This week, I was fortunate enough to give a keynote presentation at PPAI’s NALC on social media and its role within the promotional products industry. NALC attracts the leading distributors and suppliers from across North America, representing a bellwether for the industry.

Despite the enthusiasm from the audience for the content, I got the sense that the idea of using social media, both in general and particularly as a business tool made some people very uncomfortable. Social media means change on so many different levels that it’s not surprising that some people have concerns. For business people used to keeping information and relationships private, the open principles of social media are downright heretical. On so many levels, the social enterprise is completely different from traditional business. I wrote about this a few months ago.

I estimated that the audience was evenly divided between three camps – social media lovers/haters/fence sitters. I was surprised by this given that so many people in this industry (and other industries) are struggling to stay current and relevant to a new crop of customers. The recession has hit many people very hard and there’s a broad consensus out there that the business environment has fundamentally changed. This being the case, I question why there’s any resistance to making changes that will allow one’s business to adapt with the times vs. being stuck in the old ways. To be sure, social media is no magic bullet. However, when executed well, it does represent a significant opportunity to grow one’s business.

I invite your views – both for and against. What does social media mean for you? Is it a threat to your established business or an opportunity to separate yourself from the competition?

Social Media & Promotional Products – The Big Picture

We received a tweet the other day from a recipient of one of our piggy banks.

They were having trouble removing the money from this particular piggy bank. We are all about real time feedback (good and bad) so we felt it was best to respond quickly with a video demonstration for everyone’s benefit. Thanks to Jon Elkin and Lyndsay Borschke for their efforts with the video production.

Enjoy -

We are still buzzing from the fun we had at Swag 2.0, our annual product launch where we highlighted the latest and greatest in the promotional products space. Thank you to our wonderful clients that attended – we appreciated all of your glamour shots.

We had a lot of great feedback on the products that were showcased at the event.  Please see below for the most memorable and popular items.

1. American Apparel Flex Fleece Hoodies

Everyone is familiar with the American Apparel line. These hoodies are our go-to styles especially with the wide selection of colors. Made in USA (L.A. to be exact), these are great for those looking for locally-produced products. Made from 50/50 polycotton, these hoodies are also resistant to shrinkage.

2. Return Moi Lost and Found Recovery Tags

New in the promotional market, an unbelievable new product that provides a valuable promotional opportunity along with the service of Lost and Found recovery for your phones, keys, laptops, passports, wallets and yes…even pets!

There is even information gathering technology that accompanies this product – all for under $3. This was part of the swag bag for the recent MESH conference

3. Digimates

Another small promo with big impact (see Top Swag Trends), an under $2 gift that is functional for cleaning every screen size with great brand visibility each time it’s used. We’ve had success with this product with our best clients.

4. Laminated Non-Woven Vintage Collage Tote

Great new retail-looking design with a new zipper closure.  It’s a perfect product for corporate picnics and outdoor events.

5. Flex Calculator

This was a showstopper because of its “bendability”, large numbers, colour offerings and great price point. Crunching numbers has never been this much fun!

6. Wide Mouth Stainless Steel Water Bottle

Our ever popular wide mouth bottle comes complete with a beautiful matte metallic finish, wide mouth to allow for ice cubes and easy clean, and equipped with a handy carabiner.  This bottle is made in stainless steel, holds up to 500 ml, and is BPA free and FDA approved.

7. Eco Awards

Made from 100% recycled wood fiber. Show some love and recognition for the folks who are spearheading the eco initiatives in your organization.

8. Sunice Micro-Bonded Jackets

It’s a warm and stylish piece at a great price point. Our clients appreciated the attention to cut and style as well as the feel of the fabric at a reasonable price.

9. Cross Signature Journals

The new Cross Signature Journals are a stylish evolution. Available in three striking color combinations, the collection has a cleverly integrated pen sleeve—ideal for storing the complimentary pen that accompanies each journal. Each journal also features a ribbon page marker, expandable inner pocket and acid-free paper, details that affirm Cross’s commitment to superior function and “best in class” quality.

10. Laser Etching on apparel

This is a new method of decoration that has become popular in the apparel side of our business. It’s perfect for fleece, denim, and microsuede if you are looking for something a bit more subtle.

I have been fortunate to give a number of talks on social media and web marketing over the past 2 years. My audiences range from internet peers to business people from private industry to colleagues in the promotional products industry. While most people are pretty receptive to change, I have found that some people are downright hostile/scared about this freight train called the internet (and I might as well use the word “internet” and “change” interchangeably).

This post reviews some of the objections I have come across while presenting about social media, along with my typical responses.

