APPA Promotional Products Marketing Magazine November 2018

NOV 2018

Promotional Products

Marketing Magazine

Future Tech

Promo Products for the Digital Age

Creative Products Enterprises 21 Anvil Road, Seven Hills NSW 2147 T: 1300 136 463 E: team@thecreativelocker.com W: thecreativelocker.com

03 CEO’s Message 05 Exciting Announcements for 2019

08

06 What’s in Store for APPA Members in 2019

CONVEX 2018

10 Australian Distributor to Watch

07 Strengthening Your Brand with Paid Social 08 CONVEX 2018 Review 12 L eadership Secrets of Successful Promotional Businesses 14 APPA Awards for Promotional Excellence 16 Australian Awards Review 19 APPA Awards Collaboration 20 Do We Really Need to Hide Our Suppliers?

21 Introducing APPA Travel 22 Australian Supplier to Watch

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16

Australian Distributor to Watch

Australian Awards

25 2019 Tech Guide 32 Top 7 Tips for Buying Tech This Season 34 Must Have Apps for 2019 36 Embroidered E-Textiles 38 Nottage – 25 Years of Innovation 40 Member Milestones 42 R evolutionising the Canadian Promotional Products Industry Through Strategic Partnerships 46 Australian Decorator to Watch 48 Give Up the Need to Be Right 50 New Zealand Distributor to Watch 52 E liminating Client Friction for a Better Buying Experience

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61

2019 Tech Guide

New Zealand Awards

54 New Zealand Supplier to Watch 58 The Ultimate Guide to Promo Staffing 61 NZ APPA Awards Review 64 A PPA New Zealand Awards for Promotional Excellence 66 NZ Promo Show Review

APPA HEAD OFFICE Suite 7, 407 Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills, VIC 3127 1800 MY APPA (1800 69 2772) Australia 0800 45 1117 New Zealand GENERAL ENQUIRIES Email: info@appa.com.au www.appa.com.au | www.appa.co.nz

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING Ky Wilson Membership & Marketing Manager Email: ky@appa.com.au DESIGN & ARTWORK Privaro Design www.privaro.com.au

68 APPA Service

Providers 2018

2019 TECH GUIDE

PAGE25

PROMOTIONAL PRODUC TS MARKE TING MAGA ZINE

Contents

Roadshow Calendar 2019 Melbourne

Brisbane

Monday 18 March 2019 10:00am - 4:00pm Melbourne Racing Club Caulfield East VIC 3145

Friday 22 March 2019 10:00am - 4:00pm RICC – Brisbane Showgrounds Bowen Hills QLD 4006

Sydney

Perth

Wednesday 20 March 2019 10:00am - 4:00pm Hordern Pavilion Moore Park, NSW 2021

Tuesday 26 March 2019 10:00am - 3:00pm Ascot Racecourse Ascot WA 6104

www.appa.com.au | info@appa.com.au | 1800 692 772

UPDATE FROM APPA HQ

From the CEO

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elcome to the November 2018 edition of the rebranded and revitalised APPA publication Promotional Products Marketing Magazine.

I would like to start by wishing all our APPA members and service providers a festive holiday season.

We thank you for your continued support of your association.

Steve Granland, CEO

“We had 14 first time exhibitors and a 13% increase on 2017 attendance.”

Special thanks go to our valued members and service providers who have continued to support us through sponsorship of our 2018 events. Notably, Logo Line, Trends, Nottage, Headwear, JS Supplies, SHINY, JB’s Wear, Global Catalogue by Penline, DEX Collection, Promotional Products Insurance.com, PEROS Australia, Personalised Freight Solutions, Gildan Brands, PromoCollection, BIC, ChefWorks, Jutebags, Cutter and Buck, The Mug Factory, Premium Apparel, Imaage 3D, Prime Source, and Aqua Plus. Without your continued support, holding events of scale and influence would not be possible.

CONVEX 2018, the promotional products industry flagship event, was a resounding success. We had 14 first time exhibitors and a 13% increase on 2017 attendance. CONVEX 2018 also featured education sessions running across the two days for the very first time. We brought Cliff Quicksell MAS+, a highly acclaimed promotional products expert, from the US for two Masterclasses and one Keynote address. We also ran three education sessions conducted by our Premium Service Providers and Business Partners that returned excellent results for attendees.

In August and September of this year we again held our industry awards, the APPA Awards for Promotional Products Marketing Excellence, recognising those members who demonstrated exceptional creativity in promotional product marketing and superior product and service in promotional product supply. I would like to congratulate both this year’s winners and finalists, as the competition was stronger than ever (a sentiment echoed by our judges). This year’s gala dinners and winners are featured on pages 16 and 61.

