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Monday
May 21, 2012 ASI Raises the Bar with ESP WebsitesFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties ASI is in the business of providing solutions that directly benefit members, which makes today’s launch of ESP Websites as good as it gets. During countless focus groups, we listened to what members had to say and delivered a product that met all their needs, from social media and videos all the way to virtual-ready samples. I think it’s clear no one else in the industry can match the accuracy, power and shopping sophistication of ESP Websites. Best of all, LogoMall customers can upgrade to an ESP Website for free, plus receive a free ESP Website to brand for a best customer. Built for sales and gunning for leads, the new ESP Websites™ couldn’t be easier or faster. With one-click ease, distributors get hundreds of templates to choose from and instant access to the latest online tools and features needed to quickly create a distinct, custom-designed website. Most important, all sites are e-commerce enabled, allowing members to accept credit cards and customers to make down payments to secure orders. The built-in features of every ESP Website include:
Dozens of ASI employees dedicated themselves to perfecting ESP Websites. From concept to launch, it took nearly a year – with 15,000 hours alone devoted to development. During development, we kept the conversations rolling, asking numerous distributors to take ESP Websites for a test drive. The execs at Top 40 distributor Brown & Bigelow were so impressed the company is now offering it to their top performing salespeople. Here’s what William D. Smith, Jr., the company’s executive vice president, had to say: “We’re excited ASI has created a state-of-the-art solution that provides our salespeople with a professional, functional and personal web presence. The functionality addresses the needs of tech savvy clients and sales people, with social media links, virtual sample creation, artwork transfers, shopping cart and payment processing. From a corporate perspective, we appreciate that one administrator can easily update editorial content and merchandise on all of the sites, eliminating the need for each salesperson to focus on these tasks. This is an amazing solution we’re proud to offer our team.” As a stamp of approval goes, it doesn’t get much better than that. To upgrade, visit www.asicentral.com/ESPwebsites or call ASI support at 1 (800) 546-1350. New ESP Website customers are eligible to receive a free ESP Website to brand for a best customer. Contact your ASI account executive at 1 (800) 546-1350 or visit www.asicentral.com/ESPwebsites. Let me know what you think of ESP Websites by posting a comment, and if you have any questions, please e-mail me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
April 20, 2012 Earth FirstFiled under: Community, Industry Initiatives, Members, Using Ad Specialties I still have the $10 Earth Day T-shirt (my first ad specialty tee!) I helped sell in the quad in 1982 during my first fundraiser as secretary of the Society of Professional Journalists at Ball State University. I’m still involved in ad specialties and still concerned about doing all I can to help protect the Earth. Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on April 22, and more companies than ever before are using “green” giveaways to promote their commitment to the environment while advertising their brand, product or event. This year, in what’s become an annual Top 10 list of eco-friendly freebies from ASI®, the theme is products made from renewable resources like bamboo and using manufacturing processes that don’t harm the environment. It’s clear there’s no better way for a company to advertise its brand and its conscience all year long than with logoed giveaways that are biodegradable, all-natural or mercury-free. To see a Joe Show, photos and descriptions featured on this year’s Top 10 list, click here. ASI’s Top 10 Eco-Friendly Freebies: 1. Stone paper journal, from Yanlee Trading Co. (asi/98766). An eco-friendly alternative made from actual stone via a bleach-free process, making it recyclable, compostable, smudge-resistant, water-resistant and tear-proof. 2. Eco golf balls, from MVP Gift Bag (asi/68322). Made from recycled golf balls and packaged in boxes made from recycled paper. Comes with pre-addressed pouch so damaged balls can be returned, recycled and replaced by manufacturer. 3. Seeded paper, from Symphony Seed Paper (asi/74930). Honor Earth Day by planting flowers from seeds embedded in paper branded with company logo. 4. Wooden bead Karma bracelets (asi/78140) from Pinnacle Designs. Made from all-natural wood, easy to imprint. 5. Water bottle with carbon filter, from Ad-N-Art (asi/31518). BPA-free, squeezable water bottle with a carbon filter keeps 200 fewer water bottles from the landfill. Filter allows for turning public fountain or spigot water into clean drinking water. 6. Eco-tee, from Royal Apparel (asi/83731). Tee consists of 50% organic cotton and 50% polyester made from recycled water bottles. Imprinted with water-safe inks and made in the USA. 7. Bamboo serving utensils, from Bay State Specialty Co. (asi/38980). Bamboo grows upwards of 6 feet a day without fertilizers or pesticides. 