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Monday
April 16, 2012 Media File: Big, Bigger, BestFiled under: ASI Shows, Members, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Sometimes, bigger is definitely better. Roller coasters, sales commissions, even juicy hamburgers – they’re all better bigger. To that list you can add 2012 Media File, the world’s largest promotional products catalog. This hardcover catalog is such an essential sales tool that we’ve already pre-sold 65% of all available copies. This year’s edition – incredibly, our 57th – contains thousands of products from hundreds of suppliers (including 49 new suppliers) in all price ranges, along with promotional planning guides and end-buyer case studies perfect to take along to your next sales call. Price and product indexes make it easy to choose products to suit any client’s budget. In addition, the 2012 Media File comes packed with ASI’s End Buyer Catalog Study facts to help prove the enduring ROI of ad specialties. But what really sets Media File apart are the products – everything from customized playing cards, colorful drinkware and cool USB flash drives to unique athletic souvenirs, awesome executive gifts, go-green items and even prize wheels, along with favorite campaign standards. It’s big, it’s undeniably beautiful and it’s selling fast. You can order yours online by clicking here. If you have any questions or want to discuss special offers, contact Dan Brown, ASI’s executive director of distributor services, at dbrown@asicentral.com or at 800-546-1365. And remember, selling through catalogs continues to be an effective marketing medium for distributors and suppliers. ASI studies show over 86% of active distributors declare catalogs to be important or even essential for generating sales. As we prepare to head to the Big Apple for our New York show, I want to share one last Tim’s Take video from San Diego. We shot this right after the Michael J. Fox keynote, which inspired an audience of about 500. I was particularly moved by his message of hope in the face of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, as my mom lived with the disease for over 35 years. If you haven’t already, please check out his foundation’s website and see the incredible things they’ve accomplished in their search for a cure. April, by the way, is Parkinson’s Awareness month. In California, I also checked out some fun products like a spinning dragonfly (at right) from Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), colorful stress relievers from Target Line (asi/90640) and Rubik’s cubes from Prime Line (asi/79530). Click here to watch. And let me know what fun, funky ad specialty is your current favorite by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
April 3, 2012 ASI’s Latest App is a Tap AwayFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties ASI has exciting news: ESP Mobile™ HD for the iPad is now available free in the Apple App Store to more than 46,000 ESP users. ESP Mobile HD features the same business-friendly features as the iPhone app, allowing users to view the latest pricing, see razor-sharp images, check out supplier ratings, request a quote and e-mail clients products on the go. With its larger display screen, ESP Mobile HD has been optimized to showcase more product information to make finding product details easier than ever, and includes featured product videos. This is yet another key technological leap forward for the industry, and we’re happy to share it with you today. And for all you Android users out there, don’t worry – the Android app is on its way. To download ESP Mobile HD: ESP Mobile HD is integrated with ASI’s ESP Web, where distributors can source and order every promotional product in the industry from more than 3,500 suppliers. ESP Mobile is already breaking records and gathering superior reviews. For instance, more than half of ESP Mobile users have logged in between 2-5 times/day since downloading the app. Together, ESP Mobile, ESP Web and ESP Online perform over 100,000 searches daily. Remember: Licenses to access ESP Mobile HD are only available to authorized distributors of promotional products. To get a license to ESP Mobile HD, call ASI at 1-800-546-1350. If you have questions, contact Liz Kennedy, ASI’s director of product and technical support, at support@asicentral.com. And please let me know what you think of the new app by posting a comment or e-mailing me.
Thursday
March 29, 2012 Red Letter Day for CharityFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Every year, ASI’s administrative staff Last year, ASI employees raised $1,762. But this month, they raised a record-breaking $3,000 – a total ASI Chairman of the Board Norman Cohn is matching through the United Way, for a grand total of $6,000 to be donated to our local Red Cross chapter. The Red Cross, our nation’s premier emergency response organization and biggest blood bank, also offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war and compassionate services that help the needy and provide support and comfort for military members and their families. Such services are dear to everyone’s heart at ASI. Since 2003, company fundraisers have raised nearly $2 million in cash and goods for worthy causes, including the Adopt-A-Family program, and food banks and homeless shelters in or around company headquarters in Bucks County, PA. At this year’s auction, employees had an amazing array of products to choose from, including an Oakley “Kitchen Sink” backpack, a wooden chess set, bottle of wine and a cheese board. The biggest hit of the two-day auction: grab bags full of miscellaneous samples that sold for $3 each, for a total of 140 sold, raising $420. It just goes to show you – everyone likes cool products and hot bargains! What charities does your company regularly contribute to, and how creative have you gotten in devising fundraisers? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
March 22, 2012 Vote for Promo ProductsFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Using Ad Specialties There’s no end to the creativity – and money – to be found in ele Some election products, like dog T-shirts, iPhone cases, basketball jerseys, can koozies, cufflinks, martini glasses, jewelry and tote bags, are for sale, while more standard fare like bumper stickers, buttons, signs and T-shirts will be given away free to promote the president. Click here to read a story on Obama products and what promises to be a hot topic in our industry from now through November – and especially after the Republicans finally choose their nominee. ASI’s executive director of research, Larry Basinait, estimates $350 million will be spent on federal election-related promo products alone in 2012. That’s big business by any measure. In case you want to stock up, Obama’s official online campaign store is advertising “merchandise madness” and “daily deals” on items like “I Shamrock Obama” T-shirts and “I Bark for Barack” Bo car magnets. Featured items in the official GOP store include “I Really Miss Reagan” buttons and the GOP apron and spatula set. How many election-related products have you seen so far this year on trade show floors? How many of you are already selling election-related goods? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. I’ll let you know what I spot on the show floors at ASI San Diego, taking place April 2, 3 and 4, followed by ASI New York, May 8-10, and ASI Chicago July 17-19. Click here for more info and to register.
