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Thursday
June 21, 2012 Business A-Go-GoFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Every company is continually Outstanding functionality makes things cool. Sharp design makes things cool. Clever marketing does its part as well. I think ASI’s ESP Mobile™ for iPhone, iPad and Android clinches cool because it’s rapidly becoming a go-to resource for a growing number of industry companies. To me, that’s pretty cool. And I say this from the middle of a heat wave! This week we announced user popularity of ESP Mobile has led to total downloads surpassing 5,000 users. If you’ve jumped on our mobile bandwagon, just consider how many times you’ve conducted business on the run since downloading the app to your device. Quite a lot, right? When we asked around for a few distributors to tell us how they’re relying on ESP Mobile to do business, Mike Woodall, owner of BrandIT (asi/145195), told us he downloaded the iPad app the first week it dropped. He likes its simplicity – and accessibility. He even takes his iPad to his daughter’s volleyball games and practices, to research products right then and there. To get a leg up in business these days, it’s clear you need to be ready – and able – to do business anytime, anywhere. So I’m glad ASI® can provide a quick, efficient means for salespeople to search products on ESP Web™ – where distributors can source and order every ad specialty product in the industry from more than 3,200 suppliers – and send proposals to clients 24/7. As you know, ESP Mobile for Android, iPhone and iPad is only available to authorized distributors of promotional products who are ESP® subscribers. If you haven’t gotten ESP yet, call your ASI account executive at 1 (800) 546-1350. And anytime you have questions, contact ASI’s product and technical support team at support@asicentral.com. They’re always happy to help. And I’m always on the lookout for comments posted here or e-mails sent to me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Stay cool!
Wednesday
June 13, 2012 Score Big with Top Golf ProductsFiled under: Members, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties It takes a lot of imagination to devise cool new products for a game as old as golf, which began in Scotland way back during the Middle Ages. And now that I’m in my middle age, I’m not afraid to make a confession: I’m not a golfer. I know that for a businessman, that’s about as crazy as saying I don’t like making money, but it’s the truth. That said, I am really impressed with the batch of golf products Joe “The Joe Show” Haley recently compiled in honor of this Sunday’s Father’s Day. To see all the pics and watch Joe’s video demo, click here. The ad specialties below can be easily branded by any number of companies and charitable organizations to reward tournament winners and to advertise a brand, club, group or greens any time of the year:
Let me know what golf gifts resonated with your clients this year by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
June 11, 2012 Know Your AudienceFiled under: Community, Guest Blog, Using Ad Specialties First, let me say it’s an honor to be asked to guest post on Tim’s personal blog. It’s a slight change of pace for me. Most of the guest blog experience I’ve had has been on the BELLwether Blog, where rock star Michele Bell allows me to express my less politically correct side – a side she affectionately refers to as “El Diablo.” For this space I’ll tone it down in the interest of continuing to receive a paycheck. Now that the kissing up is out of the way … In early May I attended the Mashable Connect 2012 conference at the beautiful Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. Mashable is the largest independent online news site dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology. This meeting brings together the uber-smart, doing the hippest and most forward-thinking things. To say I felt like the dumbest person in the room is an understatement. Yes, I came away with a ton of ideas (none I’ll share here as I plan to use them to get you to buy stuff), but I also came away extremely impressed with the use of promotional products at the event. Not just in the quality, but how the conference organizers and sponsors really “knew” their audience. Let’s start with registration. Prior to dinner I took a stroll down to the registration desk to pick up my badge and other materials. Well, I’ll be honest – through the online social community that was set up for attendees, I’d heard there would be a pretty killer goodie bag. And I was not disappointed. Included in the logoed tote was a mini screen cleaner, adhesive whiteboard cards and marker, a mini Etch A Sketch for passing the time, a laptop sleeve, a sweet pair of shades with case from Norwood (asi/74400), a bag of trail mix, two Gildan T-shirts and an awesome Power Stick portable charger from Ecosol Solar Technologies (asi/51566). Quite a haul, right? Later, while relaxing in my room, I received a knock on the door and was greeted with a present from the nice folks with Disney’s social media team: a super-cool logoed USB hub from Prime Line (asi/79530), and, of course, a bag of Chip and Dale pretzels. The next day, I found the funniest example of knowing your audience. One of the sponsors, Definition 6, gave out hangover kits. Included was a bottle of water, a Clif Bar, Advil, Alka-Seltzer and a 5-hour Energy