Most of us like trees.  Here in New England, we particularly enjoy them during the changing-of-colors Fall foliage season.  Might the price of that appreciation, particularly in our business and residential sections however, simply be too high?  After doing our best to deal with a full two business day power outage here at the Central/Western Massachusetts gateway due to an extremely unusual Halloween weekend Nor’easter, that question arises.

It is widely acknowledged that the cost of taking power lines underground is an exorbitantly priced luxury which still holds drawbacks.  Is it time to consider a much more aggressive approach to what seems to be the primary problem?  This would appear to be our heavily tree lined streets, roads and highways.  Downed tree and limb damage to power, phone and cable lines, as well as personal property, is staggering.  The time and cost involved with recovery is huge.

Though we may love the look, is it time to concede the seemingly obvious?  Major tree pruning and removal operations could be the only real answer.  This too would be another very expensive, involved, and environmentally and aesthetically disturbing, yet perhaps essential, undertaking.

Logo decorated products are not only a great way to increase brand recognition, which aid in building customer awareness, but also develop better public relations among consumers, businesses, volunteers, benefactors, employees, communities, and the like.  Corporate branded items are used for developing business contacts or thanking existing customers for their patronage. The idea behind giving people an imprinted gift could be to strengthen brand loyalty or motivate the employees to help the company achieve its goals.

The list of Ad Specialty products available is extensive, ranging from tee shirts to tote bags, pens, umbrellas, coasters, coloring books, calendars, key rings, magnets, mouse pads, coffee mugs, rulers, caps, stickers and much more. The list is endless.  All these items can be decorated with the logo of your company, club, association or school, using a variety of techniques; having them engraved, embossed with gold foil, or screen-printed-which is the most common method adopted for customization.

Everyone has been given one of these items at some time, something with a logo, slogan or saying, at a trade show expo, conference, fundraiser, or company event.  In fact you probably personally use at least one every day; a pen you write with or the mug from which you drink your morning coffee.   It could be the desk planner you use to schedule meetings or the jacket you wore this weekend.   These gifts, imprinted with a logo, slogan or saying, act as a constant reminder of that company.

There are also premium products like clocks, crystal, sterling silver platters, and watches.  These items cannot only display the corporate logo but also be personalized with the recipient’s name, taking the gift to the next level of customization.   The products decorated in this fashion can be used as awards to motivate people by acknowledging their contributions, to compel them to achieve a milestone, or simply to motivate them towards a specific goal.

All-in-all, Ad Specialty products are an integral part of any corporate marketing plan – or should be!  They can help every business stand out, be perceived as a head above, not be just a “same-old, same-old” company to target audiences.

Apparel remains the single largest category in the promotional products industry – over 25% of total merchandise purchased.  Four of the top ten items listed in the State of the Industry report this year are wearables. 

With fabric manufacturing and decoration techniques constantly advancing, it is very important to be knowledgeable about the two and their compatibility with each other.  Believe me, the first time you have a water resistant garment screen printed without counter acting the fabric’s surface chemical treatment and the whole logo literally falls off after the first washing, or you embroider a performance fabric that ends up looking frayed and sloppy, you’ll wish you had some of this information before hand.  ASI Central’s Advantages magazine has a short but informative article quiz that is worth taking the time to read (take the quiz – I scored 62 points – rusty on my organic fabrics).

 http://www.incentiveusa.com/pdfs/testyourappareliq.pdf