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Monday
November 1, 2010 Meet Brad White, SGR’s Supplier Sales Rep of the Year!Filed under: Travel As the winner of Supplier Global Resource’s inaugural Supplier Sales Rep of the Year contest, Brad White, vice president of sales for San Diego-based AddVenture (asi/31940), garnered an overwhelming number of nominations and accolades from the hundreds of distributors who voted. A uniquely creative thinker, profoundly talented at self-promotion & social media, constantly in touch with clients and always on his game, Brad is the sales rep distributors dream of working with — a true renaissance man for our plugged in digital age who makes their lives easy. Read on for his guest blog, and search him out online and at upcoming ASI shows in 2011 — you won’t be disappointed! To read more about Brad, click here.
— Michele When Michele asked me to write a guest blog I was immediately flattered and honored. Now faced with this opportunity, the task is as daunting as it is exciting. How to write a guest blog for ASI about the Supplier Global Resource Supplier Sales Rep of the Year award? I asked Michele (The Chief) for advice and she gave me a list, which included sharing what I’ve learned, talking about the industry, thanking people, and mentioning my social media efforts. I wonder – can I achieve all of that in one blog? Well here goes. This is my “Things-That-Have-Helped-Me-That-I-Would-Like-To-Acknowledge-And-Share” list. Make friends. Your professional life is easier, better, and more fun when you build friendships. You achieve together, you influence each other, and you help each other grow. Whether you know it or not, you are shaped by your group, so you might want to surround yourself with good people. My group starts with my supplier constituents and colleagues, specifically those that have become dear friends like Cindy Kronen from DLX, John Costelli from Castle Merchandising, Amanda Nannini from Hit Promotional Products, and Devin Piscitelli from Aakron Rule, among others. It’s been a pleasure growing with you and I appreciate your friendship. Find good partners. Simply put, business happens when people agree to do business together, and the success of that relationship depends upon the contributions of each partner. Every success I have achieved is due to my alliance with strong distributor partners like Sarah Demont at Massive Marketing, Josh Ebrahemi at Jack Nadel Int’l., Gary Cornwell from Shamrock Promotions, Cadi Stephenson from Canary Promos, Brice Dick from Adventures in Advertising, Sarah Clasen from The Kinetic Group and Tom Goos from Image Source. Thank you for contributing your creativity, expertise and effort.
Learn from mentors. Everyonecan learn from somebody. Having a mentor to provide wisdom and encouragement is priceless. I have been lucky to find some exceptional mentors. To be specific, Roni Wright of The Book Company is the best example of positive energy I have ever met. Roni, you light up a room and you have inspired me more than I can explain. Mr. Dan Collins right here at AddVenture. You have been kicking my butt since we first met. Your solid principles and strong work ethic have influenced me tremendously. Build a solid team. You can operate with confidence when you trust your team to pick you up when you fall, help you find answers, and fight along your side. I have had the extreme pleasure of teaming-up with some talented and hard-working people. Janice Boyd, Kenn Watson, Robbie Gallo, Angela Bankston, and all the other past and present members of Team AddVenture who have made it fun to come to work every day. And of course, the team leader, Mr. Alan Davis – a passionate businessman with a big heart and an open mind, who has always given me every opportunity to grow. Make people proud. Want motivation? Realize that people who care about you would be proud of your hard work, ethical decisions, and positive example as a professional. I know it’s a cliché, but I always wanted to make my Mom and Dad proud – I still do. And now with a wife and kids of my own, I feel that desire even more. My wife Toni is my rock. Thanks Babe! I would not be worthy of an award without your support. I would like to thank my family and friends for their impact on my life. My brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins – and my friends Mitchell Brown, Cam Newlin, Darren Hicks, Adam Sancic, Mike Foote, Kris Sherman and so many other of my trusted crew. Thank you ASI for this honor. Thank you, Michele, for the opportunity to be your guest blogger. And thank YOU for reading. If you want to read more, please visit www.whitethreads.com Well there we go – list complete. Brad White, AddVenture Products
Monday
