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Friday
February 3, 2012 Super Bowl Means Super SalesFiled under: ASI Shows, Member Benefits, Using Ad Specialties No matter which team scores the Super Bowl trophy, ASI member companies printing T-shirts, jackets and other sports-related memorabilia will be big winners this weekend. Hundreds of ad specialty companies are sure to work into the wee hours Sunday into Monday to get Super Bowl items to eager sports fans. We spoke to Jay Meyer, president of Blue Dolphin Screen Print & Embroidery (asi/141732) of New Hampshire, which is one of the companies working tons of OT this weekend to keep sports fans happy. If the New England Patriots win in the big game against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, Blue Dolphin expects to print at least 25,000 shirts overnight in the initial order. “The big sports stores start showing up around 3 a.m. because they want to have the apparel ready in the morning when they open,” Meyer told us. “If it’s really doing well, they’ll reorder, probably another 5,000. Last week after the AFC championship, we printed 7,000 shirts.” Over 40 employees will work on the initial order, starting by the game’s third quarter. Printing starts as soon as the game finishes. And even if the hometown team fails to take home the title, Meyer said Blue Dolphin still expects to print at least 9,000 Giants shirts. We’ll be back from the ASI Show in Dallas – where Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wowed the crowd this morning with business and social media tips – and I can’t wait to see the newest commercials along with Madonna’s half-time performance. And the game of course! Who’s your Super Bowl pick? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedInand YouTube.
Tuesday
January 31, 2012 Onward To DallasFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties We’re winging our way to the ASI show in Dallas for a three-day event that promises to be as action-packed as the great state of Texas itself. Education day on Wednesday features the “Industry’s Biggest Speed Networking Session”. As always, all sessions are eligible for credits in the ASI Certification Program. In addition to two days of exhibits featuring the industry’s hottest new products, Dallas features a brand-new gala at the Dallas House of Blues and a keynote by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. In addition to offering up some awesome business tips, Stone will let us know how one of the most influential social media outlets in the world opened opportunities in marketing, politics and philanthropy. We’re definitely on a roll, especially considering what a great success we enjoyed in Orlando, with record-breaking education, a SRO keynote and 2,100 people whooping it up at Disney’s Animal Kingdom gala. If you missed us in Orlando, check out some video highlights: Click here to see an interview on the Orlando Fox affiliate with keynoter James Carville, a Democrat who sparred onstage with Republican pundit Bill O’Reilly. Click here for a wrap-up video with highlights from a barn-burner of a show. Click here for best-selling product highlights from our Supplier of the Year, Hub Pen (asi/61966). And click here for a roundup of terrific products for the adventurer set, featuring Counselor Distributor Choice Award winners. Featured products include Tekweld natural insect repellent mister (asi/90807); carabiner bottle opener watch and matching wristwatch from Logomark (asi/67866); Elleven Amped checkpoint-friendly compu-backpack from Leed’s (asi/66887) and the Port Authority Nootka jacket from SanMar (asi/84863). Let me know if you’re joining us in Dallas by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
January 17, 2012 ESP Mobile Is HereFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Drumroll, please. You can now download the free iPhone app from the Apple App store, free with your ESP subscription. For a video with all the reasons why this should be your No. 1 app, click here. Any iPhone user can download the app today directly from iTunes here. ASI’s development team has automatically applied an ESP Mobile license to all members with a current license to ESP Web. These members simply download the app from the Apple App Store and enter the same log-in credentials as ESP Web. That’s all it takes. Users who only have a license to ESP Online will need to get set up through Product Support – in a process that takes about the same time it takes to fix yourself a cup of coffee. If you have any questions, please contact ASI Product Support at 800-546-1350 (press option #2). If you’re on site with us in Orlando and have any questions about ESP Mobile, come speak to our Product Support team at the ASI Booth. To download ESP Mobile from the App Store, follow these few simple steps: 1. Visit the Apple App Store on your mobile device. 2. Search for “ESP Mobile.” 3. Download the free app. 4. Once the download is complete, tap the app icon to start up the app. 5. Enter your credentials. 6. Kick back and enjoy everything this new app has to offer. ESP for Android and iPad will be available in the second quarter. Why get ESP Mobile? Check it out:
