|
Wednesday
May 19, 2010 Working for You: Promo Products on CBS StationFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties CBS affiliate WFMY of Greensboro/Winston-Salem (weekly audience: 671,980) recently showcased a number of promotional products on its long-running “Good Morning Show,” including caffeinated soap, the electric riding beer cooler and the “instant abs” tee shirt. The segment was centered on the “Top 10 Wacky Ways to Promote a Business in 2010,” a recent promotion that’s part of ASI’s ongoing push to educate end-buyers about the power of the $16 billion ad specialty industry. To view the segment, click here. The Top 10 Wacky Ways to Promote a Business in 2010:
For photos of all products and purchasing information, click here. So far, the ASI press release touting the “Top 10 Wacky Way to Promote a Business in 2010” has been picked up or posted by more than 150 news outlets and blogs. I’d love to know what promotions are working for you, so please post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
May 6, 2010 Hot Products: A Real Treat from New YorkFiled under: ASI Shows, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties ASI TV shot a lot of video at our New York show this week and I’d like to share some highlights from my “Tim’s Takes,” direct from the Counselor awards and a bustling show floor at the Javits Center. If you click here, you’ll see me in my tux just before our glamorous event at the Plaza, where we joined 350 dignitaries to honor the Top 40 suppliers and distributors; the International Person of the Year, Nicolas Paillot, CEO of BIC Advertising & Promotional Products; and our 2010 Person of the Year, Proforma’s Greg and Vera Muzzillo. Click here for my report from the show floor, which includes breaking news from Counselor magazine that distributor first-quarter sales are up by 11.1% over 2009. Now that’s news we can all celebrate – and take right to the bank. Finally, click here to check out two very cool products, which we featured Wednesday morning at a press breakfast that attracted reporters from the likes of SmartMoney, CNNMoney.com, Fox and ABC News. ASI’s Dave Vagnoni (pictured) did a great job demonstrating to reporters the innovative products businesses are using in 2010 to promote their companies and events – including a riding electric beer cooler that goes 10 mph. We actually rode it in Times Square and boy, did people go crazy for that cooler, which companies like Miller, Snap-on tools and Coors are using to draw attention to their products. At right, Melinda Ligos demonstrates. Sarah Caplan, a 27-year-old entrepreneur who started Footzyrolls (asi/54915) with her sister, joined us to talk about her fantastic new roll-up shoes, which actually fit in a clutch and are perfect for high-heeled women who need a break. Footzyrolls are even being included in gift bags for the upcoming Sex and the City 2 movie. The video also shows off Celebarktion Gourmet Pet Treats. We brought a chocolate lab to our press event and she just loved these dog treats, which are very large, pretty tasty (Dave took a bite) and actually imprintable. As we told the press, promotional products provide the best ROI for your dollar. No wonder they’re being used to promote everything from American Idol to the Oscars. They really work! Tell me your favorite products from the New York show by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
April 21, 2010 Live Green, Love Green, Buy GreenFiled under: Media Coverage, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day we’re offering a one-day sale of our best-selling, eco-friendly Green Catalog. From 8 a.m.-7 p.m. ET Thursday, all new sales of the 2010 Green Catalog are just $1 each. Paperless orders only: Call 800-546-1392. For more info, click here. And, I’m happy to report the most-watched morning show in Texas featured products from ASI’s first-ever top 10 list of eco-friendly Earth Day giveaways. Turns out, Fox 4 “Good Day” consumer reporter Steve Noviello is a big fan of elephant poo products. To find out why, click here to watch the video. Click here to check out some of the items featured on the air, and how to order them or find out more information. Some of the products on our list include:
Let me know how you or your company observe Earth Day and reduce your carbon footprint (recycled printer cartridges? carpooling? telecommuting?), and tell me your most popular green products by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
February 25, 2010 Educating San Diego on FOX TVFiled under: ASI Shows, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties There’s a noticeable vibe on the show floor here at ASI San Diego, so much so that FOX 5 Click here to watch the video. And click here for photos and info about the products featured on-air, including:
Let me know your favorite products by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
February 16, 2010 Educating End-Buyers Through Media: CBS TVFiled under: Media Coverage, Members, News About ASI The media stampede continues, with Orlando’s CBS station featuring five promotional products for Valentine’s Day from ASI member companies.
Click here to watch the video. No matter what the calendar says, you can make every day Valentine’s Day with products like Sexy Water, the Bling Travel Mug, the Romantic Evening Intimacy Kit, a Contrast Color Thong, Chocolate Lips, Tangle Love Keychain, Little Black Book of Sexy Secrets, Sex on the Beach Kit, a Red Heart USB Drive and the Silhouette Girl Flashing Pin. For photos of each product and more purchasing information on ASICentral, click here. I’d love to know what products you enjoyed most, so post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
February 4, 2010 ASI Hits the Headlines in DallasFiled under: ASI Shows, Media Coverage, News About ASI Our Dallas trade show – which ended Wednesday after attracting 3,300 distributors – was big news in the Lone Star State this week. The Dallas Morning News, a Pulitzer Prize winning paper with a circulation of 368,000, interviewed a number of exhibitors on the show floor and gave a terrific overview of our industry. Read the full story here. FOX4, in a four-minute segment called “Everyone loves freebies!” showcased a number of hot products in its live in-studio shoot. And NBC5 also covered the show. Click here to watch all the clips. We’re happy to report that even during a tough recession, show attendance was off just 3% from last year and up slightly from 2008. Trends show the number of firms attending is about the same as last year, but each firm is bringing slightly fewer people, reflecting downsizing from a soft economy. To read the press release, click here. In addition to education, networking and entertainment, attendees were energized in an interactive keynote presentation by ASI’s senior VP, Dale Denham, who advised attendees on how to build their brand and their business with social networking. In a very lively keynote, which I discuss in another Tim’s Take, Dale cut through the hype and showed people practical ways to benefit from social networking. The two key take-aways every salesperson can benefit from are:
Dale says the three sites distributors should pay attention to are:
Everyone loved Dale’s reference to Twitter as a place for narcissistic stalkers with ADHD, but also loved how valuable it is to salespeople. For more great tips, find Dale on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/daledenham or on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/daledenham. You can also join him at the New York show May 4-6, where he’ll once again be the keynote speaker and share incredible info on how suppliers and distributors can make money with social networking. Let me know how social networking is helping your business by posting a comment or emailing me here. Of course, 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. |
