Did you watch the Olympics? So did we. Now here's the multi-million dollar question - Did you watch the commercials?

Nope, neither did we.

We have a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) that records just like a VCR. It's wonderful because you don't have tapes to flip in and out, just a hard drive. I fast forwarded through all the commercials and watched only what I wanted to. I'm an advertiser's worst nightmare - and I'm not alone. Your customers are just like me. Scary, eh?

So how do you get your message in front of your customers and prospects where they can't fast forward through them? You guessed it. The lowly promotional product. A gift that costs you little, but stays in front of your customer for months or even years.

How much do you think the Olympics advertisers paid to get 30 seconds in front of an audience that has a DVR and knows how to use it? Millions. If you watched any of the commercials, did you even remember a single one?

Look around your desk, how many advertising pieces do you see from other companies? For me, I only keep the ones that a) are useful and b) are from companies I want to remember. Amazingly, they work. It may not be as glitzy as a 30 second Olympic commercial, but it sure will pay back in spades.

Now, how do you get your advertising message in the form of a promotional product in front of your customer? Well that's for another day.