First Impressions

.PROMO

May 2020

Professional Inspiration for Promotional Products End Users/Buyers

2020

Mask The Year of the

The Fight to Get Your Logo on Masks & Protect Your Clients Has Just Begun See Inside for More Ideas on How to Promote Your Brand and Help Beat the Pandemic

Kelli Zane www.firstimpressionsprinting.info kelli@firstimpressionsprinting.info 615-715-6115

Fashion Ingenuity Protection

WELCOME BACK IDEAS

Totally Custom...One Piece Minimum...Amazing Results

BEST

COOLER

BEACH

RS EVER

Contact Your Promotional Products Distributor Shown on the C

Cover

Contents 14 The Year of the Mask

Innovation Fashion Protection Page 66

21

Understanding Masks-They’re Either FDA or NOT!

30

Do Great Things with Your Brand

34

The Promo Industry Adapts-Makes Up for Shortages in Retail Chain

39

Hand Sanitizer Sweeps the Industry

42

What the Future Holds for Masks Incredible Designs Oer Protection

50

Entirely NEW Focus on Branding

60

Promo Designers Take Design Lead

A Work-Styled Air-Purifying Headgear

Eradicating Covid-19 Will Take a While...

Athletic

ALL Masks have to be breatheable...Keep that in mind before you purchas

A FUTURISTIC APPROACH: Masks that purify the air we breathe in style...

c

se them!

Utterly ridculous...but much needed humor in this pandemic

2020 The Year of the Ma Nobody would have thought this time last year that we’d be facing this pandemic. Oh people like Bill Gates warned us from data he saw in 2015, but just the same we all had our heads in the sand and thought it would never happen.

Now let’s fast forward from the time the pandemic was announced to today and it’s and its fulley evident that we will for a long time be wearing masks to try an prevent Covid-19 from spreading to every man woman and child in the country.

We think there’s an upside to this catastrophe and that is we can give out masks like crazy with your logos on them and make a big difference in how America heals.

Yes, the promotional products industry can save lives...lots of them. And why not?

Logoing masks serves and protects your community. The cooler and more protective they are, the more your brand will get the ad impressions. And high on your list should be how easy they are to breathe while being worn. A cool looking mask that hard to breathe is not helping get rid of the virus. Most importantly its got to block the droplets containing the virus.

We really don’t see this getting to a point where we DON’T have to wear masks and all of the studies we’ve seen and read about how the virus has spread through our country basically provides the same solution. Protection is required...and the face mask is an adequate weapon.

Most everyone has seen the images of Chinese citizens with masks many moons before the pandemic broke out. The Chinese--and other countries--have been wearing masks for years. Our editorial staff reported seeing a young Chinese woman on a scooter. Both her and her baby had masks on and this was in 1989.

Medically, the mask will be the most important tool to fight Covid-19 in 2020 and beyond. Think about how really important it is...and how relatively inexpepensive it is. And there’s no better billboard than a person’s face; it even beats t-shirts in terms of always being seen on your endorser...your client.

There will be so many innovations for masks because that’s what America does best, we are innovators...inventors.

Fashion will play a huge part in the development and sale of hats. For one of the first times in history the promotional products industry will not be following Retails lead, rather we are already leading the design, use and adhering to a high level of protection. Those are the key factors:

Innovative Fashion Forward Highly Protective

The N9

ask

We should have learned from the pandemic in 1918...but we ignored the data.

95 is the most sought after mask in the world!

Surgical Masks, the second most sought after.

Courtesy

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RUBY

GALLERY

37 New Awards  15 NEW Designs THE ENTIRE GALLERY IS NEW!

Special Oer Valid 4/1/2020 thru 6/30/2020

Understanding Masks Multi-Layered Masks in General Work Best Test the Masks for Breathability

People Won’t Wear a Mask that Won’t Allow them to Breathe!

There are Only TWO Choices: FDA Approved or NOT!

Not FDA Approved FDA Approved

Our Guide on Materials, Designs and More The Difference Between Promotional Masks and Surgical Masks for COVID-19 What is it?

Promotional Masks

Surgical Masks

Non-FDA-regulated masks, including homemade masks.

