Drink to This: Important traits in promotional drinkware

By Amanda L. Cole

Shake It Up

If a traditional water bottle doesn’t fit your client’s needs, try a specialty bottle, like a protein shaker, which ETS Express Inc., Oxnard, Calif., and Gold Bond Inc., Hixson, Tenn., offer.

“As with everything promotional, added features and benefits create hot items,” Matt Hodges, marketing manager for Gold Bond, said. “The Cyclone Cup is literally the most versatile drinkware item we offer. It is the best human-powered blender/shaker on the market and can be used for everything from mixing up health drinks to scrambling eggs.

“A storage compartment screws onto the bottom of the bottle for powders and mixes to keep things separate until you are ready to shake things up.”

“We have yet to carry a piece like that,” Adam Kovar, vice president of operations for ETS Express Inc., said of the 28 oz. Contigo Shake & Go Fit, which debuts for ETS this month. “There’s several on the market. This one’s extremely unique because the ball is weighted, so it’s not a hollow ball. It’s a metal ball covered with plastic … so when you shake it, it’s going to mix up and granulate everything, and then the inner wall of the bottle is rounded on the bottom so the ball will actually get everything. So there aren’t any nooks and crannies where some of that powder will build up.”

He expects it to quickly become a customer favorite as it’s already his bottle of choice. “Whether or not you’re using that protein [powder], you can take the ball out of there and it’s a 28 oz. water bottle, so it’s perfect,” he said. “That’s the one I drink out of and I don’t even use the ball. I just use it for water because it’s 28 ounces and it’s got a big opening.”

Sports bottles aren't just for athletes, runners and gym-goers anymore. They've become an important sidekick for the health-conscious person. We're all thirsty, but with water becoming the drink of choice, and those consuming it not wanting to dispose of dozens of single-use water bottles a week, end-users are seeking a reusable and reliable sports bottle. With a few fills, we easily can reach the recommended 64 ounces of water a day. Besides quenching thirst, here are some of the top demands end-users have for a sports bottle.

Make It Insulated
The same insulation that keeps your coffee warm in your tumbler keeps your water chilled in your sports bottle. For the user tired of drinking lukewarm water while on the go, insulation is your answer. Adam Kovar, vice president of operations for ETS Express Inc., Oxnard, Calif., has noticed end-buyers are going for higher price points, as they understand the more expensive models' insulating capabilities. "There's a huge difference from a single-wall to a double-wall bottle, but they're willing to pay more when they actually understand how it affects their experience. Which is they put cold water in it and three to four hours later it's still cold versus they put cold water in it, and it's a single-wall bottle, and then it condensates and sweats all over the desk or whatever paper they may leave it on—which vacuum doesn't do," he said.

Double-wall insulation reduces the amount of energy that is released from the bottle, retaining the internal temperature for a longer duration and eliminating that condensation. Vacuum is the most effective insulation, followed by foam and air, respectively. If your clients aren't sure which works for them, let them see them in action. "Send a foam piece. Send a vacuum piece to your clients and let them try it," Kovar said. "They almost always get hooked to the vacuum one unless they're just overwhelmed with the style of the foam one."