No Clearer Path than Illuminating Your Brand
As the days get shorter and we all begin to gather our candy for the end of the month we also get ready to turn the calendar to November. Soon many of us will be heading home in the dark and combined with the approach of the corporate gift giving season we find flashlights once again will take center stage. Luckily each year the offerings more closely match what you would see in your local hardware store and this year the focus is on versatility and safety.
Several years ago Garrity became part of the Duracell brand. They had been in the corporate markets for several years and quickly recognized a unique value opportunity while preserving their brand name. Along came Leeds which acquired the rights and now the Garrity Zoomed LED Flashlight is available to those looking to put a logo on an aluminum light. To clearly understand the zoom feature you have to look at the light itself. The entire lens portion twists from right to left which focuses the beam more intensely. Garrity has included a printed indicator which makes it easier to keep the light at a reasonable level. At this point a couple of years ago when the economy was booming plastic flashlights cost just as much as this light does and it includes the logo, batteries and aircraft grade aluminum that has made another brand so popular. Usually the batteries are not inserted prior to shipping and this continues to raise some concerns with clients as they don't understand the potential for damage in shipping. Founded in 1967, Garrity Flashlights have been around now for over forty years. The brand is well recognized and still available at hardware stores nationwide.
American Apparel has dodged going out of business and in addition to raising much needed capital they have also brought in new management. It seems 60 minutes may have missed the mark a few years ago in glorifying the actions of the company founder. The company enjoyed strong sales growth yet was still in a very difficult situation largely thanks to the actions of the CEO. They are a dominant player in the industry and it is great to see that they are going to continue as an operating business. They will continue to face strong competition from Sanmar as we discussed in Keys to Jacket Success but they largely target different markets and can co-exist in the same space.
Extending Functionality While Getting Your Message Out
Although some of the financial news over the last few weeks has been positive that is in the corporate arena. The average consumer is still struggling through high unemployment, stagnant wages and several years of living through a recession. Giving away corporate gifts with too much flare and that can potentially be viewed as trinkets is no longer popular. Instead take a look at functional employee gift ideas.
The entire point of the new late season line from Leed's was to encourage this type of giving. The Leeds Cook-Safe Cutting Board Set with your logo accomplishes this goal by providing the recipient a food grade quality present. Each board is FDA compliant and color coded to prevent cross contamination while making a meal. The front of the stand has a color coded label which allows the chef to keep raw foods away from cooked foods, meats away from vegetables permanently which can increase overall food safety. No printing is done on the boards but instead the stand is decorated which is unobtrusive and looks good sitting on a kitchen counter. Although cheese and knife sets continue to be popular you do have the concern of giving sharp objects to a mixed audience, this set is safe for any age bracket or user base.
But what if your intended target is not of cooking age? The popular gift right now among school age students has to do with silicone bands and cool shapes. Take advantage of that with the Leeds Silicone Bracelet USB Flash Drive 1GB with your logo imprinted. The silicone is flexible, is available in a bunch of attractive colors and looks a lot like the bands kids are actively trading. This means it is likely to be widely accepted in schools especially the middle school through college levels. Your logo, school group or team name gets imprinted in bold colors on the bracelet and meanwhile you have a gigabyte of storage space to carry your homework, office presentations or payroll information back and forth from work or school. Better yet take a look at branding one of these drives for Breast Cancer Awareness Month as they are available in pink.
Whatever way you choose to go this buying season keep in mind a lot of people are struggling and by giving a custom promotional gift this holiday season you can also help those in need. As strange as it sounds by providing a functional gift you are filling a need, reducing the expense to the recipient and in turn getting some advertising in the form of your printed logo. If you pick the right item you may find demand is significant and referrals and re-orders will take off. We will introduce some other items online this week.
Functionality Essential to Stationary Success in Technology
For years ASI and PPAI suppliers have released tired old designs in terms of padfolio and portfolios. No matter how many ways you adjust the layout or change the underlying material a simple paper carrying padfolio is not exciting nor is it unique in any way. This year and with the introduction of one of the most popular technology devices in the ebook type readers manufacturers are stepping up and delivering flexibile and functional gifts just in time for the holiday season.
Polyconcepts has left Bullet Line dragging in the dust with no new apparent releases late season. Their larger line Leed's has come out with an entirely new catalog for September featuring the Elleven Zippered Padfolio which breaks from tradition in offering not only the regular writing padfolio but has included a soon to be patented techtrap storage. Instead of trying to conform to a particular device the mesh scuba elastic bands allow the end user to put the latest book readers including the iPad and Kindle as well as phones and even small netbooks. Keep in mind there is no padding as you would see with a backpack or computer bag but this is after all a regular writing pad. The dobby material is also different and the large decoration area on the front provides plenty of options. Most customers will elect to go with the debossing as it looks better and for whatever reason only single color imprint is allowed by the manufacturer.
The new Elleven line will eventually expand to just under a dozen pieces. Right now they are focusing on maintaining plenty of inventory to feed hungry distributors as we head into one of the busiest seasons of the year. Although they appear to have missed the mark with a few items such as the technology organizer that cannot hold the newer tech gadgets they have done a good job overall and we expect to review more items in the near future.
