The 2020 Genumarker of the Year, is none other than our entire Warehouse Team!

• Adam Crockford
• Albert Lewis
• Emily David
• Jesse Chan
• Lawrence Law
• Lindsay Vincents
• Michael Clemens
• Olga Rasyak
• Paulus Nepolo
• Raywati Moorsaleen
• Stephen Hutchinson
• Stephan Mason
• Todd Perks
• Tommy Ko
• Vic De Guzman

This team has been working continuously all year long through an unprecedented amount of volume we have seen due to the rise of working from home due to the pandemic. Through this year’s challenges, they have maintained their composure, even when facing an ever-increasing level of projects.

All of you in the warehouse are completely deserving of this award and we thank you for your work this year.

The Making of a Custom Christmas Sweater

Blue Santa and Ebeniza needed some help in coordinating with all the guests at the activation event as well as the Christmas party at Ronald McDonald House. To reward volunteers, and keep them warm, WestJet decided they wanted to dress them up in line with the holiday season and few things say Christmas attire like a Christmas sweater!

But WestJet had the foresight to start early on this project, putting the original ideas into full effect in late August, to ensure that the right amount of time was given for high quality production.

Working with Genumark, WestJet decided on the various design elements of the sweater, including logos, icons, and even the PMS number for the exact colour they wanted. From there, Genumark took over, dealing with the production and shipping to ensure no volunteer was left without a sweater.

WestJet Christmas Miracle

Last year, WestJet gave contestants the choice to either keep the gift they received, which was one of various WestJet packages or vouchers, or donate it to a family in need at Ronald McDonald’s House. 

As the parents had to tell their children, Ronald McDonald House is a special place for families who have kids in one of the various children’s hospitals. These families often come from far and the cost can get out of hand quickly. The Ronald McDonald House helps these families as best as they can.

There were no wrong choices, but there were definitely some special moments created.

Any family that donated was invited to a small Christmas Party at the Hamilton Ronald McDonald House so that they could donate their gift in person and help turn a family’s Christmas into something magical.

The Outcome Full of Holiday Cheer

Regardless of the choice contestants made, people walked away feeling good from either a well deserved vacation or by having donated to others who need a holiday cheer! WestJet was thrilled with not only the result of the Christmas Sweaters but of the entire campaign of last year’s Christmas Miracle. 

See for yourself by watching the video below and try not to cry!

Break It to Me Sweetly

Chocolate, dark specifically, has been a proven mood booster for some time. Add an aggression outlet and you have the perfect stress relief! Grab your hammer or loosen your fingers because we are going to break into the new year! 

Let’s start with dropping the hammer! These chocolate bars are available in both milk and dark chocolate and can be completely customized with your corporate logo or messaging if you do not want a stock design. Choose from 1 or 2 pounds of sweet delight and use the accompanying hammer to break it into whatever size you would like! Just picture the chocolate as the embodiment of 2020 and get smashing!

Looking for something with a little less smash? Well, alternatively, start the year off with delicious, break-off, Belgian chocolate with artistic (and customizable) colour splatter! Channel your inner Jackson Pollock and choose the colours that best match your message or brand!

Easy Pickin’ Branded Chocolate

Maybe you would like something simpler. A less active form of chocolate enjoyment. Really, it comes down to how good the chocolate taste and the positive feeling your gift has on its receiver.

These bite-sized chocolates come in boxes so that they can be easily grabbed and picked at when needed most. Whether you choose the chocolate box mix or the elegant dark chocolate covered almonds, you have different branding capabilities on the packaging that will send the right type of message for the intended receiver!

Alternatively, one of the most popular chocolate options we see year-over-year are these Sea Salt Caramel chocolates will have people salivating for a second piece after the first bite. If you are going for a delectable, elegant feeling to start the new year, then look no further. Just make sure you don’t eat them all before you send them out.

However you decide to start the new year, make sure you are promoting positive vibes! We all need a little TLC after this past year.

DIY Cookie Bake Set

Milk and cookies are a staple of any winter day, especially when stuck at home due to a snowstorm or, you know, a pandemic. Sending employees or clients a beautifully decorated DIY cookie bake set, you are setting yourself up to receive a gooey “Thank you.”

When it comes to kits, you have a couple different options.

Your first option is to go with a classic chocolate chip cookie made with high quality, retail ingredients, including Bob’s Red Mill baking soda and gluten free baking flour. That’s right! This bake set is gluten free, a perfect option to accommodate those with gluten intolerances! Take advantage of the large inside label that spans the length of the flap to add a vibrant message to cheer up even the biggest Grinch! 

