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Monday
June 18, 2012 How Does Your Garden Grow?Filed under: Community Simply put, I love this time of year, when the days are long, the air is sweet and there’s no place I’d rather be than puttering in my garden. I chose my house in Princeton, N.J., which is set on little more than an acre, knowing the grounds would need a lot of work. In a word, it was a dump. Luckily, I enjoy a good challenge – and found a terrific advisor in a local landscaper named Polly Burlingham. By tackling a different part of the yard each spring, and working within a reasonable budget, we’ve achieved a kind of garden nirvana. Like a lot of you, Polly runs a small business. Over the years, Polly’s Green Gardens has designed numerous intimate garden spaces and seasonal container gardens, including the urns at Drumthwacket, the N.J. governor’s mansion, and the hanging baskets lining Nassau Street in downtown Princeton. I knew I’d love working with her the minute I found out she’s also from Indiana and, like me, adores that state’s flower – the peony. Every year, when there’s still a nip in the air, we walk the yard, plan – and dream. Knowing I’ll soon see pink peonies and splashes of my favorite color, purple, makes those chilly rainy days pass in a flash. From the start, Polly convinced me of the importance of also incorporating deer-resistant, drought-tolerant native plants and shrubs into as natural-looking a setting as possible. With native plants (largely resistant to pests and diseases and requiring little or no irrigation or fertilizer), you help maintain a natural ecology, which is good for all of us. Plus, they attract wonderful songbirds and butterflies – and remind me of home. Since I have a lot of shade and a number of mature trees, it’s been a real trick to introduce color. But over the last eight years, Polly’s done a great job blending together ornamental grasses and green-on-green hostas and hellebores with blooming perennial borders. As you can see from the photos, the overall effect is one of peace and serenity, versus showy formality. Instead of high drama, I prefer elegant touches like my beloved osage-orange arbor. Whether you like growing prize tomatoes or purple hydrangeas, I hope it’s a good year for your garden. The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting unseasonably hot and dry weather for those of us out East, but I’m hopeful I’ll still be enjoying my backyard oasis come September. Let me know your greatest gardening challenge – and how you overcame it – by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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.
Thursday
May 24, 2012 A Very Happy ASI AnniversaryFiled under: News About ASI I just celebrated a very special day – my fifth anniversary with ASI as the company’s chief executive officer. ASI recruited me to become ASI’s president in 2003, and on May 23, 2007, I was promoted to president and chief executive officer. I can still remember my very first day with the company. As expected, I was a little nervous about meeting the entire staff at a special all-company meeting called to introduce me. I’d been warned that no one ever asked any questions at such meetings – but I was determined to change that. I really wanted to establish an open door policy with employees and for them to always feel free to ask me anything. I’m happy to report that not only did they ask me questions at that first encounter – but that the questions (and the drop ins!) haven’t stopped. In the photo, I’m posing with ASI’s chairman, Norman Cohn, whose family got me a delicious cake and shared the sentiment below: “ASI, the Cohn Family, and the Advertising Specialty Industry are fortunate that Tim’s leadership continues to help the industry grow by ‘Promoting Success.’ ” I’m most proud of the way ASI has become the industry leader in the development and management of the very latest products and of our reputation for service to our customers. I can honestly say I still love coming to work every day and that I’m looking forward to many years to come.
Wednesday
May 23, 2012 ESP Websites Lead the WayFiled under: News About ASI We enjoyed a great turnout at our ESP Websites™ online launch party this week, with 475 people logging on to the webinar to learn all about ASI’s new, state-of-the-art Web solution. Rob Watson, ASI’s VP of digital user experience, showcased the ease and speed of ESP Websites during the 45-minute presentation. From the feedback we received – and the fact that nearly everyone stayed put for the entire webinar – it’s clear this product is a winner. For those of you who missed it, click here to view the archived webinar. Participants seemed particularly hot on ESP Website features like social media integration, product of the day and featured product sets, true eCommerce, banner ad options and videos. During the webinar, you asked a number of great questions, including: Q: Can I get RSS feeds to the news to put in my app? A: Yes, you will be able to set up RSS feeds. Q: Will the Adobe virtual sample work with Macs? A: Virtual samples are Apple-friendly. Q: Does the credit card payment automatically process? A: Yes, it will be in real time. Visit www.asicentral.com/promopayment to get the best processing rates available. Q: Does this take the place of LogoMall? A: As a LogoMall® customer, you can upgrade to an ESP Website for free, plus receive a free ESP Website to brand for a best customer. We’ve loved all the feedback and look forward to helping everyone with the transition. 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. And please 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. |
