Prime Line, headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., was honored with two Silver Awards at the 52nd annual PPAI Suppliers Achievement Awards competition sponsored by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). The event recognized Prime Line’s 2007 award-winning promotional campaigns, products and services. “Winning suppliers are honored for their superiority in craftsmanship, graphic arts, creativity, innovation and service to distributors with this award,” said Steve Slagle, CAE, PPAI president and CEO. “The winners worked very hard to earn this special recognition and their commitment to excellence is a tribute to this industry.” “We are very pleased to be recognized as an industry leader for our innovative
Read More157 Distributors Affiliate with iPROMOTEu in 2007
Wayland, Massachusetts-based iPROMOTEu announced it enjoyed another record year in 2007, generating order volume in excess of $43,000,000— an increase of 44 percent over 2006 (on the heels of a 63 percent increase the previous year). In the past three years, iPROMOTEu’s order volume has increased from $18,000,000 to $29,000,000 to $43,000,000. In addition to being among the largest distributor companies in the industry, iPROMOTEu continues to be one of the fastest-growing companies, as well. iPROMOTEu also announced that 157 promotional products distributors affiliated with it in 2007. Put another way, iPROMOTEu is welcoming new affiliates at the rate of one every 1.6
Read MorePictureframes.net Develops New Custom Frame Design Tool
Andy Arruda, MAS of Pictureframes.net of Warren, RI is pleased to announce an exciting design tool called the Custom Framing Wizard, which allows promotional consultants or their clients to design their own custom frames. This new tool allows you to customize the molding, matting and glass based on your personal preference. All this can be done virtually, right from the pictureframes.net website. “The Custom Framing Wizard can match the paint color on their wall to the matting on their frame. If a client wants to match the frame molding to their office furniture, the Custom Framing Wizard can
Read MorePromoCard Services Introduces Earth-Friendly Promotions Card
Miami-based PromoCard Services, a leader in PIN-based promotions, announced it is offering a new eco-friendly CornCard for card-based programs. The new cards are produced with NatureWorks PLA corn plastic, a substrate manufactured from corn, making it an abundant and annually renewable resource. PLA is fully biodegradable because it is derived from plant-based materials. Whether it is composted or landfilled, PLA will biodegrade into its constituent organic parts. Since corn is domestically grown, it is readily available for manufacturing, supports US farmers, the US economy, and reduces dependency on foreign petroleum supplies. CornCards are virtually identical in look and feel to traditional credit, debit,
Read MoreTell Me Something Good!
Today, I am feeling appalled. Appalled that while our media dedicates massive resources to the coverage of the excesses of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, the people of Haiti have been reduced to eating “mud cookies,” literally made of dirt; appalled that the words “ethnic cleansing” are still uttered in the present tense; and appalled that hardworking people face losing their homes because of the subprime lending mess. Globally, wealthy governments and industry leaders have the power to make a difference, but unfortunately, it seems that unless there is something “in it for them,” they choose not to.
In an era where
Sex vs. Environment
What is the world coming to? Have we finally reached the point where sex doesn’t sell (or at least doesn’t sell as well as it used to)?
On the one hand, there’s a history of product lines that have found success by partaking in what some might call morally-questionable advertising. Using campaigns based on little more than young women in little more than underwear (where did the actually clothes being advertised go). Not caring in the end if their ads are disparaged a bit on modest blogs such as my own because in reality the mere mention probably drives people (men)
HOW THE STARS ALIGN
Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.
«CHARLES DICKENS, ENGLISH NOVELIST
A dear friend of mine is a student of astrology—yes, horoscopes, how the stars align and how these lineups impact our lives. While I do not have much knowledge of these things, she occasionally imparts information to me about astrological matters I should be aware of in my life.
Recently, she informed me Mercury had moved into retrograde and my reaction was a somewhat sarcastic, “So?” She explained this is a time when communications can
ORGANICS A TO Z: WORDS FOR THE WISE
OVER THE PAST few years, it’s been discussed ad nauseam, advertised to the hilt and covered extensively in the pages of this magazine and others around the globe. Everyone is aware the Green Movement has a starring role in today’s business climate, yet the abundance of jargon that comprises the revolution’s supporting cast gets very little time in the spotlight. A general understanding of the terminology can go a long way to help the sale of consumer-requested organic apparel, not to mention increase the comfort level of end-users hesitant to go the green mile. Read on for a comprehensive cheat sheet, from A
Read MorePARTNER UP to Turn Prospects into Buyers
A prospect, like everyone else, is in some kind of pain. A distributor’s job is to both uncover that pain and understand how the right promotion will help alleviate it. My PARTNERS model is a simple acronym that will help you explain the features and benefits of your offering in such a way that your prospect will understand how accepting your offer will relieve his or her pain. Follow it, and you’ll dramatically accelerate your selling career. P—Pain: uncover, understand and translate it. To learn how you can move your customers, you must have a strong understanding of their core issues, as this is
Read MoreSURVIVAL OF THE Fittest
FROM THEIR INCEPTION as appropriate-for-daytime-wear wardrobe standby (or inappropriate, depending on who’s doing the judging), T-shirts have been the put-upon younger brother of the apparel clan. Slacker. Underachiever. Slob. Uniform of the basement-dwelling video-game player, or worse, the go-to garment for sweaty work outside or on a treadmill. Yet, in the last 10 years or so, there’s been a bit of a shake-up in the hierarchy. T-shirts grew up. In fact, they became king. In an effort to emanate a more offbeat vibe, many designers began adding them to their collections, emblazoned with rock-and-roll icons and/or ironic witticisms. Likewise, in a nod toward
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