8. Billboard bags, from Landes Inc. (asi/66230). Worried about your used vinyl billboards and banners clogging up landfills? Landes recycles them into attention-grabbing bags. 9. Dog training treats and pad balm, from Solar Advertising (asi/88148). Made from all-natural, organic materials. Tube is biodegradable. 10. Coco-Eco flip-flops, from Neet Feet (asi/73525). Made from recycled rubber and recycled coconut fibers, they’re great for promoting any company associated with the great outdoors. Let me know what Earth Day product is your current favorite or what your company is doing to promote Earth Day values by posting a comment or e-mailing me. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
April 16, 2012 Media File: Big, Bigger, BestFiled under: ASI Shows, Members, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Sometimes, bigger is definitely better. Roller coasters, sales commissions, even juicy hamburgers – they’re all better bigger. To that list you can add 2012 Media File, the world’s largest promotional products catalog. This hardcover catalog is such an essential sales tool that we’ve already pre-sold 65% of all available copies. This year’s edition – incredibly, our 57th – contains thousands of products from hundreds of suppliers (including 49 new suppliers) in all price ranges, along with promotional planning guides and end-buyer case studies perfect to take along to your next sales call. Price and product indexes make it easy to choose products to suit any client’s budget. In addition, the 2012 Media File comes packed with ASI’s End Buyer Catalog Study facts to help prove the enduring ROI of ad specialties. But what really sets Media File apart are the products – everything from customized playing cards, colorful drinkware and cool USB flash drives to unique athletic souvenirs, awesome executive gifts, go-green items and even prize wheels, along with favorite campaign standards. It’s big, it’s undeniably beautiful and it’s selling fast. You can order yours online by clicking here. If you have any questions or want to discuss special offers, contact Dan Brown, ASI’s executive director of distributor services, at dbrown@asicentral.com or at 800-546-1365. And remember, selling through catalogs continues to be an effective marketing medium for distributors and suppliers. ASI studies show over 86% of active distributors declare catalogs to be important or even essential for generating sales. As we prepare to head to the Big Apple for our New York show, I want to share one last Tim’s Take video from San Diego. We shot this right after the Michael J. Fox keynote, which inspired an audience of about 500. I was particularly moved by his message of hope in the face of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, as my mom lived with the disease for over 35 years. If you haven’t already, please check out his foundation’s website and see the incredible things they’ve accomplished in their search for a cure. April, by the way, is Parkinson’s Awareness month. In California, I also checked out some fun products like a spinning dragonfly (at right) from Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), colorful stress relievers from Target Line (asi/90640) and Rubik’s cubes from Prime Line (asi/79530). Click here to watch. And let me know what fun, funky ad specialty is your current favorite by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
April 3, 2012 ASI’s Latest App is a Tap AwayFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties ASI has exciting news: ESP Mobile™ HD for the iPad is now available free in the Apple App Store to more than 46,000 ESP users. ESP Mobile HD features the same business-friendly features as the iPhone app, allowing users to view the latest pricing, see razor-sharp images, check out supplier ratings, request a quote and e-mail clients products on the go. With its larger display screen, ESP Mobile HD has been optimized to showcase more product information to make finding product details easier than ever, and includes featured product videos. This is yet another key technological leap forward for the industry, and we’re happy to share it with you today. And for all you Android users out there, don’t worry – the Android app is on its way. To download ESP Mobile HD: ESP Mobile HD is integrated with ASI’s ESP Web, where distributors can source and order every promotional product in the industry from more than 3,500 suppliers. ESP Mobile is already breaking records and gathering superior reviews. For instance, more than half of ESP Mobile users have logged in between 2-5 times/day since downloading the app. Together, ESP Mobile, ESP Web and ESP Online perform over 100,000 searches daily. Remember: Licenses to access ESP Mobile HD are only available to authorized distributors of promotional products. To get a license to ESP Mobile HD, call ASI at 1-800-546-1350. If you have questions, contact Liz Kennedy, ASI’s director of product and technical support, at support@asicentral.com. And please let me know what you think of the new app by posting a comment or e-mailing me.
