Promotional Marketing

New president? New partnership? New product? The biggest news stories in the industry appear here first. Let the Promotional Marketing staff know about the most important events, and they may appear in an upcoming issue of the magazine or the online newsletter. Please send any hot leads to Cynthia Graham at cgraham@napco.com.

TO TAG OR not to tag. This is the question facing new companies entering the promotional products arena and established companies reevaluating the way they do business. “Tag” in this case refers not to the products but to the companies themselves. In this industry, nearly everyone is familiar with ASI numbers and most are familiar with UPIC identifications. Why would one company choose a UPIC identification over an ASI number or vice versa? Why do some companies opt for both? Why do other companies use neither? To better understand the markets, Promotional Marketing contacted Tim Andrews, president of Trevose, Pennsylvania-based ASI; Scott Fuhr, director of corporate

Got News? New president? New partnership? New product? The biggest news stories in the industry appear here first. Let the Promotional Marketing staff know about the most important events, and they may appear in an upcoming issue of the magazine or the online newsletter. Please send any hot leads to Cynthia Graham at cgraham@napco.com.

When the folks at Promotional Marketing asked me to write an article with tips for finding new promotional products clients, my first thought was: open a window and look outside—there they are. Dial any random number—there they are. Swing a dead cat and see who it hits—there they are. This is one business that doesn’t require looking under rocks or great detective work to find new prospects. They are literally everywhere. Every business, organization, neighborhood, event, team, school and group is a prospective promotional products client. The problem is not finding them; it is connecting with them and ultimately having a few of those

PPAI, Irving, Texas, will once again sponsor Solutions Summit, a high-level educational forum that is now part of Marketing Days, a new event scheduled for Sept. 26 to 29, 2006, in Chicago. “We know a marketing effort is successful when the message is consistent, targeted and moves the audience to take action,” said Steve Slagle, PPAI’s president. “And we know that incorporating promotional products into the mix in a strategic manner produces measurable results.” The three-day umbrella event is expected to attract 30,000 attendees, more than 2,200 exhibitors and will be host to more than 120 seminars. Sponsored by The Motivation Show and the In-Store Marketing

“You’ve got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative Latch on to the affirmative Don’t mess with Mister In-Between.” Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen were on to something when they wrote these timeless lyrics, which, in reality, have applications in all walks of life. Consequently, when it comes to marketing, honing in on the positive aspects of one’s marketing plan, eliminating the excess fat and latching on to affirmative tactics is a sure recipe for success. Promotional Marketing sat down with Bill Schreiber,

“Creative ideas flourish best in a shop which preserves some spirit of fun. Nobody is in business for fun, but that does not mean there cannot be fun in business.” Leo Burnett – advertising executive famous for creating such icons as the Jolly Green Giant, the Marlboro Man, the Pillsbury Doughboy and Tony the Tiger. Simply stated, the promotional products industry is fun. Walking around the Promotions East show in Atlantic City, N.J., earlier this month, the fun and comraderie of all those involved was surprisingly evident. While competition in the industry is fierce—one gentleman at the show actually described it as “canabalisitic

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Les Brown – 1930’s era bigband leader of the Band of Renown. have joined the Promotional Marketing team at a fresh and exciting time. After having reviewed the industry data from the Promotional Marketing statistics vault for the 2006 top 50 distributors, it is clear this is a booming industry, and there is no end in sight. In 2006, the top 50 distributors generated $267 million more in promotional product sales from last year, and the growth doesn’t stop there; it has trickled down into all aspects of the industry. It is

1. Integrated Merchandising Systems (IMS) $186,000 $186,000 335 8 Rick Remick, CEO Morton Grove, IL 2. American Identity $180,000 $180,000 800 3 Roger Henry, President/CEO Overland Park, KS 3. Proforma $156,000 $276,000 100 650 Greg and Vera Muzzillo, Co-CEOs Independence, OH 4. Bensussen Deutsch & Associates (BD&A) $145,000 $145,000 320 18 Jay Deutsch, CEO; Eric Bensussen, President Woodinville, WA 5. Geiger $135,000 $135,000 410 19 Gene G. Geiger, CEO Lewiston, ME 6. Adventures in Advertising Corporation (AIA) $128,000 $128,000 60 325+ David Woods, CEO Neenah, WI 7. HALO/Lee Wayne $105,000* $105,000* 160 8 Marc Simon, CEO Sterling, IL 8. Jack Nadel International $84,000 $84,000 300 18 Martin Nadel, President Los Angeles, CA 9. 4imprint $82,966 $82,966 293 1 Kevin Lyons-Tarr, President Oshkosh, WI 10. Midwest Trophy Manufacturing (MTM) $81,000 $81,000 800 9 David Smith, Owner Oklahoma City, OK 11. Kaeser & Blair $75,000 $75,000 128 1 Kurt Kaeser, President/CEO Batavia, OH 12. American Solutions for Business $67,368 $239,776 809 410 Larry Zavadil, President/CEO Glenwood, MN 13. Summit Marketing $67,000 $98,500 400 6 Daniel J. Renz, CEO St. Louis, MO 14. Brown & Bigelow $65,000 $65,000 410 12 William D. Smith, President St. Paul, MN 14. Evigna $65,000 $65,000 167 15 Shan Mehta, President Madison Heights, MI 14.