August 2, 2010 Going With the FlowWhat’s that saying about the best laid plans? Well, in my case this summer, they went to hell in a handbasket. As with every summer, I was planning to spend weekends in my beloved Avalon, NJ (“the sunny place for shady people,” as W. Somerset Maugham once said about the French Riviera), attend the SAAC Show (one of my favorites) and then spend a week in Europe at the end of August with my pal Hillary Braubitz, ASI’s award-winning senior designer who lays out our magazines, at the brand-new Pro10 Show (a collaboration of PSI and its competitor, Pro8) in Amsterdam, followed by a weekend in Paris. Sounds fabulous, right? Enter my mother, Judge Judye (she doesn’t sit on the bench, but is judgmental!) who decided to have an elective surgery at Tampa General (she and my stepfather live in Sanibel, FL) on June 30. The surgery was considered a success, but complications set in and she had to have a second surgery on July 1. Upon speaking to the doctors and my stepfather (who has the early signs of dementia), I immediately flew in from Philly on July 2, and have been here ever since. It’s amazing how quickly you can adjust to a new reality. For the last month, my stepdad and I spend eight to nine hours a day in my mom’s room at Tampa General and our evenings at the hotel. Remember the famous children’s story of “Eloise living at the Plaza in New York”? My version is, “Michele at the Embassy Suites in Tampa.” That the hotel staff has been phenomenally hospitable, gracious and accommodating has made this whole experience that much easier. If there was ever a case for exceptional customer service winning someone over for life, it’s me and my new devotion to the Embassy Suites. What’s been interesting to see, because the hotel is situated right next to the Tampa Convention Center, is the different trade-show groups and conference attendees who have come and gone. The good news? They all love ad specialties. What types of ad specialties they love varies according to the personalities of the groups. For example, the Convention of Physical Therapists went nuts for stress balls of all shapes and sizes; the meeting of Anime and Comic Book fans (which sold out my hotel), whose demographic is over-stimulated Gen Y-ers, got their freak on for bright, shiny, blinky items; the Florida Bar Association had its law students taking the bar exam at the Convention Center last week, so they craved pens, notepads, USB drives and coffee for late-night, last-minute cram sessions. The Stephenson family reunion (with over 200 people in attendance!) snapped up custom T-shirts, caps and slankets, all bearing a familial logo designed by a family member, and digital photo frames. And, the guests who attended the huge wedding held at the Convention Center (and corresponding cocktail parties by the pool and brunches at the hotel) were treated to gift bags filled with logoed, personalized candy, bottled water, beach towels, lip balm and sunscreen. And in answer to the question, “Do recipients take their giveaways with them or leave them in their hotel rooms?” I’ll share with you what one of the physical therapy attendees told me in the elevator one day: “I’d leave my husband behind before leaving the bag of goodies I’ve collected at this show!” The doctors tell me that my mom, who has been making excellent progress in the last 10 days, may be able to go home on August 9 (my birthday, ironically). Until then, I’ll be here – splitting my time between Tampa General (like the Embassy Suites, another extraordinary staff) and the hotel. How do I get by? As Ringo famously said, with a little help from my friends:
More soon from sunny Florida where – on the upside – it’s actually cooler than it’s been in Philly! Cheers, Michele
Friday
July 16, 2010 Counselor “Hot Lister” Jill Albers, account executive at WorkflowOne, guest blogs from ASI Chicago!Filed under: Travel (Read on for a report on the fun side and wild times of the ASI Chicago Show, from Jilly Albers, account executive for Counselor Top 40 distributor WorkflowOne and a member of this year’s Counselor Hot List, who’s filling in for her partner in sugar, spice and all things vice, ASI Editor Michele Bell.) If there was one adjective that could best describe ASI Chicago this year it would be “hot.” Hot products, hot people, hot “literally.” I believe ASI’s Ron Ball described it best as we stood in a cab line Wednesday evening: “Jilly, this has to be the freakin’ hottest day of the year,” he said. With highs getting up into the 90s, the pavement steam rose as the 40-minute-long cab line snaked around the hotel entrance. The heat did not stay outside … it was radiating through the show floor, as well. The aisles were packed and distributors and suppliers alike had an infectiously energy about them. Matty Tomb of Promo Fish had a hot new product line on the show floor. These thermo products are perfect for the health-care, food and energy industries. The products help to monitor temperature, improve quality and save costs.