1. Twitter is stupid. Why should I care that someone is in line for their Starbucks coffee?

Point taken. However, my view on Twitter (and Facebook, for that matter) is that “you are who you follow”. If you follow people who tweet about stupid and vacuous things, the easiest way to deal with this is to unfollow/unfriend them. Like the internet itself, there is plenty of noise on Twitter, but the magic is finding the gems.

Twitter is full of fascinating tidbits that keep me in the know on a range of topics (a memorable example of this was the Amazon purchase of Zappos).  Twitter is full of links to articles that are highly relevant to my interests (again, see point above). Twitter beats any newspaper as a news source as it’s reported in real time vs having to wait for the paper to be delivered to my doorstep in the morning.

From a business perspective, I get all sorts of insights into my customers (who I follow) as well as potential customers (who I spend time cultivating relationships with). To understand what makes your customers tick just makes good business sense. Tapping into the Twitterverse to gain real time insights into your customers’ daily lives has made us a much more nimble organization. Conversely, people who sell me things always get preferential treatment if they can demonstrate they have done their homework and know a thing or two about RIGHTSLEEVE.

For a longer analysis of Twitter, you can refer to My Take on Twitter

2. Why do customers turn to the internet when they need something, versus just contacting their preferred supplier?

This comment was made at a session I gave to a group of promotional products professionals, an industry undergoing massive change as it relates to how buyers research product information. Here was the tweet that prompted the remark:

“Have spent day on phone with vendors. Looking 4unique event ideas 4 female audience – forget cooking and wine tasting. Need smthg different”

This example sparked a lot of discussion, most of it hostile. The prevailing view was that if a distributor was doing its job correctly, then this person would not have had to tweet their request. True, but only to a point.

In this day of instant feedback, it’s in the customer’s best interest to reach out to their network (before social media, you can bet they called around on the phone asking the same question). Posting such a comment online is valuable as it may generate a flood of relevant responses from peers who have gone through the same thing before. In my position as a vendor, I follow this person and was able to reach out with some suggestions relating to the promotion. We got the order.

The question people need to concern themselves with is NOT why people are using the internet to conduct research, but rather HOW to respond to their queries in a way a that is respectful and relevant to the customer. The customer, not the vendor, is now firmly in control.

3. Social media is for anti-social geeks. The web has ruined personal selling.

I half expect this comment to come from an over-the-hill sales curmudgeon straight out of Glengarry Glen Ross. Needless to say, I disagree with this claim.

People who use social media well are among the most social people I have ever met. Sure you have some exceptions, but any “social media type” I have ever met in the offline world, has been incredibly friendly with a penchant to share a lot of information. I personally use social media to engage with a wide range of people, and when the time is appropriate to meet, I have a wealth of information to talk about. The intersection of the online and offline worlds has made business easier, not harder.  Personal selling, in many ways, has now become more personal.

I can accurately make this claim given that I had run my business for 7 years prior to the advent of social media, and 5 years since. There is no question that a critical part of my business is still “face to face”, but these in person relationships have only been enhanced via social media. In several instances, I would not have even made it in the door had it not been for social media.

4. Who has time for social media? Do I now need to work 24 hrs a day to keep up?

No. I will draw from personal experience when it comes to how I spend my “selling” time at the office. Think of my day as a pie. In the “old days” before social media, I spent 1/2 of my time on the phone/email and 1/2 my time in front of clients. Now, the distribution of the pie is different, not larger. 1/3 of my time is now spent on the phone/email, 1/3 is in front of clients and 1/3 is using the internet/social media. I made this switch as it was in response to the new market reality.  Some customers will now only communicate by Twitter Direct Message!

When email was introduced to the mainstream in the mid 90s, people started emailing more, talking on the phone less and faxing even less. Same pie.

The bottom line?

I understand why there is hostility out there. The internet (and specifically social media) has changed the way we buy, completely disrupting traditional business models. There is a great quote in Ken Auletta’s recent book on Google when the head of Viacom blasts Google’s founders for “fucking with the magic” after learning about their mathematical approach to advertising. The “magic” he refers to is the smoke and mirrors of traditional advertising.

Similarly, social media is impacting traditional business relationships. Relationships that were once forged on the golf course are now being cultivated online and cemented offline. Most people these days don’t have time for a day on the golf course, as their time has now migrated online. Balancing these two worlds is the challenge that the modern business person must rise to.

This blog is only as good as the readers who weigh in. Your comments are, as always, welcome.

I had the honour today of presenting to a group of social media peers at Toronto’s Mesh Conference (the pre-eminent Web 2.0 conference in Canada, and one of the best conferences of its kind in the world).

