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Friday
April 24, 2009 First Qtr ’09 Sales Off 17.6%Filed under: Community, Industry Initiatives Today we announced that first quarter 2009 sales were off 17.6%. And, in 2008, overall advertising specialty industry sales reached $19.8 billion, up 1.2 percent over 2007, as estimated in the January 20, 2009 edition of PromoGram from Counselor magazine. For the press release, click here. The exclusive ASI first quarter sales report showed that the year-over-year decline represented a decrease of $700 million in ad specialty sales compared to first quarter 2008. Less than a quarter of distributors (24%) reported an increase in sales in the early months of 2009. Only two quarters ago, 40% had reported an increase in sales. For the full year 2008, spending on advertising specialties, or promotional products – items and incentives branded with a company logo or marketing message – was 3% greater than radio advertising*, $12.8 billion greater than outdoor display ads** and ahead of the 2.6% estimated decline in overall U.S. advertising for 2008*** (Radio Advertising Bureau, Outdoor Advertising Association of America and The Nielsen Company are the sources). The industry increase also matched the 1.1 percent growth rate for the United States GDP for the same period.
We invest $1.3 million each year to educate suppliers and distributors on how to market themselves more efficiently, network more effectively and reach qualified business partners, and an exclusive ASI impressions study is available here that provides ROI figures that prove the value of advertising specialties in marketing campaigns. Industry companies are optimistic about 2009, but continue to watch several factors impacting the industry: 1) Volatile economic conditions in North America. 2) Increasing demand for “green” products, despite the recession. 3) Continuing fluctuations of prices for materials used in manufacturing. To learn more about the quarterly sales analysis, click here. 1 CommentLeave a Comment |
Thanks for sharing this data! There is no doubt that times are tough right now however the thing to keep in mind is that it won’t always be like this! Economies have cycles and while this one is admittedly worst than most, I truly believe we will recover and prosper again! With that said right now is an amazing opportunity for us… our clients need direction and help. Marketing has never been more important and this is a great time for us to set ourselves up as trusted advisers vs. just another salesperson! Education and product knowledge also help to differentiate yourself from the competition and organizations like ASI and your regional association are a wealth of knowledge. We should all be focusing on the future because it’s coming and what we are doing right now will determine our future success!