People ask us all the time why the name Promo Hounds. Well actually only a few have but that wouldn’t make for a good opening line. Anyway, I thought I’d explain. It is mainly because client’s often give us compliments for our ability to track down just the right product for their specific needs. We are VERY proud of this. Too often the response from competitors is to suggest whatever the latest fad is instead of taking into consideration what is really going to help the client convey their message. We use a Bloodhound in our logo to convey this. The dog in our logo is named Webb. He is my Bloodhound and is close to 11 years old now. That is an actual drawing of him in our logo, not just any Bloodhound.
Here’s a little info on why Bloodhounds are so good at tracking:
The Bloodhound’s nasal chambers (where scents are identified) are larger than those of most other breeds. The olfactory bulb in dogs is roughly forty times bigger than the olfactory bulb in humans, relative to total brain size, with 125 to 220 million olfactory receptors. Consequently, dogs have an olfactory sense 40 times more sensitive than that of a human. In some dog breeds, such as bloodhounds, the olfactory sense has nearly 300 million receptors.
The large, long pendent ears serve to prevent wind from scattering nearby skin cells while the dog’s nose is on the ground; the folds of wrinkled flesh under the lips and neck—called the shawl—serve to catch stray scent particles in the air or on a nearby branch as the bloodhound is scenting, reinforcing the scent in the dog’s memory and nose. However, not all agree that the long ears and loose skin are functional, some regard them as a handicap.
The Bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, and since the Middle Ages for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, it is known to French speakers as the Chien de Saint-Hubert.
This breed is famed for its ability to discern human scent over great distances, even days later. Its extraordinarily keen sense of smell is combined with a strong and tenacious tracking instinct, producing the ideal scent hound, and it is used by police and law enforcement all over the world to track escaped prisoners, missing people, lost children and lost pets.
Testimony of a Bloodhound’s trailing results is acceptable in almost any court. (Source: Wikipedia, AKC)
So what’s the difference between having us search versus searching online yourself? There are a few differences.
First of all we spend considerable time and money attending product shows, meeting with reps and doing whatever it takes to stay on top of the latest trends not just in products but in decoration methods also.
So if you do not know an item exists, you cannot search for it. It’s our job to be aware of all the items available.
We may be able to tell you right away if an item won’t work because say the imprint area is so small your logo won’t fit. Or perhaps we know of safety concerns with certain suppliers.
There are terms in this industry that are peculiar. So if you are not familiar with them and don’t put in the correct search term, you might not find what you want. For instance, a lot of trophies fall under the category of “Loving Cups”. Strange.
And then there’s the time factor. We do not charge for researching ideas for you. We only ask you not shop around our ideas elsewhere. So how much is your time worth?
So when people ask what sets Promo Hounds apart from its competitors, it is our excellent searching capabilities along with great customer service and prices. And Webb, nobody else has a Webb.