FDA-regulated masks that are fluid resistant and provide the wearer protection against large droplets, splashes, or sprays of bodily or other hazardous fluids.

May reduce the likelihood of transmitting the virus by the wearer, but they are not proven to protect health care staff or patients.

Who wears it?

How it works Limitations

Asymptomatic people.

Health care staff during the evaluation of and care for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Protects other people by reducing the amount of respiratory droplets expelled by a person who may be infected but not showing signs of illness.

Protects the wearer by creating a barrier to the virus or body fluid that may contain the virus.

Not regulated and do not protect the wearer.

Due to high demand, supply may be limited.

Not to be used by people who are sick.

Avoid touching the mask while wearing it; if you do touch it, wash hands thoroughly.

Breathing into a facemask builds up moisture, which can be uncomfortable to wear.

Need to be regularly washed and sanitized.

Avoid touching the mask while wearing it; if you do touch it, wash hands thoroughly.

Disposal

During disposal, avoid touching the mask and wash hands thoroughly afterward.

Do not wash the mask.

Reuse of facemasks may be limited by the type of fastening (e.g., elastic ear hooks may be more robust than ties that are more liable to tearing).

Discard when it becomes damaged or deformed; becomes wet or visibly dirty; breathing becomes difficult; or if it becomes contaminated with blood, respiratory or nasal secretions, or other bodily fluids.

Should be donned and doffed appropriately.

During disposal, avoid touching the mask and wash hands thoroughly afterward.

Universa Masking

Experts are advocating that every

As many of you have found out its a mare out there when you are buying masks. There are hundreds of choic es...some great some bad. We’re he recommend the do’s and don’t’s for mask purchases. Most of your choic be determined by what market you going to serve.

If it’s medical, healthcare in general, responders, police, fire and our civil vants, always choose to provide the N95 or KN95 Masks which are FDA A proved. In this case you’ll be donati them and your logo will not be visib However, if you want to join the upc mass movement to have your logo o masks--while doing your community favor--then read on.

This is an amzing time to get million millions of ad impressions because f most part between now and 2021 Co is here to stay and we are all going t some sort of mask protection.

There are many materials you can u make face masks. Yes we know tha motional masks are not CDC or FDA approved but they do have the abili stop the droplets that carry Covid-19 They are not perfect but they do wo concert with the social distancing ru we’ve now inheritied.

al g...

Dr. Mark Loeb, an infectious disease specialist at McMaster University in Canada said a study during the outbreak of SARS--a similar coronavirus--found that ANY type of protection whether a mask or respirator, reduced the risk of infections in health care workers by 85%. We all understand there are different studies with different results but doctors have been wearing masks for as long as we can remember.

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In general natural fibers are better than synthetic ones. Synthetic yarn is smooth and allows the virus to slide by whereas fabrics like cotton have lots of fuzzy edges that grab the virus. Then there are masks with inserts, washable masks, bandanas, and about 100 potential styles for masks.

We keep restating, make sure your mask allows the wearer to breathe easy but trap the virus. That’s the combo you want in any mask you buy.

Techniques for printing on masks.

There are many techniques for logoing masks. The most common is silk screening, a technique that’s been around for a long time. Its durable and will make a beautiful long lasting impression.

After that there’s DTG--direct to garment--and sublimation.

DTG and sublimation are for super high quaity photo looking imprints. They are generally more expensive than screen printing but less than embroidery.

Embroidery is the high end and will be great for masks that can be washed many times.

Remember, ANY logo you put on the mask

will effect its breathability. Check to make sure your final product is one that your customers will love.

GETTING REAL TECHNICAL

If you want to know if the fabric you’ve selected meets muster, then get real technical when you are ordering. You should know whether or not they will succeed in blocking the virus.

Our source tested hundreds of fabrics for their ability to filter large-sized one micron viruses which is similar to the Ebola virus.

They also indentified small sized--0.3 mircrons which is like small pox.

For reference the Covid-19 virus measures 0.06-0.14 which is very small, but the good news its 5-10 microns in size when in droplets.

Their study determined how fabrics trapped particles PLUS for their breathe-ability factors.

Breathe-ability is super important. Why buy a mask that people won’t wear because it restricts breathing and doesn’t filter out most of the droplets?

