MAN OR MYTH, fact or fiction, Ned Ludd is oft-cited as the inspiration for the Luddite movement of early 19th century England. A supposed simpleton, Ludd was fabled to have destroyed two automated looms, epitomizing and inspiring the coming Luddite revolt against the machinery of the industrial revolution. The Luddites believed technological advances hurt their livelihood—as automated machines required fewer artisans—and rallied to slow their progress, smashing equipment in the name of the working man. Centuries later, the Luddite movement survives, often referred to as neo-Luddites, who rally against computers, cell phones and other gadgets that can be considered the automated loom of the
Read MorePromo Marketing Interviews Top 10 Distributors
1 Bensussen Deutsch & Associates (BD&A) Woodinville, WA www.bdainc.com Principal: Jay Deutsch, CEO “TAKING THE BULL BY THE HORNS” PM: In your opinion, what does it mean to be a top distributor? JD: It means we pay attention to our clients’ objectives. It means creating effective and cohesive merchandise programs that provide a tangible, useful and personal connection to our clients’ brands. It means providing the most comprehensive suite of merchandise services, and backing them with the best people around. PM: What has been your strategy for success? JD: BD&A’s strategy for success is proven processes, unmatched
Read MoreEmbellish: THE TRUTH
DON’T ANGER OPRAH. Despite the fact the point’s been hammered home to us mere mortals ever since Ms. Winfrey took over the world, memoirist James Frey still believed he could “enhance” a few pesky details with his formerly Winfrey-approved tale, “A Million Little Pieces.” We all know what happened next. He’s on the express train to obscurity. And the ticket is not round-trip. For better or (more often) worse, embellishment gets things noticed—after all, the National Enquirer staff has to eat, too. Luckily for the honest-living promotional industry folk, the power can be harnessed for good. Chosen with the right amount of care,
Read MoreDrink and Drive Sales
VARIETY MIGHT VERY well be the spice of life, but as seasoned chefs can confirm, too much of a good thing often ruins the pot. The perfect accompaniment deliciously complements, without overpowering, a main course. Not unlike the contents of the kitchen spice rack, “Drinkware comes in many different sizes, colors and price points, so it makes a perfect option in almost every distributor presentation,” said Brian P. Padian, vice president of inside sales at Tustin, California-based Logomark. Yet, in creating success-ful drinkware promotions, distributors can benefit from the discretion, foresight and planning of the most elite culinary artists to find the right
Read MoreDon’t Trade This for the World
HE INDUSTRY OFFERS distributors a variety of goods that can help them help their clients make the right moves before, during and after a trade show. Following are three steps informed distributors should take to ensure their clients’ shows are a success every time. BEFORE—Create a buzz with pre-show mailings. According to Eric Johnson, vice president of marketing and development at Halls & Company, Brooklyn Park, Minn., creating a buzz before the show is the first step in ensuring a great trade-show experience. He said sending a pre-show mailing containing half of a promotional product to a predetermined customer list, for example,
Read MoreProforma Owner Freiberg Helps Keep Local Red Cross Afloat
Susan Freiberg, owner of Proforma ABF Direct, based in Turnersville, N.J., is helping the Gloucester County Red Cross’s executive director Laura Steinmetz “bag” the local branch’s financial troubles. Freiberg, with Proforma ABF Direct resources at hand, is donating 500 beach tote bags to the Gloucester County Red Cross. The bags will be given out in return for a $10 donation. After all the bags are given away, the local Red Cross branch will be $5,000 closer to its mandatory goal of raising $70,000 in order to stay open. One of the oldest chapters in New Jersey, the Gloucester County Red Cross collects more
Read MoreCounterPoint Taps Short-run Market with Lower Minimums
CounterPoint, an industry-leading counter mat supplier based in Las Vegas, announced a reduction in the minimum order for a selection of its most popular products. The company’s heavy- and medium-duty, hard surface Vynex and its fabric surface, Origin’L Fabric 3 MM, now both have a minimum order of 50 pieces reduced from 250 pieces (contact company for product sizes available at reduced minimums). “We decided to reduce the minimum order size in order to make our counter mats readily available to smaller advertisers,” said Ed Hamilton, president of CounterPoint. “Meeting the needs of our customers is a priority and this change, coupled with
Read MoreChocolate Inn Releases Distributor Catalog Early
Freeport, New York-based Chocolate Inn announced its 2008 catalog would be available for distribution on May 15, three months earlier than in previous years. The catalog has many new chocolate products and packaging options, including the new Executive Wood Box promotion. President David Miller stated, “We usually distribute our new catalog in mid-August but made an aggressive effort to distribute it earlier this year to assist distributors with sales presentations.” For more information on Chocolate Inn, visit www.chocolateinn.com or call (800) 526-3437.
Read MorePost-It Notes Announces You Tube Video Contest
St. Paul, Minnesota-based Post-it Notes announced “One Million Uses and Counting”, a global consumer video sweepstakes. The contest, which officially began in March, runs through September 2008. It challenges customers to visually demonstrate unique ways to use Post-it Notes. Each participant is required to create a short video and upload it to the official Post-it YouTube channel. In an effort to highlight the multi-use application of different Post-it Notes, the company encourages contestants to use different sizes, colors, shapes and styles of Post-it Notes in video submissions. All submissions will receive a free trial of Post-it Digital Notes. The winning video will be announced
Read MorePro-Bind 2000 and Pro-Crimper Introduced
Olathe, Kansas-based Pro-Bind announced the introduction of its first generation thermal binding equipment, the Pro-Bind 2000 and the Pro-Crimper. Weighing only 10 pounds, the Pro-Bind 2000 can thermally bind soft and hard covers with a capacity of 1/16” to 2”. There is no warm up required and the machine can bind multiple document simultaneously with a 30-second cycle time for soft thermal covers and a 60-second cycle time for thermal hard covers. For accuracy and safety, the circuit board is mounted away from the heating unit and the heating plate is angled at 15 degrees to eliminate the spreading of pages during the binding
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