Businesses: bounce back with a stand in photo board

September 10, 2020 admin

Now more than ever, a little bit of showmanship goes a long way for businesses. Which is why our stand-in photo board is proving so popular. It offers a classic photo opportunity for brands. People can’t resist stopping and taking photos of themselves, their friends and their families in a bright, colourful, memorable stand-in photo prop – with a business’s brand all over it.

This gives the business owner or salesperson a chance to chat to them if appropriate, and even if they don’t buy anything there and then, they have those photos on permanent record, and they might come looking for that business again next year or next time they pass by. Plus they are quite likely to share them on social media. Quite simply, stand-in photo boards are a proven marketing tool.

With exhibitions re-opening on the first of October unless the government says otherwise, it’s also time to think about presentation for trade shows and expos. A stand-in selfie board that screams a brand identity can be a big pull at events like these. People don’t just look at it, they interact with it and take photos. This quite literally gets people ‘into’ a brand. A little extra like a stand-in photo board goes a long way for driving customer engagement.

Stand in photo board — Seabrook Crisps love our photo stand in photo boards!

What are they made of?

Not cardboard! We print your bespoke design onto durable, weatherproof PVC board and add sturdy metal legs to keep it upright. A stand-in photo board is a one-time investment that can be used again and again. We’ve made them for all kinds and sizes of business, from small shops to the BBC and Tesco.

How do I get a stand-in photo board?

All you have to do is call us or send us an email, then we can talk to you about whether you have your own artwork or whether you’d like us to do a design for you. In the latter case, we would just ask for your logo and some measurements for the board. We can make a huge range of sizes, from a one-person selfie frame stand to a ginormous photo wall with multiple holes. Also, they don’t have to be square or rectangular – they can be any shape you like. So, for example, an ice cream parlour could have a stand in photo board shaped like an ice cream cone. There’s no limit to the imagination and fun you can have with these colourful marketing props!

Coming soon!

Our new range of Christmas stand-in photo props are coming very soon! Our customers have reported great results with their Christmas–themed boards. Bookmark this blog and follow our website for updates so you can snap one up as soon as they come out, and get ready to boost your business this Christmas.

Get in touch

If you would like our design team to work on a bespoke photo stand-in for your business then please get in touch:

email: office@connectedshopping.com

Tel: 01284 848330

Giant cards make a huge impact for special birthdays

September 3, 2020 admin

With large gatherings on hold, our giant cards have been an ideal way to make a BIG impact for birthdays, anniversaries and other important events. We’ve had so many requests for customisation that we are working on expanding the range that you see on the website.

In the meantime, here is a glimpse at some of the designs we have produced for customers recently – to show you what is possible and just how much of an impact the huge cards make on those special occasions.

Giant personalised 21st birthday card

Giant personalised card for 21st birthday — 5 foot 21st Birthday card, personalised with name on front and printed message on the inside

Photo collage giant birthday card

Photo collage giant card for 30th birthday. Individual messages from friends and family were printed on the inside.

Giant cards – a great centrepiece for garden parties

Customised giant card with photos, suitable for outdoors — Giant card makes a great focal point

Our cards are not made of floppy card but rigid, lightweight PVC board (Correx) that stands upright and is waterproof – making them an ideal centrepiece for small gatherings in the garden.

Giant card sizes

Our Mega Cards are just like a normal card but WAY bigger: sizes start at 50 x 75cm and go up to a whopping 100 x 150cm – that’s nearly 5 feet tall!

We have a range of off-the-peg designs to choose from for occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and other important events. But we can also customise with a photo or collage of photos and any message you send us.

On the inside, we can print your own message, or a series of messages from family members, or leave the inside blank to write your own.

How to order

If you would like to place an order for a Customised Giant Card – you can visit our website and place an order for a “Custom Mega Card”. Our design team will then pick up and get in touch to discuss how you would like it personalised. We will work with you until you are happy with the design before printing to the highest of quality and delivering to you by courier.

