Keep Me Press

Unprecedented price drop

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:09:22 +0000

KeepMe cotton bags now more affordable than ever

Just a couple of years ago, it would have been unthinkable that a promotional cotton

bag would be available on the UK market at a price of just 46p. And yet, with the

most recent round of offers from KeepMe Bags, that is exactly the situation.

KeepMe MD, Steve Anderson, explains how it has all come about: “Our Indian

manufacturing plant has allowed us to cut out the middle man, removing the

burden of western overheads. With effective currency management and regular

weekly shipments, we have managed to established a very robust trade line,

allowing our cotton bags to enter the UK market at industry-leading prices.”

But these reduced prices could never have happened without the benefits of ever-

increasing UK demand and that demand has been extraordinary. In the last two years,

for instance, sales of cotton bags at KeepMe have quadrupled from 75,000 per month

to well in excess of 350,000 per month. And during that same period, KeepMe’s

manufacturing plant in Calcutta has expanded its capacity to the point where it now

employs 200 people full time and is capable of producing around half a million units

per month. It is exactly this kind of demand-driven success that has allowed the unit

price of cotton bags to reach such accessible levels in the UK.

This cutting of prices is obviously very welcome but, as an ISO 9001 accredited

company, the maintenance of quality is of equal importance. To that end, KeepMe’s

eco-friendly bags are made from unbleached five-ounce cotton, drawn from

sustainable sources in India. No pesticides are used in the agricultural process and the

material is biodegradable, non-toxic and 100 per cent recyclable. It’s a level of

integrity of which Mr Anderson is very proud: “From the picking of the cotton in

Indian fields right through to its delivery to your door as a promotional bag, we

make sure the choices we make are as sustainable as possible. The result is a cotton

bag that is thoroughly responsible in every sense and a promotional item that is

virtually unmatched as an asset for your company’s positive profile.”

With regular weekly shipments to the UK from KeepMe’s Calcutta office, lead times

from just seven days and prices from as little as 46p per unit, the cotton bag is not just

the most desirable promotional accessory in the UK – it is also now one of the most

affordable.

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe

Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmepromotions.com

Web: www.keepmepromotions.com

Picture caption: The success of cotton bags in UK promotions has enabled

unprecedented reductions in price

……………………………………………..ENDS…………………………………………………

Editor’s notes

About KeepMe Promotions

KeepMe Promotions provides innovative promotional merchandise and design

services to the corporate sector.

As a champion of re-useable products, the company has been working to counteract

the wastefulness of the throwaway culture ever since its inception in 2004. Steve

Anderson, joint MD of the company and one of the largest bag suppliers in the UK,

aims to supply a superior alternative to conventional plastic bags by offering a re-

useable product that is both practical and cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes

right to the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box

ordered from Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a

personalised certificate for the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk.

The myth of the green bubble

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:08:37 +0000

KeepMe dispels the ‘Green Bubble’ myth

In 2004, KeepMe Bags was established as one of the first providers of re-useable bags

in the UK promotional industry. It introduced a wide range of cotton, paper and

polypropylene products to the market and, as the order books filled up, it quickly

became apparent that ecological integrity was able to play a very active part in the

success of a marketing campaign.

However, then, as now, the success of these green promotional products depended

upon their intrinsic value. If a branded bag was sufficiently desirable to be kept by the

public, it would provide a client with repeat exposure way out of proportion to the

financial investment required to produce it. Better still, the glaring common sense

behind a bag that could be re-used indefinitely ensured that any exposure would be of

a very modern and progressive kind. Steve Anderson, joint MD at KeepMe Bags,

knew then that this would be central to its success: “Using a promotional product

with demonstrable ‘eco-friendly’ value doesn’t just promote your brand. It

promotes your company ethos – and in the modern business environment, that is

absolutely critical.”

