|
Thursday
October 30, 2008 Talk to Your Clients Now About the EconomyFiled under: Community, Education, Guest Blog
Back in 1992, when Bill Clinton ran for president, his campaign slogan was “It’s the economy, stupid!” Sure enough, 16 years later, most of us would agree that the current economic climate is #1 on our minds. All you need to do is turn on the TV for five minutes and you can’t help but notice stories of instability in our financial markets, unemployment rates on the rise and stock market highs and lows that make the biggest roller coaster at Six Flags seem tame. Last week on CAPPAChat we posted a survey to our readers about how the economy is affecting business. The answers were unsettling, but not unsurprising – 100% of people said the economy is affecting their business and 88% think that this crisis will carry over into 2009. Where does this leave us? Many companies are looking for ways to “trim the fat” and the first place they look is the marketing budget. The mentality is “we can live without marketing for six months, but we can’t live without paying salaries.” If we take a minute to examine this theory, we quickly realize that it’s flawed from the start. In economic downturns the last thing you want to quit doing is marketing, because if you quit marketing for six months three things happen: 1) You loose brand momentum, recognition and loyalty, 2) Sales drop, and 3) After brand momentum, recognition and loyalty fly out the window, your sales are down and guess what…you can’t make your payroll, stupid! If I had a perfect formula for fixing this problem let’s just say that I’d probably be spending my days in the lap of luxury. What I can give you are a few tips and tricks that have worked for us:
Many of us are 1-2 people companies and sometimes you feel like you’re an island unto yourself. If you’re wondering where to go to ask questions and get advice like this, network with your suppliers to build lasting relationships, keep up with the latest on the industry via education, attend tradeshows and bounce ideas off of your peers…the answer could be within your regional promotional products association. Post a comment now or email me at jennifer@360promos.com, and be sure to check out the blog for the Corridor Area Promotional Products Association, at www.cappachat.com.
Wednesday
September 24, 2008 Greetings from Big, Fat, Ugly MeFiled under: Guest Blog, Using Ad Specialties Guest blog from Kathy Huston, Advantages magazine editor: Let me start by saying that I’m originally from Northern New Jersey. This is why my colleagues here in Trevose, PA make fun of the way I say “cawfee,” “chawklette,” and “draws” (meaning, the things you store clothes in inside your dresser, or as I call it, your “chest-a-draws.”) Nowadays, as a transplant living in Langhorne – home of Reedman-Toll Auto World and Sesame Place and a suburb of Philly – I can say that while I totally disagree with this conclusion, I really don’t take it too personally that Philadelphians are deemed the ugliest people in the history of the world. OK, so that’s taking it a little too far, but the City of Brotherly Love was, in fact, named the city with the ugliest people, according to Travel & Leisure’s “America’s Favorite Cities 2008” survey. Where’s the love, brother? Plus, Philadelphians are allegedly among the least stylish and least friendly. Are they kidding me? As if all that isn’t insulting enough, last year, the American Obesity Association ranked Philly in the top 10 cities with the fattest populations. Thanks, cheesesteak inventor, soft-pretzel makers…and yes, you too, Tastykake bakers (I could go for one of each right about now). The Web site www.brandcurve.com says, “Looks like it’s time for Philadelphia to revamp, revitalize and rebrand!” On that note, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation did unveil a new marketing campaign just before the summer to entice travelers to visit Philly and its surrounding areas. The slogan: “Philly’s More Fun.” Maybe one of you clever promotional gurus can help out with a “Philly’s Phat” campaign to combat the “Philly’s Fat” designation. Suppliers, what do you think? Can you help a brother (sister) out? Think “Phat” hats; highly attractive bobble-head dolls; T-shirts that say “Pretty Philadelphian” and “Keystone Cool.” Let’s turn this thing around. Fellow Philadelphians unite! Or we can just go drown our sad, fat, ugly sorrows in Yuengling lager, brewed right here in the Greater Philly area. That should add another five pounds, but on a more positive note, even the ugliest Philadelphians will look better through beer goggles. I’m joking, Philly! For the editorial team’s take on whether or not we are so very hideous and even more opinionated discussions, watch a video replay of the most recent ASI Radio Show – at asicentral.com/radio. Post a comment now or email Kathy, at khuston@asicentral.com. Also, stay informed and submit your email address in the window called ‘Enter your email for updates’ at the top right of the screen and you’ll receive a note when the next post goes live.
Tuesday
August 26, 2008 Guest Blog: Rob Spike Named VP, Distributor ServicesFiled under: Guest Blog, News About ASI From Dan O’Halloran, SVP of Distributor Services: Many of you may know Rob Spike, a dedicated resource here at ASI for distributors. Rob has been helping thousands of distributors grow their businesses everyday for the last 15 years and I’m pleased to announce that he’s been promoted to vice president of distributor services. He will expand upon his roles as sales consultant and mentor in his new position, providing business solutions for distributors and helping his team of ASI account executives advance personally and professionally. Rob began his career with ASI in 1994 as a catalog account manager, advancing through sales and management roles of increasing responsibility before serving in his most recent position of executive director of distributor services. Tim Andrews, president and CEO for ASI, said this about Rob in a press release today: “Rob’s promotion to vice president is to recognize his continuous sales excellence, his leadership and reputation for providing superior client service. Rob always challenges himself, and the organization, by raising the bar to new heights previously unimagined.” Rob sets the example for our team and has mentored many ASI account executives and ASI members to help them achieve business success. In addition to his professional duties, he still finds time to volunteer for the Jewish Relief Agency of Greater Philadelphia, delivering food and daily living supplies to those who have no means to get them. Please join me in congratulating Rob on his promotion. You can reach him at rspike@asicentral.com.