Suppliers interested in advertising in ESP Mobile should contact their ASI rep or contact Gene Rahill at grahill@asicentral.com and Suzanne Izzo at sizzo@asicentral.com. Try it and let me know what you think by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
December 28, 2011 Business Grab BagFiled under: Community, Industry Initiatives, Research, Using Ad Specialties How many of you gave gifts to clients and prospects this year? According to a recent gift-giving survey from ASI, average spending on such gifts was up 13.9% to about $30 per gift this year. Our executive director of research, Larry Basinait, found clients aren’t the only ones benefiting from corporate beneficence. Employers who answered our survey say they spent an average $42.52 per employee “thank you” gift this year, up 19.6% from 2010. Like last year, our survey shows gift cards and cash remain the most popular employee gifts, with 38% of respondents planning to give gift cards to employees. Cash bonuses are second, but fell by 8 percentage points to 24% since 2010. Does gift-giving work? Nearly a quarter of respondents say giving gifts to clients and prospects results in sales and leads, with over one-quarter (27%) of those surveyed saying the gift resulted in a referral and 24% reporting generating a lead or a sale. Other survey highlights include:
Over at “The Joe Show,” Joe Haley demonstrated a number of the year’s hottest business gifts, including: Coffee table books, from National Geographic Society, asi/73383. Beautiful books from National Geographic not only include incredible photography, but they can also be customized and personalized. iPad keyboard, from Pingline, asi/78137. High-tech products and accessories like the Bluetooth-activated keyboard – which makes typing a whole lot easier – are on everyone’s wish list. Outdoor jacket, from Trimark Sportswear Group Inc., asi/92122. Jackets are essential and appreciated, come in men’s and women’s styles and are perfect for people who work and play outdoors in the winter months. Leather wrapped thermos, from Sweda Co. LLC, asi/90305. Practical and elegant, it’s just the thing for the sales rep on the go. Customized wine and spirits, from A Plus Wine Designs, asi/30223. Make a strong showing with a giveaway that’s perfect for holiday parties and to leave with clients on visits. Leather Nook cover, from Royce Leather, asi/52390. Sure to give the iPad a run for its money, the new Nook tablet is a best-seller this year, and accessories will show thoughtfulness. Throw blanket, from KTP Design Co., asi/63773. Winter months bring images of snuggling up in front of a warm fire. Enhance that experience with a custom woven afghan that companies can imprint with any image or logo. Ogio bag, from SanMar, asi/84863. Duffel bags are perfect for travel and going to the gym. This bag has flexible spines, allowing it to stand or bend at will. Ornaments, from Faro USA, asi/53697 & Marbex Inc., asi/68708. A finely-crafted holiday ornament doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate. Most can be easily mailed, hung from a company’s tree or given out to visitors. What was your favorite gift to give this year? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
December 6, 2011 The Future is MobileFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Digital power player Randi Zuckerberg shared a ton of business-building advice with us on ASI Radio this week, but since we’re about to launch ESP Mobile, I was most excited by her enthusiasm for the future of mobile. “More and more companies are creating beautiful experiences on mobile devices, on tablets,” Zuckerberg, former director of market development for Facebook, told our listening audience in advance of her upcoming keynote at the ASI show in New York City. “They’re bridging all those experiences – watching content on TV and having incredible mobile experiences simultaneously,” she said. “We’re on the tip of the iceberg with mobile, and I’m really excited to see where we go.” Zuckerberg, who’s launching R to Z Media to help companies take advantage of social media, said she advises people to “provide a product so useful people want to use it around the clock, like e-mail. Focus on building a brand, rather than on being hip or cool.” What great advice! Somehow I didn’t expect someone cool enough to sing in a cover band called Feedbomb to be so grounded. With her 7-month-old babbling happily in the background, Zuckerberg joked to the radio crew about her son making his very first appearance on ASI Radio – all the while dishing out advice on branding and connecting with clients in cyberspace. Zuckerberg will share a lot more of that advice May 10 during her keynote on Social Change Through Social Media: How the Web is Changing the Way We Live, Vote, Organize and Work. To register for the show and hear her speech, click here. On