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Tuesday
October 13, 2009 Sell This Product - Business AccessoriesFiled under: Sell This Product Neck wallets provide easy access to all the essentials – cell phone, cash, credit cards and name badges – and can be the perfect sidekick for your clients at their next trade show or conference. With the growing number of gadgets consumers use in their day-to-day lives, convenience and multifunctional capability are no small considerations for a distributor when deciding which product to purchase. The neck wallet from Alstar Creations (asi/34800) provides variable usage options in a clean, modern style. After noticing a need in the market for badge holders with additional pockets for other accessories, Alstar brought the AJ718, which is made of 600-denier polyester, to its offering of neck wallets. The wallet has a cell-phone pocket on back, zippered top pocket, two pen loops, a clear front pocket for a name badge and an open-top pocket for business cards. Alan Hsueh, president of Alstar Creations, says the product is ideal for attending trade shows, conferences or for travel agencies. Forget about ill-placed adhesive name badges – you can place your badge in the front pocket for visibility and easy removal. The top zippered pocket easily houses a small notepad and pen for note-taking, and the clear pocket on back will keep business cards crisp and clean. “This is also a great product because it’s something that can be used once people have left the event,” Hsueh says. “It’s great to have when traveling and it’s compact and organized.” For busy jet-setters, the neck wallet provides easy access to necessities, and is more secure than an average wallet because it is worn around the neck rather than on the back or in the back pocket – two hotspots susceptible to pickpockets. It’s available in black and blue, measures 5″ x 7″ and offers two excellent imprint locations: one on the front and a small spot on the back cell-phone pocket. From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Monday
October 12, 2009 Sell This Product - Grocery TotesFiled under: Sell This Product If you’re looking for premium quality at a value price, tout this terrific tote. The BG125 Atlas Grocery Tote from Jetline (asi/63344) was designed to satisfy the growing demand for a value-based alternative to the supplier’s massively successful BG110 – Titan Grocery Tote, according to Joe Hoffman, director of marketing. “The Titan is our original recyclable grocery tote and is a terrific match for end-users looking for the strength and durability that the premium 100gsm non-woven material offers,” he says. The Atlas Tote can be sold in a wide variety of markets due to the intrinsic value of a durable and functional product. “We see a wide range of markets represented in the bag and tote work that passes through our plant: public health awareness, credit unions, schools and universities, trade shows, sports and event marketing and more. The recyclable bag market hits on the sweet spot of the promotional success equation – value, durability of message and association with a positive social trend,” Hoffman says. “The fact that our entire non-woven polypropylene bag line is recyclable and reusable in an age of global awareness is a terrific selling point, especially when paired with an attractive price point.” Hoffman advises distributors to take a look at ASI’s Advertising Specialties Impressions Study, available on asicentral.com, which highlights many of the qualities that make bags such a great match for the promotional industry. Bags are functional, durable and deliver an ongoing positive association with the end-user’s promotional message. “The next step would be to highlight the selling points of the Atlas Tote – value, color selection and the established selling history of the grocery tote in the industry,” he says. Color selection is a critical point – the Atlas is available in 12 colors, which means greater flexibility for the distributor salesperson. With the Atlas Tote, the end-user receives a bag with most of the qualities and perceived value of the premium tote offering at a significant discount. GREAT MARKETS FOR TOTES
From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Friday
October 9, 2009 Sell This Product - WristbandsFiled under: Sell This Product Wristbands provide security and accountability at various events, while also serving as a form of advertisement. Wristbands serve two big functions at events – providing safety and identification for participants – both of which are important to Marathon Mfg./Prestige Lines (asi/68707). “There was a need for better security and accountability at events for crowd control,” says Frank Rocco, vice president of Marathon. “Our wristbands give the customer a highly visible means of accounting for every person entering an event, indicating who has paid and verifying age.” Besides safety and identification, wristbands are a great tool for advertising a company, brand or event. In addition to vinyl, Marathon also uses graphic-grade Tyvek in their U.S.