Email: office@connectedshopping.com

Tel: 01284 848330

Hand sanitiser station_6 dispensers_school entrance

Hand sanitiser stations for soft plays, nurseries and schools

August 14, 2020 admin

At Photo Cutouts we often customise our existing designs to meet the needs of our customers. Since launching our hand sanitiser stations, we have worked with our clients to adapt the design for children. With the recent easing of lockdown restrictions to allow soft play centres to open, and the start of the school term on the horizon (hang in there parents!), here is some food for thought on customising sanitation stations for children.

Clear and simple artwork

Our current artwork is simple and easy to understand and has been a hit with several schools for that reason.

The design includes 3 clear steps:
1. Dispense alcohol gel
2. Rub into your hands thoroughly
3. Rub until gel has evaporated

If you have a slogan or rhyme that you are using to help children remember the importance of hand hygiene, then we can adapt these steps to suit your messaging.

Bright and colourful designs

We are able to produce boards in the range of designs to suit the age range of children at your setting. We can also incorporate any company mascots that children may already be familiar with. Give us your brief and our designers can come up with a bespoke solution.

Dispenser height for children

Soft play centres, nurseries and primary schools can request a lower position for the dispenser units. Toddlers, pre-schoolers and Early Years children may find the sanitiser stations easier to use independently with a lower dispenser height.

Wheeled sanitiser stations

Having castors on the sanitiser stations is useful for bringing hand washing to the children and reduces movement around schools, nurseries and soft plays.

At schools, children are most likely to be eating lunch in their classrooms. So having a wheeled sanitiser station will come in handy for teachers to take between classrooms.

At soft plays – the sanitiser station can be moved across to the party table for guests to clean their hands before eating.

Where one-way systems are in place, wheeled sanitiser stations can be moved from the entrance to exit points with ease.

Doubled-sided options

Keep socially distanced queues moving at the start and end of the school day, or between sessions with doubled-sided hand sanitiser stations. Children are not known for their patience when queuing so help reduce the stress of waiting in line with eager little ones.

Get in touch

If you are interested in using branded hand sanitiser stations at your school, nursery or soft play, then please get in touch with the team. We are more than happy to adapt our designs to suit the needs of your setting.

Tel: 01284 848330

email: office@connectedshopping.com

Seaside themed cutouts create a nostalgic photo opportunity

August 11, 2020 admin

The seaside is the home of the photo cutout, or peep boards. Since the early 50’s face-in-the-hole boards have been a prominent form of entertainment at our seaside towns. More people than ever are spending their summer holidays in the UK this year for obvious reasons, and with this warm weather, trips to the coast are on the agenda for the 2020 staycation. (Although we advise steering clear of the busy hotspots, don’t want to end up on the 10 o’clock news!). So before the thunderstorms hit, let’s revisit to some of the seaside themed face-in-the-hole boards we have produced for a range of clients.

Seaview Beach Café

Situated directly on the seafront of West Runton beach, Seaview Beach Café wanted to create a memorable photo opportunity for beachgoers. This face-in-the-hole board has a fun design, fully branded with the café logo and hashtag. Easily moveable, the peep board can be positioned outside in low winds or within the café itself.

Professor Shambles

A classic Punch and Judy board for children’s entertainer Professor Shambles. This is one of our stock seaside boards with the customer’s name, tagline and phone number added. Easy to transport, Professor Shambles can assemble the board at each party location. Face holes are positioned at an ideal height for children so party-goers return home with a fun, branded photo to remember the event.

Berties Fish and Chip restaurant

Edinburgh’s “Place To Be” for the best fish and chips, chose to tap into the nostalgia of fish and chips at the seaside. Berties Fish and Chips brought the seaside to Edinburgh with a ‘Thin Tim and Big Bertha’ photo cutout board. The board captures the traditional humour of the peep board and engages with customers and passersby of the restaurant.

Bertie's Fish and Chips - Edinburgh - Thin Tim and Big Bertha seaside photo cutout

Blue Flag England

Keep Britain Tidy commissioned some Blue Flag boards to promote clean beaches and those awarded with a #BestBeaches award. Custom designed seaside themed cutouts are an engaging way to generate awareness of the clean beaches campaign. Here’s one of the Blue Flag boards in action:

Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

Sailing superstar Ellen MacArthur’s charity helps children and young people regain their confidence after cancer. This fun interactive board is used at their live events to promote the charity’s message with its Twitter, Facebook and Instagram handles.

