SMB Marketing

Rebranding is a popular topic these days, not just with major corporations, but with institutions of all kinds. Rebranding seems to be happening everywhere.

You may have heard about the many municipalities — cities, small towns, and business destinations, for example — who are rebranding in an effort to court business and in some cases tourists.

​One of the more common topics in the ongoing discussion about business is productivity. Simply put, productivity is an essential ingredient in any endeavor. It is defined as “a measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, or system in converting inputs into useful outputs.”
 

As if Florida in January wasn’t already a great idea, the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), is holding its next trade show in Orlando on January 4th to 6th, with exhibits on January 5th and 6th. For certain, we will be there.

There’s been a lot of talk about logos this year. Whether businesses are driven to tweak their logo every few years out to stay on trend or the get attention for the latest products they launch, more 20 major brands have changed their logos this year.

Not all of us are the “runner” type. It takes a special something to take on the task of completing a marathon. Just training for a race — even a half-marathon or 10K race — is a major commitment.

While avid runners take to the blacktop in cities nationwide almost every weekend of every year, major brands look to go the distance too. Just about every marathon, 5K race or walk-a-thon funds charities and has a roster of major corporate sponsors.

Long after some of the 20th Century’s most monumental publications on success were released, such as Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) and Thomas Anthony Harris’s I’m OK, You’re OK, many of today’s most popular business books continue to talk about successful people.

The fanny pack has long been thought of as, at best, the quintessential accessory for the fashion-challenged. According to the New York Times, by the mid-1990s, the fanny pack became little more than “a punch line — something so excruciatingly dorky that even Weird Al Yankovic made fun of them.”

Being prepared in business is one of the most important contributors to success. And, whether you “begin with the end in mind” as Steven Covey wrote in “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” or you look to the routines of some of today’s top women in business, planning ahead is critical to closing deals.

If you are a distributor of promotional products and specialty advertising items of any kind — whether you specialize in wearables like caps and outerwear, or even tech-related items like branded phone chargers or USB drives — you’re probably doing two things very, very right!

In the 2005 holiday film “The Family Stone”, Amy Stone is introduced holding her favorite fashion accessory. The moment is meant to tell us a bit more about her preferences and perhaps her personality. Played by Rachel McAdams, Amy appears briefly with a “National Public Radio” tote bag slung over her shoulder. This initial image hints more to come about Amy: the Stone Family's eldest daughter is educated and up-to-date on political issues.