MAYBE THEY DON’T always come with a lot of flash and flair, cutesy colors and snazzy style, and maybe some wouldn’t call them eye-catching in the marketing kind of way, but safety products offer a lot of appeal. They’re solid, dependable and, most importantly, they come to people’s rescue in the most dire situations. And, every so often, they do come with a lot of flash and flare, which makes them eye-catching in the safety kind of way. That’s the point Michael Levy, vice president of Compass Industries, New York, wants to drive home about the products that are there when we need them the most.
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EVER WONDER WHAT the talk about performance wear was all about? They are on TV all the time: Poised, professional golfers in loose-fitting polo shirts tucked neatly into khakis. There is never evidence of the unsightly underarm sweat ring or the icky shirt-stuck-to-back-and-belly disease often plaguing the rest of the population. Save for an occasional swipe of the brow, these golfers appear dry and comfortable all the time, even in the 90-degree Floridian sun. It is precisely for those reasons that there is so much talk about performance wear, and why it so important to know what is being said. With all the new
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THEY MAKE FUN gifts, bring smiles to people’s faces and might even cause folks to break out in laughter. Games and toys are among a unique class of products in the promotional arena that oftentimes bring great joy to those putting them to use—an effective marketing ploy in itself. But, when distributors find a way to perfectly match games and toys with clients’ images and messages, the joy is spread all around, creating a winning situation for the whole team. That’s exactly the tactic Aerobie, Palo Alto, Calif., employs with its line of high-performance flying discs, rings and boomerangs. National Sales Manager Don Abbott said Aerobie
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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
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“UNBELIEVABLE, ONLY ONE California distributor had a link!” In my recent opening keynote presentation for a group of industrial distributors, I made this alarming announcement. Upon visiting a major manufacturer’s Web site, I conducted a distributor search for California. When the list appeared on my screen, only one distributor listed had a link to its site from the manufacturer’s site. It’s unfortunate so many distributors are slow to partner with their principal suppliers. For some distributors, it is because they do not yet have a Web site, hard as that is to believe. And for others, it is a trust issue. Some distributors still
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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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THE COLOR GREEN has always been closely linked to golf. There’s the deeply colored grass blanketing golf courses, often reputed to be reason enough for golfers to haul irons over hills, if just to practice their swing. There are the lucrative business deals made on the course and in the clubhouse, or the state of being “green with envy” for the wealth which hovers as closely to the sport’s reputation as an overzealous caddy might to his or her golfers. Golf’s many connections to the color green shouldn’t only tempt its players, though—a few facts make a strong financial case for the success of
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IT IS DIFFICULT to think of a game as uncomplicated as golf: hit a ball into a hole with a stick. But simple rules do not an easy game make. Due to its international renown, the techniques of the game have been studied as a science. Even without the fast pace expected by a generation raised on MTV, golf’s popularity is unfaltering. And, while the Super Bowl and NBA Finals promote some of the most highly paid athletes in the world, the number one earner is still Tiger Woods, a golfer. Nearly any suburban town with enough green space will have a green. On
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IN RESEARCHING ORGANIC apparel, one supplier asked why anyone would need an organically produced shirt. “You’re not going to eat it,” he said. When it was explained that the term “organic,” when applied to clothing, meant it was produced without pesticides or harmful fertilizers, the supplier still saw no purpose and asked what difference it would make to the shirt. It was a bad way to begin delving into a major trend in the promotional products industry, but it touched upon wide-spread misconceptions about the terminology. It also cast some light upon industry practices and viewpoints, which do have far-reaching implications. The consequences
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By Ilise Benun, www.marketingmentor.com Are there really any secrets about marketing? That’s what someone asked me the other day when I was describing our latest offering: Pricing and Marketing Secrets (www.pricingandmarketingsecrets.com). At first I had to laugh because, let’s face it, there are no secrets. What we teach is neither original nor unusual. It’s all common sense and common knowledge. On the other hand, the ideas often come across as secrets because people often forget what I consider the two main principles of marketing: communication and action. Communication, because most of the problems I hear about stem from a lack of communication. For example,
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