Irritation from Comfort Colors – Dye Allergy
Back a few months ago I ordered a bunch of t shirts for an upcoming promotion we were having in June. The shirts arrived and looked great. I took about four or five of them for personal use and proceeded to wash them in cold water. Within two minutes of turning on the machine the tub basin was filled with a mix of inks. Three months later and perhaps twenty wash cycles later I still cannot wear the shirts as they irritate my skin terribly.
What I never fully understood until doing some research is how dangerous some of the chemicals used in coloring textiles may be to humans. Acetamide which is used in some acid dyes was recently added to the California EPA list of compounds known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Another chemical used in some dyes is Nitrobenzene which is highly toxic and easily absorbed through the skin. These are all constituents of some of the harsher dyes but even the more simple dyes can be irritating especially if they are not done properly.
In the case of the comfort colors shirts I bought to this day they stink. By that I mean they smell bad. Compared to the exact same style and color shirts purchased last year there is a permanent odor and texture to the shirts that is downright uncomfortable. The minute they come out of the cabinet you can smell them and note the difference. It's a chemical smell and one that immediately irritates skin and I have never had any sensitivity to shirt dyes. What is probably most disturbing is that it is near impossible to get a listing of what brands use which dyes in their products. The long and short of the story is when purchasing a new shirt product you may want to go ahead and order a single sample first. Five months later I still cannot wear the shirts I picked up earlier in the year at all and they are soon going to the landfill for donation to those in the need. I have no idea what dyes are used in the Comfort Colors line but I do intend to ask as this is a socially and environmentally responsible company.
Alarmingly it is impossible to find much information on dyes. In order to gather even this limited information I had to search a bunch of different sites and piece the information together. I have sent emails to the major shirt manufacturers and plan to update with a new article as soon as I hear back from them all. I do also wonder if this dovetails with the ASI inventory problems article I wrote last night. Could quick production be to blame?
Supplier Product Line Expansion Magnifies Inventory Problems
By now just about everyone is aware of the major stock issues present in the promotional products industry this year. It has gotten so bad that in many cases products that were released in January have never been available to the majority of the distributors in the industry. Leed's as one of the dominant suppliers has had entire segments out of stock at one time or another and the news does not appear to be improving with their new fall catalog.
A recent article in ASI places the blame on many issues external to the actual suppliers. That is fine but how can it be that the 62" Tour Golf Umbrella which just became available six days ago is already back ordered into October? Truth be told the moment it went live on the manufacturers site is was already unavailable which much like the fiasco from earlier in the year probably indicates the item was never ordered in sufficient quantities to be available to the entire market. The other alternative is that they never should have put this umbrella in their fall line as it was not available in the first place. This is the same syndrome that we all went through last year and again this year with items like the laptop bags that allowed the customer to get through the checkpoint quickly and easily.
But is the ultimate problem the result of an assortment of problems like shipping containers being taken by the highest bidder or overseas stimulus as the inventory crisis article in stitches indicates? Those excuses partially explain the problems experienced the first half of 2010 but do nothing to explain why suppliers are making the same mistake again this fall. Instead of trying to release new products to stay ahead of one another they should stock the ones they already launched. They have not learned a thing from their earlier experiences and that is evident from a quick check of Leed's site where you will see they are already short on dozens of products just released last week. Perhaps this is the Achilles heal of the huge supplier in that they cannot carry the core items in large quantities because inventory dollars are tied up carrying hundreds of items that will end up failing and be put on the clearance rack. In the end this makes the job of the individual distributor almost impossible as they cannot sell with confidence and right now few suppliers are immune. Gemline seems to be carrying sufficient stock and when they run low they get items back in quickly. Primeline also seems to be able to maintain high inventory levels and at the same time they return to inventory items that get back-ordered very quickly. Leeds on the other hand continues to lag with the site being full of "call for inventory" messages including many of the soon to be popular but unavailable fall line items. Their motto this fall is "a return to giving" and all that many of us ask is that they give us some inventory which would be the greatest gift of all.
Gearing up for Specialities Season and Economic Lag
Anyone that owns, operates or works for a small business has probably noticed that over the last year or two small business performance is way ahead of economic news that makes it to the evening news or online. The business cycle seems to have really changed and by the time we see reports of economic conditions we have already dealt with them as small business participants.
There is almost no doubt that later July into the middle of August was significantly slower than earlier periods of the year. The numbers from July however show strong retail sales which may only prove the point that people were spending money on themselves and not necessarily their businesses. By the time mid August rolled around and people returned to work from summer vacations business sales began to pickup and that has continued into the later stages of the month. However the economic news that made the major outlets during that time lagged significantly failing to flag the slowdown until it was already over and failing to note the return to more normal patterns after it happened. Is the problem poor data or is it that the economy now cycles much faster than it did years ago? I think it really is fast cycling and buyer psychology. With some much financial news now available consumers adjust their expectations and behavior on the fly. Just take a look at the stock market and you will see some incredibly fast movements in behavior that have no real rationale explanations.