Yield: ~3 dozen cookies

Looking for something smaller or a kit with more flavour and package decoration options? Well these bake kits come in a smaller size (under 20 cookies is personal sized… right?) and four popular recipes that will attract everyone to the serving plate; Sprinkle, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip, and Double Chocolate Chip! Hungry yet?

Yield: ~14-18 cookies depending on set

The Kitchen Gear

If you want to really impress, send the kitchen equipment along with the baking set. This is a great way to tie in other promotional items into the baking experience! Due to the surge in employees working from home, there has been a heavy increase in branding items that are of high perceived value and continuously usable at home. These items, while at a higher price point than traditional promotional products, create continued positive brand impressions as people find them practical and useful in everyday situations at home, one of the hardest places for your brand to stand out.

So make a statement! Add an item or two from this selection of kitchen equipment that will be needed for all the cookie bake sets above!

So throw on an apron and make some delectable memories happen this winter!

The 3 Layer Mask

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has come out in favour of 3 layer masks. It is now the gold standard in non-medical masks for keeping those around you safe.

According to Dr. Tam and the recently updated guidelines, the mask should be constructed as follows:

• Be made of at least 3 layers
• 2 layers should be tightly woven material fabric, such as cotton or linen
• the third (middle) layer should be a filter-type fabric, such as non-woven polypropylene fabric

Thankfully, (and unlike back in March-April) there is currently a steady supply chain of mask producers, many of which have already been developing 3 layer masks, for some time, that have a filter layer or a pocket to add a filter.

The Filter Layer

The filter layer is the main feature of the new non-medical mask standard. The recommendations are as follows:

• non-woven polypropylene fabric, which can be found as:
  • a craft fabric
  • the non-woven fabric that’s used to make some reusable shopping bags
• a disposable filter inserted into a pocket on the mask

To use these properly, you will need a 3 layer mask that has a pocket where a filter can be inserted. While the official recommendations open up flexibility in what can be used as a filter, the two most popular types of filters are the PM2.5 Activated Carbon and a PP Non-Woven Filter. 

The PP Non-Woven is the same type of material that is used in the typical surgical mask and consists of three different layers of polypropylene. They are meant for single use. 

The PM2.5 Activated Carbon filters are constructed of 5 layers of material that helps block pollution, dust, haze, etc while also adding an extra layer of protection in your masks. They cost slightly more than the PP Non-Wovens but are good for about 1 week of casual use.

What’s great is that the PPE industry has embraced the call for the added protection of a filter layer and are innovating by creating more relaxed face covering styles, such as bandanas and gaiters, to include pockets to add filters to as well.

Are Older Masks Still Good?

In short, it is a soft yes, if they met previously approved guidelines, they are still good in the meantime. The 3 layer recommended masks are an upgrade and an extra tool to combating the spread but not the absolute answer. Canadians should work towards replacing their 2 layer masks with the new 3 layer or try adding a filter to their 2 layer.

According to Dr. Tam, the most important part of any mask is how it fits. It should contour tightly to the nose and be made of good quality material. The general rule of thumb is that you ought to have a mask that you can easily breathe with but should make blowing out a candle difficult or impossible.

When purchasing a mask, make sure that comfort and fit are the most important features. Adjustable ear loops and a nose clip can help fix a mask properly to the face to avoid particles from escaping.

Many mask suppliers are also developing their own treatments that are added to the material to help give the masks another coating of protection that will hopefully aid in the mask effectiveness but also allow them a longer lifespan for use. For example, these 2 layer masks require less washing as the fabric is treated with an antimicrobial solution!

There is still no “one solution” to dealing with COVID-19. The new 3 layer mask guidelines are a step, backed by science, in helping to keep the numbers. If you have any questions about the different mask choices available to you, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Genumark Account Manager who can help you find the best recommended mask for your budget.

Stay safe!

How To Get Employees to Buy Into an Office Party from Home

Wondering if your staff won’t be motivated to jump online? Worried about Zoom fatigue?

Throw those ideas out the window! Sure, we can assume employees have spent the better part of the year working in their pajamas and hosting virtual meetings dressed only from the waist up and in a ball cap. However, everyone loves to let loose and do something completely different from what they do every other day.

You will need to make sure this does not feel like a normal, every day meeting! There is to be no minute taker, loose dress code and only short speeches. 

