Cancel the Reservations and Tee Times? Yes!

It's time for the return of the political sign.  Yeah! for sign companies, bummer for the masses.  Whatever your political ambitions, here are some tips for choosing a cost effective and durable yard sign:

1) The material needs ot be durable.  I recommend using 4ml fluted polypropylene sheets (also called coroplast).  They stand up to the elements and the substrate is easy to silk screen or digitally print

2) The H-stakes are not included.  Yes - these are an add on.

3) Your design should consistent.  By definition, the average IQ is 100.  While your walking around bragging about your 130 IQ, keep in mind that your doppelganger is walking around with a sub-70 IQ.  Both of your votes count the same.  Name recognition is everything when the masses hit the voting booth.  Case in point: look at your current elected officials and try to remember more about them than just their name.

4) Don't get rooked.  A simple political sign should run between $1 and $2 each with a 1 color silk screen on 2 sides at 200 piece quantity.  H-stakes will run less than $1 each depending on the quantity.  Getting permission to set up a Mitt Romney sign in Cambridge?  Don't even ask.

Want some help making a decision or preparing your artwork?  Give us a call.  Want to discuss politics?  Then clear your calendar and give me a call.

Employers are spending an average of $42.52 on gifts for staffers this holiday season, an increase of nearly 20% from last year, according to a new exclusive survey from ASI. While increased spending was not universal, ASI's 2011 gift-giving study found that average spending on clients is up, rising 13.9% to $29.91.

Gift cards and cash remain the most popular gifts for employees; 38% of respondents plan to give gift cards, while 24% expect to provide cash bonuses. Meanwhile, the most popular gifts for clients and prospects are food and beverages, with 32% of respondents saying they'll be giving those items.

Additionally, the survey found that holiday gift programs positively impact sales. Nearly a quarter of respondents say gift-giving generates a lead or sale, while 27% say they've received a referral. More commonly, the positive effects are broader, such as receiving a thank you (69%) or generating goodwill (60%). "No matter what the economic forecast," said Timothy M. Andrews, president and CEO of ASI, "rewarding employees for their hard work and thanking clients for placing orders remains a wonderful way to spread a little cheer."

Reprinted from Counselor Program, a publication from ASI.

Imprinted Vinyl Binders:The most cost-effective and widely-used material for binder construction, vinyl binders offer a huge range of options for decoration and customization. We have 100's of material and color choices to match or complement your company's corporate identity.

Clear Overlay Vinyl Binders:COL binders have a clear vinyl pocket on the front and back covers and spine that is open at the top to insert and remove your own sheets.  These binders can be reused for many different projects because you can change the sheets making it versatile and cost-effective. 

Entrapment/Embedded Vinyl Binders:A permanent version of the clear overlay binders.  Printed sheets are trimmed to size and encapsulated under a layer of clear vinyl on the front cover, spine, and/or back cover.  It is sealed on all sides to prevent your sheets from being removed.  This binder gives you the option of having a professional full color graphic binder without the cost of screen printing directly on the binder.  Don;t forget that you can selects a custom color vinyl to compliment your artwork.

Polypropylene or polyethylene binders:Poly binders are one of the strongest, most durable types of binders because they are constructed of a single sheet of poly.  Poly is flexible, lightweight, and economical.  Additionally, poly binders are long lasting because they resist dirt, grease, and water and are suitable for variable-climate storage.

Turned Edge Binders: Turned edge binders provide a high quality presentation, generally a paper, cloth, linen, leather, vinyl or printed sheet wrapped around chipboard. Edges are turned in a variety of styles and the binder is then lined with a customer chosen material and finished with decoration if desired.

Paperboard Binders:Paperboard binders are made of heavy-duty paper stock that is printed digitally to display your company’s identity in full color, then can be laminated with an attractive film lamination.  Best for ring sizes upto 1".