Following the show Wednesday I caught up with other WorkflowOne colleagues and former Visions Awards colleagues.
The heat followed me Wednesday evening. I had the pleasure of dining at “WE” in the W Hotel. I was ready for what Josh Goodelman of Liquimark and I call “Uncle Ron’s Legendary Dinners.” It started as I sat sipping a French martini at the hotel bar. The swanky lounge lamps and scantily clad hostesses set the scene for what was to be a “hot” dinner with some of the industry’s best. I was seated by Fran Ford of J Charles, Lori Bauer and Quinten Wentworth of Norwood/Bic Graphic, and Damien Want of Logomark. The conversation turned to old industry stories and memories from shows of the past. Ron Ball had a few great stories… with the combination of his 34-year industry tenor and Fran’s paparazzi-like knowledge of the who’s who… we were introduced to the way “things used to be.” The energy and passion for the industry was prevalent as we dined. I looked around and noticed three people at this table were on my Holiday Card List. Was this an industry dinner or a room of old friends that I was blessed to get to spend time with?
As 10 p.m. approached it seems as if we had just been seated. We walked up the grand marble staircase to ASI’s 3rd annual “HOT Party.” The music pumped and glow-in-the-dark necklaces were worn by most. As the night went into full tilt I caught up with old friends and finished the night off at Shenanigan’s (as usual). It was a hot week packed full of hot products and hot people. Now it’s back to Ohio, to set the “hot” ideas I found this week into action with my clients.
Friday
June 11, 2010 Guest Blogger: Colin Graf, ASI’s Marketing Manager for Supplier SalesFiled under: Travel So, when Michele asked me to write a guest blog post I was honored, but perplexed. Basically, because many of you reading this have absolutely no idea who I am. I’m just some marketing jabroni. If you attended the most recent Counselor Awards, I was the guy in the kitchen making sure the winners didn’t get run over by the waitstaff when coming off the stage. I’m even surprised Michele trusts that I have the social skills to grace this prestigious space. THE Bellwether Blog … and me. But, who am I kidding? This blog is like the People magazine of the advertising specialty industry. And the only instructions I received from Ms. Bell were, and I quote, “I’ll never tell you what to write or not to write, just don’t use the ‘F’ word, or any variation there of.” I figure that should be easy enough to f’ing do … OOPS! So, being the marketing beotch that I am, I immediately started thinking about what product to promote. Should I talk about Spectrum, the new Catalog ROI Program and the benefits to both supplier and distributors? Maybe all of the new enhancements to the Register Express Box? Digital version, upcoming Gift Box edition in October, new easier-to-use layout… How about the importance of keeping your information and pricing up to date in ESP? Suppliers with out-of-date info drop to the bottom of search results and distributors can easily remove any suppliers that are not “Confirmed Accurate” from the search all together. (For more information or questions about ESP, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at cgraf@asicentral.com.) OK, now that my plugs are done, I’m running with this blog thing. I can write about anything, right? I don’t get this chance often. Let’s talk about something that has piqued my interest lately.
