Uncategorized Archives - Page 88 of 91 - Print & Promo Marketing

Can Accessories Make Bank?

March 10, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

I was checking out the Women’s Wear Daily Web site http://www.wwd.com/monday today and something caught my eye. According to writer Caroline Tell’s assessmentx of the most recent rash of Fashion Weeks around the globe, “the runways from New York to Paris were as much about the handbags and other accessories as they were about the clothes.” Now, I’m not a WWD subscriber, so I can’t read the rest of the article (oh technology, must you mock me so?), but it did get me thinking.
A lot of the promotional wearables news I’ve reported on in the past year has pointed to our industry taking

The Pleasure Is Mine …

March 7, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

I actually auditioned for “Oprah’s Big Give” reality show. For those of you who watched the first of eight installments of the show that aired on ABC last Sunday, obviously I did not make the cut … but it was quite an experience!

Last April—that’s when auditions were held in NYC—my sister and I jumped on a Greyhound bus (around 1:00 a.m.) and arrived in The Big Apple at approximately 3:00 a.m. You know how you see those outrageous lines of people on TV winding around buildings, bundled in every sweatshirt and fleece blanket they own? Yup, that was us on that early

The Politics of Promotions

March 4, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

Well, it seems that “The New York Times” has finally caught up to me. In today’s paper they extolled the high demand for political campaign gear and the amount of revenue it can bring in for any given candidate. Even if a certain senator from for New York’s campaign won’t release the exact numbers, the article does mention Mr. Obama’s campaign sold $1.5 million in political gear on its Web site in the month of January alone. It’s an issue I first brought to light in the groundbreaking Promo Marketing magazine piece, “Hillarakaromnabee!,” and I for one am happy to see the

Things That Are Cool

March 4, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

I’m not an expert on this whole Internet thing, but it seems to me that the archetypical blogging equation is:
funny anecdote + industry tie-in = increased pageviews

But nothing exciting or interesting happened to me this week. I was bored. What to do about this week’s post? Well, one thing I do know a little bit about is magazines. And, when magazines need content, they make lists.
So, here goes nothing.

Five Things That Are Cool:
1) S&S Activewear always sends me images, on discs, ahead of my editorial schedule. Big ups to Terri Scales from The Tercet Group.
2)

The End of Castro?

March 1, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession.
« MARK TWAIN (1835 – 1910)

Recent headlines have revolved heavily around the “official” stepping down of oft-controversial Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. During his near 50 years of rule, the impoverished people of the Caribbean nation have felt the strain of a closed economy. But, with just a week under their belts, the new regime, led by Castro’s brother Raúl, has already signed into law two international human-rights treaties (both of which were long opposed by the elder Castro).
While most of the United States remains skeptical of any real change

Ok, the Joke’s on Me!

February 29, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

On the island of St. Croix, USVI—my native homeland—we have a saying that goes: “Hurry dog eat raw corn.” In phonetically written, local-dialect form, the saying would look (and sound) something like this: Huh-ree dawg eat rawh kahn. It simply means: those who make hasty and poorly-thoughtout decisions will reap the fruitless, sometimes harsh, repercussions thereof.

So, in the spirit of “Hurry dog eat raw corn,” this week, I wanted to highlight a few bloopers I’ve made as an editor for this fine publication over the years. Sometimes, it’s good to laugh at ourselves—actually, it’s often good to do so.

1. Hurry

Starbucks Closed, Man

February 26, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

Millions of Americans are about to feel like the Griswalds in National Lampoon’s Family Vacation (Moose out front should have told you). Desperate for their next venti latte, they will (or, depending on when you read this, they have) approached the local java brewery only to find the doors locked and themselves coffee blocked. That’s right, Starbucks is having an unprecedented three-hour-universe-wide shut down in an attempt to re-energize the barista population (They do know they work all day with caffeine, right?). I can only imagine how the meeting will go. Hopped up managers extolling company pride, talking brightly about the

Go On, Admit It

February 25, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

If you don’t know what the CYA acronym means, or if you’ve never had to do it, this post is not for you.

Recently, I went to a screening of Jack Black’s new movie: Be Kind Rewind. If you’ve seen the previews, you’ll know it’s about two video-store workers (aw, how cute, videos!) who accidentally erase all the tapes and begin recreating such classics as “Ghostbusters” on their own. If you haven’t seen the previews, then I just ruined it. You’re welcome.
Between all the on-screen shenanigans, I started thinking about the crazy things people do to avoid accepting blame. When we

The “S” Word

February 19, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

I recently had to apologize to a friend that lives, oh, some 80,000 miles away … in the West African country of Coté d’Ivoire, to be exact. He’d (I figured you’d want to know who it was) done something I thought was unjust … and well, I let him have it (via e-mail, of course). However, after having had a week or so to reflect on my response to my Ivorian friend’s unjust deed, I sent him yet another e-mail—this time, expressing my sorrow for the things I’d previously written. Thankfully, he accepted my apology, and in his best “Frenglish,” wrote back: “Today is

Awards With Character

February 15, 2008May 8, 2024 Staff Writer

I just had a nice conversation with Leo Kennedy from Awards With Character. I’m doing a product showcase for the magazine on sports teams and was looking for products a little more off-the-beaten-path than cups, seat cushions and caps (not that there is anything wrong with any of those items).
Leo’s company provides trophies and other products as incentives to schools for both sports teams and academic programs. The difference is, his trophies aren’t brassy figures or silver cups, they are small (adorable, some would say) bear figurines talking part in various sports. Girl soccer bear. Boy baseball bear. Hockey bear (there is a