The scale of the success that has greeted re-useable bags since 2004 has certainly

been very marked but it is not reasonable to describe the rapid uptake in eco-friendly

promo products as a ‘green bubble’. On the contrary, this new alliance of business

efficiency and ecological respect has been a natural and sustainable development -

and as we move into 2010, Mr Anderson believes that the promotional industry is

more committed than ever to the use of green products: “This is not a matter for

conjecture. After just five years in business, our Indian plant employs 200 people

full time and manufactures half a million re-useable cotton bags a month. We don’t

produce these bags in a hopeful or speculative fashion. We produce them as a direct

response to demand from the UK promotional market.”

In fact even the onset of difficult economic conditions has done nothing to curtail

demand and that’s not just because cotton bags are better for the environment than

disposable plastic. It’s because they generate better results, as Mr Anderson explains:

“Plastic bags have become positively damaging to your company profile. They are

relics from an era to which no modern company wants to belong. By contrast, our

cotton bags can be re-used over extended periods, allowing you to embrace the

world of ecologically sound promotions with a product that is very easy to justify in

terms of financial outlay.”

So, is the ‘green bubble’ really bursting? Well it’s not an idea that gains any credence

at KeepMe Bags: “The green bubble has not burst because it was never a bubble.

There was never anything fragile or transient about it. On the contrary, it was a

positive, deliberate and necessary transition to a more sustainable way of doing

business. Neither complacency nor tough economic times can do anything to

undermine that fact.”

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmebags.com

Web: www.keepmebags.com

Caption: Steve Anderson is convinced that the green way of doing things is here to stay

……………………………….ENDS………………………………

Editor’s notes

KeepMe Bags is part of the KeepMe Group of companies, providing innovative

promotional merchandise and design services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the profligacy of the throwaway culture

ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company and one of

the largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to provide a superior alternative to

conventional plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and

cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes

right to the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box

ordered from Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a

personalised certificate for the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk.

Doing it for the kids

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:07:52 +0000

Bags of charity at KeepMe

KeepMe Bags, the company famous for its reinvention of the re-useable bag, recently

came to the rescue of a charity day for 120 of London’s disadvantaged kids.

A collection of volunteers committed to supporting children’s charities in London had

organised a day out at Jesus College in Cambridge for 120 inner-city children. They had

planned to give them a full day of entertainment, with sports, quizzes, arts, crafts and

circus skills but they needed KeepMe to step in at the last minute with a donation of long-

handled cotton shopping bags for the kids to paint on.

Jocy Williams, one of the event’s organisers, explains what it was all about: “KeepMe

were absolute lifesavers as our original arts and crafts idea fell through, and the

supplier I’d first contacted for the bags ended up being unable to help at quite short

notice. KeepMe took time to seek out bags for us that would be good for both boys and

girls, and with colours that would go beautifully with the craft materials we had.”

But Jocy says it was the speed of delivery that really hit the spot: “The orders came

through the next day, despite the postal strike happening. I couldn’t have dreamt of

better customer service and really valued the contribution that KeepMe made to

making the day such a success.”

KeepMe Bags MD, Steve Anderson, was delighted to be given the chance to help out:

“The whole idea of our re-useable merchandise is good ethics, so we like to follow

those same principles in the way we deal with charitable requests. This was another

chance for us to get involved in something that promotes the positive nature of what we

do here at KeepMe. We were just happy to be in a position to help out.”

KeepMe’s re-useable cotton bags are degradable, non-toxic and printed using only water-

based inks. They are also 100 per cent recyclable and robust enough to be manhandled

indefinitely by kids of any age. But what really makes these bags ideal for events like this

is the fact that they feel like worthwhile gifts in their own right. Certainly, Jocy has been

left in no doubt about the positivity of the reaction on the day: “Despite the range of ages

and abilities, all of the children were really engaged by the event and produced

beautiful bags – which they were very excited to go home and use.”

For further information on KeepMe’s latest range of cotton bags and promotional

accessories, call 01322 381144.

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmebags.com

Web: www.keepmebags.com

………………….ENDS……………………

Editor’s notes

KeepMe Bags is part of the KeepMe Group of companies, providing innovative

promotional merchandise and design services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the profligacy of the throwaway culture

ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company and one of the

largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to provide a superior alternative to conventional

plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes right to

the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box ordered from

Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a personalised certificate for

the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk.