I highlighted 10 things that we have done at RIGHTSLEEVE to improve our business using social media. The presentation was given from my perspective as an entrepreneur who has been active in the social media space for 5 years.

The presentation can be viewed below

Every year, we sit down and think about swag and its applications in the real world.  What trends are influencing the ways people are using promotional items? What do users of promotional media gravitate towards in terms of fashion and function?

Well, we have debated these topics tirelessly over the past few weeks and have synthesized the findings into the Top Ten below.

1. “Re-thinking Products: Form & Function”

When does a to-go mug go from trash to re-usable?

Current promotional product trends look at re-thinking the way we use everyday objects and making them useful and eco-friendly – especially with the current push of carbon footprint and social responsibility in the media. Adding a bit of creative flair to the design also makes it appealing to those looking to stand out and differentiate their brand identity.

2. “What’s old is new – Retro Inspired”

An emotional connection with swag is one way of capturing attention.

It paints a story for the client as they would be familiar with the product from their own experience. It’s also a step back from regular promo gear and allows the receiver to have more fun with it – who doesn’t like a pair of neon sunglasses?

3. “Social Media and Mobile”

Infolust on the go

Smart phones, PDA, laptops – whichever piece of technology available out there, someone has got theirs hands on it so why not have your brand in their hands too.  By choosing products that relate to the current trend, it gets your message out there and becomes practical.

4. “Colors”

No more corporate colors – Red, Black, Navy.

A lot of employees are looking for exciting options for their corporate uniforms to wear at work and also for recreational use. With casual dress codes becoming more common in the workplace, the color palette is starting to change and heading more towards the seasonal colors that comes with fashion: orange, green, pink (or salmon), etc.

5. “Retail look”

Patterns, materials and details you would see at a store, are making their way into work wear. It gives the apparel a bit more personality to the person who wears it.

6. “Small Promo/Big Impact”

Good things come in small packages!

Cell phones/PDA/laptops; these are everyday items that are carried by work professionals as part of their gear. Why not have your brand be visible daily and useful at the same time, instead of sitting in another swag closet never to be seen again? Useful as a mailer as well, with little costs to ship directly to your clients. Even with a small budget, you can still have the biggest impact; it’s all how you present it.

7. “Girl Power!”

Crossovers – no more one size fits all golf shirts that wear like a dress.

Women have always been the main consumer for households. The same goes for ordering branded apparel in a corporate setting.  A lot of them are leaning toward the styles that have crossovers to suit both male/female employees. There is also a push towards more female-oriented products in the market. Patterns, Fit and cut is important and makes it appealing to the female demographic. Choose styles that differentiate between men and women’s apparel.

8. “Eco but cheap”

Eco-friendly products have become more standard with products these days.  Not everyone has the budget to spend on organic cotton tees or bamboo woven bags. But that doesn’t mean that you should be left out of the mix. Useful everyday items are getting the eco makeover while helping stick with your bottom line.

9. “Custom made Easy”

Want your self-promo to stand out from the rest? Don’t have the time or quantities needed?

There are new product lines that allow for full customization without the long timeline and higher minimums.  Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day – but that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice quality of your brand with the same old 1 color/1 location.

10. “New Materials”

Bamboo, coconut, recycled tires, kraft paper, neoprene, jute and poo!

Using non-traditional materials is another differentiating factor in rethinking products: form and function (trend#1). New materials/textiles are making their way into the industry and create interesting stories within the products themselves – promoting organic solutions (bio-energy), why not hand out a journal made from elephant poop?

It will definitely get people talking and take you to the next level with your client.

From time to time, we come across swag that makes us stop and think “Wow, this company gets it.”

I wanted to congratulate Wind Mobile on a fantastic promotional package at last night’s TwestivalTo.  It’s rare to see such a nicely coordinated promotional campaign these days.

Here is what they produced and why it worked so well:

1. Recycled Non woven polypropelene tote bag (in the same size as the fashionable and hugely popular LuluLemon bags). Front and back shots

2. Moleskine “inspired” journal with custom printed inside cover

3. Felt coffee sleeve with a Wind Mobile woven label (very cool)

4. Recycled Paper pen

5. Lanyard with metal clasp, featuring custom printed Wind Mobile taping

6. Wind Mobile magazine

The bags were lined up behind the private booths at the Tryst nightclub where TwestivalTo was hosted. The eager crowd – primarily made up of fashion forward 20 and 30 somethings (Wind’s core market) – grabbed them quickly and oogled at the contents all night. The perceived value of the gear was high and the distribution channel was perfect. Exclusive, yet accessible.

