New Child Product Safety Regs Impact the Promotional Products Industry

It didn’t receive much fanfare, but earlier this month, President Obama signed into law legislation that further tightens the restrictions placed on lead in toys and other items (like promotional products) primarily aimed at children. The amended law also clarifies several ambiguities that have existed since the original Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was passed in 2008.

What got tightened (even further) is the amount of lead allowable in children's products. It dropped from 300 parts per million (ppm) to 100 ppm on August 14. Products produced before this date are grandfathered –so only products that are manufactured AFTER August 14 will have to adhere to the stricter limits.

The Background

It’s interesting. Back in 2007, Nissan bought 100,000 ceramic coffee mugs directly from a factory in China and distributed them in Japan to anyone who took a test drive in one of their cars. The mugs contained excessive lead to the tune of 100 times the legal limit (Japan’s) and a lot of people got sick.*

Later that year, The California State School Board forced a recall on 50,000 lunch bags after testing found excessive lead in the lining of the bags. Then came the Mattel toy recalls that made headlines worldwide. And by the end of that year a total of 448 product recalls had taken place – 52% of which involved children’s products – and 100 of which involved excessive lead in paint on the products. The vast majority of these products were manufactured in China.

The Bush administration, Food and Drug Administration and the Congress reacted to all this by quickly passing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) which placed sharp limits on the amount of lead allowable in products aimed primarily at children ('children' being defined as anyone age 12 or younger).

About Lead

It’s cheap, it’s everywhere and in industry, it has many uses. At the time of the events I’ve just detailed, China was dealing with some major economic challenges – among them rising salaries, skyrocketing gas prices, high material costs and the margin pressures associated with doing business with some of the big American retailers. Frankly, some manufacturers cut corners and no one noticed till it was too late.

What it Means

The potential for liability, negative publicity and brand erosion. Where the antennae need to be raised is when a promotion is intended PRIMARILY for children ages 12 or under.

Bottom line is products intended for kids in this age group cannot contain lead.

And as for what defines whether a product is "primarily intended for children ages 12 and under" - that unfortunately is a bit of a gray area. There are numerous factors, like functionality of the item, what the imprint looks like (i.e. does it have a cartoon-like caricature), how it’s being distributed etc. In total, there are about 30 different factors, so the best suggestion, we've been told by experts on this, is to simply use common sense.

Our Concern

In an industry with 3500 to 4000 suppliers, we’re concerned that the number of suppliers that will to pay attention to the tougher CPSIA may be a lot lower than one would expect. And given the pricing pressures that exist right now, we expect that many will totally ignore them – which exposes buyers (and sellers) of these products to the negatives that I’ve noted above.

However......

While the events of 2007/2008 caught the entire industry by surprise, there are some who realize the seriousness of this issue and are now trying galvanize the rest of the industry to embrace this issue.

Here's a link to an interview with Geiger CEO, Gene Geiger and and Rick Brenner, the CEO of industry supplier, Prime Line highlighting a recent summit that the two of them chaired to raise awareness about these recent developments.

Where this is headed is anyone's guess, but my biggest fear is that latest round of regs will sour some people to promotional products and the benefits that they provide. At a time when new jobs are not exactly plentiful, making it more difficult for companies to brand themselves to users of their product or service isn't good for anyone.

The Benefits of 'Name' Branded Apparel

Wearables comprise a large chunk of our overall business - approximately 40% - and it’s a business that has changed quite a bit over the past two decades. Probably the biggest change has been the influx of popular ‘name’ brands into our industry over the past few years. Back in the 90’s this wasn’t the case. But along came Corporate Casual and with it, a customer driven demand for name brands that shows no signs of slowing down.

Of our clothing vendors, the Sanmar company seemed to recognize this before anyone else when they brought Nike into our industry. Nike Golf's products, in turn, not only helped vault Sanmar to the number one position among wearable wholesalers, they also opened the flood gates to an onslaught of retail and work wear brands as these companies realized the advantages of selling their products in the corporate marketplace. The ones that have succeeded, to date, are the brands that understand the unique needs and challenges that the promotional products industry presents. Specifically having enough inventory on hand to meet client demands and the ability to get the product shipped out quickly given the constant deadline pressures that exist in the corporate marketplace.