The UK cottons on with ‘plastic-free’ day

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:00:18 +0000

Marine world cottons on

The world’s first ‘Plastic Bag Free Day’, supported by the Marine Conservation

Society, took place on 12 September 2009. The day was an attempt to reverse a trend

that, in a 2008 litter survey, found 8,174 plastic bags littering UK beaches on just one

weekend. On the day itself, around 140 towns and communities went ‘plastic bag

free’ for 24 hours and Dr Sue Kinsey, MCS Pollution Programme Manager, was

delighted with it: “This is a fantastic initiative and will hopefully act as an incentive

for everyone to leave plastic bags at the check out.”

As the marine world comes down in favour of re-useable bags, made from degradable

materials like cotton, Steve Anderson joint MD of KeepMe Bags is content that this

annual expression of public conscience is a very positive sign of the times: “In the

world of promotions and marketing, we all know that there are a hundred ways in

which modern cotton bags are vastly superior to the old plastic ones. Happily, events

like the Plastic Bag Free Day prove that the UK’s general public is becoming ever

more conscious of that fact.”

But if the positives of cotton aren’t compelling enough to put re-useable bags on your

promotional wish list, Steve Anderson thinks we would do well to consider the

potential negatives of plastic: “Your marketing department is not going to be best

pleased to see its branded plastic bag wrapped around the neck of a dying seabird on

a public beach. It’s an extreme example I know but it’s also a realistic one. You can

no longer think about just getting your name out there by any means available. You

have to think carefully about the platform you use to achieve that and, in the world of

bags, there remains nothing to beat cotton.”

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe

Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmebags.com

Web: www.keepmebags.com

Picture caption: The UK’s first ‘Plastic Bag Free Day’ is a sure sign that the

benefits of the cotton bag are receiving even greater public recognition

……………………………………………..ENDS…………………………………………………

Editor’s notes

About KeepMe Promotions

KeepMe Promotions provides innovative promotional merchandise and design

services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the wastefulness of the throwaway

culture ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company

and one of the largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to supply a superior alternative to

conventional plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and

cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes

right to the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box

ordered from Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a

personalised certificate for the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk

SueMe succeeds with branded bags

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:58:28 +0000

SueMe succeeds with KeepMe’s branded bags . . .

You see a pretty woman skipping down the High Street, holding a funky bag with

your brand emblazoned all over it. Or you see a family carrying your branded bags to

another high-profile event in which you have invested no financial stake . . .

Can there be a finer sight for you and your company?

Well this is a phenomenon increasingly enjoyed by the marketing gurus at SueMe.

Their cotton bags, manufactured by KeepMe and branded with their own SueMe

logos, are used throughout the world to help market a range of lifestyle products that

includes T-shirts, sweaters and a versatile form of headgear called a ‘Buff’. And every

week, new pictures emerge through online networking sites of events in which the

company has gained even more free public exposure . . .

It leaves Steve Anderson, MD at KeepMe Bags, in doubt as to why SueMe continues

to commission him for large numbers of cotton bags: “The guys at SueMe know that

a modern branded bag produces a return on investment way out of proportion to

the bags of old. The sheer impact of the repeat exposure that can be gained when a

bag is of intrinsic value to the user is immense. If you produce a bag well, the

public will like it enough to keep it, bringing your brand a long and happy airing at

a very small price.”

Naturally enough, James Lamont of SueMe is equally upbeat about his relationship

with a company so in tune with the need for re-useability in modern promotions:

“KeepMe do a great job. They are always quick to respond with real people and a

real service, and their bags are a great way to get our brand seen by lots of

customers at shows and events, as well as through our retail partners. The fact that

this packaging lasts, rather than being single use, is particularly important for us.”