creating a ubiquitous brand, Zuckerberg advised our audience to avoid getting caught in a bubble. “Anyone developing a global brand needs to really get out there and talk to people who are using your products,” she said. Social media is a great way to catch the attention of a potential client or business partner. Open a dialogue by posting or tweeting articles about them or their campaigns and encourage friends and followers to re-circulate. “People are really suckers for flattery, and social media is great in that regard,” she said. “When you’re on social media, be sure to really respond to people and have a conversation – don’t make it a one-way communication.” Zuckerberg, who’s responsible for the successful launch of Facebook’s U.S. election and international politics strategy and Facebook Live’s streaming coverage of the presidential inauguration, gives a lot of credit to her “rock-star” teams. “It’s really important to have a culture where people truly believe great ideas can come from anywhere,” she said. “You’ll be much more effective at creating something truly groundbreaking if you can empower people on the team to be experts. And to come up with really interesting challenges and solutions.” To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here. I’d love to know what you liked best about the interview, so post a comment or e-mail me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
November 22, 2011 No Pain, Lots of GainFiled under: Healthcare, Using Ad Specialties ASI is always researching new markets and industry trends, and Counselor magazine recently reported on a big one: incentives used in wellness programs. Turns out, incentives are key to encouraging employee participation in wellness programs. An Incentive Research Foundation report shows only one in five people will participate in wellness programs if there are no incentives. In fact, offering incentives increases participation at a minimum of 60%. Although research clearly shows companies can attain a significant ROI through wellness programs, right now only 44% of companies are using promotional products as incentives to get more employees involved. That means there’s clearly room for growth in this market. It’s good for business – and it’s great for reducing skyrocketing health-care costs. According to a 2010 government report, between 70% and 75% of the $2.5 trillion spent every year on U.S. health care is used for treating preventable conditions. Incentives can help turn the tide. Popular items used in incentive programs range from logoed body mass index calculators and jars filled with almonds instead of candy to wristbands, pedometers and backpacks – many carrying printed cards with health tips. The timing couldn’t be better to tap this market, as health-care reform is giving smaller companies help in launching wellness programs through grant money, tax credits, educational surveys and online portals. As Counselor senior writer Dave Vagnoni reports, by 2014, companies will be able to offer rewards of up to 30% of the total cost of an employee’s insurance coverage. If you haven’t already, read the entire Counselor story. I promise you it’s a real eye-opener. Let me know what success you’ve had with the wellness incentives market by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
November 9, 2011 What Do End-Users Really Want?Filed under: Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties This week, ASI released its latest study, which addresses the key question, “Are you delivering what end-users really want?” The answer may surprise you. In the first industry study to tell suppliers and distributors if they’re delivering the right products, ASI documents the discrepancies in attitudes and opinions between buyers, sellers and end-users of the products fueling our $17 billion industry. “Defining the Disconnect: An Analysis of Channel Beliefs vs. Customer Needs in the Advertising Specialty Industry” lays out a plain case for paying attention to customers’ wants and needs. At the same time, it points the way to new selling opportunities. Significant findings of the study show:
For a downloadable PDF of the study, click here. I suggest reading it in its entirety – and letting its findings help you improve the way you think about your products. It may help you boost your bottom line. To read our press release, click here. I encourage you to share the results any way you can: tweet about it, post the link on Facebook, email it to everyone in your company. The study — authored by our executive director of research, Larry Basinait – compares opinions about ad specialty preferences and usage patterns from suppliers through to end-users. The study also examines overall opinions about ad specialties as well as specific product types: shirts, caps/headwear, bags/totes, writing instruments, mugs/glasses, desk/office/business accessories and calendars. Some key study takeaways include:
Please let me know what you think by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
