7 ways to get better service from your Promotional Products, Supplier

No Promotional Products distributor is perfect. There are just too many things that can and do go wrong with the sheer volume of products flowing through our industry. Here are a few ways we’ve found to make the overall experience as perfect as possible:

Know your Supplier – We’re not talking about the distributor who you’ve been dealing with for 20 years, we’re talking about the people who actually commission the products and manufacture them. Going with a familiar company pays off, and if you look closely you will see the majority of great product comes from a handful of top notch suppliers.
Get a Sample – Photoshop, Photography, and other colour touchups can do great things for the stars, just think about how much they can do for that mug you just ordered! If you have the time, get a sample, it’s almost always worth the expense.
Use Several Sources – This is especially crucial when it comes to 3rd party decorating techniques. A Hanes or Fruit of the Loom shirt is the same, but how your logo looks on it can be quite different. Make sure you know your distributor has an idea what a red background can do to a logo and what a ‘flash’ is.
Double Check your Proofs – Make sure your distributor insists on proofs, and then check them carefully. You probably have 4 or 5 variations of your logo, and your distributor partner has 100x that in their art files so insist you get a proof.
Insure and Inspect your Goods – Make sure you open that box that arrives at your door when you get it, not 2 hours before your event. What if UPS smashed something, or they got moldy on the boat while on-route from the orient? Make sure you get what you want!
Look for Little Extras – There are tons of supplier initiated promotions that happen at different times of the year. Some examples are straight discounts or 10% free goods, no charge shipping, free setups, etc. Just ask, you never know what you’ll get.
Don’t treat your distributor partner as a doormat – There is a lot of competition out there, and we’re all aware of it. But if you truly value your company’s brand, reputation, and market presence, be wary of who you select and how you treat them. Like any industry there is the good, the bad, and the only in business for 10 days. Ask for references, check their website for testimonials and follow up! A good promotional products salesperson is a brand consultant, value them as such.

To get more Promotional Products ideas please visit Canadian and US Promotional Products Provider

Study: Promotional products the most cost-effective ad medium available

TREVOSE, PA –November 10, 2008- Advertising Specialty Institute®, the largest media and marketing organization serving the advertising specialty industry, revealed today in a groundbreaking new study that advertising specialties beat out all forms of TV, radio and print advertising as the most cost-effective advertising medium available.
The comprehensive study was completed by a team of interviewers who surveyed travelers in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia*. Respondents were asked if they had received any advertising specialties in the last 12 months and the majority were businesspeople over age 21.

Among key findings, results indicate that:
84% of people remember the advertiser on a product they receive.
42% have a more favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving an advertising specialty.
Nearly one quarter, or 24%, indicate that they are more likely to do business with an advertiser on items they receive.
Most respondents (62%) have done business with the advertiser on a product after receiving it.
Writing instruments are the most commonly-owned advertising specialty, with 54% of respondents owning them, followed by shirts, caps and bags.
The majority (81%) of promotional products were kept because they were considered useful.
More than three-quarters of respondents have had their items for about seven months.
Among wearables, bags were reported to be used most frequently, with respondents indicating that they use their bags on average nine times per month.
Bags deliver the most impressions, with 1,038 impressions per month on average.

The average cost-per-impression of an advertising specialty item is $0.004, making it less expensive per impression than nearly any other media. (According to Nielsen Media data, the CPI for a national magazine ad is $0.033; a newspaper ad is $0.0129; a prime time TV ad is $0.019; a cable TV ad is $0.007; a syndicated TV ad is $0.006; and a spot radio ad is $0.005)
These statistics conclude that marketers get a more favorable return on investment from advertising specialties than almost any other popular media, with a very low cost-per-impression, high recall among those who receive ad specialty items, and increased intent among recipients to make purchases from the advertiser.
“During a time when we’re facing turbulent economic conditions, this research advises marketers and business owners to invest in advertising specialties now more than ever,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of the Advertising Specialty Institute. “Advertising specialties provide measurable results for a very reasonable investment.”
“Distributors and suppliers should use these results to educate their customers, prospects and end-buyers about the power of advertising specialties and how they increase sales and brand exposure,” Andrews continued. “Ad specialties are essentially gifts that break through the information clutter, reach consumers on a personal level, and provide real impact in a creative way.”
Advertising specialties, or promotional products, are items branded with a corporate logo or message that are used as an incentive, a gift or as part of an advertising campaign; and the industry comprises a 13% share of the advertising marketplace, with $19.6 billion in sales for 2007.

For all results of the Advertising Specialties Effectiveness Study from ASI, visit www.asicentral.com/study.

BPA, Aluminum, Stainless Steel bottle debate...

So here we are, a year after the first negative story about BPA (biphenol A) in bottles and the issue still has not been resolved. Hundreds of thousands of products, mostly water bottles and other drinkware, has been shredded, sold off, or thrown into landfill. Is it safe? Is it dangerous? I remember when everyone was sooo happy that BPA filled polycarbonate bottles arrived on the scene due to the durability and overall perceived value. Then "poof" they're terrible! Everything in all the reports state that it's heating up the plastic that releases the majority of the trace amounts of BPA. So, just don't drink warm or hot beverages, or put them in the microwave, or leave them in the sun... As far as I'm concerned don't risk it, but don't obsess about it either. There are trace amounts of BPA in tons of things, none of which I'm going to touch on here lest you never eat or drink again (how do those disposable plastic utensils get so rigid anyways?). As a bottom line, with everything we know to this point today stainless steel is your best bet. You have to have the budget for it, but overall it may be worth it.

Drive

Chicago makes history...

I love inspirational stories. Today I was inspired by a blog I read on the MPI website about the rally at Grant Park. Who would have thought that 240,000 people would be so inspired as to gather on a beautiful evening in November to celebrate the Presidential election. And according to the Chicago Tribune there were no major incidents to report!

Amazing, and congrats to the Chicago city and event planners who made it possible....

What's your passion?

The barebrands.com launch!
November 1, 2008 - NOTHING TO HIDE! An Opportunity Knocks is proud to present barebrands.com! barebrands.com is a no-nonsense, no-frills promotional website with a mission. Our mission is to help every group of people, no matter how large or small, communicate their message and show off their brand.

What's your passion?

We believe everyone should show off that they are part of a group. Whether you are part of a company, a team, a family, or whatever, we believe you should shout from the highest hilltop with your branded SWAG that you are part of that group! It defines who you are, and it helps the rest of us understand who you are.Not wearing a brand says as much as wearing a brand, so don't just sit there, put your brand on something! Leave your mark! Promotional products. Cheap. That's it.