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

I just returned back from the National Safety Congress (NSC) event which took place in Orlando, FL. Once again we met with safety, health and environmental professionals anxiously searching for new ways to engage their workforces in order to create a safety culture. During the show, All Star was honored by Occupational Health & Safety Magazine as a winner of their 2009 New Product of the Year (NPOY) Award. The NPOY Award recognizes the outstanding product development achievements of health and safety manufacturers who assist in the improvement of workplace safety. Amongst 40 entries All Star’s PROPEL for Safety™, proprietary web-based safety incentive solution, was chosen as the most noteworthy contribution in the incentive category. There was a common theme throughout our discussions with attendees who sought to draw more attention to their safety programs. Traditional safety program elements tend to be very bland and flat. It is imperative that safety professionals draw attention to their safety programs and initiatives so that the message resonates. Branding an safety program with ongoing communications and recognizing the proactive safe behaviors of its workforce will make the safety program a greater success.

http://ohsonline.com/articles/2009/10/27/Twelve-Companies-Win-Inaugural-NPOY-Awards.aspx

Just coming back from the 2009 Special Market Dialogue Conference. One main concern discussed for 4th quarter and into 2010 for both the promotional and premium suppliers is the fact that the majority of manufacturers are going to be moving to even more of a real-time inventory stance. Forecasting is going to be key for 2010. Nearly gone are the days of calling a manufacturing and finding 200+ units plus on the shelf.

Here we go again, time to debate the pros and cons of expanded gaming in Massachusetts. Proponents and opponents will meet in the Beacon Hill Gardiner Auditorium in Boston this afternoon, just as they did on March 18th, 2008, to debate this issue. I was in the packed audience for the 2008 debate. There were many good and thoughtful arguments made on both sides of the debate, but it was all for not as the fix was in; Speaker Sal Dimassi had wrangled the votes to see that the proposed article died in committee, having never seen the light of day for a vote. Fast forward 18 months, 540+ days of brutal economic news and local cuts, and now the polls are falling all over themselves to get something passed. In all likelihood, we’ll see a bill that will allow slot machines at our existing racing venues, or full blown casinos on a federally recognized Mashpee Wampanoag tract of land, or perhaps even another location, such as Palmer or Milford, that would welcome the Mohegan Suns and Penn Gamings of the casino world with open arms. The only problem is that the can’t miss gaming ship may have already sailed. Just building a resort casino is no guarantee of it’s success nowadays. Virtually every gaming entity in the Northeast, sans Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, is significantly down year over year since 2007. And while a casino license could have been expected to fetch as much as 500 million dollars up front a few years back, now municipalities will settle for local infrastructure improvements, and hopefully a nice piece of the taxes that will be imposed on the entity.

Whatever happens in Massachusetts, it is likely to be three years or more by the time anyone is tossing dice or pushing a slot machine spin button. With 40% of our residents fueling the Foxwoods machine some say “if you build it they will come”, but will enough of them come to make them viable enterprises? And at what cost? Will a state with an inordinate amount of lottery revenue finally be over saturated with gambling options? Stay tuned.