eNewsletter: November 2008

Holiday Gift Issue

The holidays are right around the corner and Rewards Direct is here to help. In this issue, we've rounded up the hottest trends and the coolest must-haves to help make your gift-giving easier. Let Rewards Direct be your corporate gift guide for employees, customers, channel partners, sales personnel and more. View our rewards catalog online at www.rewardsdirect.com. Or email info@rewardsdirect.com or call 800-298-8729 to discuss your holiday gift-giving needs.

In this edition:

Hot new item: Canon Powershot Digital Camera

The Great Family "Insperience:" The Antidote to Challenging Times

Trend Watch: Give While You Get. Get While You Give.

What People Want Right Now: Holiday 2008 Ideas

Brand Spotlight: Canon

Hot New Item

Canon PowerShot Digital Camera

Simply put, a digital camera is an ideal corporate holiday gift.  We could share scores of reasons why we think so, but here are a few:

1. They're a gift for the recipient's whole family each and every time they use it (which will be often and for years to come), they'll think of you and your generosity;
2. They're non-gender specific and not too "personal" so you won't make a gift "oops;"
3. There's always a latest model to satisfy even the most persnickety gadget guru on your list.

A popular digital camera favorite, the Canon PowerShot allows you to have a little fun on both sides of the camera. Enjoy lush color output with stunning 7-megapixel pictures. Precision face-detection technology automatically sets focus, exposure, flash and white balance for greater shooting freedom. The high-resolution, 2.5" LCD makes on-camera viewing easy, so you can set up and review all your shots. Enjoy a 3.4x optical zoom with Canon's DiG!C III Image Processor to ensure sharper images and improved functionality.

Here's the bottom line from CNET.com: For the money, you'd have a hard time finding a better snapshot camera.

The Great Family "Insperience:" The Antidote to Challenging Times

To nourish their spirits, create joy and comfort themselves during these uncertain times, families are turning inward. People are searching for ways to take care of themselves and their loved ones. In the '90s, we called it "cocooning." Today it's all about pleasurable "insperiences." In fact, in the trade publication PhysOrg.com, the Consumer Electronics Association said "sales of gadgets are thriving as people hunker down in their homes to weather the brutal economic storm battering world markets." To foster rewarding insperiences, Rewards Direct recommends these three engaging, and very fun items, to enhance family time and help create wonderful family memories:

Nintendo Wii Fit Step onto the Wii Balance Board and into a fun way to get fit! The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to a pressure-sensitive Wii balance board, which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.
Harvard Double Shootout Basketball Game Game on! Lace up your sneakers, and start poppin' your signature outside shot in this arcade-style, 2-goal basketball game. Check out this new twist: Crisscross scoring features light-up arrows, so you can shoot at your opponent's goal and score for yourself. Equipped with 2-player electronic scoring and triple-sensor infrared eyes for scoring accuracy. You get a pump and 6 mini basketballs for nonstop action. Folds to save space when not in use.
Wireless DVD Home Theater System Immerse your room with sound worthy of your HDTV. And while you fill the room with sound, you won't fill it with wires! This wireless surround-sound system features a 5-disc DVD changer with HDMI up-conversion and an FM digital tuner.

Trend Watch: Give While You Get. Get While You Give.

The desire to be generous becomes especially pronounced during time of economic difficulty. People feel compelled to do more, to give more, even if it's more difficult to do so. Fortunately, some of the most beloved brands have come up with a way that enables shoppers to give while they get, and get while they give. These are quality products and help out great causes at the same time. Cause-related marketing has proven to be very successful in increasing sales for sought-after brand consumer brands. A major consumer trend pertaining to cause-related marketing are Status Stories, which represents a shift from brands telling a story, to brands helping consumers share positive stories about the good they are doing by purchasing certain items. Here are some examples from the Rewards Direct cause-marketing collection:

The Good Bead Ribbon Awareness Bracelet	Whatever it Takes Celebrity Mugs
Oakley Livestrong Sunglasses	Bake Me A Wish Cake

What People Want Right Now: Holiday 2008 Ideas

In each issue, Rewards Direct takes the pulse of thousands of corporate rewards programs to find out what participants are most jazzed about. Here's the top 10 list for the upcoming holiday season.

For more information about these rewards, and to view other categories, please visit rewardsdirect.com.

Brand Spotlight: Canon

Canon U.S.A. is a world leader in optics that delivers consumer, business-to-business and industrial imaging solutions.  Canon is recognized as a global manufacturer of high quality cameras, lenses, camcorders, printers, scanners, and binoculars.  Canon offers employers the products they need to motivate and reward employees and clients with products from a brand name.  The name Canon is synonymous with landmark products and names like EOS, PowerShot, PIXMA, Double Shot, ELPH and Sure Shot. Canon is the leader in high quality photographic products.  Canon is serving the "incentive industry" with an impressive line of Digital Cameras, SLR cameras, Photo Printers, Binoculars, High Definition Camcorders, Multifunction Printers, Flatbed Print/Film Scanners and Calculators as a Perfect gift to fit anyone's lifestyle.

Everyone works harder when you offer them a Canon as an incentive or reward.  Whether it's showing customers how much you appreciate them, acknowledging how much you value employees, or recognizing channel partners for their teamwork, products from a world leader in imaging products are the perfect choice. Your recipients will treasure them, and the memories they create, for years to come.