The list of name brands available for purchase through Geiger is both large and growing. In addition to Nike, it includes Carhartt, The North Face, Reebok, Champion, Columbia Sportswear, Cutter & Buck, Ashworth, Tommy Bahama, Independent Trading Co, Weatherproof and many more. With brands like these you’re going to pay a little more, but you’ll also realize the benefits that the so called promise of these brands entails. You get the quality of the garment itself plus the value of tying your own brand into the prestige associated with a Carhartt, Reebok etc. If you give someone a Reebok shirt or Carhartt jacket that's co-branded with your own logo, you’ll be making a powerful statement about what your own company stands for.

There is One Exception The North Face is an interesting exception. They will NOT allow their garments to carry any logo but their own. In fact, if your company purchases their products, they’ll make us (you and Geiger) sign waivers promising not to decorate them. Their feeling is that any embellishment of their garments weakens The North Face brand. They have chosen, to this point anyway, to pretty much ignore the corporate marketplace. However you can still, under the right circumstances, make a statement by giving these out and you'll find our prices for The North Face Products extremely competitive. I would just recommend that if you go with these it be a situation where the recipients will always remember who gave them the jacket -- though granted that's not easy without a co-branded logo on the garment. However you could add a zipper tag, packaging or another item that includes your logo.

Geiger's Advantage We have one in that we have direct distribution relationships with many of these brands. For example, Carhartt distributes through other industry suppliers, meaning you’ll pay more from our competitors who are forced to go through those vendors. Geiger on the other hand buys directly from Carhartt, so you’ll pay less for their products through us and we’ll also have the most up to date information about their constantly changing inventory situation. Thanks to our buying power, we have similar direct relationships with several other retail brands.

Some Points to Keep in Mind

Stock is often an issue- It’s the nature of the beast with popular brands, so you should be prepared for the possibility that certain sizes or colors may have to be back ordered. It happens much more often with name brands than private label or other industry oriented brands.

Frequent Changeover- Styles get added and dropped much more frequently than with industry specific brands. This is due, I think, to the retail mindset of always having to stay fresh. Some lines – Ashworth immediately comes to mind – seem to always be changing their styles up.

You Can Get Similar Quality for Less- There’s a company called Zorrel which actually supplies Nike Golf with a lot of its shirts. We carry Zorrel’s full catalog and on average their products cost 30% less than Nike’s. So you get Nike quality, but not at Nike prices. Tommy Bahama products are offered to the industry via supplier Eagle Dry Goods. Eagle has a tight relationship with Tommy Bahama and in fact, also offers some private label ‘Tommy Bahama-like’ shirts, which are made by the same folks. Same quality, different label – and a lower price.

There are actually quite a few so called 'Industry Brands' which are made just as well as their counterparts with the famous labels - some are even made in the same facilities. If you would like more information about branded wearable items, please contact me.

The Supplier Inventory Challenge - Part 2

A short time ago I blogged about inventory shortages that I personally had encountered with our suppliers - a trend that, to me, seemed to be occurring a lot more frequently than normal in recent weeks. Turns out I was definitely on to something. This past week, the President of Polyconcept, one of the larger suppliers in our industry (owner of Bullet Line) advised all its affiliated distributors that it has been having major issues with its supply chain and product inventory. He also said the situation will not be immediately rectified.

He alluded to reasons that I had cited in my previous post, but also noted a few more that I'm going to pass along, as I'm sure this will be affecting all industry suppliers if it hasn't already.

I had previous blogged about my belief that the continued tight credit market and the downturn caused by the Fall 2008 economic meltdown had forced suppliers to make hard decisions on inventory. Now factor in news that China's own domestic economy has recovered far more quickly than the U.S. and Europe -- in fact it's booming right now --and that recovery has caused a labor shortage in their factories. As a result, production timelines are longer and the costs of doing business over there are increasing. And since at present, 80 to 90% of all promo items are manufactured in China, this is all a recipe for inventory trouble.