In the second half of this year we launched our new website which we designed to enable self-management

of company profiles which ensures each user will have a communication stream from APPA that best suits their needs. It also has event and education registration features that we look forward to rolling out early 2019.

Earlier this year, our sister association, Promotional Product Professionals of Canada (PPPC) announced a strategic partnership with Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), and with SAGE, the industry’s leading technology provider.

Please see page 42 for all the details.

Plans are well underway for the 2019 APPA Leadership Conference, with a lineup of keynote speakers that I believe is the best yet. As a big sports fan I have to say one of the speakers I am most looking forward to hearing from is an Australian former short track speed skater and four-time Olympian, Steve Bradbury. Steve, as you will remember, was the first athlete from the Southern Hemisphere and Australia to win a Winter Olympic gold medal and he was also part of the relay team that won Australia’s first Winter Olympic medal.

Over 2019 we will continue to drive member value and will be launching several new member benefits including for example, exclusive access to free and discounted legal templates. We will continue to roll out new and improved functionality to the APPA website and database and new and innovative industry education. We will continue to build new strategic local and international partnerships and build on those we have established over the last two years.

I would like to close by thanking the APPA Board for their ongoing and invaluable support and advice over the last 12 months. The insights, guidance, strategic thought and continuous focus on members ensures APPA remains relevant and vital to our industry.

Finally, to Ky, Sabina, Martin and Cath (the APPA HQ team) – thank you so much for all your efforts over 2018. The volume and quality of work produced by such a small team is truly amazing. I look forward to another fantastic, challenging and rewarding twelve months.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 3

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Sand & Beach Kit 1

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3 DAY DESPATCH Sand & Beach Kit 2

UPDATE FROM APPA HQ

Exciting Announcements for 2019 Ky Wilson, Australasian Marketing & Membership Manager

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his year has gone so quickly, but I’m pretty sure I say that every year! It has been a big year for APPA and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing members for their engagement in all of our activities throughout the year. Attendance at events, exhibitor numbers and participation in the awards are all at a higher recorded level than in recent memory.

At the APPA Awards for Promotional Products Marketing Excellence in Sydney and Auckland, we had the opportunity to acknowledge members who achieved extraordinary success with innovative and effective marketing campaigns and demonstrated elite supply systems, decoration services and customer service with promotional products. This year, in addition to being featured in the Promotional Products Marketing Magazine, and on the APPA website, the winners were recognised in Marketing Magazine by Niche Media, the future edition of NZ Marketing Magazine by Tangible Media, the Australian Marketing Institute website and an APPA exclusive Australian Marketing Institute email to their extensive marketing industry database. The Australian and New Zealand awards press releases were also picked up by multiple local news outlets that covered individual winners in their regions. The 2018 APPA Australian Awards for Promotional Products Marketing Excellence Guide was also distributed to a 400-wide audience of marketers from across all eight states and territories that represent the broadest range of job tiers and organisations that rely on professional marketing at the Australian Marketing Institute Awards Gala Dinner. Due to our partnership with the Institute, the 2018 Platinum Award winner, Sister Kate, presented a branded gift in each delegate gift bag.

It is not just the winners but the finalists of this year’s awards that deserve a mention. The judges stated that the quality of this year’s submissions easily eclipsed those of previous years, so the bar was set high.

I would like to acknowledge in particular two finalists that were only just beaten by the incredible competition, Seen Promotions and YAY! Promos. Nerida and Arty from Seen Promotions were finalists in two categories in only their first year of membership and Bryan of YAY! Promos was finalist in one of the most heavily contested categories, Consumer Programs/GWP. He too has only recently joined the APPA ranks. It is wonderful to see our new members embracing all the possibilities that APPA has to offer. Well done guys!

Awards 2019 update. To give everyone time to prepare their submissions, we will be opening the award platform in mid January 2019 and making some exciting new additions to the categories that we will be sharing with you soon!

Leadership Conference 2019 update. In the inaugural Leadership Conference in 2017 we had a full house with 50 attendees, we doubled the size in 2018 to 100 with a waiting list of 20 disappointed people.

We have locked in the Hyatt Essendon Fields, Friday 24 May, for our 2019 conference with space for over 100 attendees. With an amazing line up of speakers including Olympian Steve Bradbury, Sales Expert Dave Straughton, APPA member Pamela Jabbour and a brand new CMO Panel created in tandem with the Australian Marketing Institute, it is an event not to miss. Stay tuned for more details!