shot – which I’m sure a good number of attendees were thankful to receive. For some reason mine didn’t make it home. Must have left it in the room. Believable? Didn’t think so. To put it simply, everyone involved did it right. Hosts and sponsors knew the attendees were primarily tech geeks, and with only 200 people there, could go a little bit higher-end. When done right, companies can use events to leave a lasting positive impression on the individuals in attendance. Think about the last event you went to; there were most likely plenty of sponsors. Which ones do you remember? It’s the ones that seemed to do just a little bit extra. Keep this in mind when pitching your proposal for your client’s next event. And now for the plug … Using ESP®’s Event Planner, you can easily put together a winning proposal, at a variety of price points, that your clients will love. Check out the video by clicking here to see all these items and more. And please follow me on twitter @ccgraf. – Colin Graf, ASI® marketing director of supplier membership/digital advertising
Monday
June 4, 2012 Adobe and ASI: Perfect TogetherFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties When it comes to images, one of the first things that pops into mind when I think of clear, crisp visuals is “Adobe.” They’re synonymous in the same way as, say, fine engineering and BMW or terrific T-bones and Peter Luger Steakhouse. Which is why when it came time to choose a company to provide members with state-of-the-art graphic features across the ESP® platform, ASI® chose Adobe, the undisputed platinum standard in virtual sampling technology. ASI’s virtual sample tool sets an industry standard for simplicity and effectiveness. It’s an easy-to-use, “no-click” solution where a logo is uploaded to ESP Web™ and then applied automatically to every product that is virtual sample-ready. Out of the box, over 100,000 products are virtual sample-ready in ESP Web. Thousands of products are added daily, and the number will soon exceed hundreds of thousands. Features of Adobe’s leading sampling technology include:
Virtual samples are free for all ESP users and available now. The new Adobe solution will upgrade the current virtual-sample tool in ESP Online™ in late June. LogoMall® and other website customers interested in upgrading to ASI’s ESP Websites™ should visit www.asicentral.com/ESPwebsites. Call (800) 546-1350 and ask to speak to your account executive to sign up for ESP. And please let me know what you think of our new virtual reality by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
May 31, 2012 Calling All DroidsFiled under: Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Hard to believe, but three short years ago there were only about 2,300 apps available in the Android market. Today, there are over half a million – with 15 billion downloads to date. This week, ASI® entered the arena, offering ESP Mobile™ for Android free from Google Play to more than 46,000 ESP® users. ESP Mobile for Android is integrated with ASI’s ESP Web™, where distributors can source and order every ad specialty product in the industry from more than 3,200 suppliers via their Android app, which provides the same business-friendly features as the ESP Mobile iPhone and iPad apps. Now, you can view the latest pricing, see razor-sharp images, check out supplier ratings, request quotes and e-mail clients products on the go, 24/7. Personally, I’m an iPhone user. My favorite apps – other than ESP Mobile, of course – include OpenTable for restaurant ideas and reservations, which I’ve been using since its 2004 debut on the Web. Today, because of my frequent use for business and pleasure, I’m a designated VIP with 32,200 points, earning 100 points each time I make and complete a reservation. As a frequent flyer, I’m also a big user of the merged United-Continental app, which lets me check where I want to go, where I’m going and where I’ve been. And no business day is ever complete without my WSJ app – a direct link to my personal newspaper of record. I’m devoted to these apps because they’re fast, reliable and user-friendly – providing the same critical qualities as ASI’s ESP Mobile apps. ESP Mobile is currently available for both iPhone and iPad in the Apple App Store. Search for “ESP Mobile +” for iPhone and “ESP Mobile HD” for iPad. For all ASI mobile applications, including our magazines, search for “Advertising Specialty Institute” in the Apple App store. (Shameless plug: ESP Mobile for Android is only available to authorized distributors of promotional products who are ESP subscribers. To purchase ESP, call your ASI account executive at 1 (800) 546-1350. And if you have any questions, ASI’s product and technical support team will be happy to help at support@asicentral.com). If you’re using ASI’s ESP Mobile apps, please let me know how they’re helping your business by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