Taking a look back through our more recent articles, the Ice and Wine Gift Segment was one of the more popular articles written to date. The Grigio has already garnered enormous interest and there is no doubt that will continue. The most popular article still has been the discussion of why laundry caps are still tough to read. Apparently we struck a nerve with consumers tired of paying too much. Last but not least the discussion of checkpoint friendly computer bags has been forwarded more than any other article. As business travel picks up we expect to see business sales for checkpoint friendly bags soar.
Ice and Wine Goes Well Under the Tree
When it comes to holiday gifts or in the politically correct world custom or employee appreciation gifts one of the most popular choices continues to be those associated with wine. One of the reasons custom wine openers tend to be one of the preferred choices in the later months of the year is the fact that many of the new products are included in the late season catalogs released by the larger manufacturers.
Leed's has announced the release of over one hundred new products. Many are geared towards the corporate gift giving including the Grigio 4 Piece Wine Bottle Set which is an innovative and creative approach to the problem of packaging the required wine tools. Almost everyone that is serious about the fairer wines and that has a serious collection will have a rack, cooler or other similar storage spot. This custom wine set will fit the contour of any of those storage mediums which immediately makes it accessible instead of digging through drawers. It also includes all of the needed pieces to get you through your next dinner party. The molded rubberized exterior is a new touch and it will be interesting to see how customers feel about what has traditionally been used only in tool sets.
For those of you that are completely and utterly tired of receiving bottle openers with a logo on them Leeds has come up with an idea for you this season. The Wine Chiller & Ice Bucket Duo is an exceptional custom wine chiller that can either be used as a regular ice bucket or as a bottle cooler. The plastic pieces assemble and the liquid fused between the pieces of acrylic freezes to quickly and easily chill your bottle from top to bottom. I have actually never seen this type of piece in the promotional products marketplace and it will be interesting to see how well it will sell. A nice feature is that anyone can use this whether it be the kids to keep their juices cold or teens to keep track of change. It has many uses and again it will surely catch the eye of your favorite client or employee as it is not something that has been making the rounds the last several years.
With the economic news the way it is everyone can use a good gift and hopefully these are some ideas you will be able to put to use this season. As a follow up to our laundry detergent cap story the other day apparently the reason they use the less than visible caps is that customer marketing data has found we buy based on cap color. That does not explain why they cannot use a contrasting imprint on the inside of the cup to make measuring easier and we are still waiting to hear back from the various manufacturers on plans in that area.
Time for Laundry Detergent Brands to Change Laundry Cups
One of the immediate results of the dramatic rise in oil prices during 2008 was an equal rise in shipping and transportation costs. We all saw increases at the pumps and as well we all noticed the gradually but steady increase in prices for almost all goods and services. But did you all also notice that many of your favorite products particularly the heavier ones were downsized during the same period? After running a two week test over 20 loads of laundry it is pretty clear there is one big winner in the laundry downsizing game.
Take a look at your favorite laundry brand. Three years ago the shelves were lined with large containers that got anywhere from 32 to 64 loads of laundry done depending on the container. There were a few bottles marked for high efficiency washers and a few that were labeled as two times strength and as a result were thin bottles. It wasn't until oil prices hit record highs that all manufacturers switched to the double strength bottles which strangely cost the same for the same number of loads but certainly cost a lot less to transport. One unfortunate aspect of the new bottles is that the accompanying caps were also about half the size. Trying to read the line on the measuring cup was difficult with the larger caps and is now impossible with the smaller cups. The tone on tone coloring makes it no easier. The fact that our largest detergent companies are unable to produce a cap with a contrasting measuring line is troubling as it has two effects that are both bad for consumers. First a majority almost certainly end up putting in way too much solution. In almost every case the cap only needs to be about one quarter filled. The top two lines which you are actually able to see are for double or triple loads. Second we are dumping all sorts of nutrients into either septic tanks or the sewer system which ends up getting dumped into local waters. Clearly there is no benefit to consumers but you can almost bet for sure detergent sales are up proportionally to what they were a few years ago as we all use more of the double strength solution than we need and as a result are probably going through the average 32 or 64 use bottle 25 or 40 percent faster than we were previously. After digging up and old bottle of normal size and running a two week test it was pretty clear that pouring and measuring in the new cup was prone to over indulging on the amount of detergent. This was not a scientific test but common sense and the human eye clearly demonstrate it is nearly impossible to read the measuring caps in modern detergents. At the very least manufacturers should be using contrasting lines - if they are using a dark blue cap make the measuring lines white and the letters large in white. Better yet make the caps transparent so that light gets through and make the lines and printing in bold colors.
If this bothers you take a moment to write a letter to the big producers. They should be aware that their practice of either accidentally or deliberately making it difficult to read the caps should be changed. It is better for consumers and better for the environment. Tide can be reached by email or phone at the Tide Contact Us Page. You can contact Dwight & Church via their comment page. They make a lot of the off brands you see in CVS and other stores in addition to the Arm & Hammer line. To round out the list of larger selling brands we have the page to contact All Detergent. In the past many of these manufacturers have been responsive to change. If enough people contact them there is a very good chance we will see a positive change which will help our bank accounts and in turn will help the environment.