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Friday
February 26, 2010 New Full-Color Catalog Imprinting – VideoFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties “New” is the word of the week here at ASI Show San Diego. New show. New city. And a new full-color imprinting machine, featured for the first time at our catalog booth on the show floor. Click here for my interview with ASI’s Jack Flohr, catalogs marketing director, as we demonstrate how quick and easy it is to imprint full-color logos. Distributors tell us this popular new feature is already ratcheting up their sales. Every catalog you order can be imprinted and personalized with your logo and contact information in full-color any time throughout the year. Catalogs, which are great for either mailing or a leave-behind, are a perfect vehicle for distributors to promote their brand and increase traffic to their website. According to a recent ASI study of end-buyers, paper catalogs drive 93% of purchasing decisions — and 91% of the time recipients take action as a result of something they noticed in a paper catalog, with nearly half (49%) purchasing a product. Let me know how catalogs have boosted your sales by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
February 22, 2010 LogoMall Has Actors Walking Across the ScreenFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI
ASI’s LogoMall is reaching for the stars as well, using the latest in digital marketing – walking, talking onscreen personalities – to engage visitors and potential buyers. It works like this: Click on a LogoMall website and an actor of your choice actually walks out onto the screen, says hello and proceeds to guide you through the site, helping you find promotional products and ideas. The first time I saw it, one word popped into my mind: Cool. The videos – and there are plenty to choose from – are professionally produced by ASI affiliate RIVWorks Inc. They can also create custom video to further personalize your site. No matter what you choose, the end result is further reinforcement of your brand and higher sales conversions. To view an online demo, click here. The best part of this incredible new marketing tool is it’s easy. Instead of spending time and money making the videos yourself, we do it for you, leaving you more time for selling. As an added bonus, real-time analytics track each campaign to show you your video impressions and click-through rates to document leads. The interactive platform also records whether visitors are first-time or return, and then it delivers the right video instantly. Distributors with a LogoMall site can join the future of online marketing and subscribe to the new video service immediately, at special pricing for ASI members. Tell me what cutting-edge moves your company’s made recently by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
February 5, 2010 Top 10 Sexiest Valentine’s Day Promotional ProductsFiled under: Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties What gifts hit your list on Valentine’s Day? Boxed candy and flowers? This year, think outside the box and check out ASI’s very first list of Top 10 Valentine’s Day Promotional Products. The romantic giveaways and business gifts on the list are sure to start a conversation – or a very interesting evening. There’s no doubt romance is a smokin’ hot market – a search for romantic giveaways in ASI’s database reveals marketers are in mad pursuit of everything from logoed condom packs to chocolate lips to help them launch Valentine’s-themed campaigns. There’s more – much, much more. The top 10 sexiest Valentine’s Day promo products for 2010 are:
For a video featuring some of the products, click here. For photos of each product and for more information about how to purchase, click here. Let me know what themed items you sell the most by posting a comment or emailing me here. Of course, I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. And have a very happy Valentine’s Day!
Wednesday
February 3, 2010 Hot Products and Cool Video from the Lone Star StateFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties There’s lots of action on the show floor at a packed house in Dallas this week as we preview novel new products for 2010 while applauding some consistently reliable crowd pleasers. In honor of ASI Vice Chairman Matthew Cohn’s 40th birthday, which he celebrated in fitting style at ASI Show Dallas, we ordered a gorgeous, custom-made tapestry from Terry Town Promotional Wearables (asi/90913), imprinted with his photo. Click here to preview one of Terry Town’s 100% customizable items. In another Tim’s Take video, I recap my Hot Seat interview with Dan Townes, president and CEO of writing instrument supplier Shepenco/Shelbyville Pencil Company (asi/86850). Dan told us he feels good about 2010 and the investments he’s made in his fourth-generation, family-owned company, serving customers for an astonishing 77 years. Click here for the recap. With Super Bowl just days away, I’m really excited about the sports-related party products here at the show. Click here for a round-up of products, including:
As if that wasn’t enough, we also previewed some really funky products that just might light up your Valentine’s Day. Click here for ordering info and pics of these products, and more:
Finally, check out the Tim’s Take featuring a live report on the latest machinery and the newest embroidery and imprinting technology from Hirsch International, which had decorators like Trina Banner of Creative Designs in stitches. If you’re at the show, let me know what you think by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