Here’s why this promotional giveaway was so effective:

1. The products were well designed. Wind paid attention to the details.

2. The items had a high perceived value.

3. There was a retail feel to these items (full print coverage on the bag, custom printed inside cover of the journal, woven label on the coffee sleeve, fully custom lanyard with all of the attachments).

4. They were distributed at an exclusive event where attendees felt they were walking out with a valuable swag bag (think Oscar swag bags).

5. Wind had no cheesy sales people handing the bags out in return for business cards. Wind had a presence, but not a pushy presence. There is no question that people left the event with Wind on their mind (and in their hands).

6. There is a practical use for each of these items. People will actually use these products long after the event, keeping Wind top of mind.

7. The value of a client to Wind Mobile is approx $1000/year. Landing a few clients from swag bags that cost a mere fraction of this figure is excellent ROI in my opinion.

The bottom line?

There is no point producing swag if it’s not well thought out. Producing a bunch of uninspired mousepads or stress toys at the last minute because your company sponsors an event – and you feel you need to have some “free giveaways” on hand – is very often the wrong thing to do. This ends up being a waste of time and money. Even worse, poor executions like this can damage your company’s brand as people often spend time dissecting good and bad promotional campaigns in very public ways (this post being one example as well as these 2 posts (here and here) from the SXSW/Interactive conference).

If you can tap into people’s emotional connection with swag in any campaign you do, you are on the right path to achieving stunning ROI. Congrats Wind Mobile for raising the bar.

I have attended Mesh, Canada’s Web 2.0 conference, every year since its inception 5 years ago. I have also attended a number of web conferences in the US over the years, among them Office 2.0 and Web 2.0 Expo.

As Web 2.0 Expo (#w2e) is the grand daddy of web 2.0 conferences, I wanted to review the principal differences between the Expo and Mesh and why the Mesh experience offers some unique advantages over its larger, more established US counterpart. These comments apply to Web 2.0 Expo (NYC).

Venue: The Web 2.0 Expo is held at the Javits Centre in NYC, a downright awful venue compared to the beautiful MaRS building where Mesh is hosted in Toronto. Among the shortcomings at Javits: (i) location in NYC (off the beaten path by the Lincoln Tunnel), (ii) layout of the building (cavernous), (iii) the industrial vibe (iv) limited access to electrical outlets. This is in contrast to MaRS’s downtown location housed in a modern, airy complex devoted to entrepreneurship and science 365 days a year.

Wireless access: Not great at Javits, spotty at best. Plentiful at MaRS. This was very surprising to me given that Web 2.0 Expo is, well, a web conference.

Food: Web 2.0 served cold sandwiches for lunch with no breakfast. Mesh serves a nice breakfast, gourmet lunch and hosts awesome post conference parties, all decked out with food and drink.

Content: Undoubtedly, Web 2.0 Expo attracts a fabulous roster of speakers. The highlights in 2009 alone were Jeff Jarvis, Chris Brogan, Tara Hunt, Baratunde Thurston (his keynote was hilarious), Caterina Fake, Jay Adelson and Kevin Rose. Mesh is no slouch either, having attracted Michael Arrington, Jim Buckmaster, Om Malik, Bonin Bough, Austin Hill, Chris Messina and Tara Hunt over the years. This may be a matter of personal preference, but Mesh’s smaller size allows for greater interaction between the speakers and the attendees, enhancing the community feel.

Social: Very limited at Web 2.0 (or at least,  social events are not well advertised by the Web 2.0 people). Nothing compared to the Mesh social events (ie. immediately after the event + later in the evening). After Web 2.0, people scattered. At Mesh, everyone moves together. At Web 2.0, it feels like everyone for themselves.

Swag: No swag at all!!! While I am biased in this regard (full disclosure, we provide swag to Mesh), people love swag and it makes them feel special when they arrive, especially if it’s done well. The Expo event cost $1000+ so I was surprised there wasn’t a gifting component. This felt cheap to me.

Cost: Mesh costs $539, while Web 2.0 is double the cost (mind you, Web 2.0 is 3 days to Mesh’s 2 days). In light of the surprising lack of amenities listed above, I would say Web 2.0 represents inferior value to Mesh. 3 days is also a bit too long for a conference as most people find it hard to retain much after 2 solid days.

Overall vibe: Mesh has a nice community feel to it, while Web 2.0 Expo is somewhat cold with limited opportunities to meaningful engage with other delegates (it’s also 3-4 times the size so it’s easier to feel a bit lost). Keynotes were at lunch so we were never welcomed at the beginning of each day. This felt strange.

Web 2.0 is more corporate and I think that’s just a reality when you get a professional publishing outfit like O’Reilly putting it together. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different.

