Promo Products

Promotional Items Can Dress Up Business Forms Products
February 1, 2004

Items such as decorative mailers and compressed T-shirt packaging give business forms products a much-needed boost. Let's face it—business forms products are extremely functional, but sometimes they need a touch of promotional pizzazz to get noticed. That's where MacPac, Pembroke, Mass., steps in. "MacPac's decorative mailers are an exciting range of envelopes designed specifically to bring attention to promotions or premium products," said Julie Sargeant, marketing director. "With vibrant metallic colors and a range of other options, including custom printing, these mailers create more eye-catching products. No one can resist opening our Deco Bags or Deco Bubble Bags." Mass mailing is the most popular

Promotional Products Find a Niche in the Forms Industry
November 1, 2003

The integration of promotional products into the forms industry makes for a unique and profitable match. A seemingly unlikely match on first thought, the forms industry's growing alliance with promotional products suppliers has nonetheless proven to be a very successful pairing. David Pitner, vice president of sales for Economy Pen and Pencil, Shelbyville, Tenn., said that promotional products suppliers are interested in working with forms distributors because many forms distributors have already tapped into the ad speciality industry and are selling promotional products. "In this tough economic climate, we have to be aggressive and expand our markets," he said. "We

Promotional Products Incorporated
May 1, 2003

Promotional Products are becoming a welcome occurrence at business forms trade shows. The annual Southwestern Graphics Trade Show has graced the Texas area for more than 50 years. Targeted strictly to the printing, forms and graphic arts industry, this well-established exhibit has recently incorporated promotional products into its fold. For the past four years, Barry Dobb, vice president of DinoMar, a sales and marketing consulting firm in Golden, Colo., has been coordinating the promotional products pavilion at the show. "We're seeing that the quick-print and business-forms industries are the fastest growing groups of new promotional product distributors," said Dobb. Just how fast? Well, if

Promotional Products Gain Popularity
March 20, 2003

Distributors find that promotional products open doors and increase sales. Whether promotional products are used to add value to traditional printing solutions or as stand-alone sellers, distributors are becoming more drawn to them because they have the potential to open doors in an industry that has never even been knocked on before. And even though there are some drawbacks to supplying promotional products—like contending with expensive overhead—many distributors concur that promotional items are becoming a more vital part of their overall businesses. Sales Report In fact, Bob Troop, CEO of The Shamrock Companies, Westlake, Ohio, reported a 25 percent growth in promotional

It's Time to Find a Niche in Ad Specialties
June 26, 2002

Distributors develop creative solutions to select promotional product suppliers. Uncertain times and a changing industry have forced some traditional forms distributors to diversify their products and services in hopes of surviving these economic times. As a result, one area that they've ventured into is promotional products, in which they are having to face some formidable giants. The biggest obstacle distributors say they faced when beginning to sell ad specialties was tackling the different vehicles for sourcing products. Once companies had a handle on what was available to them, they needed to figure out how to choose manufacturers and release that information to their sales

Ad Specialties Are Profitable Additions
April 2, 2002

Meeting needs for promotional products facilitates one-stop shopping. Did you hear the one about the forms distributor who added promotional products to his line? He increased his profits! While some industry professionals look derisively upon ad specialties, many proactive distributors are obliging the need for this unique printed communication, which increases public awareness, reinforces corporate identity, establishes branding and introduces products and services. Making the Move Certainly Mike Boyle, president of Murray & Heister, Beltsville, Md., never dreamed he would be handling ad specialties. But about eight years ago, when laser printers started effecting serious market changes, he be-came increasingly aware of promotional

Sourcing Ad Specialties
June 14, 2001

So you've decided to sell promotional products -- now what? You've probably noticed that there are few forms distributors left—you may not even be one anymore. Declining forms sales and changing client requests have turned you into a single source for all that is printed. Consequently, somewhere along the way you became a 'printed products distributor'—and if you haven't added promotional products to your mix, rest assured you soon will. But then what? The ad specialty industry is, well, just that—another industry, separate from business forms. And, for many distributors, getting started can be tricky—especially when that means sourcing products in an industry

The Promotional Marketing Top 10
May 18, 2001

Every month, BFL&S's sister publication, Promotional Marketing magazine, showcases hundreds of promotional products in its feature stories and product departments. Some of the items are new, some are updated versions of old favorites and others fall somewhere in between. They all, however, share one characteristic—readers want to know more about them. The following are the Top 10 most requested products from Promotional Marketing's March issue: Coupon Keeper Bay State Specialty's 6x3-inch magnetic note and coupon clip sticks to refrigerators securely with a 11⁄2x13⁄4˝ magnetic backing (adhesive backing is also available). Available in white and granite, it features a 1.25x2.3125-inch imprint area on the top and 2x.5

Mastering Marketing
March 20, 1999

How to get started in the profitable world of promotions By Carol Katarsky Opportunities abound in the fast-growing promotional product market. The most recent estimates put total sales at $12 billion--and increasing fast. To help navigate some of the choppier waters, Business Forms, Labels & Systems brings you this three-step guide to mastering marketing. 1. Gaining Access One issue many distributors encounter when they first begin selling promotional products is winning the trust of vendors. "The problem [when you're first starting out] is proving you're not an end-user," said Ron Natinsky, vice president of SAGE--Quick Technologies, Dallas. "You can use other suppliers