earlier arrival dates can be a better move for your business. While we don’t really have any control over pandemics and shipping delays, pre-planning and wise followthrough can serve to keep your costs manageable and prepare you to overcome any pricing shifts that may come your way. Partner with CōDRA to create the right product and let us help you find the right pricing for your products so you can focus on growing your business. Contact us here .

“Supply Chain is like nature, it is all around us.” — Dave Waters It’s true. Supply chains are everywhere, from our own households to giant corporations. And COVID-19 not only disrupted the freight chain (shipping) , but also the supply chain (products shipped and sold). Although the disruption of these markets was not necessarily as sudden as the freight disruptions, they’ve grown more prevalent and potentially even affected your project. Here is a quick rundown of the current situation and how you can work your way through it. As previously explained in our article on freight chain disruption , container shortages and port congestion is taking a huge toll on timelines for domestic delivery and product shortages. But there is also a distinct effect on raw materials being shipped to the countries that manufacture the products. Many manufacturers have noted an increase in difficulty accessing the materials needed to begin the production process. Disruption in raw material access, of course, has created a high-demand-low-supply scenario. Pair that with the already inflated pricing of a volatile economy wrecked by a global pandemic, and prices have soared. Many standard materials utilized in the production of economic products have increased in price to something more akin to premium custom materials. The domino effect of disruption could be spilling over into your own production process and ultimately handicapping your ability to create a cost-effective product and hamstringing your ability to delight your customers. Holding the Chain Together While there’s not much you can do to affect supply shortages, there are a few tips we’ve picked up over the years dealing with similar issues we can pass along. Consider Creative Options If you are in the beginning stages of production and find yourself facing either a shortage of materials or a spike in cost, it may be time to get creative. Research options for other materials that could work to replace the missing or expensive materials. You may actually find that you could upgrade to a premium material that is more readily available with no real increase in cost but that creates a more custom product. Understand Pricing—Current and Future (Potential) In the current climate, in particular, discuss each material you may use in the creation of your product with your manufacturer. Discuss past pricing and get a feel for where they think that pricing might go in the future. Remember, you’re hopefully not just planning for the initial run but for many runs in the future as your product demand grows. You should also discuss any potential options for other creative material solutions in case of market fluctuations. Go ahead and be prepared for as many outcomes as possible. Be Flexible and Keep Learning Sometimes markets change and materials you once relied on are simply no longer available. Those elements are simply out of your control. You are, however, able to stay in the know about new materials, processes, and options to keep your brand and products meeting—or surpassing—the needs and desires of your customer base. Be a continual learner, and you’ll be prepared when the unexpected arises. We are hopeful that this situation will improve as we continue through 2021. But until it does, we are here to handle all of the crazy confusing details for you so you can continue to focus on growing your business and delighting your customers! Partner with CōDRA to create the right product and let us handle the frustrating details. Contact us here .

Calendar Club, the national leading retailer of calendar products came to CōDRA looking for a new product to grow their brand and to address an unexpected growing deficiency with an existing bestseller. Over the years, calendar products have evolved and expanded to include all different kinds of imaginative functions and features, from pockets to frames to stickers to magnets and many other options. Calendar Club was on a mission to develop the next innovation. One of the most popular products they had been selling was a magnetic calendar that could be placed on a refrigerator in the kitchen. Since the kitchen is often central for families, it made for an ideal location to hang a calendar and keep everyone up-to-date on upcoming events so they'd be on the same page. But just like many other everyday household items, advances in design and production materials affected kitchen appliances, like a refrigerator. And as stainless steel became more popular for kitchen appliances, a new problem arose, as magnets would not attach to a stainless steel fridge. As a trusted partner, Codra began the process of research and development and was able to find the perfect answer to this new and growing problem. Similar to a sticky note, the solution was an adhesive backing that would allow a calendar to adhere to a stainless steel fridge. The best part, however, was that it was also removable and could be reattached, retaining the functionality of the magnetic calendar. Collaborating with client, the new product was named Magic Grip Calendar . The variety of design and size choices paired with the functionality of the calendar have driven its popularity, and it has become a best seller for Calendar Club once again. Let CōDRA help you design and manufacture the perfect product to delight your clientele. Contact us here .