My own view is that near term, I see prices increasing and more product shortages. However I also see an advantage here for the deeper pocketed suppliers because they'll be in a position to allocate more money to grab as much inventory as they can to meet their distributors ever increasing needs. Bullet announced that they're responding by pouring more dollars into inventory and adjusting their Substitute Item policy to one where they'll always offer either items of higher value or generous discounts on similar priced items for anything that's out of stock long term.

However, small supplier operations that rely on Chinese made product are in for a very rough go of it in the near term because they lack the resources to react the same way a Bullet Line would.

We at Geiger will continue to monitor this situation and will utilize our own resources to the fullest to help steer our clients through the rocky 'inventory road' that lies ahead.

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Promotional Pens - A Very Effective Advertising Vehicle

In this edition, I'd like to champion the cause of promotional pens. And when I say 'promotional', I'm referring to the classic plastic pen that costs less than $.50. Sure, some will say 'People get a million of those' or 'You give out a pen and it goes right in the drawer'.....And while there may be some validity to those concerns, the ‘upside’ of promotional pens is too valuable to dismiss.

Cost Per Ad Impression- The Advertising Specialty Institute recently completed a study on actual cost per ad impression of the most popular promotional products...and it found that plastic pens actually have the LOWEST cost per ad impression of any promo item at $.002 per view. That's $.001 lower than even calendars.

And There’s More - Consider that the average plastic pen has 8 different owners in its lifetime. Pens are also the most remembered promo item (54% of owners, according to the study recall owning a specific pen and a whopping 84% recall the advertiser on the pen they currently own. And the study adds that the average pen gets used at least twice a day.

People Still Write- Yes, we’re in the age of Laptops, PC's, I-Phones and now I-Pad’s, but we all still need pens. Whether you’re jotting down notes, taking a message from someone calling the house or making out a grocery list, we all still use a ton of pens.

Puts logo in places other media can't reach- Do newspapers, the internet or billboards put your ad literally at a person's fingertips? Pens do. Branding Advantage- The pen itself can deliver a subtle message about your brand - i.e. is your company or product edgy, reliable, consistent, inexpensive, etc.....? Whatever your major selling point, here's usually a promotional pen available to match it.

3 of My Favorites-




Javalina- This pen from industry supplier, Hub Pen, burst on the scene a couple of years ago and has been so popular that it's spawned several different varieties, and tons of knock offs that frankly aren't as good. The real Javalina features a unique compressed ink delivery system that allows it to write far more smoothly than most pens - including many that cost a lot more than the Javalina. This year Hub introduced new 'Splash' color trims: Lime Green, Orange, Pink, Purple and Sky Blue. Cost with Geiger through June 30 - 250 @ $.40 each.




Rita Writer- This under the radar stick pen features the same compressed ink system as the Javalina, so it writes just as well. It also has a much larger imprint area than the Javalina or most other pens in the category. Available in white with a choice of 4 trim colors, the best feature of the Rite Writer is its $.25 cost.

Bic Clic Stic- This old standby makes the list because Bic’s graphic capability is the best in the industry. The vast majority of low end pens can still only be imprinted with one color – Javalina and Rita Writer included. Not so with the Clic Stic. Multiple imprint colors, tight registration – no problem. They also have a bunch of barrel and trim colors to choose from and there's even room for a web address or phone number on the clip (for additional cost). Bic has also introduced a new Easy Glide ink technology that’s similar to Hub’s compressed ink.

Cost @ minimum qty: $.48 ea.

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Product Safety & Promotional Products - Again

Product Safety in the promotional products industry is once again in the news....and frankly this issue is not going away. If anything, it's going to become even bigger as we move forward and and issue that I, as a seller of promotional product advertising, needs to consider every single day and with every single order that I process.