So folks, there you have it.  If you are into the world of web marketing and social media, I would strongly recommend you attend Mesh and meshU in May (before it sells out)!

I attended The Art of Marketing conference (#taom) in Toronto last week. The day was jam packed with top speakers – among them Seth Godin, Mitch Joel, Sally Hogshead and Dan Heath – and the learning was top notch.

I wanted to share some of my key learnings from the event (as always, your comments are welcome).

1. Staring down the lizard brain

Seth Godin talked to us about the lizard brain, the part of our brain that allows us to compromise or to play it safe when the right answer might just be to take a risk. Formally, it is defined as “a key component of the limbic system in the brain, involved in the experience of anxiety, distress, and fear.”

People need to stare their lizard brain down and embrace risk where appropriate  if they are going to break out of their comfort zones. The vast majority of us are ruled by our lizard brains that prevent us from doing things differently. To be sure, paying heed to our lizard brain is important at times (like ducking when a baseball bat is flying at us, as Godin illustrated in a series of amusing slides) but evidence suggests that the lizard brain dominates our actions at work and prevents us from innovating.

More on the lizard brain can be found here

2. Seven Fascination Triggers

Sally Hogshead spoke about 7 things that trigger fascination: mystique, power, lust, prestige, alarm, vice, trust. I found this to be particularly interesting because understanding the role that emotion plays in a purchase decision often dictates whether you get the sale.  Or in other words, “facts tell while stories sell.”

Her best example was illustrating how Jagermeister – the “popular drink nobody likes”  - came to prominence despite tasting a bit like “battery acid.” People don’t drink Jager for the taste, they drink it for the experience as evidenced by the savvy marketing which links hardcore partying to drinking Jager-bombs. People rarely remember Jagermeister for its taste; they remember it for the environment they were in while consuming it.   An important difference.

3. Bright spots.

Dan Heath spoke about the power of focusing on bright spots in our organizations vs the natural human tendency to focus on the negative. In the face of overwhelming obstacles, the power is focusing on the bright spots and growing those parts of your organization.

He cited the example of how Save the Children was able to reduce malnutrition in Vietnam. By focusing on the bright spots (ie. studying what mothers of healthy children were feeding their kids and replicating their methods across several villages) versus getting lost by trying to combat the larger, more overwhelming problems like poverty and unclean drinking water.

4.  Quality over Quantity

Mitch Joel talked about popularity contests in social communities and why having as many Twitter followers as possible is missing the point. It’s better to focus on better quality followers, keep them engaged and nurture that community as much as possible. This is the easiest way to create a committed fan base vs targeting as many people as you can (as the saying goes … “jack of all trades, master of none”).

5. Every month, 20% of Google’s search terms are new

Wow. Talk about having to adapt quickly when user search queries are turning over at that rate. This creates an incredible opportunity for long tail businesses, but can also be pretty frightening for established players who are not able to adapt as quickly to changing consumer preferences. This fact came courtesy of Mitch Joel.

6. The emotional vs the rational mind

Dan Heath gave an amusing example of the  Clocky alarm clock, an ultra annoying alarm clock that wheels around your bedroom until you chase after it to turn it off. A very effective way of ensuring you wake up in the morning. This example illustrates the tension between the rational and emotional mind. The rational mind is what sets the alarm clock the night before knowing full well it has to deal with the emotional mind at 5am that desperately wants to press the sleep button. Creating a hostile environment for sleep through the Clocky’s erratic movements is what guarantees the person will wake up.

Overcoming the tension between the rational mind and the emotional mind is the key to change. Heath uses the analogy of a Rider (rational mind) and an Elephant (emotional mind) to further illustrate this point. From his book Switch

“The Rider provides the planning and direction, and the Elephant provides the energy. So if you reach the Riders of your team but not the Elephants, team members will have understanding without motivation. If you reach their Elephants but not their Riders, you’ll have passion without direction. In both cases, the flaws can be paralyzing. A reluctant Elephant and a wheel-spinning Rider can both ensure that nothing changes. But when Elephants and Riders move together, change can come easily.”

7. Be an artist

Seth Godin quipped “The first person to put a urinal in an art gallery was an artist, the second person to do so was a plumber.”

The point is that true art is very hard to copy and the benefits often accrue to the originator of a concept. Godin’s argument was that artists are indispensable because what they create cannot be easily copied. This was consistent with his overall message from his current book Linchpin:  “Are you indispensable?”

Listening to inspiring speakers always fills my head with ideas, the challenge becomes how to leverage these amazing concepts when you are back in the daily chaos of the office.  For those who attended #taom: how are you going to apply these concepts to change the way you do business?