COLOR CHANGING BODY STICKERS REMIND YOU WHEN

TO REAPPLY SUNSCREEN

Customize any Logo Design on Stickers & Packs

Works Wet or Dry

Sticker resets to white after the sunscreen is reapplied.

Reapply Sunscreen When Sticker Turns Blue

Optional Packaging Available

• Sunburn Alert UV Stickers make it fun and easy to remember to reapply sunscreen!

• Patented color-changing technology detects harmful UVA & UVB rays.

• Can be used with any sunscreen, whether it is a cream, spray or lotion.

• One sticker works all day, wet or dry.

How to use: 1. Apply sunscreen to sticker and skin.

2. Repeat whenever sticker turns blue.

For more information, please contact your representative.

FAQ Q: Will it leave a mark on the skin by the end of the day?

A: When used properly, the UV rays can pass through the sticker.

Allowing the sticker to be used with minimal tan lines

Do Great Things with Your B Russell Stover did a commercial with virtual hugs. Virgin Media stated, “Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Connected” program. Land Rover teamed up with the British Red Cross with a response to Covid-19. Their branding is trendy and educates. That’s what you can do promotionally as well.

Whether we want to admit it or not, Covid-19 will impact just about everything we’ll do in the future. That means you’ll have to alter your marketing strategies to evolve in these uncertain times moving forward. Consumer behaviors and attitudes have and are rapidly changing.

During Covid-19 we adapted--although unhappily--to working, shopping, exercising, learning at home and many other things. Looking ahead, the best companies will prepare now with plans on how they’ll meet the needs of consumers WHERE THEY ARE AT when the recovery period returns.

Social distancing will become a new norm and the role of the Promotional Products Buyer will change. What will that role be like?

Right now the role of the Promotional Products Buyer may now seem fuzzy.

However, that’s quite the opposite as this is a great opportunity to pick up on consumer behaviors so you can engage them in new ways.

These changing times dictate that to survive the negative sentiment and economic slowdown you should consider using promotional products to emulate resilience, innovation, agility and empathy. For example, running nurse “Thank you” programs with teddy bears. They need all the emotional support they can get right now.

You can think small or big if your budget allows.

We envision as well that sending individual gifts to your consumers at home will become a defacto standard. That means your promotional programs in the future will require you sending promotional products to your client’s home. In our industry usually there are split shipment charges, a minimal addition in most cases to the cost of the order.

We also know that people will be spending more time at home...and on their mobile devices as a result of Covid-19. You can connect with your client’s through no/low cost social media programs where they will get your branded items. Then in some cases your promotional products will be sent to the client’s dwelling/office. This will become more mainstream. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest are perfect avenues for this because they can drive the promotion very inexpensively on the media side.

Our advice--from your Promotional Products Distributor--is to focus on your

customer experience n ever. When people wo provide them with com ...thoughtful promotio they will see and feel a ment of your company

You can also use your cate, and help mollify t psychological stress. Y ioned stress balls work items here too.

There are a million wa the negative impact w Its not selfish or single its really what corpora Remember, your corpo soul of its own. People company as a single en not. Make those consu your company by doin with your brand.

Brand: Fight Covid-19

now more than orry you should mfort giftsonal items that as an endeary.

Use your brand to educate the public: Let Hope Bloom.

brand to eduthe anxiety and Yes, the old fashk great as promo

ays to help ďŹ ght with your brand. e minded...rather ations should do. oration has a e perceive your ntity even if its umers believe in ng great things

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Should Be As Impressive As What’s In It.

The Promo Industry Adapts and C It hit the promotional products world as hard as it hit any USA industry. Everything came shreiking to a halt in late February/ early March 2020. A $20 plus BILLION industry shut down.

But the promo industry responded with a commitment to its country. Unlike many industries that had to be mandated to change their manufacturing to make protective devices for citizens, the promotional products world jumped into action to help.

Here’s some success stories.

SanMar, Hanes, and Fruit of the Loom instantly redirected their production to make millions of face masks. Gildan and Delta Apparel also are making masks. Even hard goods companies switched their production to make items to fight against Covid-19.

Companies like Snugz that had sold hand sanitizers with logos on them for years was buried in orders.

