Sometimes people outside the business world have some of the best insight on business. One of those voices comes from the world-renowned fiction writer. Milan Kundera, the Czech author of Immortality and The Unbearable Lightness of Being once said that “Business has only two functions — marketing and innovation.”
These words call to mind a few ideas about some of the companies whose products have greatly changed the way we live and exist daily. Some easy first impressions include:
May 28, 2015
Two Ingredients in the Business Recipe: Marketing and Innovation
Submitted by Kelly Glass
May 20, 2015
The Power of Do-It-For-Me Solutions
Submitted by Kelly Glass
Perhaps you are one of those brave, industrious people who knows how to fix things. For decades, the “weekend warrior” has been an iconic role in the American way of life. There are men and women who simply love to solve everyday problems around the house and the yard on Saturdays and Sundays.
May 13, 2015
Promo Products Don’t Have to Be High Tech
Submitted by Kelly Glass
Just over a month ago one business reporter on the east coast asked some small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners about what kind of promotional products they like best and the entrepreneurs weighed in.
May 7, 2015
The Art of Specialty Advertising and Brand Building
Submitted by Kelly Glass
Marshall McLuhan, the author and visionary philosopher of communication theory, once categorized advertising in a remarkable new light. McLuhan stated, “Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century.” While McLuhan knew plenty about modern communication, he was one of the first to point out advertising’s ability to captivate consumers and use creative ideas to motivate their everyday decisions.
May 3, 2015
Promotional Products Speak for Brands
Submitted by Kelly Glass
Last summer, business blogger Andy Johnston dared to make a pretty shocking recommendation regarding promotional items for SMBs. In The Event Manager, he said that just handing out promotional items without a strategy isn’t a great move.
“Just giving people . . . office supplies is a wasted opportunity,” Johnston wrote. This goes for trade shows, client visits or any other event.
April 22, 2015
Small Businesses Still Revving Up
Submitted by Kelly Glass
Inc., the most well-known magazine for small business and entrepreneurship, posted some insight this week about the ever growing small business sector. As a follow-up to their news earlier in the year about the good economy and the fact that businesses are revving their engines, Inc. staff writer Jeremy Quittner shared some profiles on where new firms and growing SMBs are getting startup cash.
April 15, 2015
Hospitality, Everywhere
Submitted by Kelly Glass
If you’re not an avid basketball fan, you’ve probably had your fill of March Madness basketball, and the month-long nationwide obsession that concluded with the NCAA Championship on Monday, April 6.
As The Tampa Bay Times pointed out just recently, big time sports events are about more than just a love of sports. Whether you are talking about Super Bowls, Final Fours or amateur youth tournaments, sports are big business.
April 8, 2015
21st Century: New Audiences, New Opportunities
Submitted by Kelly Glass
When you think of “Star Wars”, you might not jump up out of your chair and get excited. The George Lucas-directed movie that debuted in 1976 has, as we all know, grown into much more than just a space-age action adventure film. “Star Wars” to some has become a subculture and, to others, almost an obsession. Moreover, “Star Wars” is big business.
April 1, 2015
Revolutionary New Strategy: Listening to Customers
Submitted by Kelly Glass
At the end of March, General Motors announced what you could call a new social media and marketing strategy. GM’s radical new approach: listening to people.
March 25, 2015
“Outside the Box” May Be Best for Some Customers
Submitted by Kelly Glass
When the average business professional thinks about promotional products and advertising specialties, what comes to mind might not be ground breaking. Pens, mugs, hats and embroidered wearables are all favorite classic items that are used by everyday people, and are reserved enough in their designs to let a company’s logo shine or their brand name do the talking. Whatever your customers’ needs for customization of products, Idea Custom Solutions can help you through the process.