In fact, the effective branding of a bag can sometimes create such a powerful appeal

that its contents become largely immaterial, as Sarah Gowans, Marketing Supremo for

the SueMe Buff range, points out: “As well as providing the cotton bags, KeepMe

also makes the paper bags for Buff and these have been hugely well received by

sponsored events – even when they don’t contain an item of Buff headwear, just

stickers and promo items. At retail shows and exhibitions they give us fantastic

visibility and consumers seem to love them.”

Obviously, in order to achieve the kind of success that SueMe has seen, a bag needs

to be well conceived from the start. It needs to be the right product, offered in the

right place at the right time. But with a broad range of bag styles and a dedicated in-

house design team, KeepMe remains ideally positioned to prove what the SueMe

marketing executives already know – that, far from being just an attractive accessory,

a promotional bag can be a fantastically effective asset in the marketing arsenal of the

modern business.

Caption: If a bag is good enough to be re-used, your brand has a platform way

more substantial than the investment required to produce it

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmebags.com

Web: www.keepmebags.com

SueMe Website: www.sueme.com

………………….ENDS……………………

Editor’s notes

KeepMe Bags is part of the KeepMe Group of companies, providing innovative

promotional merchandise and design services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the profligacy of the throwaway culture

ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company and one of

the largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to provide a superior alternative to

conventional plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and

cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes

right to the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box

ordered from Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a

personalised certificate for the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk.

Public Sector embraces KeepMe Bags

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:57:41 +0000

Public Sector chooses KeepMe

KeepMe Bags, the company famous for its reinvention of the re-useable bag, has seen

great success since its foundation in 2004 – and, given the plummeting appeal of the

throwaway plastic bag and the soaring popularity of eco-friendly alternatives, that has

been to some degree inevitable. But one area in which the spiraling increase in re-useable

bags has been particularly acute is that of the public sector . . .

More than any other area of business, the public sector has to consider the state of the

modern public consciousness in making its promotional choices. And, as our collective

green sensibilities develop, that means embracing ecological sustainability as a core

ethic. Steve Anderson, joint MD at KeepMe Bags, explains: “Public sector organisations

are in the unique position of delivering goods and services on behalf of the government,

through funding drawn, at least in part, from taxes paid by the likes of you and me. As a

result, the mantle of accountability weighs very heavily on the way they do business. They

can’t merely do a good job. They have to be seen to do a good job, in a way that is

explicit and well received by those of us who feel we have a stake in their operation. With

their self-evident sustainability, products like our cotton bags play a vital role in

achieving that.”

Even so, for public sector organisations it’s not just the integrity of a promotional product

that counts but the integrity of the supplier behind it – and as an ISO 9001 accredited

company, KeepMe is ideally placed to instill that confidence. Although it’s a relatively

new company, it is already one of the largest suppliers in the UK, with design and

manufacturing plants in India, China and Turkey and a range of happy customers,

ranging from high-profile commercial clients like Jamie Oliver to recipients of charitable

donations like Mencap and Meningitis UK.

But, given the importance of achieving demonstrable results from their investments,

another vital requirement for public sector business is control over the design process -

and with increased variety in the product range and upscaled production volumes,

KeepMe’s modern line-up is deliberately configured to provide that. By using the

interactive website you can specify the shape, the size, the handle length and the colour

of the bag you want. You can then work hand in hand with the in-house design team to

customise that bag to your exact requirements, allowing you complete autonomy over the

final decision before committing to an order.

Ultimately though, whether in the private or public sector, it’s the effectiveness of the

product that drives sales and Keepme’s re-useable cotton bags make more sense than

anything else on the market. They are biodegradable, non-toxic and printed using only

water-based inks. They are also 100 per cent recyclable and sufficiently robust to be re-

used indefinitely, radically improving effectiveness through positive repeat exposure.

Mr Anderson concludes: “The public sector has a responsibility to make the right

promotional choice in terms of quality, impact, ethical integrity and commercial sense. In

all respects, our cotton bags hit the mark.” With lead times from seven days, prices from

46p and cotton orders that have increased almost five-fold in the last six months, it’s

difficult to argue with that . . .

