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Thursday
July 19, 2012 Winning!Filed under: ASI Shows, Community, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI Things are happening fast and furious here at ASI Chicago. Wednesday night, we celebrated this year’s Counselor Hot List with a wild party at the downtown hot spot, Crimson Lounge. It’s clear that for the 38 men and women hitting the 2012 list, “the future’s so bright, they gotta wear shades.” Click here to read all about the star power lighting up the industry. If there’s one thread running through each of their stories, it’s fearlessness. As we learned from this week’s all-day education session with Tony Robbins, true winners have one gear: drive. Speaking of winners, we kicked off the last day of our three-day Chicago show with a keynote by one of the most successful mayors in our nation’s history – Chicago’s own Richard Daley, considered the nation’s top executive for his deft handling of the machinations of the Windy City during his unprecedented 22-year tenure. And, continuing ASI’s own winning streak, we just got word that three ASI publications have been recognized for editorial excellence by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) in a stiff competition that included Bloomberg Businessweek and Computerworld. The winners are: Gold: Original Research for “State of the Industry” Bronze: Feature Article for “Behind Bars” Gold: Front Cover Photo for “The Style Issue” Silver: Front Cover Photo for “Head of the Class” Silver: Feature Article Design for “The Color Issue” Silver: How-To Article for “One Company, 12 Contacts, Big Bucks” Bronze: How-To Article for “Social Networking Boot Camp” If that’s not enough, ASI just announced that nearly 2,000 ESP Websites™ are now live, setting an all-time record high for user adoption in the launch of an ASI product. Launched in May, ESP Websites continue to gain momentum – with thousands more new ESP Websites going live in the weeks ahead. It’s clear the industry has embraced ASI’s latest product offering with gusto. If you haven’t jumped on the ESP Websites bandwagon yet, click here to climb on board and give your business the online boost it deserves. We’ve still got a full day of exhibiting left here in Chicago. If you’re at the show, let me know what really caught your eye on the show floor by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
July 11, 2012 The Heart of the MatterFiled under: Community I graduated high school in 1980. When I look back, I realize how much has changed – and how much has stayed the same. It was the year of the Iran hostage crisis, which lost Jimmy Carter the presidency to Ronald Reagan. We were glued to the “Who Shot JR?” episode of “Dallas” – and the all-too-real shooting of John Lennon. For the first time ever, we could watch news 24/7, thanks to the debut of CNN. That summer, the U.S. led a boycott of the Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. And with Japan taking over the auto market, GM announced an annual loss for the first time since 1921. Where were you in 1980? I was in Hope, Indiana, graduating from Hauser High School and on my way to Ball State University to study journalism and economics. Although the world at large seemed so uncertain, everything and anything still seemed possible to a small-town kid with big-city dreams. My best friend back then was Steve Workman. We bonded as co-editors of the school yearbook and went on to attend the same college. From there, our paths diverged. Steve became a reverend and music teacher and among his many accomplishments, he supported internships for college students, helped start a men’s homeless shelter and mentored other young ministers – while serving on the board of a local food pantry and on a school board in Illinois. Those crazy-wonderful days of high school – days filled with hope and promise and heartache and best friends you thought you’d know for life – flooded back recently when I returned to my hometown to be inducted into my high school’s 2012 Alumni Hall of Fame. It was a lovely ceremony, and I was so honored to be on a list of Hauser alumni that also included my old friend Steve. Clear as day, I could still picture the two of us flying down the hallways of our old school, always on our way someplace – anyplace – fast. Steve wasn’t at the Hall of Fame ceremony. He died in March 2011, at age 48, leaving behind a wife and a daughter and, I am sure, hundreds of parishioners who also loved him for all he did for his church and his community. Steve’s family shared the stage with me at the induction ceremony. Service to others is a fitting legacy for Steve – and something for all of us to aspire to, no matter what community we serve. As everything else changes, that’s one thing I hope, for me, always stays the same.
