Coordinated Marketing

Leed's Called It Mugs and More

During the normal course of the year a typical products supplier within ASI will release products two or three times.  During the dark years most companies skipped that entire process and instead just stuck with the main introductory catalog at the end of the year.  This year as the economy rebounded most rolled out a June catalog.  Leed's took it a step further and introduced hundreds of new products for the fall season.

Little did they know at the time - or perhaps they did know - several of their products are calling the economy on the nose.  Drink-ware has been their fasting growing catalog so it is no surprise the Double Dipper Ceramic Mug with Stainless Base was part of the launch.  The double name doesn't really explain anything about the mug itself so the theory that is currently bouncing around the industry is that the name relates to the state of financial affairs in the nation.  In some circles that would be seen as inappropriate but I find it funny. 

The market dropped over six hundred points and overseas markets are getting hammered today.  Futures for the markets are down sharply again.  Tuesday is not going to be a great day and the carnage will continue for weeks and months ahead.  Spending has stopped and even though credit has not yet locked up it doesn't matter.  People are scared and they aren't spending their money.  Maybe the more appropriate name for the gift would have been the double recession mug.

Ultimately the NY Times hit it on the head in their opinion piece today.  We are a debtor nation.  We are a nation that doesn't generate enough revenue to pay for all the social programs we desire or have committed to over the years.  Our Treasury owes about 10 trillion dollars to the public sector.  Think about that for a moment and you will better understand the extent of the problem.  Our nation will never recover and it is time that we all start to realize that.  Times have changed and we need to recognize our place in the world sadly has changed.

 

Cleaning Up Taking Notice and Brighter Lights

It is amazing how the comments build up over time.  I never understood why most blogs have moderation enabled until I signed on tonight to find hundreds of garbage comments posted.  I do not mean to ever offend people putting up a comment and getting a link to their site.  I mean specifically the gibberish comments that aren't even in complete sentences that are part of a huge scheme.  What a shame that they corrupt so many good sites.

Over the course of the last two years I've written about a lot of products.  Checking back today most are no longer offered or have been modified.  That amazes me!  A month ago we wrote about providing your employees with appreciation gifts in time for the holidays.  It generated the most comments that this site has ever gotten.  Ironically the two products mentioned are not selling well and their are rumors they are about to be dropped by the manufacturer.  Much of the focus has been on the economy over the last few years.  I wrote about the roller coaster nature of the economyand how the news is great one day, terrible the next.  That continues with news ranging from a surprising increase in jobless claims to the fiscal easing that the Federal Reserve is exploring.  What is remarkable in looking back is in how little has changed.  Customers still look for the same products, we still manufacturer essentially the same products and nobody things sales are very good right now.

But that doesn't explain how some retailers are having great years.  The news today included stories of some stores doubling income over this time last  year on strong sales.  The story seems to be that it greatly depends on what you are offering.  A sale on custom wine openers at this time of the year will generate a lot of interest.  That same program in July won't get much traction.  The reason is pretty clear and easy to understand, timing in life is everything.  But timing in marketing is even more critical.  The right message at the wrong time is as troublesome as no message at all when it comes to generating interest.  This time of the year there is almost no interest in items like padfolios and messenger bags but nobody can keep stock in Port Authority Jackets with logo on them.  That will last for another month or two before there is a major switch to golf shirts.

I came across a wonderful organization several days ago while attending a corporate meeting.  The American Apparel and Footwear Association provides critical services to domestic manufacturers of these goods and services.  This group is not to be confused with American Apparel that almost went out of business a few months ago that operates a chain of stores and provides hard goods to the promotional products industry.  Their site is full of good information on the apparel industry, provides a listing of upcoming events, key industry facts and other data.  There is also an opportunity to partner with them and a listing of benefits.

 

Providing Mutual Benefit Through Holiday Employee Appreciation

Watching a somewhat famous holiday type movie the other night I quickly realized how important employee appreciation is over the coming months.  You have all seen the movie - the one where the person makes plans based on a gift and ends up being signed up for the jelly club instead of getting the bonus expected.  Do not be the equivalent of the guy that cut the bonuses, here are some ideas.