February 1, 2010 Super Bowl Means Super SalesFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Research, Using Ad Specialties For many Americans, Super Bowl Sunday is a day of ritual strictly observed in the Church of Sport. Everything – from the cold brew and hot wings to the commercials and halftime show – is integral to a decades-long tradition. Including the all-important game winning tee shirts. This year, when you’re getting ready to end your long Super Bowl day, think about companies like Pony Xpress Printing and Dunbrooke Apparel just starting theirs. They’ll hustle all night to make sure tens of thousands of tee shirts and jackets will be online or on store shelves for fans to snap up after the big game. Jeff Henderson, executive VP of Pony Xpress Printing (asi/297068), an officially licensed provider of Super Bowl XLIV apparel, says it’s all hands on deck with more than 50 staffers working split shifts to make strict overnight delivery deadlines. Dunbrooke COO Matt Gray says his company’s popular Super Bowl jackets are decorated on-demand and shipped within 72 hours directly to the fan, thanks to 12-hour nightshift crews that start work as soon as the final whistle blows. These powerhouse promotional items have a long shelf life, too, with companies ordering them throughout the season as employee gifts and client giveaways. For more details, read our press release by clicking here. Let me know which team your money’s on by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
January 25, 2010 Strong Momentum for ESP Web and ESP OrdersFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI Everyone enjoys positive feedback, which is why I’m pleased to share some recent testimonials about ASI’s ESP Web and ESP Orders. Philip Myers, owner of Myers Printing (asi/278937), went so far as to call the upcoming new services “awesome.” For more comments, and to read the press release, click here. In development for almost a year, the new ESP Web runs on standard Internet browsers – including Explorer, Firefox and Apple’s Safari – for instant access anytime to products, supplier data, ESP Orders and customer information. ESP Orders is a total order management system, available with ESP Web, that allows distributors to create sales orders, purchase orders and invoices electronically and without rekeying any data. All order information is replicated automatically, dramatically improving efficiency and providing more time for selling. For a sneak-peek video of the revolutionary new ESP Web — which begins rolling out to all ESP users at the end of March — and ESP Orders, click here. And don’t forget to check out demonstrations of ESP Web and ESP Orders at all upcoming ASI Shows, including ASI Dallas (Monday, February 1, through Wednesday, February 3) and ASI San Diego (Wednesday, February 24, through Friday, February 26), in the training room at the ASI booth and in select “power session” rooms. If you were one of the 400 who participated in ESP sessions during education day during our first show of the year in Orlando, tell me what you thought by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
January 18, 2010 ASI Pledges $100k to Education InitiativesFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties ASI is seriously committed to education, so it should come as no surprise we’re committing a serious amount of money – $100,000 – to our latest campaign to demonstrate the value of promotional products to end-buyers. Taken together, ASI’s latest broad-based education efforts will encourage buyers to increase their use of advertising specialties in their marketing plans while creating a bigger buzz about the power of promotional products in the national media. We definitely hit the ground running. Check out highlights of the campaign: Media blitz. Aggressively pitching stories to media nationwide, highlighting the reach and effectiveness of promotional items. A recent ASI story about the dramatic increase in sales of hand sanitizers resulted in nearly 100 media mentions nationwide, including spots on CBS Money Watch, Philadelphia Business Today and Live 5 News. ASI Show-related publicity. Increasing pursuit of media coverage of advertising specialties among the five metro areas of the ASI Shows. Florida State Representative Kevin Ambler and Senator Paula Dockery visited the just-completed Orlando show and the Orlando Sentinel wrote an article about it (comments accepted online) and posted ASI TV videos featuring interviews with the politicians on its blog. Orlando’s CBS station, Local 6 News, also provided a sneak-peek of the show. Successful Promotions magazine campaign. ASI’s award-winning editorial team is sending a monthly e-newsletter to 600,000 marketers, filled with case studies and education. A PowerPoint presentation about the positive return-on-investment (ROI) of promo products has already been featured, available to download here. Also, a new Facebook fan page for the magazine will be launched first quarter, providing additional resources and editions of The Joe Show. ASI Marketing Advisory Board. This recently-formed board of business leaders is driving the industry forward by connecting with end-buyers and sharing their feedback and suggestions with the industry. Research. ASI Research published an advertising specialty impressions study in 2009 for distributors to send to their clients and prospects, showing them the high ROI of promotional products. The study will be updated this year. For more details, read the press release by clicking here. Tell me which initiative you think will have the most impact – or what ideas you may have – by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