Tuesday
April 29, 2008 Bonjour! New Products from ASI Canada and Toast Your BunsFiled under: Guest Blog, News About ASI From Colin Graf, marketing manager for ASI catalogs: Bonjour! I recently returned from the great north city of Toronto at ASI Canada’s spring seminars, along with Jay Ostrow from ASI.
When I say spring, I mean 0 degrees Celsius. That’s about 32 degrees Fahrenheit for all you yanks. My good friend Fred Oesen, vice president of ASI Canada, taught me an easy conversion trick. Multiply by two and add 32. But no matter what way you convert it, it didn’t feel like spring. There were several interesting products on display and as is the trend at many of the events that I’ve been attending, “green” is hot! Also, the new Blossom Ballpoint line of pens from Spector Image (asi/88660) were noticeable, since they’re not only pens, but also lights with the color of the light matching the color of the pen. Another cool product was the hotdog stand from Bonica Precision (asi/40903) – a compact version of the old style hot dog roller with an integrated toaster oven to toast your buns. If only I had room in my suitcase, my kitchen would have had a new toy.
Anyway, the ASI Canada seminars are held in a very personal roundtable format that give each supplier involved 15 minutes of face-time with six to eight distributors at a time. These are held twice a year in both western and eastern Canada. The attendance and interest this time around was great and the feedback from both sides has been nothing but positive. Both groups seem to really enjoy the half-day seminars, and hey…breakfast and lunch is included. A win, win. In this industry the building of relationships is essential, and that’s what these seminars are all about. I know I made some good friends on this trip. I had a great time with Bernie from Minimedia (asi/71475) and Brent from Bonica, and Alex from Debco Bag (asi/821555) was dependable for a good laugh.
Jay handled the ASI table, covering everything from catalogs to LogoMall. The main focus of interest was overwhelmingly for ESP Online, and he demonstrated the basics for beginners and the tricks, advanced features and ins-and-outs for the current users. It seemed everyone walked away impressed, even the doubters. On the way home, Jay and I discussed how satisfying it was to be able to help so many people optimize their use of ESP and see the wide-eyed amazement from the non-users. I’m sure he’ll be hearing from quite a few of the week’s attendees. All in all, it was a successful trip. We even had a chance to sample local flavors from the Sleeman and Steam Whistle Breweries. I highly recommend the Steam Whistle Pilsner – check out the imprinted glass. What do you think? Post now on the blog, or email Colin, at cgraf@asicentral.com.
Thursday
March 13, 2008 Guest blog – In Like a LionFiled under: Guest Blog
From Kathy Huston, Advantages magazine editor: March is one of my favorite months and it should be yours too. Not because I prefer that you agree with me (although I certainly do), but because it represents 31 days jam-packed with fun-filled events and ideas for promotional opportunities. I hope you prepared for them a couple of months ago. If not, plan ahead for next year.
Tuesday
January 22, 2008 Guest Blog: Matthew Cohn and Tim Andrews PromotedFiled under: Guest Blog, News About ASI From Norman Cohn, Chairman of ASI: Hello, Today I’m excited to share some news with you. Matthew Cohn is being named vice chairman of the ASI Family of Companies (including responsibility for ASI, The ASI Show and ASI Computer Systems Inc.) and Tim Andrews is being named president of The ASI Show and vice chairman of ASI Computer Systems. Matthew helped us launch the first Show in 1998 and he has been responsible for the strategic direction and vision for the tradeshow business since. His contributions, enthusiasm and innovative ideas have improved the quality of tradeshows for distributors and suppliers throughout the advertising specialty industry. I am very proud of his achievements and dedication to The ASI Show and to the industry. Matthew’s passion, business skills and ability to develop the big picture makes him a natural fit as a strategist to help take the ASI Family of Companies to the next level. Tim and Matthew have worked closely together to solidify and create the highest value membership, best attended tradeshows and valuable tools to help ASI members succeed. It is only fitting that Tim adds the roles of president of The ASI Show and vice chairman of ASI Computer Systems, Inc. to his position as president and chief executive officer of ASI, particularly as he leads the efforts to provide opportunities for our members to be more successful everyday. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog now, and below is the media release.
Matthew Cohn (left) and Timothy M. Andrews
Friday
November 2, 2007 Guest Blog: Use Video to Reach Customers, Watch Joe ShowFiled under: Education, Guest Blog, Members, Using Ad Specialties From Joe Haley, Managing Editor at ASI: It was bound to happen. Sooner or later we knew it would; the popularity of ASI TV and shows like The Joe Show have taken the online nation by storm. And, in the process have created copycats. Major media outlets with online presences like CNN, MSNBC and CBS, to name a few, have started to include video reports and features on their sites. |
read more