In order to make it a success, you need to remember that people will be mostly sitting and staring at their computer screens so you need to include some essential pieces:

• Snacks
• Cocktails
• Games
• Gifts

Creating the Perfect Virtual Office Party

Just like any good party, you need to set the mood of your party in your invitation. No shortcuts! With so many jobs requiring daily digital use, an invitation that looks just like any other email or virtual meeting request will be glanced over, perhaps not even opened. Worse, it may generate so little excitement when read that the invitation is declined. But not your office party! 

Get them pumped up with some eye-catching graphics, animated invitations, or, send them a good ol’ fashion physical invitation card. With so much digital work, the sensory effect of a card will give a big boost to excitement generation!

Speech! Make sure to also take some time to thank your employees for the year past. Whether you are reading this in 2020 or 2025, coronavirus has changed our personal lives and how we work, so recognizing hard work will go a long way!

Nom, Nom – The Importance of Snacks

A staple of any good party is snacks. People will congregate around them, fill their bellies, and use them as a social barrier and this is no different for a virtual party! Since this year’s office party will not be in person, your guests will need something to distract them from wondering what to do with their hands… plus, who doesn’t love some yummy snacks!

Thankfully, you can find delectable snack kits for all price points and sizes with the option of branding them to make them feel like a proper gift. See our guide below for a couple of ideas!

Cheers to Cocktails

Drinks are always a must at any holiday party! Even better if they pair well with your snacks. However, they don’t always need to be alcoholic! Many of the most popular cocktail recipes have virgin variations. You can send your guests different recipes to try, cocktail mixes, “everything but the booze” kits (which would include barware), or hire an expert mixologist to teach your guests new drinks before the party gets rocking!

Want an easy recipe? We have a delicious Moscow Mule Recipe (Boozy & Virgin) that will go great at any virtual party at the bottom of this blog post.

Settle the Score with Party Games

With people staring at a screen, drinks and snacks alone won’t be able to occupy your guests for the length of the party. So introduce some fun! Regardless of how many people work at your company, there is a virtual game that can be played!

Bingo

A classic group game that easily transfers to online. Have your employees request (or buy if donating to charity) cards ahead of time and send them with their invitation or care package. Have one member act as the Bingo Moderator and draw the numbers and then BINGO!

Trivia

Always a favourite, it has become wildly popular on Zoom due to a lot more people spending time at home. It is often easy to find a volunteer to be the Trivia Master and piece together a list of great trivia questions. Alternatively, you could use a random question generator to curate questions for you!

To make your life easier, we’ve also put together a short 21 question trivia for you to take and use in your own games!

Charades

Easily played over Zoom, break up your guests into two teams and have them compete against each other! Gather suggestions before the event or use a random idea generator for the cue. Then hope that your teammates have some acting talent!

Werewolf

Werewolf is a social seduction game spun off a popular party game called Mafia. However, Werewolf has taken the time to codify rules and create physical and digital assets to make the game more fun and interactive! Thankfully, this can be easily translated to a virtual capacity and is great for larger groups! You require one person to volunteer as the Narrator, and they will secretly give out the roles to the others. Here is a full set of suggested rules that helps bring this fun party game to the Zoom screen!

Jackbox Party Games

The ultimate choice of virtual party game, with so many game options that can cater to different tastes, it will keep your group laughing and having fun for hours! Each Party Pack comes with a bundle of different games that can be shared via Zoom and users play by answering questions on their phone or tablet and seeing the resulting chaos on screen. The only downside to this is that these games have a cap of 10 players, so this is suited to smaller companies or teams within a company.

Drop-shipped Secret Santa / Gift Swap

A holiday season tradition! Secret Santa, sometimes known as Gift Swap (not to be confused with Yankee Gift Swap), is covertly pulling a random participant name and getting that person a gift, all without them knowing who it is from! Since pulling names is now difficult, using an app like elfster can keep the spirit of Secret Santa going! Your employees can take turns opening their gifts on screen and guessing whom their Santa may be!

Loved these ideas and looking for more? Check out our Holiday Mini Guide #1 – The Story of the Office Party that Stayed Home. It has loads of brandable products you can use to make your virtual office party memorable!

Creativity Through Packaging

Receiving items in a classic box or bag will already put your gifts leaps and bounds ahead in creating memorable brand impressions. You can take that to the next level by choosing packaging that will make the receiver smile or say “wow!”

Browse through our newest Holiday Mini Guide, Stuffed Kits, for ideas on choosing unique packaging and items to fit within.

If you already have some ideas percolating, then let’s get started!