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmebags.com

Web: www.keepmebags.com

Picture caption: It is vital for the modern public sector to embrace sustainability as

an explicit element of any promotional campaign

………………………………………..ENDS………………………………………..

Editor’s notes

KeepMe Bags is part of the KeepMe Group of companies, providing innovative

promotional merchandise and design services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the profligacy of the throwaway culture

ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company and one of the

largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to offer a superior alternative to conventional

plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes right to

the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box ordered from

Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a personalised certificate for

the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk.

400% increase in cotton

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:56:27 +0000

KeepMe cotton quadruples

Real promotional effectiveness has never been about simply scrawling your company

logo on whatever medium comes to hand. Instead, it’s about recognising that the

medium itself says as much about your business as your slogans and your strap lines.

That means you need to think not just about the form a promotional item takes but

also the material from which it is made.

It is for exactly these reasons that the cotton bag has seen such a meteoric rise. In the

last six months alone, cotton sales at KeepMe Bags have quadrupled from a perfectly

healthy output of 75,000 per month to an astonishing 350,000 per month – and that

upward trend shows little evidence of abating.

There are alternatives to the cotton bag of course – not the least of which is

polypropylene, a product also offered by KeepMe. But no other fabric can yet match

the benefits of cotton. It is biodegradable, non-toxic and printed using only water-

based inks. It is also 100 per cent recyclable and strong enough to enable the bag to be

re-used indefinitely. But best of all, the fabric’s resolute durability is combined with

such an overtly organic appearance that the product feels environmentally sound the

moment you lay eyes on it.

Steve Anderson, joint MD at KeepMe, is unsurprised by the sheer scale of the market

shift: “When my brother and I got into the industry of promotional solutions, we

called our company ‘KeepMe’ because we knew that re-useability was the key to

promotional effectiveness. If a product with your logo emblazoned on it is kept,

valued and re-used by the recipient, it radically increases your company exposure.”

But of course, it takes more than just merit to see a promotional product achieve that

kind of success and Mr Anderson knows it: “I have never doubted the benefits of

cotton. After all, it looks good, it feels good, it’s green and it’s affordable. But these

benefits have to be recognised by the public for it to work and, in the case of cotton,

the scale of customer appreciation has been remarkable. The moment we made cotton

bags available to the UK industry, their use as part of a promotions package generated

a very positive response and from there, the success story has really taken off.”

To satisfy that growing demand, KeepMe has increased the variety in the product

range and upscaled production volumes to provide an extremely comprehensive

modern line-up of cotton bag options. You can now specify the shape, the size and the

handle length. You can also pick from a line-up of vibrant coloured bags that can add

greater impact as a backdrop for your company logo. And once you’ve selected the

bag type and colour, an in-house design team can help you customise the bag to suit

your company’s specific needs.

It might sound like an expensive process but economies of scale mean that it is

actually quite the opposite. With regular weekly shipments to the UK from KeepMe’s

overseas manufacturing plant, lead times from just seven days and prices from just

46p per unit, the cotton bag is far more accessible now than it has ever been. Call

01322 381144 for details.

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe

Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmepromotions.com

Web: www.keepmepromotions.com

Picture caption: With a 400% increase in six months, Steve Anderson sees the

KeepMe cotton bag as the ideal spearhead for a cost-effective promotional

campaign

……………………………………………..ENDS…………………………………………………

Editor’s notes

About KeepMe Promotions

KeepMe Promotions provides innovative promotional merchandise and design

services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the wastefulness of the throwaway

culture ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company

and one of the largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to supply a superior alternative to

conventional plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and

cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes

right to the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box

ordered from Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a

personalised certificate for the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk

Jamie Oliver chooses KeepMe

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:55:04 +0000

Jamie at Home chooses KeepMe Promotions

Since Jamie Oliver came to prominence as a celebrity chef, his public profile has

revolved around more than just good food. His involvement in acquainting the British

public with issues of welfare and morality in cooking has become central to what he

does, so it comes as no surprise that Jamie Oliver’s new party plan business, Jamie at

Home, has adopted the green route for its promotional campaign by choosing KeepMe

Promotions, not just for the branded cotton bags, but also for the various incentives

and accessories.