The latest case was made public on December 22 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 19,000 promotional knives were voluntarily recalled by distributor 5.11 Tactical because a number of them failed to lock in their 'open' position. The CPSC investigation is ongoing, and there has been, to date, one reported incident of an end user of the knife suffering an injury (a minor one) due to the issue. The knives were manufactured by a supplier in China, and the recall was voluntary.
When I heard about this, a couple of thoughts immediately came to mind. First, it's a real good thing that both the supplier and distributor of the knives stood behind the products they sold. In this industry, that's not always going to be the case. Ours is a very competitive business -- and often in the quest to win business, distributor companies will take risks -- for example, they'll be willing to roll the dice with a foreign manufacturer they haven't worked with before in order to be able to sell the product at a price a few cents below a competitor. Another thought is that not all overseas manufacturers have the commitment to product safety and quality that's expected here in the United States. With some of these entities, caveat emptor most definitely applies.

In some instances, when a problem like this occurs, the supplier won't always stand behind the products they sold. Maybe there's little or no prior relationship between the distributor and manufacturer. Maybe the manufacturer required a deposit of half down with the balance due before the order shipped -- or maybe even to be paid completely up front -- trust me this happens. Suppliers have been known to walk away from situations like this leaving the distributor holding the bag and on the hook big time in terms of liability. Smaller companies without the financial resources of say, a Geiger, are one situation like this away from being put out of business.

This is where the relationships between manufacturers and distributors are key. We at Geiger insist that our core suppliers (we call them our Gold and Silver level Production Partners) provide complete documentation on safety compliance for the products they sell. That's one little bit of peace of mind you're going to get when dealing with us that you won't necessarily receive from most other distributors in our industry.

And this is just the latest incidence. Are you familiar with Proposition 65? If any promotional products you're buying are going to be handed out in California, you had better be. And if promo items you're handing out are going to be primarily targeted at kids ages 12 and under, the guidelines for lead content in those items recently got tougher.

These are all examples of what's going on with the current regulatory climate both in Washington and at the state level. And its affecting the promotional products industry big time.

Know however, that Geiger is committed to ensuring that the products we recommend and that you purchase from us either will be fully compliant with the tighter product safety regulations that now exist - or if they're not, we're going to tell you that up front. We are continually working with our production partners in this area and its one of the value added benefits that we provide our clients.

My pledge for 2010 is to continue to monitor this issue so that should a situation with one of you arise where we need to consider safety and liability issues, Geiger and I will be able to steer you in the right direction.

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The Demise of Brand Tiger

Plenty has been written and said about Tiger Woods and his current challenges, but the one thing that I've been curious about throughout is whether his sponsors will stay with him.

Certainly there has been no better pitchman in sports or maybe in general since Michael Jordan retired from basketball. Tiger was identified by Corporate America while still a child and as he grew into adulthood, his name quickly equalled dollar signs for the likes of Nike, Titleist, Gillette, Electronic Arts, General Mills and Buick among many others.

The list of companies doing business with Tiger practically reads like a 'Who's Who' of corporate America. We at Geiger are even in on this act -- though in a very small way. Sanmar, our top wearables supplier, contracts with Tiger via Nike. We can sell you 'Tiger Woods' brand golf apparel because of that relationship -- not that I'll be recommending those items to any of you anytime soon.

Brand Tiger is in a heap of trouble and this past weekend one of those major sponsors, the global consulting firm, Accenture, officially cut ties with him. I would imagine that more may be following suit.

What I find really interesting is that Woods has not 'come clean' so to speak, in the manner that David Letterman did immediately following his recent transgression. Given that Tiger has world class handlers, it leads me to speculate that possibly there's too much there to come clean about. And if that's the case, then how long can these corporations afford to have their brands associated with him?

If I had to guess, the two companies likely stick with Tiger the longest will be Nike and Acushnet, the makers of Titleist golf balls. Nike because of what they have invested in him and because they've dealt with pro athletes for decades. Their brand may also be a bit more resistant to the bad stuff associated with an athlete's off the field activities. And Acushnet only because Tiger IS golf, and is arguably the greatest golfer of all time -- it's either Woods, Nicklaus, Hogan or Bobby Jones -- and personally I think it's Tiger.

But there are limits to the resiliency of any brand and I'm wondering whether this thing will eventually pass the point of no return for even those two companies.

It's fascinating, but not in a good way. The demise of Brand Tiger is very much in play and that's something I would never have thought possible.