Membership 2019 update. APPA membership numbers increased significantly in 2018 so one of the first webinars of 2019 will be a combination review of APPA membership benefits and an APPA update with myself, making sure both our new and valued existing members know everything you need to know to stay ahead of your competition and that you are getting maximum benefits from all of our current offerings. If you do not currently have the Membership Benefits Brochure and would like a hard copy, please email me at ky@appa.com.au and I will get a copy to you asap. Alternatively, the online version is available for download on the home page www.appa.com.au.

Watch out for the APPA website tutorial video that will be emailed to all members in the first week of December!

Finally, I would like to acknowledge our APPA Board, in particular Vice President Robert Williams for his continued support and open lines of communication and encouragement with all the APPA HQ team.

I would also like to thank our valued sponsors, members and service providers for their active participation and contribution to APPA this year.

It is the personal engagement I enjoy with you all that has me loving my work with APPA more and more as each year passes. I cannot imagine championing anything or anyone else. I am here to be of service to you and our great industry.

Wishing you all a wonderful festive season and a happy new year, see you in 2019!

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 5

UPDATE FROM APPA HQ

What’s in Store for APPA Members in 2019 Sabina Gruetzner, Australasian Events & Education Manager

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t’s been a busy year for APPA, having recently ticked off another successful CONVEX and NZ Promo Show and while we draw closer to the tail end of 2018, the team and I are already well underway with preparations for 2019’s events program.

So what does next year have in store for APPA and the wider promotional products community? They will see the return of the APPA Roadshow in early 2019. Our action-packed week will commence on Monday 18 March through to Tuesday 26 March where we will finish the tour in Perth. We have seen steady growth across the Roadshows over the past several years and anticipate 2019 will again draw in an even bigger crowd.

With a brief stop back at APPA HQ, we then travel over to Auckland for our annual NZ CONVEX, to be held on Wednesday 10 April at Mt Smart Stadium.

We understand many of our NZ members travel a fair distance to attend the show, and as a result cannot always make it on time to attend our APPA Education Hour prior to the show commencing. Next year, to give more of our members the opportunity to attend, we’ve taken the liberty of moving the session to a midday timeslot, so stay tuned for further information!

And as always, we will again be hosting networking drinks and canapes at the conclusion of the show as a wind-down to the busy day.

As the dust settles from a bumper March and April, we will shift gears and place our focus on providing

6 – NOVEMBER 2018

our members and the wider community with the opportunity to increase their industry knowledge and skill set through the return of the APPA Leadership Conference. With the event so well received in both 2017 and 2018, we are now close to finalising details for our 2019 event. Scheduled for Friday 24 May, the one-day event will be charged with industry insights and content to keep you ahead of the game, delivered by our stellar lineup of guest presenters who are each game-changers in their own right. This year’s event saw a delegate increase of 100% and was a complete sell-out, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for further information to avoid missing out!

Last but most certainly not least, I’d like to remind our supplier members of the amazing opportunities which can come from delivering educational webinars or hosting on-site factory tours. APPA are always looking for businesses who are keen to expand their client base, and show off their facilities and breadth of knowledge to their fellow members.

If this is something you think you’d like to take part in, please do feel free to reach out for further information.

As always, we will be sure to keep you up to date with our trade show and event plans as we confirm them. However, if you do have any questions or require any further information between communications, please feel free to reach out. We will do our very best to assist in any way possible.

Until next time, Sabina Gruetzner

UPDATE FROM APPA HQ

Strengthening Your Brand with Paid Social Martin Nguyen, Australasian Membership & Marketing Co-ordinator

A

s a source of leads, sales and conversions, it is clear that paid advertisements on social media produces results.

Internet browsing on our various devices being the number one daily activity of the population, it is clear that paid social media activity is an effective tool to boost a growing relationship between a brand and its followers. A large active band of followers is the number one social proof required to receive increased exposure and brand awareness. When individuals feel personally invested in a company they support, they are more likely to share their experience with the brand to their social circle. By keeping this in mind when advertising and creating content, brands can dramatically increase the effectiveness of their messaging and reach.

The relationship between a brand and its target market have great potential to lead to increased sales for two main reasons.

1. Research has proven that consumers trust and value peer-to-peer recommendations over marketing or ad copy and 2. Social media algorithms favour posts from real people over brands and therefore brand awareness gets the best exposure when shared among consumers.

Are your followers engaged?

