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Tuesday
December 6, 2011 The Future is MobileFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Digital power player Randi Zuckerberg shared a ton of business-building advice with us on ASI Radio this week, but since we’re about to launch ESP Mobile, I was most excited by her enthusiasm for the future of mobile. “More and more companies are creating beautiful experiences on mobile devices, on tablets,” Zuckerberg, former director of market development for Facebook, told our listening audience in advance of her upcoming keynote at the ASI show in New York City. “They’re bridging all those experiences – watching content on TV and having incredible mobile experiences simultaneously,” she said. “We’re on the tip of the iceberg with mobile, and I’m really excited to see where we go.” Zuckerberg, who’s launching R to Z Media to help companies take advantage of social media, said she advises people to “provide a product so useful people want to use it around the clock, like e-mail. Focus on building a brand, rather than on being hip or cool.” What great advice! Somehow I didn’t expect someone cool enough to sing in a cover band called Feedbomb to be so grounded. With her 7-month-old babbling happily in the background, Zuckerberg joked to the radio crew about her son making his very first appearance on ASI Radio – all the while dishing out advice on branding and connecting with clients in cyberspace. Zuckerberg will share a lot more of that advice May 10 during her keynote on Social Change Through Social Media: How the Web is Changing the Way We Live, Vote, Organize and Work. To register for the show and hear her speech, click here. On creating a ubiquitous brand, Zuckerberg advised our audience to avoid getting caught in a bubble. “Anyone developing a global brand needs to really get out there and talk to people who are using your products,” she said. Social media is a great way to catch the attention of a potential client or business partner. Open a dialogue by posting or tweeting articles about them or their campaigns and encourage friends and followers to re-circulate. “People are really suckers for flattery, and social media is great in that regard,” she said. “When you’re on social media, be sure to really respond to people and have a conversation – don’t make it a one-way communication.” Zuckerberg, who’s responsible for the successful launch of Facebook’s U.S. election and international politics strategy and Facebook Live’s streaming coverage of the presidential inauguration, gives a lot of credit to her “rock-star” teams. “It’s really important to have a culture where people truly believe great ideas can come from anywhere,” she said. “You’ll be much more effective at creating something truly groundbreaking if you can empower people on the team to be experts. And to come up with really interesting challenges and solutions.” To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here. I’d love to know what you liked best about the interview, so post a comment or e-mail me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
November 22, 2011 No Pain, Lots of GainFiled under: Healthcare, Using Ad Specialties ASI is always researching new markets and industry trends, and Counselor magazine recently reported on a big one: incentives used in wellness programs. Turns out, incentives are key to encouraging employee participation in wellness programs. An Incentive Research Foundation report shows only one in five people will participate in wellness programs if there are no incentives. In fact, offering incentives increases participation at a minimum of 60%. Although research clearly shows companies can attain a significant ROI through wellness programs, right now only 44% of companies are using promotional products as incentives to get more employees involved. That means there’s clearly room for growth in this market. It’s good for business – and it’s great for reducing skyrocketing health-care costs. According to a 2010 government report, between 70% and 75% of the $2.5 trillion spent every year on U.S. health care is used for treating preventable conditions. Incentives can help turn the tide. Popular items used in incentive programs range from logoed body mass index calculators and jars filled with almonds instead of candy to wristbands, pedometers and backpacks – many carrying printed cards with health tips. The timing couldn’t be better to tap this market, as health-care reform is giving smaller companies help in launching wellness programs through grant money, tax credits, educational surveys and online portals. As Counselor senior writer Dave Vagnoni reports, by 2014, companies will be able to offer rewards of up to 30% of the total cost of an employee’s insurance coverage. If you haven’t already, read the entire Counselor story. I promise you it’s a real eye-opener. Let me know what success you’ve had with the wellness incentives market by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
November 9, 2011 What Do End-Users Really Want?Filed under: Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties This week, ASI released its latest study, which addresses the key question, “Are you delivering what end-users really want?” The answer may surprise you. In the first industry study to tell suppliers and distributors if they’re delivering the right products, ASI documents the discrepancies in attitudes and opinions between buyers, sellers and end-users of the products fueling our $17 billion industry. “Defining the Disconnect: An Analysis of Channel Beliefs vs. Customer Needs in the Advertising Specialty Industry” lays out a plain case for paying attention to customers’ wants and needs. At the same time, it points the way to new selling opportunities. Significant findings of the study show:
For a downloadable PDF of the study, click here. I suggest reading it in its entirety – and letting its findings help you improve the way you think about your products. It may help you boost your bottom line. To read our press release, click here. I encourage you to share the results any way you can: tweet about it, post the link on Facebook, email it to everyone in your company. The study — authored by our executive director of research, Larry Basinait — compares opinions about ad specialty preferences and usage patterns from suppliers through to end-users. The study also examines overall opinions about ad specialties as well as specific product types: shirts, caps/headwear, bags/totes, writing instruments, mugs/glasses, desk/office/business accessories and calendars. Some key study takeaways include:
Please let me know what you think by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
October 5, 2011 Are You Ready For Some Football (Products)?Filed under: Media Coverage, News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties Whether you’re betting on the Packers or the Bears, the Tarheels or the Cardinals, chances are you’re gearing up for some kind of NFL or college football party this season. Knowing how important football – and tailgating – is to millions of Americans, we conducted a survey on the use of gridiron-related promotional products. Results show a whopping 66% of those surveyed have been given a free football-related shirt that also advertises a business. The survey concerned tailgating habits along with the use of ad specialties in high school, college or professional football tailgating or parties. All told, 62% told us they’ve attended a tailgating event at a football game. So it’s clear that football-related promo products are a safe bet for businesses looking for inexpensive and effective advertising. For a Joe Show demo of some cool tailgating promotional products, click here. We sent out a press release with the survey results and it generated a lot of interest, including a story in the Big Lead Sports blog, which ranks No. 4 in the U.S. among all online sports properties in terms of unique visitors. Other survey highlights you might be able to use to liven up a sales pitch:
Larry Basinait, our executive director of research services, also found the most popular NFL teams among those surveyed are Dallas Cowboys (10%), Chicago Bears (8%) and Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots (all 7%). And like David Puddy in the “Face Painter” episode of Seinfeld, many tailgaters (17%) also report painting a part of their body before a game. In fact, nearly twice as many women as men have painted a body part for a football party (20% vs. 11%, respectively). That one really surprised me! Fans surveyed about their favorite football-related item cited everything from an autographed Joe Namath helmet, Dallas Cowboys clock, Green Bay Packers Crock-Pot and stuffed Penn State Nittany Lion to vehicle flags, terrible towels, bobbleheads and custom golf carts. Do you have a treasured souvenir? What’s the one product you always bring to tailgating events and games? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here.
