For Apple, It May Not Be the Money

You’ve probably heard the buzz created when Apple’s attorneys contacted promotional products distributors last week. The issue is aftermarket charging cords and AC adapters sold that connect to iPads, iPhones and iPods, and Apple’s claim that they infringe on Apple patents.

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What’s Happening with Trade Shows?

Full disclosure here—and I’ve said this before—I love trade shows. There is no better way for distributors to connect with their supplier partners. Suppliers have the opportunity to connect with new prospects and to strengthen relationships with current customers. There is no question, however, that the dynamics of trade shows are changing. It’s a big topic that I will address in two parts.

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The Advertising Medium That Remains To Be Seen

My last few blogs have focused on changing communication strategies, lack of innovation and ongoing challenges in our industry. This time, let’s pause a moment to talk about a communication aspect of our industry that really does work.

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Top 3 Things That Can Turn Your Promo Products Business Around

Finding customers, securing sales, building relationships, keeping track of new companies and products—it can be difficult to stay on top of everything in the promotional products world. If you’re struggling, here are three tips that can turn your business around.

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Core Competency: Why It Matters

The risk of blind trust and suppliers spreading themselves too thin.

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Communicate Better, Sell More

Ryan Sauers talks with me about his new book and the importance of understanding how you (and others) talk and listen.

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Are You Meaningfully Different?

Today there are more brands, more products and more choices. But, in reality, it’s just more of the same.

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Make Mine a BPA

Like lead before it (and we all know how that turned out), bisphenol A is taking its turn in the spotlight, decked out in misinformation and escorted by ongoing controversy. Welcome to the party.
Before last week, it would seem the FDA had pretty much put this one to rest. But it didn’t really go away. In fact, it was really only a matter of time before someone brought this up again, and courtesy of The Washington Post, bring it up they did. Though I realize that, as a reporter, I “dig” for a living, it doesn’t take a backhoe to unearth that the

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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)

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