Monday
July 2, 2012 Home Made HolidayFiled under: Community, Members, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties
In light of the July 4 holiday, ASI put together its own list of USA-made ad specialties, along with a product demo video from Joe “The Joe Show” Haley. Whether you watch fireworks, hit the beach or simply stay put in the AC with a cold one, I hope you enjoy your holiday — and can use some of the ideas below in an upcoming campaign. Below is the list of ASI’s Top 7 Made-in-the-USA Products:
To see photos of the products and a video demonstration, click here. Let me know what you think of the USA-made trend and whether you’re seeing more American-made products by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
June 26, 2012 ASI’s Norman Cohn in The Wall Street JournalFiled under: Community, Media Coverage, Members, News About ASI Tuesday’s front page of The Wall Street Journal – which reaches a global audience of over 2 million – features a profile of ASI® Chairman Norman Cohn. I encourage you to share the story with clients, friends and family via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., using this link: http://webreprints.djreprints.com/45722.html. This story is part of a multi-year public relations and educational outreach effort ASI has made on behalf of the industry to reinforce the undeniable ROI of ad specialties and the power and reach of a vital industry that employs over 400,000 people across North America. Click here for recent examples of more stories in Bloomberg Businessweek, the Washington Post and Christian Science Monitor and on Fox News. Norman – who is in his 50th year of leading ASI – is a one-of-a-kind leader: competitive but not a bully, smart but approachable, strong but kind. He absolutely loves the industry he has nurtured since he was 19. While researching The Wall Street Journal story, the reporter spoke with a number of industry people, including Peter Geiger of Geiger (asi/202900), Bob Stevens of Footprints USA (asi/55030), Barry Hermanson of Aunt Beth’s Cookie Keepers (asi/37465) and Paul Bellantone of PPAI. I’d like to thank them and everyone else who participated. I think the piece is incredibly positive and, along with all the other coverage we’ve generated, presents enduring evidence of the brand-building business tools at the heart of our industry. I couldn’t be prouder. Let me know what you think of the story by e-mailing me here.
Monday
June 25, 2012 Are We There Yet?Filed under: Community, Members, News About ASI To many of us, I vividly remember sites like Weeki Watchee (a tourist attraction that featured “real” mermaids underwater) and The Lost Sea, a “secret” underground lake in Sweetwater, TN. My biggest regret: I missed seeing Nixon resign on TV after I’d spent a great deal of time watching all of the Watergate hearings after school each day. Instead of witnessing that historical moment on the tube, I was sitting in a restaurant in Birmingham, eating corn on the cob. Here at ASI, annual road trips are fast becoming a tradition for three Counselor® magazine editors who embarked today on an eight-day, 17-city cross-country quest to find the coolest workplaces in the industry. Melinda Ligos, Andy Cohen and Joe Haley are visiting companies from New York to Seattle and beyond for Counselor’s upcoming Best Places to Work issue, which will highlight the many ways the people in this industry have devised to light up their 9-5 lives. Their first stop: Axis Promotions in New York City, where they enjoyed a Monday morning breakfast party with bloody marys and mimosas. You can look for the Best Places issue this fall – but this week you can check out www.counselormag.com/counselortour for a running road trip blog and photos. And! Every time you tweet with the hashtag #counselortour, you’ll become eligible for a $500 prize. Wish Melinda, Andy and Joe good luck on their Ulysses-like odyssey and don’t forget — Let me know what road trip you’re taking this summer by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
June 18, 2012 How Does Your Garden Grow?Filed under: Community Simply put, I love this time of year, when the days are long, the air is sweet and there’s no place I’d rather be than puttering in my garden. I chose my house in Princeton, N.J., which is set on little more than an acre, knowing the grounds would need a lot of work. In a word, it was a dump. Luckily, I enjoy a good challenge – and found a terrific advisor in a local landscaper named Polly Burlingham. By tackling a different part of the yard each spring, and working within a reasonable budget, we’ve achieved a kind of garden nirvana. Like a lot of you, Polly runs a small business. Over the years, Polly’s Green Gardens has designed numerous intimate garden spaces and seasonal container gardens, including the urns at Drumthwacket, the N.J. governor’s mansion, and the hanging baskets lining Nassau Street in downtown Princeton. I knew I’d love working with her the minute I found out she’s also from Indiana and, like