Google’s “Small Business” Initiative
At the close of 2015, Trims received an unsolicited email from Google that made the office feel like it had won the lottery. Google had begun a new initiative aimed at “small businesses,” and they were inviting a select group of service providers to join the ranks of approved Google vendors. Their purpose: to refresh and augment the company’s current stable of suppliers with suitable, qualified small businesses. How Trims became a prospect is anyone’s guess. However, not caring about the “why,” we instantly filled out the required paperwork and sent it off without delay. Then we waited for a reply. The better part of a year passed without a response. This wasn’t college—so no fat or skinny envelopes were mailed; however, a welcome letter arrived via email. It stated that Trims name had been added to their list. INCREDIBLE!
The waiting game began, and it wasn’t until late last fall that we finally received a request from Google’s procurement office and marketing department. Apparently, a college recruiting event was in the offing and collegiate swag and branded gifts were needed. Budget was tight; however, all the items had to appeal to the savvy college student. A collaboration began and a list of suggestions was assembled.
Vendor Items that were Under Consideration
- Grid-It Organizers (http://www.cocooninnovations.com)
- Fidget Spinners http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/17/health/fidget-spinner-fad-partner/index.html
- Lap Top Decals
- Imprint pins of varying sizes and qualities able to be customized to meet the individualized needs of each event. Stamped on brass or stainless steel, Pantone matched using a four-color process with a butterfly clutch backing. All the pins presented for consideration were able to be crafted to faithfully represent the submitted designs.
- Hoodies
- Yeti Mugs www.yetti.com
- Swell Style Water Bottles www.swell.com
- Snap Back Hats with a structured snapback closures and an old time look and feel
- Beanies and Harry Potter scarves
- Lanyards with USB Flash Drives
- Zip coin wallets with “lobster” clips
- Rubberized Sunglasses sporting Neon Templates. The glasses featured UV400 lenses that provided 100% UVA and UVB protection
- Yummies with some healthy snacks thrown in for good measure: trail mix, jelly bellies, puzzle card mints, branded M&M’s, logoed Chicklets–all artfully and individually packaged
Our Relationship with Google Continues to Grow
Since this first plunge in the “Google” pool, Trims has received several requests for curated gifts: each set of suggestions were chosen to satisfy a very specific target audience—OUR STOCK AND TRADE! In the last month, we just finished working on a “cooking experience” that required aprons, chef’s coats and hats—all branded of course. Turn around was very tight, but given Trims’ many longstanding and trusted partnerships with suppliers and decorators alike, we were able to turn around these expertly embroidered promotions in record time at a budget that fit right in with Google’s overall spend. From what we heard through the company grapevine, our part was a great success. We can only assume that it was, since we received another request this morning for an entirely new project for an experiential event meant to build relationships between the Google sales team and their most important prospects and partners.
