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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.
Monday
February 15, 2010 Blog On! Stitches’ Social Media Site Scores Major RecognitionFiled under: Community, News About ASI These days, just about anyone can blog – but it’s pretty hard to create a social media site that serves a real purpose and actually gets people communicating. For these reasons – and many more – Stitches magazine’s social media site was recently nominated for a 2010 Jesse H. Neal Award. The magazine’s editor and social media master is Nicole Rollender, who created the site in 2008. The Neal Awards, established in 1955 to recognize and reward editorial excellence in business media publications, are considered the “Pulitzer Prize of the business media.” Stitches is nominated in the category of “Best editorial use of social media.” I’m sure the Stitches entry stood out because it’s clear Nicole is a hands-on editor, posting blog entries, videos and other content that helps readers and routinely sending email blasts alerting them to new features and chat times. She’s a familiar presence on the site, chatting with readers at all hours. Celebrating its 23rd year, Stitches magazine is the voice and vision of the embroidery industry. The site Nicole created for readers has a growing audience of 1,500 members, including embroiderers, screen printers, machine technicians, distributors, suppliers, digitizers and apparel designers. The ultimate goal, she says, is an online hub where Stitches readers can connect in real time and feel like they’re part of a community. Members can reach out, network, post questions and photos and discover new trends and fresh ideas that can help them grow their business. To check it out, sign in at www.stitchesmagsocialsite.com. And 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.
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!
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.
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.
Friday
January 29, 2010 ASI Announces Dates for 2011 ShowsFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI There’s a reason smart seniors take advantage of early bird specials – they save major money. Today, we’re announcing super savings on ASI’s 2011 trade shows. I can’t promise free apple sauce, but there are bargains galore for early birds:
Our five industry trade shows take place in major markets across America. We based the dates and locations of shows on ASI member surveys and feedback from show attendees. As a result, timing and locations for Orlando, Dallas and Chicago shows will remain consistent with prior years, while the New York show moves to March and the San Diego Show moves to May. For complete show details, visit asishow.com. To read the press release, click here. As always, each ASI show sets the standard for industry shows and drives attendance by recruiting the best distributors. ASI distributor members receive benefits that make them VIPs, including: free admission, free education and keynotes, up to $100 toward a hotel room, discounted tickets to the gala celebration, prizes in the Passport to Winnings contest, free Catalog Courier service, free catalog shipping and daily networking opportunities. Let me know what you like best about ASI shows 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. |