me, adores that state’s flower – the peony. Every year, when there’s still a nip in the air, we walk the yard, plan – and dream. Knowing I’ll soon see pink peonies and splashes of my favorite color, purple, makes those chilly rainy days pass in a flash. From the start, Polly convinced me of the importance of also incorporating deer-resistant, drought-tolerant native plants and shrubs into as natural-looking a setting as possible. With native plants (largely resistant to pests and diseases and requiring little or no irrigation or fertilizer), you help maintain a natural ecology, which is good for all of us. Plus, they attract wonderful songbirds and butterflies – and remind me of home. Since I have a lot of shade and a number of mature trees, it’s been a real trick to introduce color. But over the last eight years, Polly’s done a great job blending together ornamental grasses and green-on-green hostas and hellebores with blooming perennial borders. As you can see from the photos, the overall effect is one of peace and serenity, versus showy formality. Instead of high drama, I prefer elegant touches like my beloved osage-orange arbor. Whether you like growing prize tomatoes or purple hydrangeas, I hope it’s a good year for your garden. The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting unseasonably hot and dry weather for those of us out East, but I’m hopeful I’ll still be enjoying my backyard oasis come September. Let me know your greatest gardening challenge – and how you overcame it – by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
June 11, 2012 Know Your AudienceFiled under: Community, Guest Blog, Using Ad Specialties First, let me say it’s an honor to be asked to guest post on Tim’s personal blog. It’s a slight change of pace for me. Most of the guest blog experience I’ve had has been on the BELLwether Blog, where rock star Michele Bell allows me to express my less politically correct side – a side she affectionately refers to as “El Diablo.” For this space I’ll tone it down in the interest of continuing to receive a paycheck. Now that the kissing up is out of the way … In early May I attended the Mashable Connect 2012 conference at the beautiful Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. Mashable is the largest independent online news site dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology. This meeting brings together the uber-smart, doing the hippest and most forward-thinking things. To say I felt like the dumbest person in the room is an understatement. Yes, I came away with a ton of ideas (none I’ll share here as I plan to use them to get you to buy stuff), but I also came away extremely impressed with the use of promotional products at the event. Not just in the quality, but how the conference organizers and sponsors really “knew” their audience. Let’s start with registration. Prior to dinner I took a stroll down to the registration desk to pick up my badge and other materials. Well, I’ll be honest – through the online social community that was set up for attendees, I’d heard there would be a pretty killer goodie bag. And I was not disappointed. Included in the logoed tote was a mini screen cleaner, adhesive whiteboard cards and marker, a mini Etch A Sketch for passing the time, a laptop sleeve, a sweet pair of shades with case from Norwood (asi/74400), a bag of trail mix, two Gildan T-shirts and an awesome Power Stick portable charger from Ecosol Solar Technologies (asi/51566). Quite a haul, right? Later, while relaxing in my room, I received a knock on the door and was greeted with a present from the nice folks with Disney’s social media team: a super-cool logoed USB hub from Prime Line (asi/79530), and, of course, a bag of Chip and Dale pretzels. The next day, I found the funniest example of knowing your audience. One of the sponsors, Definition 6, gave out hangover kits. Included was a bottle of water, a Clif Bar, Advil, Alka-Seltzer and a 5-hour Energy shot – which I’m sure a good number of attendees were thankful to receive. For some reason mine didn’t make it home. Must have left it in the room. Believable? Didn’t think so. To put it simply, everyone involved did it right. Hosts and sponsors knew the attendees were primarily tech geeks, and with only 200 people there, could go a little bit higher-end. When done right, companies can use events to leave a lasting positive impression on the individuals in attendance. Think about the last event you went to; there were most likely plenty of sponsors. Which ones do you remember? It’s the ones that seemed to do just a little bit extra. Keep this in mind when pitching your proposal for your client’s next event. And now for the plug … Using ESP®’s Event Planner, you can easily put together a winning proposal, at a variety of price points, that your clients will love. Check out the video by clicking here to see all these items and more. And please follow me on twitter @ccgraf. – Colin Graf, ASI® marketing director of supplier membership/digital advertising |