Chipboard Binders: The eco-friendly alternative for your “Green-Minded” company! Made of recycled product, this renewable binder is the “skeleton” for most vinyl binders before being wrapped. It looks great with decoration ranging from silkscreen to debossing to custom-printed decals.

Once lost, the likelihood of regaining trademark rights is slim. Names like 'escalator' and even 'petrol' began life as registered trademarks but have now become "generic." Constant and careless misuse, due to inappropriate monitoring or inactivity by their owners, results in them becoming merely the name of goods.  Eventually, failure to maintain the distinctive character of a mark can mean the loss of exclusive rights to it.

Protect your trademark. 

1) Establish preferred vendors that understand your trademark and how it can and can not be used.

2) Adhere to brand guidelines.  NO EXCEPTIONS!

3) Control the availability of products with the trademark by using a Company Store (shameless plug)

In the 1990's, I was a chemical engineer desiging industrial waste water treatment systems.  My good friend Adam was a Salesman at AT&T selling phone systems to large multinationals.  I crunched numbers, he played from the blue tees.  I ran landfill performance models, he took customers out for drinks in Atlantic City.  I worked late, he played on the corporate softball team.  I talked about billable hours, he talked about making sales quotas. 

Now I'm tasked with building a sales team - and I am find that it is more difficult than explaining Brownian Motion.  I am looking for an over achiever who fits our company's culture and who is an expert prospector yet doesn't offend.  Someone who can help us find customers that appreciate great service, competitive prices, and who appreciate having a supplier that actually wants to be helpful. 

It's a tall order.  If you know someone that fits this bill, please direct them to us. 

There are currently two tests used throughout the corrugated industry to determine strength. Historically, the long time industry standard has been the Bursting (Mullen) Test, which is related to the rough handling durability of corrugated material. Bursting Test is a measure of the force required to rupture or puncture the face of corrugated board and is measured by a Mullen Tester. This force is indirectly related to a carton's ability to withstand external or internal forces and thus to contain and protect a product during shipment. Bursting strength is reported in pounds (for example, 275#).

A newer standard that has achieved widespread acceptance is the Edge Crush Test (ECT). This is a true performance test and is directly related to the stacking strength of a carton. ECT is a measure of the edgewise compressive strength of corrugated board. It is measured by compressing a small segment of board on edge between two rigid platens or plates perpendicular to the direction of the flutes until a peak load is established. This is measured in pounds per lineal inch of load bearing edge (lb/in), but usually reported as an ECT value (for example, 44 ECT).

I was doing some research online last night and I stumbled on a definition of corporate branding that was so succinct that it must have taken 3 years wordsmith.  You can find it at http://www.ccgir.com/?q=node/7

"Corporate branding is more than the practice of creating a positive collective perception of a company based on a consumer's experience with its products and/or services, advertising campaigns, or tradeshows. The best branding also communicates value such as quality-consciousness, reputation, and vision. In aggregate, these elements influence a consumer's rational and emotional perception of a particular brand, carve out specific market niche, generate produce and brand of integrity, and build brand loyalty. A strong and successful corporate brand is an asset to a company far beyond actual sales numbers, but requires careful strategic management to yield maximum benefit."

What does that mean?  Make certain that your vendors understand the importance of your brand and that they are committed to helping you protect your brand.

Here's a problem: a potential new customer needs to provide samples of their beer to various distributors.  The purpose is to let them try it before thay stock it on their shelves.  They have been using bubble wrap, duct tape, and a little luck to ship a six-pack in whatever box was available at the time.  

We developed a better solution for shipping a 6-pack of beer so it arrives in-tact and the recipient doesn't wind up standing in a pile of bubble wrap and peanuts.  PakCom designed a shiping carton that will protect a 6-pack for shipping via common carrier.  Our design meets the ISTA-1A requirements for Vibration and Shock.  The shock test is shown below. 

DISCLAIMER:  UPS and FedEx have specific requirements for shipping alcoholic beverages.  It is the users responsibility to meet these requirements.  More information can be found at: http://www.ups.com/wine