Assessing the value of a combined print and promotional product line

By Elise Hacking Carr

Case Study: The Value of Print

American Advertising Specialties NJ LLC, located in Tenafly, N.J., has been an iPROMOTEu affiliate since 2006. With roots entrenched in promotional products and decorated apparel, the company has been able to develop a diverse client base since its inception in 1999.

Something felt off to Art Silverman, president/owner, so he took a hard look at his business. “We were doing really well in the areas that we focused on to date and I’ve developed great relationships with my clients with high degrees of trust in terms of my company’s ability to provide quality service and creative solutions to their needs, the thought was: ‘Well, what else can I do for these folks to expand our revenue stream?’”

Print was the answer. But, for Silverman, there was a hurdle to overcome: printing vernacular. Silverman worked closely with Bob Schwei, director, print and packaging, iPROMOTEu, throughout the entire process.

The Job: One of Silverman’s best customers asked if his company did any print work because it was about to launch a 60,000-piece postcard mailing. This particular postcard came with some complications since a removable discount card was attached to it. Therefore, the discount card needed to be glued to the postcard itself and then be able to be removed by recipients at the client’s various nationwide network of outlets.

“Like any good sales organization, we said: ‘Sure, we can help,’ and what was great was that we were able to leverage Bob’s experience and expertise to help me write the specs for the project and identify the appropriate vendors out in the industry that could do a good job of producing this piece (and of course at a good price). Then, Bob was able to help me evaluate the quotes I received so that I could pick the right factory to provide me with the end product,” Silverman recounted.

The Result: Silverman’s customer was so pleased that the company came back two months later to do a 50,000-piece mailing.

The Advice: Silverman has no regrets about adding print to his product line. In fact, he picked up two new customers just in the last 10 weeks where he is doing exclusively print work, including postcard mailings, brochures and folders. “If they’re lucky to find somebody to work with, like I was with Bob, take full advantage of that, and then when you develop relationships with reputable printing operations that can support you both in terms of your education (regarding the vocabulary, what can be done, the best way to do things) … I’ve got printing factories now providing me with branded collateral material that I’m going to be using in my formal introduction of print to my client base,” he concluded.

Nobody is perfect and, undoubtedly, society misses the mark on a lot of things. But sometimes, American culture produces seemingly minor gems that turn out to be some of the greatest pairings in history—pairings that make us mutter, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Our lives are that much more enriched thanks to dynamic duos, including Hall & Oates, Laverne & Shirley, and wine and cheese. Now apply this concept to your business. There’s a new pairing that not only is making people talk, but it’s also making them some extra dollars: printed items and promotional products.

Sounds crazy, right? Don’t be so quick to judge. In our industry, more companies are opening their minds to the possibilities that can result from this pairing. The popular conclusion appears to be that this is the next natural step for print and promotional specialists, alike. iPROMOTEu is one company that abides by this philosophy.

Located in Wayland, Mass., iPROMOTEu is a distributor organization of independent business owners known as affiliates. The company started off strictly as a promotional products company, but CEO Ross Silverstein eventually began to notice a progression of two like-minded industries (i.e., promotional and print) unfold and come together. In turn, he concluded that for distributors to open new revenue streams, they would need to enhance their value proposition. So, he invited Bob Schwei to join the team.

Schwei, a 10-year print industry expert, previously worked for a printing company selling packaging and presentation folders to the distributor channel. He also owned and operated a print and promotional products company, and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Printing Management. Silverstein and Schwei talked over a six-month period about the potential of Silverstein’s observations, and both men identified such a move as a strategic goldmine for a distributor. This conversation led to the founding of iPROMOTEu’s print and packaging division, which Schwei serves as director.