Promo Products

Gill Studios, Shawnee Mission, Kan., walked away a winner in three categories during the 2006 Promotional Products Expo held Jan. 9-13 at the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The company was honored with the Supplier Star Award of Merit, the Supplier Golden Achievement Award for Screen Printing on Other Than Textile category and the Supplier Silver Web Award. For more information, visit www.gill-line.com.

Greenwich, Connecticut-based Workflow Management, parent company of WorkflowOne, one of North America's largest providers of printing and promotional products, recently annouced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Dayton, Ohio-based The Relizon Company, a North American supplier of business process solutions for document outsourcing, billing and marketing. Upon the completion of the acquisition, WorkflowOne and The Relizon Company will be worth more than $1 billion in the North American document management solution market, with significantly increased client-focused capabilities. In addition, more than 5,000 employees and 25,000 combined clients from both companies will benefit from a broader portfolio of products and services. "The

Now is the perfect time for distributors to get started on end-of-year promotional sales and rake in profits for the new year. The season is ripe with opportunities for distributors who are interested in exploring the ad specialty market and for those who wish to expand their current promotional product offerings. "The fall is the beginning of another school year, and also the start of the fundraiser season," noted Dave Spangenberg, director of business development at Carlson Craft Business Solutions, North Mankato, Minn. "With the high profit margins available on promotional products, they clearly make lucrative fundraising products." He noted that the fall season

Trade show products are important components of any successful promotional campaign With the large numbers of people who attend trade shows each year, exhibitors should pull out all of the stops when choosing an item to attract potential customers to their booths. From business card coasters to backpacks and staple removers to notepads, a successful trade show promotion will draw in and hold the interest of even the most dubious prospects. The word "innovation" is synonymous with the name Prime Resources when it comes to supplying items that provide effective trade show promotion. The Bridgeport, Connecticut-based supplier was recently approached by Cook Associates/ Your

Outdoor activities and events are cool reasons for hot summer promotions. The radio is cranking out fun-in-the-sun tunes and vacation plans are being finalized from coast to coast. Summer months represent promotional products sales opportunities like no other season as businesses take more of a light-hearted approach to customer and employee relations. "Summer is a great time for companies to reward employees with picnics, getaways at amusement parks and team-building excursions away from the office," said Tim Bohmer, vice president of sales at Webb Company, Rosemount, Minn. Such corporate activities mean lots of promotional goodies to hand out to hard-working employees. Colorful T-shirts, golf

From the whimsical to the practical, there is a profitable promotion for every marketing need. Recovering from a 12 percent drop in revenues from 2000 to 2002, the promotional products industry posted a gain of 4.5 percent in 2003 with sales of $16.34 billion, according to the PPAI. The high-water mark in 2000 saw sales of $17.85 billion, which dwindled to $16.55 billion in 2001 and shrank further to $15.63 billion in 2002. Figures from the ASI show more modest swings, but essentially tell the same story. ASI pegged the height of industry sales at $16.5 billion in 2001, dropping 5.5 percent to $15.6

From the document-oriented to the whimsical, ad specialties can help distributors increase form sales. This year, the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) released a report indicating that promotional product sales in 2003 totaled an estimated $16.34 billion—up from 2002's sales of $15.63 billion. In fact, last year was the first year that sales within the industry rose since a record-high $17.85 billion was reported in 2000. Of the 2003 sales, desk products and calendars ranked third and fourth respectively as the most popular items sold. Armed with this information, it is no wonder that manufacturers of these forms-related products would want to

The season is ripe with ad specialty ideas that will bring distributors closer to clients while boosting income. Whether you've dabbled in promotional products in the past or are looking to begin exploring the possibilities, August is the prime time to prepare for one of the most profitable ad specialty seasons of the year: fall. This is when distributors—even those in the forms business—can consider pitching items for the workplace, promoting back-to-school products and brainstorming holiday gift ideas. And, according to Rob Curtis, director of marketing, Prime Resources, Bridgeport, Conn., the next few months present the perfect time for end-users to give

As warmer weather swiftly approaches, summer promotional items take their place at the forefront of industry profits. With the warmth of summer on the winds, the promotional products industry is once again gearing up for a hot selling season. From classic favorites, such as beach balls and frisbees, to innovative golf products, these items will make a big splash. Like most industries, the summer promotional products industry was hard hit by recent economic woes. However, manufacturers say that business is now beginning to return to normal. "This summer, I believe we will see golf-based products come back to past volume," said Bob D'Andrade, director

Two major promotional products suppliers discuss how working with print-savvy forms distributors is a win-win situation for both industries. If you ask two promotional products powerhouses why their industry pairs well with the business forms industry, they'll be quick to attribute that success to forms distributors' extensive print backgrounds. "Because the forms distributor is already print savvy, we are seeing more unique designs with multiple graphic enhancements and colorful concepts being created for their customers," said John Andersen, sales manager at Admore, Macomb, Mich. "The result is better promotions that get the message out and have a 'wow' factor when designed properly." Stan Dohan,