Just think of what it took to create that brand....all the work Tiger put in to become the greatest golfer of his era, the incredible, off the charts performances that helped create the Tiger legend, the time and money that these major corporations all devoted to make Tiger's brand what had been up till mid November of this year. All of that could be flushed down the drain because of Tiger's alleged problems.

I guess it's proof that no brand is indestructible. And the marketing lesson that I take from all this is that a brand - any brand - has a certain degree of fragility, and needs to be fiercely protected at all times.

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ASI Power 50 -- Part 2

Each year, the Advertising Specialty Institute, the major media & marketing organization serving the promotional products industry, releases its Power 50. It's a list of who it considers to be the 50 most powerful people in our business. And as I noted last week, once again for 2009, the combination of Geiger's CEO, Gene Geiger and our Executive VP, Jo-anLantz, is ranked #5 on that list.

As ASI describes it, the Power 50 all have significant influence on our industry. They are listened to, followed and respected to the point that many of their industry colleagues emulate their strategies and business beliefs.

If you're a regular reader of Counselor Magazine - the major monthly 'What's Happenin' periodical for the promo products industry, chances are you've seen Gene and Jo-an quoted regularly. Part of that is due to Geiger's prominence -- we're the only company that's remained in the industry's Top 10 largest distributor firms for each of the past 30 years. But more than that, both of them are leaders who have guided Geiger through quite a bit in the 19 years that I've been with them.

Over that time we've experienced the technology revolution, major booms and busts in the US economy, the soaring influence of China and lots more. And Geiger has emerged from all of this stronger than ever. Our sales volume has grown consistently, we've become an industry leader in Company Store programs, have made several acquisitions and have become a company that's poised for continued future growth.

The folks at ASI have certainly taken note, as has the rest of our industry, so Gene and Jo-an remain ensconced at #5, even as the names and rankings of others on the list have fluctuated.

For me personally, it reinforces something I've always felt and that is that I'm affiliated with the BEST business partner in our industry. We have a marketing slogan that says 'Geiger Gets It' and they really do. Gene and Jo-an communicate with our sales force regularly and keeping us up to date on the key issues impacting our industry as well as insights on where they think we're headed and what to be on guard for. A lot of the topics that I write about on this blog result from information that I've obtained from them.

Speaking for just myself personally, I've understood Geiger's prominence within our industry for a very long time. But every so often its nice to be reminded about what they're all about. And once again the folks atASI have done that with the release of their Power 50. Congrats to both Gene and Jo-an.

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The 50 Most Powerful People in Promotional Products

The Advertising Specialty Institute this week unveiled its annual list of the 50 most powerful people in the promotional products industry and Geiger is once again prominently featured on that list. The combination of our CEO Gene Geiger and Executive VP Jo-An Lantz together are ranked 5th -- same as a year ago.

This says plenty about Geiger's standing in our industry and reinforces my feeling that I play for the right team. I'll have more on this next week.

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The Geiger Advantage Part 3 --Exclusive Client Shows

One of the added value benefits that we at Geiger deliver to our clients is our exclusive annual client shows.

In the Greater Boston area, our recent Geiger Expo took place October 20 at the Sheraton Dedham/Boston. The event was a great success. Over 200 Geiger clients attended and they got to see literally hundreds of promotional product ideas. The Expo features our top production partners and because we hold it in the fall, it always features lots of great ideas for end of year holiday gifts.

The Sheraton was a new venue for us, and the feedback from clients and production partners alike was that we picked the right place.

Traffic was steady throughout the half day show, many stayed for lunch and all in all it was time well spent for all involved.

If you couldn't make it, I hope that you can get to next year's event. And if you're not located in the Boston area, Geiger puts on similar shows at various locations around the country throughout the year. Contact me for details on the one in your area.

Thanks to all who were able to get there this year.

Some Cool Trade Show Giveaways

These come courtesy of MSNBC. A recent edition of the network's Your Business with host J.J. Ramberg covered the topic of unique Trade Show hand outs. The guest was Rich Fairfield, VP and Publisher of ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute), the largest media and marketing organization serving the promotional products industry.