When you begin to plan for what you expect to give and look at your budget consider the person.  Provide something versatile like the High Sierra Upload Business Compu-Case which anyone in just about any family can use.  It has all the latest features like a port for headphones and the capacity to carry all of the electronic devices.  It also can be used as a custom book bag, beach bag or just about anything else and it carries the vaunted High Sierra name which means you will have the highest quality and a brand name appeal.  But what if something like this does not quite cut it?

Take a look at something that not only gives to the end user but also Habitat for Humanity.  The Hope Laminated Large Shopper Tote has everything you would need to use it as a bag for your day at the beach, at the pool, on the ski slopes or even in the home.  It is very similar to other large custom laminated totes and at the same price.  The difference being 10% of every dollar spent on this custom laminated tote goes to Habitat for Humanity which means by giving it as a gift you are helping build homes for the less fortunate.  Many manufacturers have switched to laminated material this year because it is coated and easier to clean than regular polypro.  It can be wiped down or even tossed in the washing machine.  The Hope Tote has a large area already printed with some white graphics which makes it look like your logo is more comprehensive than it is.

What we will attempt to do in the coming weeks is provide three updates a week with holiday gifting ideas.  We will try to filter out the products that are tough to get or consistently run out of stock.  As many of you know that has been a real problem this year in the industry.

Rapid Decrease in Daylight Signals Blanket Season

The days are rapidly growing shorter with the sun rising later in the day and the sun setting much earlier each evening.  What follows is cooler nights and eventually even cooler days.  At the same time we are all heading to our kids football games, soccer games and our local professional team games.  For those looking to catch a few last days on the beach the need for warmth becomes more obvious.

There is nothing you can do about what mother nature has in store but you can head out prepared.  That means bringing with you what you need to stay warm and that's where custom blankets excel.  The Leeds Picnic Blanket has the advantage of some weatherproofing which will keep it from absorbing moisture from the surrounding ground area.  That's important because the cool nights tend to lead to condensation which can dampen the ground or benches even on an otherwise clear night. 

Do you remember the parkas people would wear to games years ago?  A couple of years ago Sweda came out with the fleece equivalent with the Snuggle Me Micro Coral Fleece Blanket which is basically a giant fleece blanket with sleeves for your arms.  That's pretty cool because it will allow you to wear it on your way into a game instead of having to carry it.  Security checkpoints at many stadiums now prevent you from entering with anything in your hands.  The ability to put this blanket on and wear it like a jacket is a unique advantage that very few products can offer at this point.

So what is to be made of the general business situation?  There is really nothing that anyone can do at this point other than to go about their normal business.  CNBC and other outlets go from one extreme to the other and are so busy injecting their political viewpoints into their broadcasts that getting the straight story is difficult but here it is in a nutshell.  You will work harder to make the same or less over the next several years.  That is the new paradigm.  Market yourself and your business appropriately as it is the only thing you can do at this stage.

Economic Version of the Rollercoaster the New Normal?

Not a day has gone by in the past month where turmoil in the economy stays the course.  For a few solid weeks there was solid news in a positive direction.  A week later and the sky is falling.  A lot of this is likely the result of poor reporting by the major outlets but there is obviously something else going on that has prevented the so called experts from getting a grasp of the situation.

We just ordered our second round of promotional tumblers that we intend to use at a corporate event this week.  According to the organizers attendance is going to be down ten percent over last year.  As an aside we got our first good look at a pre-production Leeds Veranda Tumbler just this morning and it appears Leed's will knock one out of the park with it.  The silicone on the outside of the stainless body gives it a smooth feel that is comfortable.  Because they are not yet ready to ship we picked the Slazenger Fuel Travel Mug instead and have been very happy with it.  We had tried to order it as we liked the appearance and rugged handle this Spring but there was no stock.  Stock issues earlier in the year were abundant.  Fortunately it seems most of the major distributors have been able to get around these issues.

Back to the economy and the dreary daily news.  This morning we see that homebuilder confidence collapsed again.  The media very quickly is blaming that on all the REO properties hitting the market while ignoring the fact that if given the choice buyers would take new properties.  They aren't buying REO properties out of choice but rather it is the only way the few people that can afford properties now can buy at all.  That should send a shiver up the backs of just about any economist as this is after we supposedly emerged from the Great Recession.  Instead it appears we are heading for the lost decade.