#FFSLDN

For Fish’s Sake London is a campaign by environmental charity Hubbub. The message is clear: don’t drop litter in London where it can end up in the Thames, because it really gives aquatic life there a hard time. These underwater-themed cutout boards have been used down by the river to promote awareness.

Peter James book launch

When bestselling novelist Peter James launched his Roy Grace novel, Need You Dead, in Brighton, his publicist commissioned this cops and robber’s themed photo board. The board was used as a photo opportunity for fans at a book signing as they waited for his autograph.

Being by the seaside, a fun face-in-the-hole board was a fitting tribute to the location and the cops and robbers theme lent itself perfectly to the crime genre of the novel.

Photo Cutouts’ seaside themed boards

At Photo Cutouts we have a range of seaside themed boards that are available to hire or to buy. Our designs can be customised with your own logo and hashtags if you wish. Alternatively, you can brief our designers with what you are looking for. We will then sketch out the image for you to feedback and add some colour to create your own custom-designed face-in-the-hole board.

TOWIE's Shelby and Sam in seaside photo cutout board — Seaside photo cutout featured on TOWIE

Covid safe

We can work with you to help you to come up with a Covid safe solution so the fun of face-in-the-hole boards can still be enjoyed. Whether that might be having a series of single hole boards spaced out 2m apart, or a larger board with 1m+ distance between face holes, or providing sanitising solutions, get in touch to discuss the requirements of your event or venue.

Get in touch

Photo Cutouts produce a range of customisable large format print options and event entertainment. We aim to create fun and engaging photo opportunities. Get in touch and our design team will work with you to come up with the best solutions for your next event.

Email: office@connectedshopping.com

Tel: 01284 848330

London Party Boats introduce Social Distance River Cruise

July 11, 2020July 11, 2020 admin

London Party Boats have reopened after lockdown with the launch of the Social Distance River Cruise. Prior to launch, the team at London Party Boats worked hard to meet the Government guidelines for reopening. They approached us for 2 branded hand sanitiser stations to position on the dock for guests.

London Party Boats Hand Sanitiser Stations — Hand Sanitiser Stations ready to welcome guests at Festival Pier

The reduction to 1m+ social distancing rules have helped make reopening more feasible for such businesses. Every effort has been made to keep guests of the floating party venue safe. Onboard, tables have been positioned at a safe distance, table service is in place and there is even a retractable glass roof (weather permitting), to keep the air flowing.

London Party Boats opted for singe dispenser hand sanitiser stations, complete with their logo and own messaging. The hand sanitiser stations are freestanding and portable so can be moved inside on closing up. Guests will find them positioned on the dock at Festival Pier to use to sanitise their hands on entering the boat.

Branded hand sanitiser station — All aboard! But do clean your hands first

Operating at 25% capacity, the Social Distance River Cruise is a great opportunity to get out but avoiding any crowded pubs and restaurants. The 2 hour cruises are running every Saturday throughout July and August, book here and don’t forget to “Clean Your Hands” when boarding.

Hand Sanitiser Stations

Our hand sanitiser stations are freestanding and portable. They can be positioned indoors or out. They also include universal, bulk-fill dispensers. The dispensers can be used with any alcohol gel so you will not be restricted to the product that you refill with.

If you would like a chat with the team about introducing our hand sanitiser stations to your business or venue, then give us a call.

Our lead time is currently 10-14 days. If you have a tight deadline, then let us know and we can do our best to meet your timings.

Email the team: office@connectedshopping.com

Give us a call: 01284 848330

Hand Sanitiser Stations help welcome pupils back to school

June 5, 2020 admin

Our hand sanitiser stations have been popular with schools welcoming back pupils post lockdown. The team have been busy this week producing boards in a range of variations, to suit each school’s needs.

As the country tries to adapt to a new normal, hand washing and hand sanitising are hugely important in helping to control the virus. Schools have had to make several changes to their settings to make staff, pupils and their families feel safe.