Obviously lots of factors need to be considered in assessing whether any promotional product will be the right fit - things like target audience, intended message, budget etc. - but there are some pretty cool items shown in this clip which may give you an idea or two for your next event.

If you would like additional information on any of the items shown, just drop me an email at sboyages@promoresource.com. Geiger, incidentally, is ASI's biggest customer.




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More Farmers' Almanac Links

The Almanac has received some terrific exposure on a number of media outlets in recent days - including CBS Late Night TV.

Here's a sampling:

Craig Ferguson 2 (starts at about the 2:50 mark)

Craig Ferguson 2

WPRI TV Providence, RI

WBZ Radio, Boston, MA

Peter Geiger on New England Cable News (NECN), Boston, MA

2010 Farmers' Almanac Unveiled

The 2010 Farmer's Almanac is out and the prediction for New England is average to normal temperatures -- that's the good news. But it's also calling for plenty of snow -- the bad (or good) news...depending on your point of view. The Midwest, meanwhile is going to get walloped.

Geiger, in addition to being one of the largest promotional product companies in the country, is also the publisher of the world famous Farmer's Almanac - the oldest continually published Almanac in the United States. It's been out every year since 1818, has been in the Geiger family since the mid 1930's, and the latest edition of America's most beloved publication was officially rolled out to the general public this week.

Peter Geiger, Philom, is the editor of the Almanac and over the next few days he, along with Managing Editor Sandi Duncan, will make the rounds to various media outlets, including network TV, to promote this year's edition.



Why am I mentioning this? Because the Almanac, in addition to being fun to read, is a great promotional item. People enjoy getting it. It tends to hang around because of both the forecasts and the great information inside. You get the front cover and the entire back cover for your ad - a ton of space -- and associating with the Farmers' Almanac ties your organization's name to a time tested brand with a national reputation for reliability and traditional values. It's also a great 'green' product because it focuses on sustainable living.

The retail version of the Almanac is available in places like Barnes & Noble and Walgreen's. And the promotional product version (basically the same thing but your ad is the only one in it) is available only through your organization.

The Almanac's annual publicity campaign promotes the Almanac itself, but it's also done to help our clients who use it promote their businesses.

If you would like a sample of the Farmers' Almanac or more information about how it can help your branding efforts, please contact me at sboyages@promoresource.com. If you have a few minutes, check out the links below.

Boston Herald Story

Video on the History of the Farmers' Almanac

www.farmersalmanac.com

AOL Story

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Child Product Safety Part 2 - Case History

The new Child Safety guidelines that I detailed in my previous post went into effect August 14 and last week we at Geiger experienced our first case history. One of our reps in California has a client who runs a program where they hand out promotional items for children. One could easily conclude that the primary target audience was kids under age 13.

They had already committed to ordering imprinted kites and in fact had placed the order prior to the 14th. When our representative became aware of the new guidelines (thanks to the recent heads up Geiger management sent our way), she checked with the supplier and found that they could not produce documentation verifying the safety of the product.

So she did some research and came up with this item as a suggested replacement: Click Here .

Notice the CSPC certificate link in the lower right hand corner? There's the supplier guarantee that these kites meet the newest CPSIA guidelines and are safe to hand out to children 12 and under.

The client went along with our rep's recommendation that they switch products, and all ended well. The original supplier understood the situation and agreed not to assess an order cancellation charge (and I assume is now in the process of getting their kite and similar products tested).

But I mention this as just an example of how we at Geiger are trying to stay on top of this and all other current issues affecting the promotional products industry and of course you as our clients.

It's part of what the slogan 'Geiger Gets It' is all about, and part of the added value you receive when you place your business with us.

Cool Stuff From Galleria

Here are some interesting products that I found at our recent Geiger Galleria trade show. The show itself featured tables from over 200 promotional products suppliers -- pretty impressive to realize that they were all there just for us. Usually you can only find this large a collection of suppliers at the regional trade shows which are open to (and supported by) all industry companies.