As a quick correction, last night I discussed the Leeds Odyessy Travel Mug but we actually gave the wrong address.  We have corrected that above and it should now work properly.

The Mid Year Economy is Far From Stainless

Well we were trying to come up with a good opening line and that is about the best we could come up with for now.  The economy is a mess and it will take a few weeks or maybe months before the average media talking head will even realize it.  There is really nothing about the situation that is as stainless as the mugs we are about to present.

A week or two ago I received from a client a gift I'd gotten a million times prior.  I opened the recycled gift box to find the Leeds Odyessy Travel Mug which was decorated with a single logo on the front.  The mug had some significant weight, appeared to be double insulated but to my surprise is not listed as dishwasher safe.  In doing some digging it is the plastic liner that prevents it from receiving that rating but after a few weeks of washing it every day it has held up fine.  The Leeds Hawaii Tumbler is the same way, made from solid double wall stainless steel construction but with a liner on the inside.  In most cases that will mean it is top rack dishwasher safe.  I like them both and I figured I'd pass along the first supplier I found on-line.

Oil prices are still way higher than they should be if it were not for the flood of speculative dollars into the market.  There are no jobs and millions fewer commuters to burn oil.  Until we see prices drop under 70 per we will not see any significant drop at the pumps.  Until we see a significant drop at the pumps which is the petrol version of a tax cut we will see no real recovery in the economy.

Drilling Deep to Lift the Economy

With the announcement today from President Obama that hundreds of miles of the Atlantic Seaboard will be opened to oil exploration in the near future hopes are rising that energy Independence may finally arrive.  In an unprecedented expansion of available territory the President may have potentially curtailed future rapid advances long after his tenure.

Not long ago when the dollar was gaining against foreign currencies oil prices remained stable or climbed even in the face of slack demand.  Today oil prices and prices at the pump rose sharply despite a larger than expected build in crude inventories and a weak jobs report.  Why?  Because investors "focused" in on the weak dollar.  We are now paying roughly 80 cents per gallon more than we were just a year ago and one has to wonder why when demand is still sinking, there are millions of people out of work and prospects are dim.  Why are oil prices rising?  Because they can and because consumers have no say in the matter.  If 30% of us stopped driving tomorrow the oil companies would just reduce capacity so they could create artificial shortages and pass it off as "meeting demand."  It is a circular game that benefits big oil while hurting the national and global economies.

I applaud President Obama for opening up potential domestic sources of oil.  I hope along with it are some restrictions to prevent gouging of the populace.

Oil Prices Continue to Hurt Economy

The sad part about the state of economic affairs is that the economy is still a disaster and yet there is actually positive media coverage as if things have improved.  Oil prices have more than doubled since the winter and that is on the back of horrible demand and millions of jobs being lost.  It is basically the exact opposite of this stage in earlier recessions.

Our main problem now is the fall of the dollar but to be realistic speculators are again hurting the average consumer.  By most estimates oil prices are inflated by about twenty dollars due to the weak dollar.  The other $25 added to the price since March is the result of money flowing into the oil markets from fund managers. 

We have updated the look of the site and expect to get back to posting much more frequently.

Do the Right Thing by your Pet

While typing out the previous entry I was watching a DVR rerun of "Flip This House."  In the episode "Brotherly Love" JD and Paul are up to their old antics renovating and flipping a home in Connecticut.  Apparently the home was previously occupied by tenants that were tied to the previous owners.  Unfortunately when they go to inspect the property they find an abandoned dog nearly starved to death on the property.

After doing the right thing and calling Animal Control the dog is taken away to be adopted by another owner.  The officer responding to the scene thanks the crew for "doing the right thing" and calling animal control.  I did not notice any official designation on the vehicle nor a State ID Plate so I am going to guess doing the right thing in this case cost the crew some money.  It was nice to see as these guys do seem to be legitimate on the order of Trademark Properties down in South Carolina before they bailed for another network.

With that said I figured it was worth a minute to mention that almost all shelters will take your pet for free or for a minimal donation.  Although it may seem that leaving your pet is the best idea or letting it go wild those are horrible solutions.  Roaming free pets live a horrible life and can do damage to the environment around them before often succumbing to a miserable death.  If you are forced to give up your pet do the right thing and leave it at a local shelter.