Hand sanitising at school

Providing hand sanitising facilities at the entrances to the school is one way that hygiene can be maintained. It is not always practical to have hand washing facilities and hand sanitising is the next best alternative.

The hand sanitising stations we have been producing for schools this week has been varied.

Some schools have opted for multiple, single dispenser stations – which can then be positioned at strategic locations throughout the building.

Others have gone for a double-sided, 4 dispenser board to help pupils maintain distance and keep the flow of children entering the school moving steadily.

Another school have opted for a 6 dispenser sanitiser station at the entrance, having multiple dispensers will reduce the need for refilling throughout the day and again help to keep the line moving on the way into school.

The clear messaging of the artwork is easily understandable for children. The artwork has also included the school logo, helping to reinforce the message that hygiene is very much part of the school’s ethos post lockdown.

Get in touch

If you would like a chat with the team about introducing hand sanitiser stations to your school, office, store entrance, then give us a call.

Our lead time is currently 10-14 days. If you have a tight deadline (perhaps due to the ever-changing guidelines!), then let us know and we can do our best to meet your timings.

Email the team: office@connectedshopping.com

Give us a call: 01284 848330

5 examples of public awareness campaigns with photo cutout boards

April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 admin

Getting people into awareness campaigns – literally!

Many of public awareness campaigns by causes, nonprofits and social enterprises have used our photo cutout boards. They make a great engagement tool to educate their audiences and help keep their campaign messages top of mind. The boards help to create a focus for people to interact with as well as a photo opportunity, and with the campaign’s message and hashtag splashed all over the board, well … photos get shared, and that amplifies the message across social.

Here are five examples of the public awareness campaign boards we have supplied.

1. #FFSLDN

For Fish’s Sake London is a campaign by environmental charity Hubbub. The message is clear: don’t drop litter in London where it can end up in the Thames, because it really gives aquatic life there a hard time. These boards have been used down by the river to promote awareness.

2. #Beesneeds

This was just last week. #BeesNeeds is a campaign by DEFRA and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to promote awareness of bees and other pollinators. London’s Carnaby Street was renamed Carnabee Street for a week and our board was part of the campaign.

3. Affinity Water

Okay, this one was last November, but we’ve included it because we liked it! Here’s a slightly grainy shot from Twitter – but you can see people having fun with the board! The campaign message? Save water.

4. Keep Britain Tidy

This one needs no introduction. These boards are used extensively in campaigns around the UK. The message: be a litter hero. Be like Trash Girl.

5. Green Flag Wales

On a related note, here’s our board for Green Flag Wales, aiming to change perceptions about green spaces. The board is pictured with some of the campaign team.

Are you involved in a charity or social enterprise? Would you like to raise awareness of your cause with a photo cutout board? Call us today on 01284 848330 or email office@connectedshopping.com to talk about getting a board made.

Future Beauty Labs entertain guests with branded table tennis

April 21, 2020 admin

Earlier this year, before the Coronavirus hit, we worked with Future Beauty Labs to provide branded table tennis for their corporate event.

Future Beauty Labs were hosting an event at Edition Hotel, London, a luxury, boutique hotel on the edge of Soho. They were entertaining some key clients and stakeholders. They were looking to provide entertainment that allowed the guests to socialise, with a bit of light-hearted competition, surrounded by Future Beauty Labs’ tanning products – Tan Luxe; Isle of Paradise and Tanologist.

We produced a branded table tennis table, in Future Beauty Labs pastel pink branding and replicated the company logo as it appeared on their website.

The table looked great! but don’t just take our word for it, here’s what the client had to say and photos of the ping pong table in-situ, ready for action!

“We absolutely love it, it’s just exactly what we were looking for so thank you so much for your help!”
Zoe Quinn, Influencer Executive, Future Beauty Labs.

Branded table tennis

Get in touch

If you are planning an event later in the year, then why not consider adding table tennis to the guest entertainment.

Competitive socialising was set to rise massively in popularity this year. We anticipate the appetite for experiences to be bigger than ever once the current restrictions are lifted.

Email: office@connectedshopping.com

Tel: 01284 848330