Newsletter Blogs
June 1, 2016 at 2:37 pm
If you're like me, you concluded your relaxing Memorial Day weekend by watching the nail-biter seventh game in the NBA Western Conference Finals. While most people probably were focusing on Klay Thompson's clutch three-pointers and Steven Adams' scary mustache (no offense, big guy), I was zeroing in on the promotional T-shirts the fans were sporting in…
May 31, 2016 at 5:38 pm
"User experience" is a buzzword, and with buzzwords come overuse. Nevertheless, a great user experience is critical in today’s world, both offline and online. Disney has done user experience offline better than anyone well before anyone started paying attention. Apple brought forward the importance of user experience when it introduced the first iPhone. A great…
May 25, 2016 at 3:34 pm
In the promotional products industry, suppliers and distributors work hard to build relationships with one another—trusting that the other half of the relationship cares as much about the product and the end-user as they do. So how would you feel if you found out that supplier or distributor wouldn’t even buy its own product? Super confident, right? No, of course not...
May 20, 2016 at 1:33 pm
As we were preparing our Top Distributors issue, news broke of four major industry shakeups. In the span of two weeks, Ennis announced plans to sell off Alstyle Apparel to an undisclosed buyer (later revealed to be Gildan Activewear), Hanesbrands Inc. acquired Champion Europe and Pacific Brands Limited, Taylor Corp. bought Staples Print Solutions, and private equity…
May 20, 2016 at 4:01 pm
Question: Last year, I called QuickBooks to ask which program I should buy. They told me QuickBooks Online, and switched me from QuickBooks Premier to Online, but it doesn't do what I need it to do. Can I convert back to QuickBooks Premier? Answer: Yes, but it's not easy. Intuit sells QuickBooks Online as a…
May 19, 2016 at 2:49 pm
Where’s your focus? It seems like all the glamour and excitement in sales and marketing focuses on account acquisition. Everyone loves the “rainmaker,” the professional who reels in the big fish and new, headliner clients. We spend our time, our resources and our money on carefully crafted marketing plans. We think through objectives, strategies and…
May 17, 2016 at 4:29 pm
Trump! Clinton! Feel the Bern! Some can’t help but support their candidates both privately and publicly. Recently, Cheryl Rios, a marketing specialist, discovered the danger of talking politics online—she lost her largest clients. But, I’m not writing today to get you to stop talking politics. I want you to talk politics—even online—but directed toward your elected officials. Next…
May 11, 2016 at 6:26 pm
Prints make it easier to mix different colors, textures and fun into one cohesive look. They breathe a touch of life into an outfit. Of course, I get it. Patterns can be overwhelming. They are bold statements. And they are, perhaps, even bolder statements in the promotional products industry. But there are plenty of ways to incorporate them into a promotion without overdoing it...
May 10, 2016 at 6:04 pm
Yesterday my friend gave me a T-shirt. It was for his band. I've been friends with this guy for close to 20 years, and we hang out on a very regular basis, but I was still excited to receive this free T-shirt. Why? It didn't have anything special about it. Sure, it has a neat…
May 9, 2016 at 3:46 pm
The trade show—one of the main staples of offline marketing. Social media—one of the backbones of online marketing. As marketing continues to evolve and shift, it’s increasingly more important to have a blend of both online and offline channels. And, thankfully, mobile technology has made it easy to do both at once. I’m talking about…
