Cover Story

Do you remember the thrill of back-to-school shopping? From folders to lunchboxes, notebooks to highlighters, we loved every second of it—especially picking out our new backpacks. The choices were endless. Did we want a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack that looked like a turtle shell, a backpack with wheels, a mini-backpack or a messenger bag?…

Gift giving is an art. Make a lasting impression, and show the recipient you’re thinking of them. Give the Tune Squad T-shirt to your best friend, who recognizes the Seal version of “Fly Like an Eagle” in two notes and constantly asks if you’ll watch Space Jam with him, so he can embrace his inner Michael Jordan.

According to Anita Jalbert, vice president of sales and marketing for SunGraphix, Auburn, Maine, a planner or calendar is used an average of eight to 10 times a day over the course of a year or more. That opens the door for a lot of promotional opportunities. We spoke to Jalbert; Dan Finn, owner of Finn Graphics Inc., Cincinnati; and Phil Martin, national sales manager of Warwick Publishing Co., St. Charles, Ill. to find out what distributors should keep in mind when selling calendars and planners.