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Thursday
August 13, 2009 SAAC and State of the IndustryFiled under: Community, Education, News About ASI, Research I participated in an industry event recently – the 2009 SAAC Show in Long Beach, California. The Specialty Advertising Association of California invited me to discuss the state of the industry before the APS Group (Advertising Products Suppliers). I shared results of our second quarter sales survey, conducted by ASI’s Larry Basinait, who takes the pulse of the industry through numerous research studies and surveys. I thought you might be interested since, not surprisingly, it shows ad specialty sales are off about 14%. The report broke down the forecast for the second half of the year by company size and it discovered something worth noting: the bigger the distributor, the more pessimistic. Of those reporting sales of less than $250,000, 26% expect sales to be higher, and 47% expect sales to be lower. Of those earning $1 million and up, 19% anticipate higher sales while 50% percent expect lower. As far as trends, the study showed that buyers want more services, like fulfillment. They also want more access to marketing program information, such as educational videos and materials beyond a product leave-behind. They want ideas on how to use promotional products, how to track ROI and how to educate their bosses, peers and colleagues. I also shared with the group recent improvements ASI has made to education – in direct response to what members are requesting. In sum, we took a great education program and made it even better, by merging it with our editorial team. You can see many of the new offerings by clicking here, including free access to the brand-new, 10-CD Distributor Success System. Tell me what you think about the current state of the industry by posting a comment now or emailing me here.
Tuesday
July 14, 2009 Counselor Survey Shows Higher Employee MoraleFiled under: Community, Research What is your company doing to boost morale? Counselor magazine’s second annual In fact, employees at industry firms gave such high marks to their companies this year, Counselor expanded its list from 50 top companies to 60. Our editor-in-chief, Melinda Ligos, says that while many firms have had layoffs, remaining employees feel valued and are confident in their company’s leadership. For the full list of 60 companies, read the press release here. The companies highlighted are coming up with innovative strategies for motivating their employees, such as more generous 401(k) packages and benefit plans and creative and engaging programs. One company even created a “fun time committee” that regularly plans unique corporate outings, like golf contests and local concerts. Final rankings among the top companies, including the number-one firm, will be announced in the September issue of Counselor, where you can learn what ideas leading industry employers are putting into motion to increase staff retention, satisfaction, productivity, creativity and sales performance. Let me know how your company is trying to boost morale – post a comment on the blog or email me here.
Wednesday
April 29, 2009 Interesting Research ResultsFiled under: Education, News About ASI, Research While the headlines this week were about industry sales being off, we dug deeper to figure out what separated the winners from the losers. Of all the reasons we checked, here are two numbers that matter: Among those distributors reporting an increase in sales for the first quarter of 2009, 71% had ESP Online. Among those reporting a decrease in sales, only 59% had ESP Online. Our research geek says “the difference is significant at the 95% level of confidence” — which he patiently explained to me translates to “this is definitely NOT a coincidence.” If you’re using ESP Online from ASI, you’re using a business management tool that truly sets you apart, and gives you a real advantage in finding ideas that matter and creating proposals that close business — now more important than ever. If you’re not yet using ESP Online, visit asicentral.com/esp to learn more and sign up for a free demo to see what you’re missing. Also, look through the other recent blog posts for useful resources, marketing tools and business tips to help you in this challenging economic time. Tell me how you’re boosting business by posting a comment on the blog now or emailing me here.
Tuesday
April 14, 2009 Research for Awards & Engraving ProsFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Research I was recently asked by Recognition Review, published by the Awards and Recognition Association, about what research, trends and information awards and engraving professionals can use to expand their promotional products business and to service current clients asking for them.