-made products that can be custom-printed with logos, custom numbering and barcodes for clients. Tyvek wristbands come in a variety of colors: aqua, black, coral red, kelly green, neon blue, neon green, neon orange, neon yellow, pink, purple, red, silver, sky blue, violet, white and yellow. Tyvek, a material used in medical packaging and air and water intrusion barriers, gives the wristbands their sturdiness. DuPont, the chemical company that developed Tyvek, designates Marathon as a preferred printer. “DuPont only gives that status to manufacturers who exemplify their highest printing standards,” says Rocco. “We submit this to them, and they determine if our printing meets their standards. This is a designation that most of our competitors do not have.” The possibilities are endless when it comes to where wristbands can be used, showing their versatility and their significance as a staple product. While Rocco says, “Applicable markets are so numerous, it would take pages to list,” he did mention some examples: concerts, amusement parks, nightclubs, casinos, invitation-only events, outings, carnivals, grand openings, restaurants and hospitals. “One of our distributors works with the Southern Baptist Church Convention that attracts over 100,000 followers, and the wristbands are a must for attendance,” says Rocco. All of Busch Gardens Theme Parks and The Water Club at the Borgata Casino and Spa in Atlantic City also reorder the wristbands time and again. Almost every end-user you come in contact with has a need for wristbands at some type of event they sponsor. MORE GREAT USES
From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Thursday
October 8, 2009 Sell This Product - UmbrellasFiled under: Sell This Product Wind-resistant umbrellas help companies and their customers weather the storm. Companies strive to withstand the elements, and their promotional products should, too. Take umbrellas, for example. They’re popular items for imprinting and giving away, but not all umbrellas are created equal. “It was becoming increasingly obvious to us that the typical quality available in the market would not withstand the extreme wind and weather conditions umbrellas are subjected to,” says Bob Hechler, spokesman for Windbrella (asi/97247). “Salespeople were asking clients to place their most valuable asset – their corporate identification – on products that failed quickly and ended up in landfills.” Contrary to many promotional offerings, Windbrella’s 62″ golf/oversized umbrella carries a 100% lifetime guarantee. The product features an automatic-opening, pinchless runner; 100% fiberglass shaft, ribs, spreaders; and a double-canopy, vent mesh system, which Hechler says allows the wind to vent through to prevent inversion in high winds. Windbrella introduced its golf/oversized umbrella as a promotional product, targeting the golf, corporate and nonprofit event markets, though Hechler says all markets can use umbrellas. He adds that Windbrella developed a Target Market Program that contains a series of brochures focused on the 19 largest end-users of promotional products, letting them know why umbrellas should be part of their advertising and promotional product budget. “This has allowed our distributor partners to penetrate almost every segment of end-users,” he says. “There is a place for our distributors to customize the brochure with their contact information, making it a tool that can be used to sell more than just umbrellas.” The first step in selling any promotional product is to create a company or personal business plan, says Hechler, because the job becomes easier once a direction is determined for salespeople. “Once that is accomplished,” he adds, “tools like ESP Online and our Target Marketing brochures will assist in the creative selling process.” GREAT TARGET MARKETS
CASE STUDY Two retirees from an automotive aftermarket business decided to sell umbrellas to the industry they knew from their past careers. They reestablished their contacts with dealerships and developed a package to send to every consumer who buys a car. The package contains a Windbrella with the dealer’s logo and a thank-you letter from the general manager, asking the consumer to give the dealership a 10-point rating on a soon-to-arrive survey. “Their volume was over six figures in 2008,” says Hechler. “While 2009 is slower, they are still finding success with the strong dealerships, and Windbrella is sure to be the supplier of choice, as we climb out of the current economic situation.” From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Wednesday
October 7, 2009 Sell This Product - Holiday OrnamentsFiled under: Sell This Product Custom, brass bookmarks and ornaments are valuable keepsakes at a low cost. With the holiday season approaching, gift giving will be on a lot of people’s minds, if it isn’t already. With money concerns in the current economy, it would be ideal to give a premium gift at a not-so-premium price. Leslie Greenberg, sales and marketing manager for Marbex Inc. (asi/68708), has a suggestion for such a present that is available from her company: a PageMarker bookmark. “For the price of a Mother’s Day card, you get a completely custom gold- or rhodium-plated, etched bookmark — on a custom duplex card bearing your client’s message,” she says. Instead of imprinting a logo on a bookmark or building on a pre-manufactured blank, Marbex can take a company’s actual logo or any other image and turn them into metal bookmarks with custom etching. The supplier can