Supplier Members
Galaxy Balloons Inc asi/55675
Terry Brizz is the president of Galaxy Balloons Inc. (asi/55675). He has a Ph.D. in management and has taught college classes on entrepreneurial marketing and strategies. Galaxy Balloon is a three-time winner of the Counselor Distributor Choice Award, and Brizz has been honored as the 1997 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the 1998 State of Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year.Brizz says, "I believe that promotional products can have a bright future with unprecedented growth. Promotional products have proven to be a very effective form of advertising. It is the only medium of advertising that 'remains to be seen,' touches all five senses, and which people are grateful to receive. Our industry challenge is to increase the exposure of promotional products and to demonstrate the value advertisers receive from our type of advertising. In 2008, there was $412 billion spent on advertising in the U.S. and promotional products made up only about 4.4% ($18.1 billion). Just imagine if we were able to capture 1% more of the advertising budgets – that would increase our industry sales to $22.2 billion. My position, if elected, is to focus on enhancing the value of promotional products to advertisers."
Bag Makers asi/37940
Christopher Duffy is the senior vice president of marketing for Bag Makers (asi/37940), a Counselor Top 40 supplier. He is a 20-year industry veteran, has served as both a distributor and supplier, and has been an educational speaker at many ASI Shows. His background focuses on marketing, strategic planning and business management.Target Graphics asi/90549
Steven Kanney is the general manager of Target Graphics (asi/90549). He has over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing. He began his career in the promotional products industry as a distributor sales representative in 1989. He later used his sales and marketing skills to co-found Two by Four Ltd., a leading Midwest advertising agency. He recently returned to the promotional products industry by joining Target Graphics, a multi-year winner of many prestigious screen-printing awards.Kanney says, "Being an advertising-industry veteran, I have a good understanding of how most brands perceive the promotional products industry and its product offerings. I would like to see the industry get better recognition and acceptance as measurable media, much like TV, radio, outdoor, direct and online receive today. I believe there are some interesting strategies that might be incorporated to better position promotional products in the minds of advertisers and their agencies. We have some wonderful impactful products that truly make an impression for our client's brands and we deserve to move up the media-planning hierarchy."
He continues, "I would like to see a marketing and PR effort put toward strengthening the existing distributor/supplier relationship. It's a win-win relationship if we can all pull in the same direction. Also, I believe that as an industry, we could be doing a better job of drilling down further and extracting great research for both distributors and suppliers use. Research can be an amazing strategic tool if it's conducted properly and utilized by all parties. Research can only make all aspects of what we do better if it's done well. Please select me to represent us all on the ASI Marketing, PR and Industry Research Advisory Board."
Prime Line asi/79530
Jeff Lederer is the executive vice president of Prime Line (asi/79530). A second-generation family member in the business, he's been with Prime and the ad specialty industry for close to 15 years. He has been instrumental in Prime's growth and product innovation, setting many industry standards and trends. Recently he pioneered Prime's unique Eco-Responsible program, as well as their customer-centric sales program. He currently serves on the board of Ippag, Prime's international sourcing group.Lederer says, "I believe the industry image needs to be enhanced in the eyes of the advertising world. We are taken for granted and need to change people's perception of promotional products and their intrinsic value to an overall campaign. I think beyond research – we need imagery that can show people how powerful our medium really is. I don't believe people think they are getting targeted with an advertising message with promotional products. That is the beauty about what we sell – and also the difficulty with substantiating the value. We need to show advertisers (and agencies) our products in use, and that the items are more than just 'swag,' for them to see the value and respect the industry more. After all, promotional products are the only form of advertising where the end-user recipient says "thank you" for being targeted with an advertising message."
Distributor Members
Bullpen Marketing asi/150076
Colin Hageney is the founder and president of Bullpen Marketing (asi/150076). He is also a leading marketing advisor for corporations, associations and academic institutions looking to strengthen their marketing effectiveness, presence and brand. He has been a volunteer with the American Marketing Association (AMA) since 1996 and has served on the Professional Chapters Council (PCC) for six years, including a year as President. This Council of AMA chapter past presidents oversaw all 76 chapters (28,000 members) of the AMA. Bullpen Marketing has won over 20 AMA Crystal Awards, five PPAI Pyramid Awards and two BBB Awards for Customer Service.Hageney says, "ASI needs to be at the forefront of marketing, PR and industry research not only to promote the industry but also to raise the bar of what is expected from the industry players. Given the chance to be a part of the advisory council, I will gladly share my marketing experiences to help ASI take it to the next level. Technology changes on a daily basis, and ways to market ourselves and our companies change just as fast.
"Within the past five years, the Internet has radically changed the way distributors and suppliers do business – e-mails, PDFs, Web sites, Web stores and social media have all played a part in changing the way we talk to each other and our end-users. In the future, everything will be faster, and building a strong marketing foundation will be the only way to keep up with this change."
Advanced Graphix asi/108993
Stephanie Massengale is the co-owner of Advanced Graphix (asi/108993). She works alongside her husband Steve, overseeing sales and marketing while Steve oversees operations. They started Advanced Graphix in 1995 as a screen-print shop and have grown it over the last 15 years to include a promotional products division, embroidery division and a sign division. She has served on the board of her local chamber of commerce since 2006; she also serves on the chamber trade show committee, where she started a new tradition of a "Preview Party" featuring a corporate apparel show by Advanced Graphix, which resulted in increased business for her company.Massengale says, "My vision for the industry is one of EDUCATION. First, I believe our legislators need ongoing education through positive public relation campaigns so that they will recognize our industry when writing bills. Second, as an owner of a small promotional products company, more educational opportunities from industry research aid us in being better-informed salespeople. More collateral such as the ASI presentation on ad specialties being a cost effective advertising medium (sent out in November) are needed. And finally, I believe similar marketing to the end-users is necessary to maintain an awareness of the value and benefit of promotional products."
As You Wish Promotions asi/125450
Jane Munro is the co-founder of As You Wish Promotions (asi/125450). Having run her company for almost two decades, she has a thorough understanding of the market and the challenges facing suppliers and distributors, and a vision for the future of the advertising specialties industry.Munro says, "In today's tough economic times, it is the perfect opportunity for ASI to promote the value of promotional products in branding initiatives. As the market and our industry continue to evolve with new technologies and eco-friendly options, we need to continue to educate marketers on the cost-effective solutions available. We also need to continue to promote the industry standards that have been established to ensure suppliers and distributors are operating ethically."
The Icebox asi/229395
Frannie Spector is the purchasing director of The Icebox (asi/229395). She has 16 years experience in the promotional products industry, working in roles from administrative and merchandising to purchasing, sales and niche marketing. The Icebox is a Counselor Best Place to Work in the industry; the company prides itself on not only helping clients amplify their brands through promotional products, but also on amplifying The Icebox brand in the industry and target markets.Spector says, "My vision is to educate and brand the industry to show end-users how effective promotional products are to a marketing campaign. They're not just trinkets and tchotchkes, they are a marketing entity that completes the 360-degree marketing circle. I feel that several promotional product companies do a good job helping clients amplify their brands, but we don't necessarily do a great job of amplifying our brand, mission and purpose. I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve on the ASI Marketing, PR and Industry Research Advisory Board."