Promotional products provide a high ROI for marketers, and companies need them now more than ever to help them grab market share from their competitors. *************** According to the annual industry sales estimate from ASI, promotional products sales topped $19.6 billion in 2007, and we’re projecting the industry to be up slightly from that for 2008. ASI released a new study that indicates that over 80% of recipients who receive a promotional product remember the brand on the item. That’s powerful advertising and high recall for your marketing investment. The study is available free at asicentral.com/study and you can use it to educate your clients about the value of promotional products in their marketing. The study also found that about 81% of recipients keep an item because they consider it to be useful. So choose items for your clients that customers find valuable everyday. The return on your promotional products investment is stellar. Promotional products provide an estimated average cost-per-impression that is a fraction of a penny ($.004), which is lower than TV ads, radio ads or newspaper ads. The annual State of the Industry report, published by ASI’s Counselor magazine, indicates that the top five most popular advertising specialty categories are:
And the top end-user markets are:
In addition, your creativity is the limit. At the ASI Show in New York, one of five national promotional products trade shows we host throughout the year, I found iPod carriers, customized LED name badges, rubber calculators that you can roll up, and other innovative tech items to be in demand with clients. Watch a video with some of the products here. There are many more product ideas for businesses in videos from our national trade shows, available anytime and posted at asicentral.com.
Monday
April 6, 2009 Words of Wisdom for These Challenging TimesFiled under: Education, Members, Research
During the current economic downturn, you have an incredible opportunity to INCREASE SALES and BUILD MARKETSHARE. But don’t take my word for it…here’s some proof to back-up the common sense. Click here to download and use the “Recession Sales Sheet” with results of studies encouraging companies to increase marketing now, including the information below. • 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s – Buchen Advertising tracked advertising dollars vs. sales trends for the recessions of 1949, 1954, 1958 and 1961. They found that sales and profits dropped at companies that cut back on advertising and, after the recession had ended, those same companies lagged behind the ones that maintained their ad budgets. • 1970’s – An American Business Press study showed that companies who advertise and market aggressively can maintain and increase sales during a recession and in the following years. • 1980’s – McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 B2B companies and found that those who maintained or increased advertising grew significantly…both during the recession and the following three years. In fact, by 1985, sales of companies that advertised aggressively had grown 275% over those that didn’t. • 1990’s – A MarketSense study concluded the best strategy for coping with a recession is balancing long-term branding with promotions for short-term sales. The study shows brands like Jif and Kraft Salad Dressing experienced sales growth of 57% and 70% respectively after increasing their advertising during the recession. • 2009 – The results are up to you! ASI Marketing has created an informative sheet with additional “recession-busting” information for you to personalize and share with your clients and prospects. To access and use the “Recession Sales Sheet” now, click here .
Wednesday
March 18, 2009 ASICentral Enhances Navigation, Education and SearchFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Research One thing that really makes my day is when I visit a website that’s well-designed, easy to navigate, and provides useful information – which is why I’m delighted to announce ASI’s recent upgrade of ASICentral.com. The new website is all part of our commitment to provide the best industry education for our members and to also help buyers and prospects understand the power of promotional products – especially now.
The user-friendly design and enhanced content enables suppliers and distributors to find the tools to help them grow their business, and provides more interactive videos and educational articles and webinars from the award-winning Counselor magazine and all of ASI’s six publications. Here are some more great enhancements:
There’s lots more. Click here to read the full press release. Let me know your favorite websites by posting a comment on the blog now.
Monday
December 8, 2008 Media Agrees That Promo Products Work, Now Grow Your SalesFiled under: Education, Guest Blog, Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, Research, Using Ad Specialties From Scott Fuhr, director of corporate communications at ASI: Results from the effectiveness of advertising specialties study from ASI have appeared in multiple outlets over the last several weeks, and Newsday in New York also published an article about how companies should continue investing in corporate gift-giving. Readers of these stories were likely surprised to learn that:
Below are links to some of the stories. I recommend that you forward them to your clients and prospects so that they understand that their message will reach more people when they use promo products. If you have ideas for stories for the media, or know reporters who enjoy covering the advertising business or promotional products, email me at sfuhr@asicentral.com. Watch TV clips of products from ASI Shows, by clicking here. |
Best Places to Work survey indicates higher morale at industry firms. Interesting, considering the difficult economic times.
Following is what I shared with them, which might be helpful to you in convincing your clients to increase their spending on ad specialties – particularly in these challenging economic times. 