The need for PPE has kept the lights on for many and actually increased sales at many promo companies. Imagine this...promo companies that were producing tyvek wrist bands for trade shows began producing full PPE type garments.

There were also quite a few promo manufacturers making medical kits that included thermometers. Most sold out in the weeks following the lock down.

Here’s more on how our industry has contributed.

Many Suppliers started offering items they had in stock without logos just to help the American people. Everything from touch-free infra-red themometers to spray sanitizers, disposable masks, lexan poly face shields, googles, safety glasses, wall signs, social distancing floor decals and literally thousands of products were in stock at our Suppliers warehouses.

The list of Suppliers that had products was huge, from making sanitary dispensers...anti-bacterial packets, disposable coveralls, UV sterilizers...you name it the promo industry responded. That shows you how important our industry is. Our industry has filled MILLIONS of hand sanitizer, face masks, gloves and other highly sought after PPE equipment orders.

Continues to Serve Our Country Industry adapts by retooling to make goods that ďŹ ght the virus.

Hand Sanitizer Branding Sweeps the Promotional Products Industry Walgreens, CVS, and your local grocery store aren’t the only places millions of bottles of hand sanitizer were sold...the promotional products industry has sold millions too, but with the client’s logo on them. From Budweiser to Tito’s Vodka, Chase Bank and thousands of other Buyers like yourself all across the country, hand sanitizer was the go-to promo product during the pandemic. In fact Tito’s is making their own batch, some 24 tons of it, and giving it away.

And they couldn’t have picked a better time or cause to use branding to support a life or death pandemic.

The Promotional Products Industry Sold Millions of Branded Hand Sanitizers in a Single Month.

It just shows you how powerful promotional products are...even in this pandemic companies are using logoed products to do something socially responsible, help a life or death cause and more...

There were more hand sanitizers sold in six weeks of 2020 than in all of last year.

FEEL THE DISTANCE. FEEL THE CONTROL.

Titleist TruFeel is the softest Titleist golf ball with low spin fo long distance and excellent control into and around the gre

What The Future Holds Built-in Headset & Bluetooth for Smartphones

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High Pollution Filtering Masks Athletic Styles from New Balance

AĹ? Air

Total VR Technology

3M

Air

Allows the lips to be read

Fashionista

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Air Quality Masks

Express-A-Button

Custom Samples Cork & Cutting Boards

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Stainless Mugs

SAMPLE R F

Stainless Drinkware

with your logo Instructions: Contact your Distributor send them your logo...

And in a few days you’ll have a custom sample at your oďŹƒce. Limit one per customer.

The Pandemic Causes an Entirely New For all of us this has been one very big and unpredictable rush of bad news. The words Covid-19 weren’t on anyone’s lips five months ago and now there’s not a day that goes by without it being mentioned Hundreds of Trillions of times per day.

So while there’s a negative side to the virus there’s also a positive side for the promotional products industry. A very good side...and that’s the ability to focus your branding while battling the virus. Let’s do our part to wipe out this pandemic.

Everyone is forced to rethink marke

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People are saying it seems like time stopped...but it DID stop. Our lives stopped to a screeching halt not able to do anything in public. With that so did all of the promotional programs you’d put in place. As a promotional products End Buyer, you just saw all of your hard planned work go down the tubes. Don’t worry, as your promotional products Distributor we’ve got some great ideas we’d love to share with you to restart your marketing with tons of Covid-19 promotional battle tools.

There are so many innovative ways for Corporate Marketers to reach out and touch your clients with a tangible, and protective promotional product. Think about the impact of them getting one of your hottest t-shirts being worn in public before the pandemic...and how now they’d be elated with a comfortable mask with your logo on it. Mask versus t-shirt, the clear winner will be a mask. And the result will be everyone in your community sees your logo thousands of times on their face.

There will also be a great need for promotional produ tect us from the virus, The concept of something tha “new” the product will get the most exposure. Get re are busy creating to fight Covid-19. And you can sugg

w Focus on Branding & Marketing

eting but great things will become of it.

ponding to the Covid-19 Crisis

eps to Consider Step 1: Brainstorm best/worst-case scenarios

Step 2: Update baseline metrics, dashboards, and KPIs

Step 3: List existing and emerging roles for your promo campaigns

Step 4: Review resources available for your promotional initiatives

Step 5: Curate new social websites to reflect your commitment to fighting Covid-19

Step 6: Sit with your support teams and figure out what are the next steps

ucts that are newly designed and totally functional to proat’s new has been driving our industry for a long time. If its eady! There will be hundreds of new products our Suppliers gest products as well...we will get it made for you!

