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Monday
January 24, 2011 ASI’s Grade A Day for EducationFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, Education, Member Benefits, Members, News About ASI We just enjoyed a milestone day in ASI’s education program. Monday, we “pinned” the first graduates of the Advertising Specialty Institute Certification Program and awarded them their certifications in a ceremony at The ASI Show in Orlando. The certifications represent the industry equivalent of a bachelor’s or master’s degree. I was very proud to join ASI Chairman Norman Cohn, Vice-Chairman Matthew Cohn and Corporate Vice President Stephanie Cohn Schaeffer in getting my pin and certificate. To date, 29 industry pros have received either a Master of Advertising Specialty Information (MASI) or Bachelor of Advertising Specialty Information (BASI) certificate. We launched this program to provide members with the skills they need to out-think, out-perform and out-service the competition. And we couldn’t be happier so many members are seizing the opportunity to set themselves apart through quality education. So far, 3,327 industry professionals have registered for classes needed to obtain an ASI certification. In 2010 alone, 4,600 distributors took more than 16,000 live education courses at ASI trade shows, making ASI the largest educator in the $17 billion ad specialty industry. We take education very seriously: Each year, ASI commits $1.3 million to educate its members. The following are now certified: Master of Advertising Specialty Information
And the following ASI employees: Ron Ball, Chris Lovell and Mary Sells. Bachelor of Advertising Specialty Information
And the following ASI employees: Nick DiNicola, Heather DiPrato, Jim Padilla and Pamela Vicik-Smith. The Advertising Specialty Institute Certification Program is the industry’s only free certification program, created on a user-friendly digital platform. All courses are tracked automatically via a digital campus, so participants can easily access their transcripts and remaining course requirements. Register here to get started taking your on-demand courses today. If you’ve taken any education courses toward your certificate, let me know how you’re doing by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
January 24, 2011 Enjoying a Hot Time in OrlandoFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, Members, News About ASI The ASI Show Orlando is off to a dynamic start. Sunday, show-goers took advantage of a bustling Education Day featuring more than 60 sessions, and last night we celebrated the 2011 Counselor Distributor Choice Awards. ASI and Counselor magazine honored Hit Promotional Products as the industry’s most-valued supplier during our premier awards ceremony. In addition, we recognized the most-valued ASI suppliers in 54 product categories, as determined by ASI Supplier Performance Ratings and distributor votes. A record 2,792 distributors across North America cast 79,664 votes in the 2011 competition. More than 250 finalist companies were recognized and 40 suppliers were named winners. As Counselor Editor Andy Cohen puts it, “The winners of our Distributor Choice Awards represent the best of the best suppliers in the ad specialty industry. The winners obviously care about providing the best possible customer service to their distributor customers. They put a premium on the service they offer, and they make it a focal point of everything they do. Distributors honor this level of service by voting for suppliers in this awards program.” After the awards, C.J. Schmidt, Hit’s VP of sales, echoed that sentiment, saying, “It comes from our customers, which means the world to us.” Click here to watch Andy’s interview with C.J. (pictured here) on ASI TV. For the list of winners and finalists, and to view photos from the ceremony, click here. ASI Orlando is being held at the Orange County Convention Center through Tuesday. The industry’s largest event on the East Coast, the show features hundreds of leading suppliers, including 197 new to Orlando. If you’re at the show, let me know what you think so far by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. We’ve got lots more coming up – including our Guinness World Record Peppermint Twist-Off contest today at 5 p.m., where we’ll attempt to hold the world’s biggest dance party and set a new world record for doing the twist. Wish us luck!
