Growing with Promotional Products
Distributors increase their sales and penetrate accounts with promotional items.
The number of U.S. pet-owning households has increased nearly 20 percent since 1992, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA). In fact, Americans today own 77.7 million cats, 65 million dogs, 17.3 million birds, 8.8 million reptiles and 192 million fish. As a result, APPMA estimates Americans will spend $31 billion this year to care for and pamper their pets, up from $17 billion in 1994. Pet owners can benefit from a variety of promotional products, including imprinted leashes, reflective tags and collars, toys, food dishes, food can covers, litter scoops, brushes, beds and more. Sales prospects include pet stores, groomers, boarders, humane societies, sitting services and veterinarians. Another growing sales opportunity is pet insurance companies. Total U.S. pet insurance market revenue increased 342 percent from 1998 to 2002, according to Packaged Facts/ MarketResearch.com. Currently valued at $88 million, the market is growing at least 45 percent annually.
The petSac soft, folding pet water bowl from Thermo-Sac, Phoenix, (800) 232-6741, www.thermo-sac.com.
Golf Shirts, Denim Shirts, Twill Shirts, Outwear
Proforma®, Cleveland, introduced Progear™ by Proforma, its exclusive line of wearables. The 2003 Progear by Proforma catalog features 24 pages of items in the company's proprietary, private-label wearables program, including pique golf shirts, denim shirts, twill shirts and outwear. The catalog also offers companion styles for men and women ranging in size from small to 4XL. The line is offered with low product minimums. Call (216) 520-8400 or (216) 520-8475 (fax). Visit www.proforma.com.
Jackets, Parkas, Sweatshirts, Vests, Pants
Augusta Sportswear, Augusta, Ga., released its 2004 Outerwear Collection catalog, featuring jackets, parkas, sweatshirts, vests, pants, earbands, windshirts, caps, scarves and more. The catalog includes expanded lines of the company's Chill Fleece outwear and Micro Poly jackets and pants. The catalog also includes new colors; hard-to-find sizes such as XS and 3XL; and styles for women, girls and youths. Call (800) 237-6695, (706) 860-4633 or (706) 854-0835 (fax). Visit www.augustasportswear.com. Send email to sales@augustasportswear.com.
Mouse Pads, Magnets, Memo Boards, Calendar Cards, Vinyl Post-Cals
Gill Studios™ Inc., Shawnee Mission, Kan., offers its
"Enchanted Offers" fourth-quarter specials. Through Dec. 31, the company offers
discounts of up to 42 percent on soft mouse pads, offset maxi magnets, magnetic
memo boards, plastic calendar cards and vinyl Post-Cals® (mailable decals). Call
(913) 888-4422 or (800) 392-4455 (fax). Visit www.gill-line.com.
The number of U.S. golfers has increased 32 percent during the last 16 years, according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF). The country's 26.2 million golfers spent $24.3 billion on equipment and fees in 2002, play at 15,827 public and private golf facilities, and can quench their thirst for golf away from the links with a 24-hour cable golf channel.
Golf's wide appeal has led many organizations such as universities, hospitals and non-profit groups to use golf tournaments and golf-related promotions to supplement
Celtic Marketing Inc.,
a 15-year-old distributorship in Centerville, Ohio, and an affiliate of the International Business Solutions Alliance, provided an organization with 100 miniature umbrellas, such as the one shown here, to give to participants in its annual golf tournament. Participants could slide the umbrellas, which were silk screened with the tournament's logo, into the tops of their golf bags to keep their clubs dry in inclement weather.
Courtesy of Harbro LLC, Brighton, Mich.
their advertising and marketing. In fact, U.S. organizations hold approximately 140,000 fund-raising golf events each year with more than 15 million total participants, raising more than $2.9 billion for charity, according to NGF.
Golf tournaments present lucrative sales opportunities for distributors because hosts often order large volumes of products to distribute to participants and attendees. The promotional products industry produces a wide variety of items that can be used in golf tournaments, including imprinted golf balls and tees, visors, golf apparel, bag tags, golf bags, scorecards, towels, divot repair tools, scoring pencils, golf clubs and headcovers, gloves, umbrellas and rain gear, shoe/club cleaners, shoe bags and more. Sales of promotional sporting goods grossed more than $578 million in 2002, according to Promotional Products Association International.
For the past six years, Celtic Marketing Inc., a 15-year-old distributorship in Centerville, Ohio, and an affiliate of the International Business Solutions Alliance, has provided a local organization with promotional products to give to participants in its annual golf tournament. "They're always looking for something new," says Mark McKinney, the distributorship's president. One year, tournament participants received divot repair tools, and another year they received cedar shoe trees. The metal divot tools included ball markers that were imprinted with the tournament's logo and attached to the divot tools with magnets. The cedar shoe trees, which participants could insert into their golf shoes after use to help them keep shape and absorb odor and moisture, featured the tournament's logo burned into the wood.
Last spring, the client again asked Celtic Marketing to provide a unique product it could give to tournament participants. After searching for a product that would meet the organization's needs, Celtic Marketing provided the client with 100 miniature umbrellas that participants could slide into the tops of their golf bags to keep their clubs dry in inclement weather. Silk screened with the tournament's logo, the umbrella featured a telescoping, club-like shaft with a rubber golf grip that prevented the umbrella from blowing out of a golf bag in high winds. The umbrella also featured a deep canopy to protect clubs from strong rain and could be folded and placed in a golfer's bag when not in use.
"Selling promotional products increases our product line by about 1 million items," McKinney says. "And you know what, they're fun...especially if you've been selling printing all your life."
--Kara S. Carpenter