In the interest of full disclosure, I own a cell phone with Google’s Android operating system and LOVE it. But I also own a MacBook, which I also love. What has become of Apple? It used to be the hip, cool, cutting-edge company. That was not so long ago, when I purchased my MacBook. No useless software to uninstall, no 10-minute boot-up, and NO viruses. Sweet – sold! Here’s my credit card. But lately, Google is wiping the floor with Apple, and Apple seems more like Microsoft – the stuffy corporate company that it’s tried not to be. Here are just a few of my gripes and Apple mishaps:
Now on the other hand, Google …
Now I know I’m coming off like a blatant fanboy. And actually, after re-reading this, it seems that I am one. But, Google is churning out user-driven updates, new features and applications fast. Really, right out of the early 2000s Apple textbook. It’s really put Steve Jobs back on his heels. But, the battle has just begun and there is no doubt that we, the end-users, are going to benefit. That’s what makes this so exciting for a geek like me – what new toy will I get to play with in the coming years? So pick your side and pray that it’s the winner. Either way, we all make out.
Wednesday
May 12, 2010 Taking a Bite From the Big Apple!Filed under: ASI Shows, Editorial, Fun, Travel Hi Everyone! We’re just back from the super-successful ASI NY Show and it was a blast! So many special moments (many of which are captured in the photos below), but one of my favorites had to be ASI’s first-ever Women’s Summit. Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul, author of the book, If You Don’t Have Big Breasts Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails… & Other Lessons I Learned From My Mom and star of ABC’s Shark Tank, was the keynote speaker and was just a pistol! She talked about how she parlayed a $1,000 loan from a “former lover” into a billion-dollar business. She was salty, irreverent, whip-smart and very savvy. She also, at one point, flipped off my boss — ASI’s senior vice president and publisher, Rich Fairfield — not once but twice, claiming that he looked like the infamous money-loaning (and cheating) scoundrel of a former lover. “He looks just like him,” she shrieked, as she flipped Rich off again, much to his delighted amusement. (After I picked up my jaw, I nearly swallowed my own tongue after watching the whole interaction go down…) Sponsored by J. Charles Crystalworks Inc. (thanks to Fran “The Man” Ford!) and Fields Manufacturing, the event was fantastic, and started with a cocktail reception at noon (gotta love sanctioned midday drinking!) and included an awesome luncheon, plus a dessert keynote from industry speaker Rosalie Marcus. I sat next to LeAnn Rankin, vice president of national accounts for Senator’s promotional group, someone I’d heard great things about but had never met. I’m here to tell ya that she exceeded the hype and was just delightful… LOVE her! Two things of note: 1) The lanyards from Fields Mfg. that were given out to hold the badges of the women in attendance were tres cool — more like a jeweled, beaded necklace than a regular cotton lanyard. Go to www.fieldsmfg.com to check out their swanky and unusual offerings; 2) The fine folks at J. Charles Crystalworks had a gift for each woman in attendance: A crystal keepsake box, etched with the event’s logo, that — according to industry celeb and J. Charles vice president Fran Ford — was used by former presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton as their inaugural gifts, as well as Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush, who used them as place settings. I’m holding mine right now and it is stunning and impressive! E-mail Fran at fran@jcharles.com if you’d like more info on the gift boxes. Then, there was another first for ASI… We held a breakfast at the W Hotel for members of the business press in NYC, which was a huge success. Print and TV outlets joined Tim Andrews, ASI’s president/CEO, Rich Fairfield, Melinda Ligos, ASI’s senior vice president/editor-in-chief, and members of the editorial staff, who shared scintillating facts and stats about the industry and the 10 Most Innovative Products we’ve seen as of late. Also addressing the members of the press were Jason Robbins, president of ePromos, Anthony Corsano, president/CEO of Anvil, and Sarah Caplan, the 27-year-old entrepreneur who, with her sister, founded the company Footzyrolls — cool roll-up slipper-shoes women can don when their feet start throbbing from their strappy stilettos! (So snazzy are these items, they’ve been selected for the Sex and the City 2 gift bags!) Kudos to my colleague Dawn Shurmaitis for rising to the occasion and being the event planner extraordinaire! ; ) Last, but not least, there was the jaw-droppingly stunning Counselor Awards banquet at the Plaza. The decor, the food, the presentation — everything was top-notch, and I’ve never had so many people tell me how impressed they were with an event, and how much fun they had. The person who does these events for ASI doesn’t like to be named in print, but to him I give a HUGE shout-out for outdoing himself yet again: You are the best, Sat Mamuels. ; ) My only regret? When the Counselor banquet is held in July at the ASI Chicago Show, I at least have some semblance of a tan. At this event, I looked like one of those pale, pitiful, sun-deprived children from Flowers in the Attic. Cheers, and enjoy the photos! — M PS: Big thanks to Proforma’s Greg Muzzillo — this year’s Counselor Person of the Year with his wife and co-CEO, Vera — and ASI’s Don Mennig, executive director of marketing, both of whom were on the “Secrets of Wildly Successful Self-Promotion Campaigns” education panel that I moderated. Their professionalism, preparedness, vast knowledge and humor made it a winner. If you missed it, I’ll be moderating it again on Education Day at the ASI Chicago Show on July 13!