then use duplex card stock and metallic inks to create a card that can include a client’s message and contact information as a package for the custom bookmark. Greenberg says the bookmarks can be mailed without extra postage. “For universities, hospitals and non-profits that often send donor recognition gifts or solicitations by mail, this is a huge advantage,” she says. Bookmarks make universally appreciated gifts that can be used regularly by everyone, keeping the client’s name in front of the recipient to serve its promotional function, but do so in a stylish way. The PageMarker is also seen as a valuable keepsake. “There’s no denying the ‘wow’ factor,” says Greenberg. “They are elegantly packaged, beautifully designed and etched, and unforgettable — yet they only look expensive.” The supplier also offers totally custom-etched and plated-brass holiday ornaments, which are perfect for this time of year. They are pre-strung, with a folded custom gift card, and packaged in a black velvet bag. HOW TO CREATE YOUR CUSTOM-DESIGNED PAGEMAKER BOOKMARKER OR ORNAMENT 1. Working from your camera-ready artwork, Marbex will work with you to create a custom-made gift, using your building, logo, or relevant symbol – regardless of shape. From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Tuesday
October 6, 2009 Sell This Product - Paper ProductsFiled under: Sell This Product While many have “plugged in,” the market for paper products still exists, and this company has a winning selection of journals, calendars and more. When the recipe calls for a proven product line, CPS/Keystone’s (asi/43051) line of paper products includes practical, USA-made, value items that will give clients bigger impact and help distributors get return sales. CPS/Keystone built its line of paper products after seeing the success of its core line of USA-made plastic products, which includes water bottles, flyers and more. Kippie Helzel, vice president of sales, says adding paper commodities to its product offerings was a logical step. “In today’s economy, there is a strong interest in USA-made items, and the demand for traditional paper products, including calendars and hand fans, remains very high,” Helzel says. Despite the technology push and plethora of electronic products on the market, Helzel says the need for journals for business meetings, conferences and trade shows hasn’t diminished. At least in the promotional industry, she says “The computer hasn’t supplanted the written word yet.” And value-priced calendars have traditional appeal across all markets. “Whether your client wants to do a promotion with wall calendars, an envelope-stuffer calendar, or a desk-planner calendar, people appreciate receiving them, use them both in the office and in the home, and there will always be demand for them,” Helzel says. “Any distributor who is not selling calendars is missing an important and reliable marketing opportunity for his customer, as well as a great recurring sale for himself.” Hand fans are another great way to create an interactive environment in a large group, both indoors and outdoors. They can help a group unite to show the spirit, and, on hot days, to keep cool. “With our hand fans priced so competitively, you may find that there are budget leftovers to give your customer additional bang for their buck, and to give you another sale,” Helzel says. Each of these products has proven popularity and reliable quality, all at competitive prices. CASE STUDY “There was a major sporting event with an American celebrity frontrunner that was taking place in Europe. We drop-shipped over 10,000 two-sided hand fans to different locations throughout Europe to be used by American spectators to spur on the team in different cities,” Helzel says. “This project had also been cosponsored by one of the major U.S. cable channels; so one side was designed to support the athlete, the other to promote the cable channel. What a great example of co-op marketing!”
Monday
October 5, 2009 Sell This Product - Lapel PinsFiled under: Sell This Product Need an idea for an employee recognition gift? Lapel pins are a source of pride for the people who wear them. Lapel pins have a long history. Bo Lorentzen, president of Perfect Match Intl. (asi/77340), says one can find versions of lapel pins that are hundreds of years old. Those with military insignia are probably the oldest form. Some antique pins were thin, aluminum versions with an imprint. Today, there are more advanced and exciting processes for manufacturing lapel pins. “Pins are used almost everywhere: banks, the armed forces, fast-food restaurants, you name it,” Lorentzen says, “typically as a company identifier or to push a new product, but also to acknowledge the achievement of particular employees.” Think about it: You have probably never seen a bank employee without a lapel pin of some type. Or how about a police officer? For sure she will have one or two pins on the uniform. “The same goes for your UPS truck driver and probably the waitress at the local microbrewery,” he says. Lapel pins can make a big impression on their recipients or wearers and can help them garner a lot of positive attention. “Not only are lapel pins displayed proudly by people anywhere in the world, they are also popular collector’s items,” says Lorentzen.
