Category: branding

The only 5 principles of branding you need to know

Posted on infoLeave a commentPosted in branding
I’ve been reading all sorts of articles over the last year searching for unique perspectives on branding. There is A LOT of information being shared on the topic, but after a while it all starts to sound the same. What I have found is that most of it really just boils down to a few basic principles that can apply to just about every business and industry. If you read nothing else about branding this year, know that simply living these principles will give you an incredibly head start. 1. Be honest about who you are. The very best branding is simply an extension of who you really are (and hopefully that is a good thing)! People want to know who you are. What does your company do better than anyone else and what is the most critical goal for your existence? What kind of people make up your company and will they excel at the promises they make? If who you actually are isn’t who you want to be, that is a definite sign to change. 2. Focus on more than the visual. Logos, websites, advertisements, promotional gear, etc. are essential for branding, but they aren’t the backbone of a business. Anyone can create an attractive façade, but not anyone can offer high quality products and services that make clientele return again and again. While the visual may initially help draw people in, it won’t encourage them to stick around if they aren’t impressed with their service and interactions with you. 3.
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Self-cleaning apparel

Posted on infoLeave a commentPosted in branded gifts, branded products, branding, Promotional Products, Screen Printing, T-Shirts
Apparel is evolving and learning to care for itself. There has been an influx of new products on the market aimed at making clothing maintenance as simple and labor free as possible. Exhibit A: Scratch-n-sniff jeans When you don’t have time to throw a load in the washer, why not just scratch your jeans instead? These jeans remain fresh by emitting a minty sent when scratched. Personally I’m not sure this will make the jeans feel fresh too, but I can imagine how this feature might be attractive to the average college student. Unfortunately, the scent only lasts through 5 washes—although who am I kidding? The person who wears these jeans isn’t planning on washing them often anyway! Exhibit B: Detergent infused t-shirts http://youtu.be/sDRzDWYbvhg Everyone has to wash their clothes at some point; there is no getting around that. But what if I told you that you could eliminate one step of the washing process? Believe it or not, today there is a way to use detergent infused ink when printing on apparel. These t-shirts in particular already have Tide laundry detergent built into them for the washer. All you have to do is put the shirt in the wash and start it—no detergent required. The downside is that no one has figured out how to make the detergent ink last longer than through one wash. Exhibit C: SILIC stain and sweat resistant shirt http://youtu.be/1U7QdFMN3-g Although these t-shirts are still in development, the future for this technology is promising. Some sprays in the past have been marketed
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Walking in different shoes in 2014

Posted on infoLeave a commentPosted in branded gifts, branded products, branding, Embroidery, Promotional Products, Uncategorized
An event is imminent and you just received an assignment to find a show-stopping giveaway or recognition gift on time and within budget. What do you do? Who do you turn to? This is a tricky situation and only one of many dilemmas our clientele face every day. Force any one of us to walk in their shoes and this is what you’ll see: Okay, we probably don’t look so adorable, but we would still struggle to fill their shoes. We have such a huge network of successful people that surround us that it is a shame we don’t pay closer attention and emulate what they are doing. I often remind myself that maybe the only thing we need to do in order to be successful is to mirror the work ethic and great things our clients are doing every day. Just as it takes little children time to grow and learn to walk in larger shoes, it takes every company time, practice, and growth to improve and become even better than before. At the end of every year we look back over our accomplishments and reflect on our clientele and everything they have done and taught us, hoping to express our appreciation in the best way possible. The challenges our customers and partners conquer never cease to amaze us and for that we strive to grow and improve to become better for them. We can’t imagine doing the things they do every day, so our goal for 2014 is to simply do
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