Tuesday
January 19, 2010 PSI’s Dusseldorf Show Gets Its Gold On!Filed under: PSI Shows, Travel Hi Everyone! Just got back from the 48th PSI Show in Dusseldorf, Germany, which was quite the success! The show, the largest ad specialty trade show in the world, attracted 883 exhibitors, nearly 19,000 distributor attendees from all over the world, and took up more than 370,000 square feet of exhibition space. It was a special year for my PSI friends, as the organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The show’s exhibitors seemed to give a nod both to PSI’s golden year and the hot commodity that is gold, as that was the predominant color most items were shown in. My favorite new items? A pocket, portable GPS device for those walking around a city, personalized logos to customize bottles of beer and wine with one’s face, a motorized mini-hovercraft toy that can be controlled by your iPhone, BlackBerry, etc., and a watch that doubles as a phone… How cool and secret agent-ish is that? Other news included the announcement of ProPSI — an alliance of Pro Exhibitors & Publishers and PSI, who are joining forces to create a new show that will be held from August 25-27, 2010 in Amsterdam. (Will I be there? That’s a “hell to the yeah!”) For more information go to http://www.pro-8.eu/page/news/155 I took some photos, below, but here are some from PSI’s professional photographer of the 48th PSI Dusseldorf Fair: http://www.psionline.de/bildergalerie_messe_1-946.html The 49th installment of the PSI Dusseldorf Show will be held from January 12-14, 2011. For more information go to www.psionline.de. Cheers, and more from the PPAC Show in Toronto next week! — M
Tuesday
November 3, 2009 Photos From This Year’s ASI Power Summit!Filed under: Travel ASI’s third annual Power Summit is in full swing at La Costa Resort & Spa in sunny Carlsbad, CA. Two hundred of the industry’s most prominent professionals are here, taking part in panel discussions on topics like safety and legislation issues, new media for marketing and challenges for the industry for 2010 and enjoying many great networking events. I’m moderating a panel at 8:30 am, Cali time, on the topic of keeping employees motivated in a down economy with Lon McGowan, owner of iClick, my pal Eric Johnson (aka, “E”), executive vice president of Halls & Co., Tina Montgomery, president/CEO of L.W. Barrett Co. Inc., Fred Albrecht, founder and co-owner of Proforma Albrecht Co. and Mark Ziskind, COO of Counselor Top 40 distributor Caliendo-Savio Enterprises (CSE) — all of whom have been on Counselor’s “Best Places to Work” list for the past two years. With this fabulous panelists, it should be awesome More later and enjoy the photos!