The idea behind Jamie at Home is a simple one. Similar to the tried and tested

Tupperware Party format, it involves a group of people gathering in someone’s living

room, sharing a bottle of wine and passing round a selection of products. But here,

instead of prosaic plastic boxes, you get to look at a constantly changing selection of

products for your house and garden from the new ‘Jme Collection’.

To that end, the Jamie at Home team approached KeepMe Bags with two basic

requirements – marketing tools and party gadgets. Kerry Pogmore of Jamie at Home

explains: “We wanted to ensure that our new Party Consultants had access to

everything they would need to feel part of the Jamie at Home business. The marketing

tools (bags and pens) will make sure they look professional and they will also receive

a start-up pack when they join, containing recruitment material and literature in a

Keepme Cotton Bag.”

KeepMe’s clients often take advantage of the advice offered by the company during

the design stages but, as an established brand with a fast approaching launch, the

Jamie at Home team needed very specific designs to a stringent time schedule. Kerry

Pogmore explains the thinking: “Two things really appealed about KeepMe’s

products. Firstly, the cotton bags and pens were spot on for our brand, in natural

colours with our corporate pink logo. And secondly the party gadgets (bag clips and

spaghetti measurers) were a quick solution. We needed incentive gifts within a couple

of weeks and Keepme really pulled it out of the bag when I desperately needed it. It

means that each party guest now has the opportunity to leave a party with something

for free – and who doesn’t want a freebie in the current climate!”

Kevin Anderson, joint MD of KeepMe Promotions, is certain that the Jamie at Home

job has been mutually productive: “The choice was a natural one for both parties.

They needed promotional merchandise that looked first rate but that could also

encompass the moral responsibility at the heart of what Jamie Oliver does. And we

were delighted to be approached by a company with such an impeccable UK profile –

and not just with flattering words but with a concrete commercial order.”

He concludes: “This is pleasing proof that our promotional merchandise is bang on

the money in the dynamic world of modern promotions. It looks great, it’s ethically

sound, it’s well priced and it makes a big impact. Factor in the quick turnaround

times and the friendly, professional service and I feel confident we are offering

exactly what the UK promotional market needs.”

Kerry Pogmore agrees, admitting that she actually enjoyed the experience of buying

promotional merchandise from KeepMe: “Kevin is a fun character. He makes pens

and bags genuinely interesting!” To find out what Kevin can do for your promotional

campaign, call KeepMe on 01322 381144 . . .

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe

Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmepromotions.com

Web: www.keepmepromotions.com

Picture caption: Keepme’s blend of ethically sustainable materials and vibrant

graphics is perfect for the new Jamie at Home Party Plan business

……………………………………………..ENDS…………………………………………………

Editor’s notes

About KeepMe Promotions

KeepMe Promotions provides innovative promotional merchandise and design

services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the wastefulness of the throwaway

culture ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company

and one of the largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to supply a superior alternative to

conventional plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and

cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes

right to the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box

ordered from Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a

personalised certificate for the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk

KeepMe Company Profile

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:53:52 +0000

KeepMe Promotions: a company profile

KeepMe Promotions was founded in 2004 with the intention of providing innovative

promotional merchandise, quality re-useable bags and design services to the corporate

sector. Since then, Steve Anderson, joint MD, has seen the company achieve tremendous

growth.

This “glory period” as Steve calls it has inevitably flattened off as the current economic

downturn has begun to take effect but the company has managed to maintain good

positive growth regardless. He believes there are two key reasons for this extraordinary

success:

“Firstly, we know our market intimately. We know what sells because we know what

works. And secondly, we design and build all our own products. We have manufacturing

facilities in China, Calcutta and Istanbul. And that means that we are completely non-

reliant on UK manufacturers. There are no middlemen to pay because we control our own

production, so the client gets a more effective product at a more accessible price.”