That aside, the nice thing about midyear shows is you often see a fair amount of new products and this one was no exception. These items caught my attention:

Vacation Road Trip Mini Activity Book










Great gift item for families taking a long car ride. Pre-printed with Tic Tac Toe and Lines & Dots - 50 sheets worth. $1.99


Car Vent Stick









Fits in air vent of your vehicle as a non-obtrusive Air Freshener. Odor eliminating technology helps neutralize odors while the air freshener releases a pleasantly refreshing scent. $1.99


Medicine Bottle Opener
A great item for seniors. Provides improved leverage to open most medicine bottles. Just push down and twist. No squeezing necessary. $1.72














Samples of any of these items are available upon request. Just email me at sboyages@promoresource.com.

Back from the Geiger Galleria

What's a Geiger Galleria? It's Geiger's annual education conference for its Sales and Production Partners. It's a four day event, held this year in Phoenix, Arizona.

You don't have much, if any downtime, because the time there is crammed full of presentations, educational seminars, networking, socializing and a massive Trade Show. The time spent there was incredibly worthwhile, both from a practical and motivational standpoint. I picked up a TON of new ideas which I know will help my clients get better returns from their promotional product dollars spent with Geiger and myself.

One terrific presentation that I attended was a talk by Author and Speaker, Tony Rubleski on the subject of Mind Capture, which is the process of rising above the clutter of all the marketing messages that are thrown at us daily. In other words, to reach out and capture the minds of our intended targets -- the prospective and existing customers that we're all trying to reach.

Tony's presentation resonated with me because his concept of Mind Capture, to me is what promotional products are all about. Our everyday useful items like pens and magnets have the ability to carry a sales message into places that most other forms of media have a lot of trouble reaching...like your kitchen or office for example. If there ever was a tool made for Mind Capture, it's promotional products....which is probably why the Geiger folks booked Tony to begin with...but I have to say it was a great call. This guy is good.

My immediate goal is to take some of Tony's ideas and utilize them to help you use promotional products more effectively. Stay tuned......

More on the Galleria in my next post....

The Geiger Advantage - Part 2

On Geiger's website at www.geiger.com, there is a list of Core Geiger Values. Trust me, none of it is BS. Having been a part of this organization for close to 20 years, I can tell you emphatically that Geiger management actively promotes these core values daily in dealings with both Associates (i.e. employees) at the home office in Maine and with its Independent Sales Partners like myself throughout the country.

The first 3 Values are as follows:

1. Quality Customer Service is our goal and our commitment.

2. We focus on solutions.

3. Continuous improvement leads to lasting success.

Here's my take on these one by one:

1. Quality Customer Service -Let's face it, we fully understand that you can buy a Bic pen from any name on those business cards you have piled up in your desk drawer. But how many of the companies named on those cards receive real time order updating from Bic? How many companies will email you the tracking number (a la Amazon.com) when your order ships? If you're working late at night and have a question about the order, you can email me the question and very likely receive an immediate answer as I usually work nights -- one of the reasons I can't tell you much about Jon & Kate or who deserved to win American Idol this year.

Our competitive advantage is our commitment to Customer Service as we operate with the mindset that we're only as good as our client's last buying experience with us.

2. Focusing on Solutions- Company A sells financial services to well heeled clients and the office manager is asked to buy some pens to hand out at some upcoming seminars aimed at finding new clients. She wants to get the task off her To Do list as quickly as possible and emails me an order for 500 Bic Round Stics. Now the Round Stic is a great pen for the price -- quality product, best imprinting capability in the industry from the most reliable supplier in our industry. But you know what? A $.32 cent pen may send the wrong marketing message to a client with a half a million dollars to invest.

We'll run that thought by you before placing the order and ask whether you want to re-think the situation. We focus on the solution first and foremost because we want a long term relationship with you...not a quick pen order.

3. Continuous improvement- Geiger realizes that stagnancy is a sign of an organization that has taken its eye off the ball. We are constantly looking to improve the way we do things whether it's streamlining our order entry process, integrating video into our efforts to update clients on the hottest new products or consistently attending industry education courses in an effort to better serve you.

When you work with Geiger and me, be assured that we adhere to the concept of striving to improve on a daily basis. We're never going to be perfect, but we are always committed to doing the best possible job of delivering value to our clients.