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Monday
December 21, 2009 Educating Buyers in Today’s Philadelphia InquirerFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Monday’s Philadelphia Inquirer featured a story about the growth of hand sanitizers in our industry – educating end-buyers about the value of providing useful advertising specialties to their clients and prospects. To watch the video, “Philadelphia Business Today” (starts automatically), click here. To read the article online, click here. The story centers on how hand sanitizers now rival pens as one of the most popular logoed items. As we reported last week, searches of the key words “hand sanitizers” by promotional products distributors via ESP Online jumped 439% for the period between October 2009 and October 2008. Only searches for pens – which for years have been the best-selling logoed product in the promotional products industry – were higher that period. In addition, searches for sanitizer products of all kinds jumped by triple digits this year. Send the link to my blog (http://www.timandrewsblog.com/) to all your clients and prospects, as an idea for a product they might be interested in for their customers. What’s your hottest product for 2009? Please post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
December 17, 2009 Hand Sanitizers Rival Pens in PopularityFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Here’s an astonishing statistic to consider during cold, cough and sneeze season: searches for “hand sanitizers” by distributors via ASI’s products database jumped 439% for the period between October 2009 and October 2008. That means hand sanitizers now rival pens as one of the most popular promo items – thanks in part to the swine flu (H1N1). Only searches for pens – which for years have been the best-selling ad specialty – were higher that period. In addition, searches for sanitizer products of all kinds jumped by triple digits this year. For more details, check the press release here. We spoke to Larry Wilhelm, chief executive officer of Custom HBC (asi/47934), The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that when soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used to help prevent the spread of germs. Further, Wilhelm says sanitizing products aren’t just used as promotional giveaways. Increasingly, more distributors are wisely approaching company human resources departments, which buy sanitizers for employees to reduce absenteeism caused by illness. I’d love to hear about your best-selling item, and why you think it’s taking off. Post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
October 2, 2009 Only the Best with SelectFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties In the last year alone, distributors have rated nearly 100,000 transactions on 25,000 supplier ratings reports submitted in ESP Online. Elite suppliers with the highest ratings – and you know who you are – are the only companies invited to advertise in our 2010 Select catalog. Distributors, this means Select is virtually worry-free. Thanks to the ratings, you know exactly what you’ll get: great products from reputable suppliers. Also, each copy is imprinted with your logo and contact information, so your clients know who to call. The catalog provides more than 200 products, including clocks and watches, apparel, executive gifts, and food and drink items – all of which will appeal to a wide variety of buyers for their marketing campaigns, events or recognition programs. For more information about Select, read the press release here. To see sample pages or to order Select online, click here. You can also order by contacting Dan Brown at ASI, at dbrown@asicental.com. Here’s a sweet deal going on right now – with every order you’ll receive a free bag of product samples from featured advertisers plus free shipping. I’d love to hear about your experience with Select, so post a comment. I’m also on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Thursday
September 24, 2009 Two Affordable Products From VegasFiled under: ASI Shows, Using Ad Specialties From Matthew Cohn, vice-chairman of ASI:
Click here to see my video featuring these items. Feel free to reach me anytime at mcohn@asicentral.com. – Matthew
Friday
September 18, 2009 More Hot Products from VegasFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties The ASI Holiday & Incentives Expo in Las Vegas attracted distributors and decorators from 48 states and 12 countries, thanks to cool new products likes the ones featured in my latest hot products video:
Light-up cup, from Envision Marketing Group, a Counselor HOT Party sponsor (asi/52519). This sturdy acrylic cup comes in multiple colors and is a sure bet to brighten up any bash. Desk Dots, from Dynomighty Design (asi/51169). I use these on my desk to hold an astonishing array of items, from paper clips to a fat stack of business cards. They’re amazingly magnetic and make a really cool corporate gift. The Can Grip, New Digitally Printed Umbrella, from Windbrella (asi/97247). With its quick, 48-hour turnaround, this is a perfect product for family reunions and corporate events – your digital photos imprinted right on an umbrella. You can click here to watch the video. I’d love to hear about your experiences in Vegas, so post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Thursday
September 17, 2009 Cool Products Video and HOT Party PhotosFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, Using Ad Specialties Direct from the floor of the ASI Holiday & Incentives Expo in Las Vegas – here’s my first cool products video, with seven unique products your clients will love for the all-important fall and holiday selling seasons: • Silicon Drink-Thru Top Mug and Stainless Steel Jean-Style Water Bottle, from Berney-Karp Inc. (asi/40261): dishwater-safe porcelain mug that’s perfect for coffee and tea lovers and a unique jean-style water bottle kids will go bonkers for. • Bamboo Wine and Cheese Plate, from Aunt Beth’s Cookie Keepers (asi/37465): hand-crafted, elegant and surprisingly strong. Perfect for holiday parties.
• Executive Cookie Box with Cookies, from Admints & Zagabor (asi/31516): stylish and sophisticated and filled with really tasty cookies your clients will devour. • Water Scope, from Atlantis Time-Line (asi/37385): this very unusual, incredibly practical Christmas tree watering scope is perfect for the holidays. • Chromax Titanium Golf Ball, from Vegas Golf (asi/87605): it wouldn’t be Vegas without some serious glitter, and the sparkly “Vegas Golf Ball” certainly fits the bill. Click here to watch the video. And I know they say “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” but I’m going to share our photos from Counselor magazine’s HOT party at Christian Audigier Nightclub, so click here to see who’s shaking up the industry. Be sure to turn the music on. I’d love to hear about your Vegas experiences, so post a comment now or email me here. I’m also on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tuesday
July 21, 2009 New Email Marketing Tool for DistributorsFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Today we’re launching a new, easy-to-use email marketing tool that allows distributors to quickly create and send email marketing messages and promotions to customers with the click of a button. The latest ASI distributor benefit was unveiled on our first day of ASI Show Chicago. Read all about it in the press release, by clicking here. ASI chose RatePoint, Inc., a leading provider of user-friendly, Web-based communication tools, to provide the program to ASI distributor members. RatePoint is providing the program at a substantial savings, exclusively for ASI distributor members. I’m especially pleased with this powerful marketing tool because it costs about the same as the price of lunch, and you can choose from over 100 ready-made templates or can create a custom template. The new program includes:
Additional features include customer feedback tools that allow your clients to easily provide testimonials and feedback that distributors can use to promote their Website and LogoMall site, and at no extra charge. The new email marketing tool is available immediately, with a 30-day free trial for distributors with no further obligation. This latest distributor member benefit joins more than 12 other member savings programs from ASI, including discounts on UPS® shipping, group health insurance options, office supplies at OfficeMax®, credit card processing and digital artwork services. To check it out, visit asicentral.com/ratepoint. For more information, contact Dale Denham, senior vice president, at dale.denham@asicentral.com. I’d love to know what you think. Post a comment on the blog or email me here. |