Friday
January 21, 2011 Editorial Reigns SupremeFiled under: News About ASI If you were within earshot of ASI’s editorial office this week you would have heard an awful lot of whooping and hollering. We’ve received word that three of our magazines are finalists for Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards from American Business Media. The prestigious awards are considered the Pulitzer Prize of business journalism. Not only that, this sets a new record for ASI’s editorial department: the first time it’s been nominated for three Neals in one incredible sweep. The awards themselves date to 1955 and are named after American Business Media’s first managing director, who actively promoted business media throughout his life. When the awards were established, Neal himself said, “I believe that the deepest satisfaction that a business editor can enjoy is realizing his success can and does affect an entire trade or industry.” That pretty much sums up our editorial philosophy. Our writers, editors and designers work hard to serve the ad specialty industry and I believe their efforts continuously advance the industry as a whole. Here’s what’s being recognized: Best Single Article: Wearables, for Editor C.J. Mittica’s awesome article, “From Seed to Shirt,” which detailed his 2,700-mile journey from Texas to Guatemala to show how organic apparel is made. Best News Coverage: Supplier Global Resource, for Editor Michele Bell’s great read, “Asia’s Seismic Shift,” on how labor unrest and other issues in China would affect industry suppliers. Best Educational Content: Counselor State of the Industry issue, edited by Andy Cohen and packed with phenomenal trend stories, how-to tips and profiles written by many staffers. On March 10, the editorial gang will go to New York City for an awards dinner and to learn whether they’ll take home bronze, silver or gold medals for their efforts. They’ll be honored alongside publishing giants like Dow Jones, Hearst, Crain’s and McGraw-Hill. In the past few months alone, our editorial department has won 14 awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors, four Folios and now three Neal nominations. The photo above shows our editorial team, led by Editor-in-Chief Melinda Ligos, celebrating one of their many wins. Please join me in congratulating them for once again proving they truly are the best of the best. If you’ve read an ASI story recently that you think is a winner, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
January 7, 2011 ESP Orders Free With ESP Web PlatformFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI “Free” has got to be one of the sweetest words in the English language. We should all hear it more often. So I’m very pleased to announce ASI now offers ESP Orders, the industry’s No. 1 ordering platform, at no charge with our revolutionary ESP Web platform. Since our initial rollout, the reviews have poured in fast and furious – along with some suggestions for improvement, which we always pay close attention to. Distributors tell us ESP Orders reduces processing time by 73% and suppliers say they’ve noticed a significant improvement in order accuracy.
Here’s what two members told us about their ESP experience: “ESP Web and Orders have cut my behind-the-desk research time and product order entry time in half, which has allowed me to spend more face time selling,” said Amanda Maxwell, president of Marketing Communications (asi/261624). “I have closed more sales with the help of ESP than I could have ever done in the past, and I no longer make rekeying mistakes because Orders does it all for me.” “ESP Web and Orders have revolutionized the way we do business,” said Craig Davidiuk, owner of Ultimate Promotions (asi/348057). “I can look up any product in a matter of seconds, create a presentation with my client’s logo on it, email it right to them and close the sale without even hanging up the phone. And, I can create purchase orders in no time. These products streamline the entire process.” If that wasn’t enough, ASI’s latest version of ESP is now up to two times faster. If you haven’t already signed up for the industry’s most complete, accurate and up-to-date supplier and product database, I have one question for you. What are you waiting for? All ESP subscribers will be upgraded at no charge at time of renewal. To see an overview of ESP Web and ESP Orders, click here. For more information and if you have any questions, please either email me or Dan O’Halloran, executive vice president, distributor services, at dohalloran@asicentral.com. To read our press release, click here. And let me know what your experience with ESP has been by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