Tuesday
September 1, 2009 Guest Blog: My Top 5 Summer Escapes, by Jake KrolickFiled under: Travel So my buddy “Bell” asked me to guest blog for her while she is out of the office this week. We tend to think on the same page, get into the same type of shenanigans, and share a mutual respect for each other’s ability to incite a crowd to riot – or at least lead a gaggle of folks on an evening of unadulterated fun. Since it’s the last day of August, it seemed fitting that I send out the industry’s favorite vacation month by paying homage to my top 5 favorite summer escapes. Bell asked that I tie the post into the promo industry, and so I’ve included a promotional product that one would find most useful on each of these escapes. Please share your favorite vacation escapes in the comments, and let me know which promotional product you found useful to have along for the ride. Cheers, 5. Chicago I love getting away from people, but I can recognize a good city when I see one. I would have placed Philly here, but most readers wouldn’t get why. Chicago in the summer is another story, and one that won’t spark as much question. Plain and simple during the months of June, July, and August, it’s just gorgeous. It’s all about being lazy between the Zoo and the Conservatory in Lincoln Park, or playing volleyball until dusk on the lake. Stumbling around wrigglyville or the Viagra Triangle or snagging music at Free Festivals in Wicker Park or hanging out with Perry Ferrell at Lollapalooza in Grant Park – Chicago in the summer is on like Donkey Kong! For information about Chicago’s Park District, click here. Promo Product that you will find useful: Frisbee (175 grams, people – none of those wimpy disks) – yep, simple and still fun.
Ever since I stopped attending and working at summer camps, I missed them. The closest thing I’ve found to summer camp for adults is the summer music festival. No festival in the country is as pro as the intimate offering in Quincy, CA known as High Sierra. Do you love live music? Want to smell the California pines, and sample some of the bay area’s finest wines? Want to catch music from 2- 5 am and then play kickball at 6:00 am with a few hundred others? Cool – me too! For information on the High Sierra Music Festival, click here. Promo Product that you will find useful: Double-wide Collapsible Chair w/ Beverage Holders in the center – because your legs will be tired, and it’s always nice to have room for friends.
It’s not as off the beaten path as it once was, but thru-hike the narrows in Zion on a couple hot days in July or August – you’ll thank me for changing your life later. For information on Zion National Park, click here. Promo Product that you will find useful: Nalgene Water Bottles – rehydration is key, even though you’re wet most of the hike.
2. Summit County, Colorado Get in 18 holes at the Ranch course at Keystone, drop the clubs at the pad, jump on the bike and ride around Lake Dillon, stop for a light lunch and rum runners at the Tiki Bar at the Lake Dillon Marina while you watch the J-class boats race. Then ride your bike back to Frisco in time to catch the tail end of the Frisco BBQ challenge. Then snooze until dusk and jump back on the mountain bike to snag a 5- to 10-mile ride. Finish the night at the Moose Jaw or the Backcountry Brewery, but call it at midnight because tomorrow you’re going kayaking on a run from Pumphouse to Radium on the Colorado River. I could go on, but the list of outdoor activities, arts, and fun would just make your head spin, and yes, the winter has even more. For information on Keystone, click here.
Promo Product that you will find useful: an extra sleeve of golf balls – because you’re going to need them for holes 5 and 16. 1. Maine I have an unfair advantage, because I grew up in the state of Maine and almost always feel the need to escape to the foothills of the White Mountains or do dawn patrol surfing the 3- to 4-foot slabs of glass on Higgins Beach. Maine’s license plate motto says it best: “Vacationland,” and it’s called that for good reason. Send the kiddos up to summer camp in the lakes region and stay on Sebago Lake for a week. Then sample the 20+ microbrews in Portland (Gritty McDuff’s is a sure bet). Personally, I recommend a good hang in southern Maine. Take the Casco Bay Ferry lines to Peaks Island for reggae Sundays, or head up to Backcountry Bike Excursions for some of the east’s sickest mountain bike trails. Maine is one of the best family vacation spots in the world, so do yourself a favor and visit soon. For information on Higgins Beach, click here.
Promo Product that you will find useful: Lobster Bibs – because you’re going to eat more than a few of these tasty crustaceans. Again, please comment and share your favorite vacation escapes, and let me know which promotional product you found useful to have along for the ride. Jake Krolick, online marketing manager at ASI, also writes freelance for the music industry, specializing in live show reviews, photo journalism and video mash-ups. He has been known to enjoy long walks on the beach, skiing, biking, surfing, cooking, and travel. |