A new addition to lapel pins are those made of slices of wood with a post on the back that are laser engraved or printed digitally. “Distributors have had great success with these for environmentally concerned groups and lots of companies who want a different look. Naturally, we offer free spec samples on these also,” he says. The supplier also offers employee service awards pins that use a snap-in number system. The snap-in numbers are available from 1-50 years and with one or two stones. From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Friday
October 2, 2009 Sell This Product - Kitchen ProductsFiled under: Sell This Product Kitchen staples, measuring cups and spoons provide frequent and continual exposure for clients’ brands. Measuring cups and spoons are products most people can’t do without. Joel Moore, president of Bay State Specialty Co. (asi/38980), says anywhere people are cooking food, they are, at some point, using measuring cups. “Measuring cups are a staple in every kitchen in the world, allowing for hundreds of different advertising channels,” he says. They can be sold through all major promotional markets, including federal, state and local governments, non-profits, financial institutions, health care and more. Any market looking to target its advertising to consumers is a potential customer for Bay State’s line of kitchen products. The best way to sell the cups is to provide samples. Bay State offers one-, two-, or three-cup-capacity kitchen measurers in four different easy-to-pour styles that have extra advertising space to highlight your clients’ message, and extra capacity to handle any big baking challenge. All its measuring cups and spoons are dishwasher-safe and made of polypropylene. The non-drip pouring spouts offer easy use and the cups are calibrated in cups, ounces and milliliters. The range of styles and sizes helps distributors overcome size objections, and the cups are stackable, making storage and distribution much more efficient. Additionally, the cups can act as carrying agents for other smaller promotions in events or trade show settings, and your clients can pair measuring spoons as an adjacent promotion for their brand. “The very nature of the product reinforces the message being advertised, as recipients will always hold it up to their eye to confirm the measurements, thus continually being exposed to the advertising,” Moore says. Ask any good cook, and he’ll say you can never have enough measuring cups in your cooking arsenal. From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Thursday
October 1, 2009 Sell This Product - ToysFiled under: Sell This Product It’s a trend that will get sales moving: fitness programs in communities and schools. Here’s how a rope will help you jump on the opportunity. There’s no better way to motivate an audience than with a promise of fun and good health. That’s why Zenith Promotions (asi/98980) keeps expanding its line of colorful jump ropes. “Now more than ever, promotional jump ropes are extremely popular,” says Maria LaFichi, Zenith’s executive vice president. “Since there is a greater emphasis on physical activity for children at this point in time, we looked at providing even more fun ways to achieve the goal.” Programs utilizing jump ropes, however, aren’t just child’s play. Adults also benefit. Physical activity such as rope jumping helps prevent diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Many businesses have employee health programs, encouraging a fitter workforce. Health insurance companies, hospitals and clinics all look for ways to promote better health. Fitness centers and gyms; your local YMCA; parks and recreation departments all are potential clients. Adults and kids can improve their physical health while the companies and organizations giving out the jump ropes improve public relations. There are ample opportunities to tie in jump ropes in communications programming. Consider, for example, the number of health observance days and months there are in a year’s time. February is American Heart Health month. Why not recommend clients use a red jump rope to send a message that they want to help employees get a “jump” on a fit heart. Or, target National Physical Fitness Month in May. Any business that offers summer services (pool companies, travel planners, landscapers), can use this tie-in for the message, “Get a jump on summer planning. We can help.” Adding a community service message about the national fitness observance then adds a note of caring to the promotion. Jump rope styles are bold, for a can’t-miss promotion. For example, the “Crystal” style rope uses clear “twisted” PVC rope with an inner rainbow rope for a sparkly effect. Another option is the bright, solid-color ropes in stand-out primaries – brilliant shades of red, orange, blue, green and purple make a vibrant statement. Of course, ropes can also be customized and woven in corporate colors to reflect your client’s identity. With 90-days’ lead time and large quantities, you can have these economically produced overseas via Zenith. The many options may just make you jump for joy. CASE STUDY
From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.
Wednesday
September 30, 2009 Sell This Product - Pill BoxesFiled under: Sell This Product Here’s a prescription for branding success: Have your client’s message on display seven days a week. Apothecary Products Inc.’s (asi/ 36545) new seven-day push-button pill box opens easily for the elderly or people with stiff or sore hands or fingers and has even received an ease-of-use commendation from the National Arthritis foundation. It’s important to note that over 46 million adult Americans are affected by arthritis. And it doesn’t only affect seniors. Approximately 294,000 children under the age of 18 are affected by juvenile arthritis and it’s one of the most common childhood diseases in the U.S. There are countless walks and events to raise awareness about the debilitating condition and this product would make a perfect giveaway. Here are some facts you can have on hand when addressing relevant clients:
Cindy Bleisner, ad specialty manager for Apothecary, says the company’s pill box is the only one in the industry designed specifically for people with arthritis or other hand/finger disorders. “Our 80158 Pill Box is sold at a slightly higher price point than a standard pill box. However, the benefits of being able to easily open it far outweigh the cost difference,” she says. “Not only are the tops easy to push open, the product also has Braille and non-skid rubber on the bottom to hold the product in place on a table or counter.” All products are made with food-grade plastic as well, to ensure safety. TOP MARKETS
From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement. |