A great place to start your search would be the ASPCA and from there you should be able to find a list of local shelters if there is not a state branch of the ASPCA in your area.  You can search your favorite search engine with your state and SPCA to find your local branch.  For those looking for a pet you can help significantly reduce the population and financial strain of unwanted pets by adopting.  There are thousands of local and state organizations such as Animal Shelter and PetFinder that help in both the search for a pet you want to adopt and a pet you need to drop off.  Do the right thing with your pet and leave it with responsible individuals, not abandoned and starving. 

My Orbit Appears to be Shrinking

File this under "sign of the times."  Has anyone else noticed the ever decreasing portion size of goods during this economic slide?  Heading out today to meet a friend for brunch I stopped to grab a pack of gum.  After picking up my favorite brand and flavor of Orbit gum I headed off to meet my friend.   All was well up to this point.

After eating I popped a piece of gum into my mouth which much to my surprise is about 20% smaller than the last pack I had purchased.  Is this really what it has come to?  The economy is so bad that even gum is being downsized?  I understand that during the last year with the price spikes in oil and transportation manufacturers had no choice but to raise prices or downsize the products but chewing gum?  As it is now the new pieces are so small they are almost useless and this is a perfect example of how not to market your product.  The extra ten cents they could have applied to the product cost would not have forced me to switch brands, needing to chew twice the gum has and will and they have now lost a customer.

This trend seems to be accelerating.  Everything from toilet paper to Tide detergent is showing up on the shelves in smaller and smaller portions.  Has anyone else noticed that almost all laundry detergents are now only available in "2x" versions that offer 50-75% less actual detergent?  The idea is that cleaning performance has increased by an equal amount but is that really the case?  In cleaning my own clothes I am noticing that the supposedly more powerful products are often anything but more powerful.  What is also discouraging is the fact that despite the brilliant exterior packaging manufacturers seem to make it almost impossible to see the correct portion side inside the cap.  Tide for instance as well as Arm & Hammer use a tone on tone setup inside the cap and use print that even someone with 20/20 vision has a hard time seeing with anything but a flashlight.  The result I am sure is that we all end up using more than what is required and as a result end up back in the stores buying more detergent sooner.  The net result for the environment is even worse as we are now dumping more nutrients into the environment.   Tide, Arm & Hammer and the rest should clearly mark the measuring cups using white on dark or dark on white printing so we all can easily measure out the correct portions.  With a detergent bottle now costing $7 to $15 the extra 1 penny in ink costs should be part of the process.

Customers need to speak with their dollars and demand these types of changes.  Otherwise the trend will continue and these stealth 20 and 30% price increases will become the normal state of affairs.  You can contact Tide via their Tide Contact Us page and let them know what you think of their new measuring caps.

Oil Prices Going Up As Economy Falters

Oil prices are again rising and prices at the pump are back up over $2.00 per gallon in many parts of the country.  This despite a report this morning from ADP indicating 742,000 jobs were lost in the United States during March 2009.  With the economy effectively in a free fall you have to wonder how oil prices can continue to rise.

Looking at the supply side it was reported this morning that OPEC countries did not even come close to fully complying with requests to cut production.  Instead some 3 million barrels of oil above the quota were produced recently.  Here in the United States crude oil supplies rose by 2.8 million barrels topping expert opinions by 500,000 barrels.  Inventories are up for the last month which only supports the fact that our economy is in shambles.  Hammering the point home further gasoline stocks were up 2.2 million barrels when they were expected to fall by 1.2.  So much for expert predictions as they were once again clueless.  Heating oil and other products increased by 200,000 barrels versus an expected drop of almost a half million barrels.  The full EIA Inventories Report is available on-line.

This begs the question of how in the world we are seeing rising prices in the heating oil and gasoline markets?  The answer is simple as speculators and fund managers flock to commodities to make money.  There is no economic basis for what we are seeing, supplies continue to rise capacities at our refineries are nowhere near maximum and worldwide demand is weak.  GasBuddy.com among other sites will help you save a few dollars as you find lower priced alternatives.

Prices are down across the board today but I wonder how long it will take those in power to realize oil prices and in the end gas prices had a huge hand in the economic collapse in terms of consumer spending which coupled with the financial meltdown made a bad problem a historic problem.