In an ongoing effort to educate the imprintable sportswear industry on environmentally friendly choices, Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes launched a Web site dedicated to providing information on organic cotton. The company, a leading wholesaler of imprintable activewear, created its “Organic Apparel Selling Guide” to coincide with the introduction of a host of new organic and eco-friendly styles. “Our goal is to train 5,000 people on what makes organic cotton so special and important. We started with the industry’s first Organic Theater at the trade shows, and the Web site was just the natural extension to reach more people,” said Mary Ellen Pahlka-Hudicka, marketing communications
Read MoreRaining Rose Fifth Year on Inc.’sList of Inner City 100
For the fifth consecutive year, Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Raining Rose has been recognized by Inc. magazine as one of America’s fastest-growing urban businesses, ranking 37th on the 2008 Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)/Inc. Magazine Inner City 100. This is Raining Rose’s highest rank to date. For the 2008 list, more than 6,500 new nominations were received, the most in the program’s history. “After five years of hard work it is an honor to be continually recognized for our continued growth,” said Chuck Hammond, president and CEO of Raining Rose. “I believe our day-to-day efforts are truly what create this environment for
Read MoreBoundless Network Acquires Minneapolis Promotional Products Distributor GWS
Austin, Texas-based Boundless Network, a leader in professionalizing the promotional products industry, announced the acquisition of Minneapolis-based GWS, Inc. The deal will enable Boundless Network to leverage its patented technology platform and the GWS sales force to significantly expand sales in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. “With its impressive customer base and long history in Minnesota, [GWS] represents a very strategic acquisition for Boundless Network,” said Boundless Network CEO Jason Black. “Minneapolis is a large metropolitan area with large corporate opportunities under served by traditional distributors. GWS has a talented and progressive sales force that can utilize Boundless’ sales and technology offerings to significantly grow
Read MorePrime Line Releases Spring/Summer Catalog
Bridgeport, Connecticut-based Prime Line proudly announced the release of its spring/summer 2008 catalog. The new catalog showcases 100 seasonal items ranging from everyday water bottles, coolers and beach bags to unique new items like Prime Line’s exclusive Pop-Top Chiller— a can holder with a bottle opener built into the base. The Spring/Summer catalog displays Prime Line’s effort to provide distributors with one-of-a-kind seasonal ideas for every customer with prices starting under a dollar. The catalog includes items for the outdoors, including a hammock, beach mats and tents, beach totes, barbecue grilling sets, a wide assortment of coolers, and can chillers. It also highlights
Read MorePrivate But Not Peculiar
Understanding the purpose and provisions of private label apparel THE KEY TO anything is to first understand it and then decide how best to use it. Consider the human tear duct and its byproduct. It is widely understood tears are the body’s mechanism for cleansing the eyes of foreign objects as well as for lubricating the eyeballs. However, most people would readily agree that tears are best used to pull at heart strings and ultimately to get one’s way! Although customized promotional apparel is hardly anything to cry about, the same principle applies to the notion of private labeling in the industry. The
Read MoreSTREET Smarts
RETAIL TRENDS HAVE been inching their way into the promotional apparel market for some time now, but none have made quite as much headway as urban wear (comparatively speaking, of course). For the past two years especially, it’s been the embodiment of what is considered fashion-forward in the current market, and is showing no signs of fatigue. To help distributors ride the wave successfully, Promo Marketing has developed a primer for integrating the latest urban trends into today’s apparel promotions. LESSON 1: MARKING TERRITORY The argument’s as old as that one about the chicken and the egg. The demand for trendy
Read MorePOINT, Click & Accessorize
DURING THE DOT.COM era of the ’90s, computers themselves were all the rage. Thousands of Internet-based companies sprung up, providing a variety of work-from-home options for office-weary workmongers and investment opportunities for business trailblazers. But while computers continue to remain relevant to all things personal and professional, it is now the accessories that go along with them that have captured the attention of end-users and consumers alike. From earbuds to flash drives and digital photo frames to USB pens, the category provides unlimited promotional appeal for tech-savvy distributors and their clients. Why computer accessories? According to Scott Meng, marketing coordinator at Houston-based
Read MoreLEARNING Curves
ONCE UPON A time, in a fashion industry not-so-far away, wafer-thin models became the norm. “Heroin chic” inched its way into the cultural lexicon and Hollywood’s red carpet grew lousy with actresses the approximate width of a coat hanger. Women knew they had waists. Curves, too. But clothes that accentuated—or even acknowledged—these shapes did not exist. In an equally nonsensical dimension, promotional apparel cornered the market on the opposite end of the spectrum: the shapeless, one-size-fits-all garment. Despite the fact that “one size” fit no one particularly well, it became standard fare. And women’s curves were thwarted again. Yet, in 2008, hope
Read MoreDry Goods
Moisture-wicking fabric wins the performance-wear popularity contest. APERSON ONLY has to consider the steadiness of antiperspirant and umbrella sales in this country to know that, from a comfort standpoint, an overabundance of moisture just isn’t OK for the average human. Maybe it’s simple biology. Orangutans—primates with whom we share around 95 percent of our genetic makeup—are known to craft rain hats out of leaves. But regardless of how clever these friendly apes might be, they’ve yet to come up with any solutions for the sweating thing. Such know-how can only be a byproduct of that last 5 percent of uniquely Homo sapien
Read MorePromotions That Really Make Sense
THERE’S NO OTHER industry that appeals to and satisfies the five senses quite like the promotional products industry. If a treat is needed to sweeten a business deal, there is no shortage of companies offering up the right confections. If a tune is required to spread good will, a selection of suppliers can be found on the playlist. The five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell battle for equal airtime in an industry that’s all about getting customers’ names out there. Following, industry suppliers offering products representa-tive of each sensory category share their take on why their items are the most
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