What lies past the pandemic marketing wise? There are a ton of positive plans you can put forth to make a difference.

But to be successful, almost everything this year should be designed around fighting the virus. Serving your community with products that protect them will insure that your brand is seen...and seen in big numbers. That includes getting your products talked about on line in social sites as well. The coolest and best protecting promo items will score really big with your customers. They will be ultimately grateful and reward your efforts with a new found loyalty not found in many years.

For now and for the foreseeable future masks will be “the go to product” for promotional products. Washable, reusable masks that provide a high level of protection is the right gift. You will find a million different styles, dozens of fabrics, and plenty of decoration techniques. From screen printing on the masks to embroidery or using plastic molded labels, you’ll make your mark and do something really great by providing a product that can and is saving lives.

Other marketing ideas includes products that will avoid passing the virus from hand to hand. That includes door handles, buttons on elevators, entering your password while you’re buying groceries and more. What we’re saying is, “think safety” when you are rewriting your

ENOUGH P STRAWS TO WRAP A THE EARTH’S CIRCU 2.5 TIMES A DAY! US CONSUMPTION =

It’s Time We Start Taking Care of Mother Earth

Promote Your Company or Cause With Logoed Metal Straws

PLASTIC AROUND UMFERENCE

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Promo Designers Lead Retail in Product

Fin

Usually our industry follows many of the retail trends and brands but, because of the virus promo products manufacturers have been a wee bit busy on the creative side. We see that in many cases they’ve overtaken retail’s creativity with some of the products they’ve launched.

ON THE DR

New smartba wearer’s hand

A wrist-moun half gloves for buttons; and a open car door handle, aimed

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After wearing a mask all day there’s going to be some real ear chafing going on. Well the promo industry has done it again, and that’s to come up with a really cool and functional product that will also take your imprint. And if a nurse or doctor is wearing what better product endorsement can you get than that?

Loads of innovative thinking lead to design great products that ans

Design for the First Time

nding ways to make our Covid-19 fighters safer, better and more comfortable...

RAWING BOARD

ands that buzz when the d goes near their face.

A small, highly effective device that protects you when opening doors.

nted disinfectant sprayer; r knuckle-pushing of a device that lets you rs without touching the d at cab users.

s of other great ideas.

Combo Door Opener Button Pusher/Stylus thats easily cleaned with a touch of hand sanitizer after use.

Small enough to fit on your belt.

mperature Rings

Coming Up: Fashion forward matching sets for Corporate Uniforms & Wear, complete with gloves.

ds promotional products Suppliers swer the call to help defeat covid-19!

Innovation...Fashion...Pro We’d like to take a moment and talk about our industry’s “First Responders” and say “thank you” for what they’ve done. Those Responders are our Suppliers & Manufacturers in the promotional products world.

Like every other industry we faced massive layoffs and plant closings. But hundreds of the 3,200 Suppliers in our network jumped on the opportunity to help America and keep their employees with a check every Friday.

Most of them started making or importing masks of all types, shapes and sizes.

It may not seem possible but promotional products in many cases was deemed “an essential business”. When wholesale and retail chains ran out of inventory on critical items like masks, gowns, nitrile gloves, handsanitizer and about 100 other Covid-19 preventing products, the promotional products industry Suppliers/Manufacturers retooled their production to help America.

rotection

Stain Imaging

All Over Print

Seven Stock Designs Customs Designs Available in 14 Plastic Colors 100% USA Made All with Raised Graphics

Five Year Tags for Each Plague Available FREE Upon Request.

Combination Hanger & Easel on the Back for Display Options.

Now is the time to begin planning membership recognition and renewals. Our five year tag option is included in the price of each plaque offers an affordable way to raise membership awareness and thank your organization’s valued supporters.

Contact Your Promotional Products Distribu

utor on the Front Page of IdentityEdge