May 21, 2012 ASI Raises the Bar with ESP WebsitesFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties ASI is in the business of providing solutions that directly benefit members, which makes today’s launch of ESP Websites as good as it gets. During countless focus groups, we listened to what members had to say and delivered a product that met all their needs, from social media and videos all the way to virtual-ready samples. I think it’s clear no one else in the industry can match the accuracy, power and shopping sophistication of ESP Websites. Best of all, LogoMall customers can upgrade to an ESP Website for free, plus receive a free ESP Website to brand for a best customer. Built for sales and gunning for leads, the new ESP Websites™ couldn’t be easier or faster. With one-click ease, distributors get hundreds of templates to choose from and instant access to the latest online tools and features needed to quickly create a distinct, custom-designed website. Most important, all sites are e-commerce enabled, allowing members to accept credit cards and customers to make down payments to secure orders. The built-in features of every ESP Website include:
Dozens of ASI employees dedicated themselves to perfecting ESP Websites. From concept to launch, it took nearly a year – with 15,000 hours alone devoted to development. During development, we kept the conversations rolling, asking numerous distributors to take ESP Websites for a test drive. The execs at Top 40 distributor Brown & Bigelow were so impressed the company is now offering it to their top performing salespeople. Here’s what William D. Smith, Jr., the company’s executive vice president, had to say: “We’re excited ASI has created a state-of-the-art solution that provides our salespeople with a professional, functional and personal web presence. The functionality addresses the needs of tech savvy clients and sales people, with social media links, virtual sample creation, artwork transfers, shopping cart and payment processing. From a corporate perspective, we appreciate that one administrator can easily update editorial content and merchandise on all of the sites, eliminating the need for each salesperson to focus on these tasks. This is an amazing solution we’re proud to offer our team.” As a stamp of approval goes, it doesn’t get much better than that. To upgrade, visit www.asicentral.com/ESPwebsites or call ASI support at 1 (800) 546-1350. New ESP Website customers are eligible to receive a free ESP Website to brand for a best customer. Contact your ASI account executive at 1 (800) 546-1350 or visit www.asicentral.com/ESPwebsites. Let me know what you think of ESP Websites by posting a comment, and if you have any questions, please e-mail me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
April 20, 2012 Earth FirstFiled under: Community, Industry Initiatives, Members, Using Ad Specialties I still have the $10 Earth Day T-shirt (my first ad specialty tee!) I helped sell in the quad in 1982 during my first fundraiser as secretary of the Society of Professional Journalists at Ball State University. I’m still involved in ad specialties and still concerned about doing all I can to help protect the Earth. Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on April 22, and more companies than ever before are using “green” giveaways to promote their commitment to the environment while advertising their brand, product or event. This year, in what’s become an annual Top 10 list of eco-friendly freebies from ASI®, the theme is products made from renewable resources like bamboo and using manufacturing processes that don’t harm the environment. It’s clear there’s no better way for a company to advertise its brand and its conscience all year long than with logoed giveaways that are biodegradable, all-natural or mercury-free. To see a Joe Show, photos and descriptions featured on this year’s Top 10 list, click here. ASI’s Top 10 Eco-Friendly Freebies: 1. Stone paper journal, from Yanlee Trading Co. (asi/98766). An eco-friendly alternative made from actual stone via a bleach-free process, making it recyclable, compostable, smudge-resistant, water-resistant and tear-proof. 2. Eco golf balls, from MVP Gift Bag (asi/68322). Made from recycled golf balls and packaged in boxes made from recycled paper. Comes with pre-addressed pouch so damaged balls can be returned, recycled and replaced by manufacturer. 3. Seeded paper, from Symphony Seed Paper (asi/74930). Honor Earth Day by planting flowers from seeds embedded in paper branded with company logo. 4. Wooden bead Karma bracelets (asi/78140) from Pinnacle Designs. Made from all-natural wood, easy to imprint. 5. Water bottle with carbon filter, from Ad-N-Art (asi/31518). BPA-free, squeezable water bottle with a carbon filter keeps 200 fewer water bottles from the landfill. Filter allows for turning public fountain or spigot water into clean drinking water. 6. Eco-tee, from Royal Apparel (asi/83731). Tee consists of 50% organic cotton and 50% polyester made from recycled water bottles. Imprinted with water-safe inks and made in the USA. 7. Bamboo serving utensils, from Bay State Specialty Co. (asi/38980). Bamboo grows upwards of 6 feet a day without fertilizers or pesticides. 8. Billboard bags, from Landes Inc. (asi/66230). Worried about your used vinyl billboards and banners clogging up landfills? Landes recycles them into attention-grabbing bags. 9. Dog training treats and pad balm, from Solar Advertising (asi/88148). Made from all-natural, organic materials. Tube is biodegradable. 10. Coco-Eco flip-flops, from Neet Feet (asi/73525). Made from recycled rubber and recycled coconut fibers, they’re great for promoting any company associated with the great outdoors. Let me know what Earth Day product is your current favorite or what your company is doing to promote Earth Day values by posting a comment or e-mailing me. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