Wednesday
March 21, 2012 Go Big GreenFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties With spring officially here and Earth Day less than a month away, it’s the perfect time to think green. ASI has already sold over 60,000 copies of its eco-friendly Green Catalog, but there’s still time to order yours. The go-to guide for environmentally friendly products – with a circulation of 125,000 – features a ton of “didja know?” tips for being green and ways to promote eco-friendly products as a responsible alternative, along with case studies on such subjects as selling organic apparel and using technology to cut waste. The eco-friendly items range from bamboo iPhone cases, eco-friendly “sprout” watches and Bulova watches with mercury-free batteries to recyclable can coolers, biodegradable wine glass tags, bio pens and all-natural dog products. These are the kinds of products perfect to pitch to environmentally conscious clients at resorts, corporate events, schools, conferences and fundraisers. So arm yourself with a few facts and a copy of the Green Catalog before heading off to sales calls – in your Prius, of course (50 mpg!). Products are grouped by easy-to-navigate categories, including bags and briefcases, clocks and watches, clothing, executive gifts, food and drink, health and beauty, incentives and recognition, office and computer accessories, outdoors, pet accessories, sports, writing instruments and travel. The Green Catalog features:
As always, the front of each copy can be imprinted in full color with the distributor’s logo and contact information, and ASI offers this feature at any time throughout the year. For more info, contact Dan Brown, executive director of distributor services, at dbrown@asicentral.com or at 800-546-1392. To order the Green Catalog online and to see sample pages, click here. Let me know what your best-selling green products are this year by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
March 20, 2012 ASI Offers 12 Tips For SuccessFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Tips are great things to get … and not just for food servers, for everyone. When I started at ASI over five I simply love tips. Why? Because they’re short and to the point. We’re all so busy in our lives and stuck in our routines that sometimes we don’t see simple things that could go a long way in helping us succeed – both personally and professionally. When I asked ASI blog owner, President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Andrews why he likes tips, he replied: “ASI is dedicated to making distributors as profitable as possible, and one easy way to accomplish this is to follow our surefire blueprint: ASI’s 12 Tips for Success. Each of these tips can be quickly applied to any company to help them make more sales, communicate better with customers and grow their business.” So today I’d like to share these tips with you, created recently by our talented marketing team. They were written specifically for ASI members, but can be used by anyone looking to advance professionally. Clear, quick, accurate advice for organizing, updating and improving any size business is included … no tip required. To download ASI’s 12 Tips for Success, click here. Click here to view the distributor version. Click here for the supplier version. – Fal Dieso is ASI’s director of brand marketing.
Monday
March 19, 2012 Score With March Madness PromosFiled under: Using Ad Specialties The best part of March Madness comes from cheering on the underdogs. Here in Pennsylvania, we had high hopes for Lehigh. But no matter who scores the most, in the end, the great game of basketball wins out. As always, this industry jumped on the trend with a number of b-ball promo products tailor-made for watching, cheering – and betting. Any company, bar, restaurant, sports team or booster club promotion or brand campaign can score with products that tie into a basketball tournament watched by an average of 9 million viewers per game. The NCAA March Madness tournaments continue through April 2. Millions fill out a bracket predicting winners from 68 teams. Did you? To get in the game, ASI came up with a short list of March Madness products, complete with a “Joe Show” video with all the right moves. ASI’s 2012 March Madness Hot List:
Let me know your final four picks by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
puts together a wonderful silent auction to raise money for the 
ction-related ad specialties. As of this week, the Obama campaign reported already stocking nearly $800,000 in merchandise and apparel in its Chicago election store. 
months ago, I couldn’t wait to receive some quick tips about the company and the industry to help me hit the ground running. Whether those tips came from coworkers, ASI Central or in marketing collateral, I was all eyes and ears.
