ONE CAN NEVER know too much about apparel printing. Consider this: Two stacks of T-shirts folded side by side on the shelves of a trendy retailer. Pricing is similar. One stack is comprised of non-descript, white tees, while the other features shirts with members of a popular band, a funny saying or an intricate design splashed across their surface. Unless the consumer is in the market for a non-descript, white tee, he or she would likely purchase one from the neighboring stack. These days, consumers are looking for garments that pop—that say something. Apparel printing plays as important a role in customer satisfaction as
Read MoreAuthor: Cynthia T. Graham
WITH WARMEST REGARDS
FOR A PRODUCT that “provides warmth without weight; is soft to the touch; will not shrink, ravel or run; is water-resistant; has moisture-wicking properties and is easy to work with,” according to the fleecelady.com Web site, it is the opinion of this writer that fleece deserves a place in the hallowed exhibition halls of the Smithsonian, or at least a tributary wax figure in New York’s famed Madame Tussauds museum. Granted, it’s hard to think of anything having to do with warmth, much less hot wax, given the current temperatures outside. However, as sure as dawn turns into dusk, so do hot days turn into
Read MoreBagged Goods
IT’S TIME TO rethink everything that’s previously been said about promotional bags and luggage. No more are the items, particularly bags, confined to the category of “trade show giveaway” or subjected to “who-would-want-that” scrutiny. A new day of higher-end luxury bags and luggage has dawned. The incentive bags and luggage category is ever expanding to include a variety of tasteful items worthy of gift-giving and receiving. Clients should know that long before the plane sets off to the Caribbean carrying 50 of its top salespeople to a well-deserved four-day, three-night stay at an exotic resort, they would do well to throw in a
Read MoreThe Master Plan
IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT calendars. Days, weeks and months would run together (more than they do now). Recitals would be missed and birthdays forgotten. Sporting events would be poorly attended and turn times would never be met. The importance of calendars in the flow of daily life is hard to miss. For this reason, the products have remained a promotional favorite and show no signs of letting up. OLDIE BUT GOODIE Calendars are one of the oldest and most celebrated promotional products, and with good reason. “They provide such high visibility, as [they] are referred to countless times a day by the user,” explained Jeff Taplin,
Read More0507_Top 50 Overview
Should there be any reservations about the topic, the promotional products business is a thriving one. This assertion would be hard to dispute, given the impressive numbers the industry reported for 2006. According to an annual survey conducted for Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), total promotional product sales revenue in 2006 amounted to $18.8 billion, up 4.25 percent from 2005. This figure translates to an increase of $766 million in sales from the previous year. That’s a lot of promotional products! To put $18.8 billion into perspective, Promotional Marketing’s Top 50 Distributors brought in a total of $2.35 billion in promotional product sales
Read MoreWhen Street Meets Smart Dressing
URBAN APPAREL HAS been, for a long time, the preferred dress for younger consumers labeled part of the “Hip-Hop” or “MTV” generation. Bright, intricate prints, flashy embellishments, and both baggier fits as well as closer, truer fits to the body are trademarks of urban apparel. Certainly, plunging neck lines, shorter midriffs and tighter everything have taken up residence in urban fashion circles. How does this translate to promotional products? According to Chloe Yoon, CEO of Paramount, California-based Unplugged Label, it translates well. “Urban wear [offers a] mostly comfortable and very relaxed fit, so anyone can wear it,” she said. “It fits the promotional industry because
Read MoreCut to the Chase
A WELL DESIGNED piece of apparel with equally eye-catching embellishments is what today’s consumers tend to seek. While embellishment and printing techniques, such as embroidery, rhinestones and silk screening are widely known and used, less is known about the cutting-edge technology of laser etching—on apparel, that is. When this process is considered, generally products such as plaques and nameplates come to mind. However, Craig Warnimont, regional account manager at Colorado Timberline, Denver, said laser etching is as useful and effective on apparel as it is on other surfaces. According to Warnimont, laser etching is the process of “carving an image or a logo onto a
Read MoreThe Wonderful World of Color
HERE ARE GROUPS of people today who make much ado about color. Not for the purpose of fighting social injustices, but for the pleasure of dressing up for social events. Every year, those on the pulse of fashion stand with bated breath to learn what colors are hot and which are not. As can well be seen by retailers’ stock, this spring, fashion designers have opted for “surprising neutrals with innovative splashes of corals, yellows and purples to create a spring in bloom” [www.fashiontrendsetter.com]. Just who decides these things? Apparently, Cincinnati, Ohio-based Color Marketing Group (CMG) is one in an elite group of professionals
Read MoreHead of Her Class
A SIGNIFICANT PART of promotional product sales requires instructing, demonstrating and coaching, not to mention frequent bouts with adding and subtracting—all activities generally associated with schooling. From the looks of things, it seems that a teaching degree or equivalent experience would be necessary in order to be successful in the industry. Maybe that’s a bit far-fetch, but it’s not impossible to find people from all walks of life who have pledged their allegiance to the rules of the industry upon relinquishing previous careers. And what better person to fall in line than a former public school teacher? Rosalie Marcus, Promo Biz Coach and founder
Read MoreDestination Relaxation
IT DOESN’T TAKE long for excitement to build whenever the topic of travel is brought up. Travel to where? It doesn’t matter. Consequently, the idea of travel brings with it visions of plush hotels and expansive resorts—places where promotional opportunities abound. However, the products should not be confined to the four walls of the edifices they represent. They can be used for a variety of applications not associated with sunny skies and white, sandy beaches. New York University and Deloitte pulled together a team of professionals to develop a “Vision 2010” of the global hospitality industry. A key finding in the study titled, “Hospitality
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