Among its most successful products has been the cotton bag. As wasteful plastic bags

have become less and less desirable, so the re-useable cotton bag has seen enormous

growth, with clients becoming fully aware of the fact that it is not just an environmentally

sound product but also a very useful, practical and affordable marketing tool. In fact, the

cotton bag has now become so successful that KeepMe’s Calcutta plant currently

employs 200 people full time and produces around half a million units per month.

The versatile non-woven polypropylene bag is also starting to look as though it may

emulate the success of cotton. But while re-useable bags have been the company’s staple

product, the Chinese manufacturing plant has also enabled significant growth in other

eco-friendly promotional items. These include recycled pens, notepads, lanyards and a

range of USB sticks that are built from materials as diverse and imaginative as

polypropylene, recycled plastic, paper, wood, metal, leather, bamboo and even corn.

KeepMe Promotions displayed some of the very best elements of this new range on its

stand at the 2009 Promota Show.

Steve Anderson

Steve spent 15 years working in investment management research, before travelling the

Far East and Australia. It was on his return to Britain in 2004 that he set up the company

with his brother, Kevin. His aim was to help counteract the wastefulness of the

throwaway culture by offering more sustainable alternatives that would work effectively

as promotional tools for his business clients.

Now with 15 employees at the sales and distribution unit in London, plus 30 people at the

plant in Istanbul, 200 in Calcutta and an ever-expanding Chinese facility, KeepMe

Promotions looks very strongly placed to carry its growth into the future.

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe

Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmebags.com

Web: www.keepmebags.com

Caption: The staple product of the KeepMe range remains high quality, eco-friendly, re-

useable bags

…………………………………………….ENDS………………………………………….

The Benefits of Recession

flyingpig — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:52:01 +0000

KeepMe promoting in 2010

For many, 2008 and 2009 were turbulent years. Some of the world’s largest financial institutions

went bust, banks stopped lending, house prices fell and interest rates were at their lowest

since the 1930s. But Steve Anderson, joint MD at KeepMe Promotions, feels no fear as

he guides his company into 2010 . . .

“Recession doesn’t scare me. I realise that certain sectors will suffer more than others but

history illustrates a trend – and that is that promotional marketing holds its own in times

of economic downturn.

“When times are good and big brands can splash the cash, it’s the ad agencies that get the

£10m TV advertising budgets. But this type of big scale branding activity is very difficult

to monitor in terms of return on investment so in problematic times, promotional

marketing, with its smaller budgets and ability to demonstrate concrete results, becomes a

far more attractive option.

“It can also present different ideas for growth. For example, at KeepMe Promotions, we

now get regular enquiries from companies that want to save money on printing their

corporate brochures by distributing them digitally on USB devices. It’s quicker, it’s

cheaper and it actually tends to make a greater impact.

“As for the challenges of economic downturn, well the media hype is a big issue. Take it

to heart and it might convince you that it’s not worth getting out of bed in the morning.

Some companies cut right back on their marketing activity in the hope that they can ride

out the storm. But at KeepMe we plan on stepping up a gear. We know that promotional

marketing holds its own, so why hold back? If anything, there is extra business to be won

from the competitors that are still in bed watching the news and forecasting difficulties.

“These may be uncertain times but one thing is beyond doubt – promotional marketing

will not come to a standstill. We just have to try a bit harder to do our jobs right and in

the end we’ll come out as a stronger company with a more solid client base.”

KeepMe Promotions is taking enquiries right now so if you want to take your

promotional activity forward in 2010, give Steve a call.

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe

Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmepromotions.com

Web: www.keepmepromotions.com

Picture caption: Steve Anderson is confident that in times of economic difficulty,

promotional activity becomes even more vital

……………………………………………..ENDS…………………………………………………

Editor’s notes

About KeepMe Promotions

KeepMe Promotions provides innovative promotional merchandise and design services to

the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the wastefulness of the throwaway culture

ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company and one of the

largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to supply a superior alternative to conventional

plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes right to

the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box ordered from

Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a personalised certificate for

the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk.