10.25.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 12:07 am by <ADMINNICENAME>
Are you considering changing the character of your logo? This check off list from Fortune Small Business Magazine may be just the advice and direction you need.
1. The most important step in creating a character for your brand is understanding the brand itself: What are you really selling? McDonald’s sells food but also fun. It uses minor characters, such as Mayor McCheese, that look like food, but its best known mascot is a clown.
2. Characters generally work best for consumer products, not services. If your company doesn’t try to attract buyers through creative packaging, a character might not give you a big marketing boost.
3. Don’t envision the character as an ambassador for your brand. Ambassadors have to be perfect, which generally makes them boring and unbelievable. Conflict and flaws make characters interesting and engaging, such as the competing personalities among M&M’s.
4. Don’t worry about making the character look like your typical customer. KFC’s hip-hop version of Colonel Sanders was a bust because the marketers were concerned more about how he looked and less about how he embodied the company’s brand.- By Carlye/Adler, FSB Magazine, “Would a mascot help your business?”, Sept. 19, 2006, magazine-directory.com/Fortune-Small-Business.html
Many businesses are seeing increased sales by redoing their logo and by calling David Altschul, the co-founder of a small marketing firm called Character in Portland, Oregon:
“PepsiCo saw root beer sales increase immediately after replacing its former frosty mug logo with its new character, Dog.”
“Honey Nut Cheerios’ Buzz got a revamped look, voice and hive designed to capture his ‘bee-ness’ (a previous problem was that he acted more like a person than an insect), and the product jumped from No. 5 cereal sold in the U.S. to its current spot at No. 2.” By Carlye Adler, FSB Magazine, “Mascot Makeover”, October 2006, pg. 30.
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10.18.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 1:07 am by <ADMINNICENAME>
Extra time needs to be allowed when ordering promotional products due to the added requirements such as electronic vector (art that can be separated into components) art files, proof approvals and standard production time to logo the product.
An average imprinted order of promotional products will take about 5 to 15 working days production time plus 5 days to ship ground method. Most of the time, there is additional dollar savings if the promotional products are produced overseas; however, the average lead time for an overseas order is 60 to 90 working days, so plan in advance to save money.
If you wait until the last minute to order promotional products, your choices will be more limited, and often times you may have to ship your product expedited methods which may increase your per unit price substantially, especially if the product is heavy.
So plan ahead and save dollars when purchasing promotional products.
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10.17.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 3:17 am by <ADMINNICENAME>
In order to answer my client’s questions about promotional clothing more effectively, I compiled a list of apparel terms. The sources used to define the terms were Dictionary.com, Wikipedia and garment manufacturerers.
This list has been a helpful reference tool for me when answering questions about various types of clothing and I hope you find it useful too. If you find an apparel term that is not on this list, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to add the new apparel term to my list.
Combed Cotton- Woven cotton in which the cotton has been combed to reduce the number of short, uneven fibers.
Herringbone- A pattern consisting of rows of short, slanted parallel lines with the direction of the slant alternating row by row and used in masonry, parquetry, embroidery and weaving.
Interlock- A tight weave
Jacquard- A fabric with an intricately woven pattern.
Lisle Knit- A fine, smooth, tightly twisted thread spun from long-staple cotton. Fabric knitted of this thread, used especially for hosiery and underwear.
Mercerized is a treatment used to thread an apparel that makes the cotton soft and has a slight luster.
Micro Fiber- The true definition of a micro fiber is a fiber that has less than one denier per filament. Micro Fiber is the thinnest and finest of all man-made fibers. It is finer than the most delicate silk. To relate it to something more familiar–A human hair is more than 100 times the size of some micro fibers.
Ottoman- A heavy silk, polyester, or rayon fabric with ribbed or corded texture.
Oxford- A cotton cloth of a tight basket weave, used primarily for shirts.
Pima is mercerized; long staple cotton Pima is the finest cotton available. Pima’s ability to resist pilling makes the garments more durable and longer lasting.
Poplin- A ribbed fabric of silk, rayon, wool, or cotton, used in making clothing and upholstery.
Polynosic is a high-density microfiber tightly woven from rayon threads.
Ring Spun- The fiber is spun prior to weaving or knitting, creating a softer feel.
Tactel is a brand name that has developed progressive and modern fabrics that flatter the appearance, stir and delight the senses. The main inspiration for these fabrics is nature itself.
Tanuis cotton is generally organically grown Peruvian cotton bred for staple length. It is related to the naturally colored Pervian cotton.
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10.13.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 9:41 pm by <ADMINNICENAME>
When you place your logo on a promotional product, you want it to impress your clients, employees and associates. In order to have a crisp, clean, and precise logo, you need to use vector art.
This is art that can be resized, changed and separated without losing the quality and detail of your graphic. Don’t worry if you don’t have ai, eps or any type of vector art. Jpgs, bitmaps, tiffs and gifs can be converted to vector art for a reasonable fee.
If you have more questions about vector art you can go to art specifications on the American Promotion’s website or feel free to contact me by email or phone.
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10.12.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 5:59 pm by <ADMINNICENAME>
I believe the leader in the promotional product industry for rush service with no extra charge would have to be Leeds. I have noticed recently that many of Leed’s competitors are now offering rush service. However, the majority of their competitors charge a fee for expedited service.
Fee or no fee, there is now more promotional products offered with rush service than ever before. If you need it fast, most likely you will be able to get it fast!
When you are working to receive your promotional products by a mandatory date, there are a few guidelines to follow to insure that your product arrives on time:
1. Choose a vendor that you trust. This is not an ideal time to build a new business relationship. However, if you do not have a standing relationship with a promotional product supplier always ask if they will commit in writing that the product will arrive on time.
2. Send your artwork to your chosen vendor as quickly as possible so they can make sure there are no problems. The earlier artwork problems are detected, the greater chance that they can be resolved and still meet your time sensitive in-hand date.
3. Ask questions about shipping methods and charges: Do we have time to ship this 3rd day method rather than overnight? Where is the product shipping from? Can we put this on my UPS account?
4. It is very important to always double check to make sure they have the correct address to drop ship your product to!
5. Always get a tracking number so you can follow your package/s on a daily basis or if necessary, an hourly basis.
If these four steps are followed, you should receive your product ON TIME without any difficulty!
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10.11.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 6:09 pm by <ADMINNICENAME>
Whether you need your logo designed or converted into useable art, a creative and reliable art team that has expertise to do either one is imperative to achieve the desired look of your brand.
When ordering promotional products, here is a list of three things to do when looking for the art team that is the right choice to design, redesign, or convert your logo:
1. If you are unsure about your logo design or format, an art team trained to resolve problems will put your mind at ease. Ask several questions like, “How many years experience have you had in the industry?” or ”Can you match the colors of my logo exactly?” or “Do you have samples of art files I can look at?”
2. If you needed a job done yesterday, working with a design team that can meet time sensitive in-hand dates is critical in order to complete important corporate projects on schedule. Be sure to get a commitment as to whether they can meet your in-hand date.
3. Ask to see a portfolio of various logos the art staff has designed. This not only helps you decide if you like their designs, it gives you the opportunity to show them what you like and don’t like.
A professional logo is so important to a business because when onlookers see it, they immediately relate it to your products, values and services. For questions about artwork, feel free to contact me or see a list of art requirements from American Promotions.
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10.10.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 7:20 pm by <ADMINNICENAME>
For years I have been embroidering hats, visors and shirts for a pizza business. One of their associate stores saw the work that my embroiderer does and decided to let me oversee his embroidered apparel business too. To their surprise, the prices I quoted him were lower than their previous embroiderer.
They were so pleased to find higher quality embroidery for a lower price. I know that it is important for your embroidered brand to look first-rate so your company name, products, and services are associated with top quality appearance that is why I choose embroiderers who do a quality job.
Along with superior embroidery, it is important to use quality apparel like North End, Columbia, Nike, Devon & Jones, Ilmigliore, and Port Authority brands to embroider your logo on to. If you have questions about types of materials see my article “Apparel Terms” posted on this blog. Also, feel free to email or call me with questions about embroidery or apparel. Choosing a vendor that can supply you with quality apparel and embroidery will give your brand the first-rate look it deserves.
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10.09.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 8:27 pm by <ADMINNICENAME>
When you have a brand new product that you want the consumer to become familiar with, a couple of my clients have found that a nicely designed printed t-shirt peaks interest at tradeshows. People stop, look and ask, “How can I get one of those t-shirts?” This is a great opportunity to show your new product(s) to the prospect before giving away the t-shirt. People are always pleased to receive a nice t-shirt for casual around town tasks like running errands, and grocery shopping.
Promotional apparel is a great way to increase brand awareness because when people wear your imprinted t-shirt, your brand is traveling from location to location, store to store building product awareness and marketing radius.
Imprinted t-shirts will keep your brand, products and the values it represents in the memory of all those who wear or see your logoed t-shirt.
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10.06.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 5:01 pm by <ADMINNICENAME>
Meeting critical deadlines is crucial for the success of your business! It is imperative that time sensitive orders are tracked very carefully in order to meet critical in-hand dates.
One of my clients ordered some magnet pens that needed to ship out quickly for an important tradeshow event. If the product did not arrive on time, it would be of no use to him. I was having difficulty getting a proof from the magnet pen vendor, so I made several phone calls to remind the vendor of the urgency of meeting this mandatory in-hand date. I pleased my client by actually getting the product to them one day early.
Another time I had a large, high dollar value order of precious metal lapel pins that needed to be to a client’s convention in Miami. Due to unforeseen problems that arose processing this order, I could tell that the order was not going to arrive on time. In order to meet the promised deadline, the president of the company made the decision to fly to the lapel pin manufacturer to pick up the precious metal lapel pins and then hop on another plane to meet the customer at his convention. The client was so pleased with the service they received that they have remained a customer for 10 years.
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10.05.06
Posted in Promotional Products at 10:10 pm by <ADMINNICENAME>
My client’s goal is to set himself apart from his competition that also specialize in quick oil changes and state emission tests. He envisioned creating an atmosphere that would bring his patrons back again and again. With some thought, he decided to make an experience for his patrons while waiting for their oil changes. He bought an oven to bake cookies in so while the patrons wait for their oil changes, they can snack on cookies while watching TV or reading magazines. The cookies have been a tasty hit! An added benefit is the aroma of fresh baked cookies that permeates throughout the store.
Their competition generally leaves an air freshener in the vehicle, so to be unique the client leaves a luscious buttermint wrapped in a white wrapper with a red heart and a tag line that says, “We Love our Customers”.
The client’s business is doing great thanks to fresh baked cookies and luscious, logoed butter mints.
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