December 30, 2010 Out With the Old, In With the NewFiled under: Community, Members, News About ASI The end of one year and the start of the next is a great opportunity to review your company’s jeers and cheers, set future goals and determine if you want to shake things up or maintain the status quo. This year, for the first time ever, I sent out a “Letter from the CEO” to tens of thousands of members and prospects recapping the top 10 things ASI accomplished in 2010. We also published the letter in our magazines. In response, I received a flood of emails. The compliments made me proud. The detractors made me doubly determined to do an even better job for our customers – rightly described by one publication as, “an unpaid army of advocates.” In today’s Twitterific world, online customer opinions are as potent as New Year’s Eve punch. And if you didn’t learn that lesson in 2010, make it your No. 1 resolution for 2011. Social networking is so hot, people are trading texts instead of kisses as the ball drops at midnight nowadays. Talk about new age. All in all, 2010 was a good year for the promotional products industry. During the downturn, our industry lost thousands of sales reps – and about $4 billion. But we’ve definitely turned a corner. Through the first nine months of 2010, the ad specialty industry expanded by 8.2%. Full speed ahead! We’ve got a terrific year ahead of us, which starts next month at our big show in Orlando January 23-25. Michael J. Fox is our keynoter, and we’re also counting on participants to help us break a Guinness World Record for most people to dance the Twist with a Peppermint Twist-Off featuring chart-topper Joey Dee. How’s that for a fun start to the 2011 selling season? After that, it’s smooth sailing all the way to Dallas Feb. 16-18, New York March 22-24, San Diego May 18-20 and Chicago July 19-21. No matter how you celebrate the New Year – whether it’s with champagne, spiked prune juice or a good book by the fire – I hope it’s a happy one for you and yours. Let me know what you have in store for 2011 by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
December 21, 2010 A Gift of Great ArtFiled under: Community, News About ASI I love this time of year,
There’s nothing I love more than touting the work of artists like Jim Campbell and Joshua Kirsch. So I was delighted when editors at Bucks Life magazine asked to feature some of the art and hand-crafted furniture I have in my home in their December holiday issue. The accompanying story talks about the way art imprinted my life as far back as grade school and shows off some pieces built by Hunterdon County, N.J.-based craftsman Tom Schlack. Click here and here to read the story and see the photos, which include a piece by Joshua in my living room. December turned out to be a showcase month for me. Recently, The Palm Restaurant in Orlando, FL, where we host one of our annual trade shows, honored me by including a caricature of my likeness on its wall. The Palm is known for posting 200 to 300 local notables’ likenesses alongside caricatures of regulars and celebrities. It’s a huge deal to be included and I’m delighted to be considered a “local” in a city where I have so many great show memories. If you haven’t yet registered for the ASI Orlando show taking place January 23-25, please click here. I hope your December’s been as fun as mine. Let me know how you’re spending your holidays by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
December 15, 2010 Lights, Camera, EducationFiled under: Education, Member Benefits, News About ASI ASI went Hollywood this week when a NYC production company transformed ordinary office byways into temporary movie sets for the filming of our upcoming Supplier Success System. The series is a sequel to the uber-popular distributor version that’s helped so many industry newbies jump-start their business. The supplier version will feature me, SGR Editor Michele Bell and Digital Advertising Director Gene Rahill explaining the intricacies of the promotional products industry while offering helpful tips and instruction. The shoot was as professional as they come, complete with bright lights, makeup and calls of “action” and “cut.” In some of the scenes, numerous ASI employees served as extras. In the pic at right, the technicians are setting up the lighting for a segment shot in our warehouse. We may not win any Oscars, but we’re hopeful the supplier education system proves as popular as a holiday blockbuster. This new industry “crash course” will be supplemented with interviews with successful suppliers, top industry experts and end-users from the Fortune 500. It’ll be patterned after the Distributor Success System, a 10-part learn-as-you-go series that includes an introductory DVD and 10 30-minute lessons on CDs, along with a workbook and motivational flash cards. The best part is you can take these courses when you want, where you want – at home, in the car, on a PDA or through a smart phone. Electronic versions are also available to all ASI members through our website. As with most ASI benefits, the Supplier Success System will be free. So far, we’ve given out over 8,000 distributor versions, which was first released in May 2009. We expect another hit on our hands when the supplier version comes out later this year. We’ll alert you as soon as it’s available. If you’ve watched the distributor version, please let me know if it was helpful by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