Monday
September 19, 2011 What’s In Your Bag?Filed under: Industry Initiatives, News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties Once again our industry is tapping into a growing worldwide trend by capitalizing on the plastic bag bans enacted in states as diverse as Alaska, California and North Carolina, and countries like Italy and India. According to Counselor’s 2011 State of the Industry report, bags accounted for 9.7% of all revenue from the sale of promo products last year, or $1.7 billion. And searches for bags in ESP rose more than 10% in the last year, with more than 10,000 bags from over 800 different suppliers currently available. California really seems to be on the cutting edge of this trend. The Los Angeles Times reports that a city councilman favors a bag ban that goes even beyond action already taken in other California cities and counties, calling for stores to stop using plastic and paper bags. There’s no question recyclable bags help reduce the billions of plastic bags circulating around the globe. It’s estimated that if each bag is used multiple times – at least once a week – four or five reusable bags can replace 520 plastic bags a year. There’s also no question bags make for terrific marketing vehicles. When compared with other promotional products like pens and caps, bags generate the highest number of ad impressions in a month – 1,078 for a single bag – because they’re used repeatedly in and out of the office, and the message they carry is seen by significant numbers of people. Don’t believe me? Next time you’re at the mall, a grocery store or a college campus, take a look at how many bags – and advertisers – you see. I rest my case. We spoke to distributor Michelle Altobelli of Altobelli Advantage, Inc., who called bags “a functional, usable, ageless item,” and suggests distributors help clients maximize their potential by tying in a marketing program to make it a really worthwhile promotional investment. What’s in your bag? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
August 22, 2011 Schoolhouse RockFiled under: News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties Over the next few weeks, nearly 50 million students will head off to approximately 99,000 public elementary and secondary schools, along with about 19 million college students bound for halls of higher learning. In the face of such huge numbers, it’s no wonder the education market rose to No. 1 in the industry for the first time, according to ASI’s State of the Industry 2011 Distributors Report. Education accounted for over 12% of total ad specialty revenues – or about $2.16 billion – in 2010. The report, highlighted in a special annual issue of Counselor magazine, offers great advice on tapping into the lucrative books-and-pencils market. One suggestion: Volunteer at a school first, sell later. There really is no end to the products that can help schools, sports teams and clubs raise much-needed money and boost school pride. You can even get an actual model made of your school! For a “Joe Show” video demo with some fascinating stats you might be able to use in your own sales pitch, click here. To read the press release we issued about the state of the industry report, click here. An interesting side note to consider is the uptick in corporate sponsorship of schools, clubs and teams, with most guidelines allowing for sponsorship as long as the product itself is educational in nature. USA Today says schools in about half a dozen states already sell ads displayed on school busses as a way to counter education budget cuts. Other states are considering allowing it as well, which is not a bad way to raise revenue during tough times. Other highlights of our State of the Industry report include:
Lucky for those who hate being sick, but not so lucky for the health sector, there was no spread of swine flu, which positively impacted sales in 2009 of logoed hand sanitizers and related products, according to Larry Basinait, our executive director of research services. Also, industry sales overall fell in 2009, so health care didn’t necessarily decline, but its portion of sales was lower. What’s been your experience this year in education and other top markets? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
August 4, 2011 Company Picnics Are Back, BabyFiled under: Media Coverage, News About ASI, Research, Using Ad Specialties Remember the company picnic? Maybe you attended one thrown by your dad’s company and marveled at seeing him tie-less, downing a beer with seldom-seen work buddies and playing baseball with the boss. We wondered about the current state of a time-honored summer tradition, so we conducted a survey to find out. Larry Basinait, our executive director of research services, polled 400 companies and discovered 41% of respondents planned to throw a company picnic sometime this summer. And 8% said they’re hosting a picnic for the first time or the first time in recent years. For many, it’s a reward to employees for all their hard work during recent tough times. Since no employee gathering would be complete without giveaways, we also learned 41% of respondents always give away ad specialties to attendees, and 28% sometimes do. Of those who give out items, 51% give away T-shirts; 44% give away recreational items like frisbees, games and toys; and 32% give away caps and headgear. All told, companies responding to the survey spend an average of $4,116 on their company picnic. That’s a lot of hot dogs and inflatable slides. We issued a press release on our results, which you can read here, and more than 150 outlets picked it up, including United Press International and a Wall Street Journal radio report broadcast on Pittsburgh’s KQV-AM, which you can listen to here. One amusing side note from the survey concerns activities respondents said their company planned, which included everything from dunk tanks and egg races to drinking games, jousting and even medical testing. Whatever it takes to motivate employees! Let me know if you attended or hosted a company picnic this year by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