Thursday
March 29, 2012 Red Letter Day for CharityFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Every year, ASI’s administrative staff Last year, ASI employees raised $1,762. But this month, they raised a record-breaking $3,000 – a total ASI Chairman of the Board Norman Cohn is matching through the United Way, for a grand total of $6,000 to be donated to our local Red Cross chapter. The Red Cross, our nation’s premier emergency response organization and biggest blood bank, also offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war and compassionate services that help the needy and provide support and comfort for military members and their families. Such services are dear to everyone’s heart at ASI. Since 2003, company fundraisers have raised nearly $2 million in cash and goods for worthy causes, including the Adopt-A-Family program, and food banks and homeless shelters in or around company headquarters in Bucks County, PA. At this year’s auction, employees had an amazing array of products to choose from, including an Oakley “Kitchen Sink” backpack, a wooden chess set, bottle of wine and a cheese board. The biggest hit of the two-day auction: grab bags full of miscellaneous samples that sold for $3 each, for a total of 140 sold, raising $420. It just goes to show you – everyone likes cool products and hot bargains! What charities does your company regularly contribute to, and how creative have you gotten in devising fundraisers? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
March 22, 2012 Vote for Promo ProductsFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Using Ad Specialties There’s no end to the creativity – and money – to be found in ele Some election products, like dog T-shirts, iPhone cases, basketball jerseys, can koozies, cufflinks, martini glasses, jewelry and tote bags, are for sale, while more standard fare like bumper stickers, buttons, signs and T-shirts will be given away free to promote the president. Click here to read a story on Obama products and what promises to be a hot topic in our industry from now through November – and especially after the Republicans finally choose their nominee. ASI’s executive director of research, Larry Basinait, estimates $350 million will be spent on federal election-related promo products alone in 2012. That’s big business by any measure. In case you want to stock up, Obama’s official online campaign store is advertising “merchandise madness” and “daily deals” on items like “I Shamrock Obama” T-shirts and “I Bark for Barack” Bo car magnets. Featured items in the official GOP store include “I Really Miss Reagan” buttons and the GOP apron and spatula set. How many election-related products have you seen so far this year on trade show floors? How many of you are already selling election-related goods? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. I’ll let you know what I spot on the show floors at ASI San Diego, taking place April 2, 3 and 4, followed by ASI New York, May 8-10, and ASI Chicago July 17-19. Click here for more info and to register.
Wednesday
March 21, 2012 Go Big GreenFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties With spring officially here and Earth Day less than a month away, it’s the perfect time to think green. ASI has already sold over 60,000 copies of its eco-friendly Green Catalog, but there’s still time to order yours. The go-to guide for environmentally friendly products – with a circulation of 125,000 – features a ton of “didja know?” tips for being green and ways to promote eco-friendly products as a responsible alternative, along with case studies on such subjects as selling organic apparel and using technology to cut waste. The eco-friendly items range from bamboo iPhone cases, eco-friendly “sprout” watches and Bulova watches with mercury-free batteries to recyclable can coolers, biodegradable wine glass tags, bio pens and all-natural dog products. These are the kinds of products perfect to pitch to environmentally conscious clients at resorts, corporate events, schools, conferences and fundraisers. So arm yourself with a few facts and a copy of the Green Catalog before heading off to sales calls – in your Prius, of course (50 mpg!). Products are grouped by easy-to-navigate categories, including bags and briefcases, clocks and watches, clothing, executive gifts, food and drink, health and beauty, incentives and recognition, office and computer accessories, outdoors, pet accessories, sports, writing instruments and travel. The Green Catalog features:
As always, the front of each copy can be imprinted in full color with the distributor’s logo and contact information, and ASI offers this feature at any time throughout the year. For more info, contact Dan Brown, executive director of distributor services, at dbrown@asicentral.com or at 800-546-1392. To order the Green Catalog online and to see sample pages, click here. Let me know what your best-selling green products are this year by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
puts together a wonderful silent auction to raise money for the 
ction-related ad specialties. As of this week, the Obama campaign reported already stocking nearly $800,000 in merchandise and apparel in its Chicago election store. 