When focusing on growth and follower base building, the time of engagement is key and is more crucial in comparison to sales-oriented ads. A good example of this is the difference between an individual’s engagement while they are on Facebook versus when they are on Twitter. It is more likely that they will spend more time on Facebook content given the nature of how the platform is used. To capitalise on this, brands must consistently monitor their traffic engagement from each source to determine where their efforts are most successful and how they can tailor their content on each platform to suit the target audience.

The top three metrics to keep track of for brands are: • bounce rates • the share traffic rate driven from each source • micro conversions such as email opt-ins and subscriptions.

Bounce rates indicate the level of engagement from the target audience as it reaches them. The share of traffic driven distinguishes the percentage of traffic from each channel and the value of each platform

used. Micro conversions allow brands to track leads and ultimately allows for in depth statistics based on sign-ups.

Leveraging social referrals A prime example of social referrals being incredibly powerful is Dropbox. It is a classic growth strategy that proves how peer to peer referrals can create an unstoppable momentum for a company. The program, which allowed users to obtain extra ad space by referring the service to their social circle allowed Dropbox to grow from 100,000 users to 4 million users in a little over a year. These types of advocate focused recommendations boost engagement as they originated from peers as opposed to marketing.

Based on a study by Yotpo, when customer reviews are utilised alongside advertising on social media, conversion rates are five times higher on LinkedIn, eight times higher on Twitter and 40% higher on Facebook when compared to advertising that does not factor in personal reviews. In addition to this, customer reviews also assist in lengthening read times, session durations, and pages per referred visit.

Social influencer collaborations Achieving conversion based advertising and follower building campaigns is most effective with the use of social influencers. These are individuals that have a commanding and trustworthy presence in the niche market that is being aimed at, they have built their own personal brand in the community and are therefore viewed by the online community as experts.

Social influencers are effective in reaching mass numbers of a brand’s target market and can even help brands reach short term sales targets. The core benefit of building relationships with social influencers is their frequent engagement with the community and can consequently aid in delivering a brand’s interested followers. A great way to engage with influencers is to have them be involved with the brand through special events or giving early access to complimentary products and services. By doing so, the brand creates a buzz in the community leading up to release dates of products and services.

When constructing a brand strategy with the involvement of paid social media campaigns, focus on the quality of traffic being brought to a platform rather than the quantity. This allows for effective relationship building with the target market and ultimately reach a greater percentage of individuals who are genuinely engaged.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 7

CONVEX

CONVEX 2018 Review

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hat a fantastic two days it was! With a record number of 14 new exhibitors 2018 bought in new, unique and innovative products. Members were given the opportunity to win cash prizes, plus member prize packs worth over $2000 and CONVEX special discounted rates from service providers, each day!

Members were provided with free all-day coffee, sponsored by Chef Works and free massages by 3 Minute Angels, sponsored by Cutter and Buck.

Like previous events, there was an app designed specifically for CONVEX, which provided attendees with an exhibitors list, sponsor information, an exhibitor booth map, CEO message, entry barcode, parking information, venue information and event FAQs. In addition to the members’ lounge which was sponsored by Jutebags, attendees had the option to make use of the Recharge Hub to relax and recharge their electronics.

While doing so, APPA service providers were available on neighbouring booths to discuss APPA member exclusive rates and how they could bring more value to our members’ businesses.

To kick start CONVEX day one, Cliff Quicksell held keynote address Standing Out in a Shrinking World at Hoyts Cinemas before the show, which was sponsored by Logo-Line. Members were welcomed with APPA themed popcorn boxes and were generously given survival kit packs by Logo-Line after Cliff’s session. Over the two days, masterclasses by Cliff and information sessions by APPA service providers were run alongside the show for members and exhibitors to attend and expand their professional skills and industry knowledge.

The best new product competition this year was flooded with amazing products that varied from multiple categories, however, all had one thing in common: each product submission was innovative and new to the industry.

With such fierce competition from all supplier entries, there was a difficult decision to be made. However, one stood out just a little more than the rest, the brand-able wooden Succulent Gift Box by Sara’s Garden. First-time exhibitor and brand new member, Sara’s Garden brings in a fresh take on promotional products making it unique to the industry.

The gift box is customisable and brand-able for a personalised feel, but the biggest standout is how much thought has gone into it being eco-friendly so that the whole gift is recyclable!

8 – NOVEMBER 2018

As per the best product, the best stand was incredibly eye catching. It was clear from the very beginning that a lot of preparation, planning and time had gone into the presentation and feel of this stand.

From the vivid colours chosen for the design to the sheer size and construction of the stand, it was a booth that was impossible to miss. New member and first time exhibitor, Display Systems Australia, took the show by surprise and demonstrated how an exhibitor can take CONVEX to a whole new level!

APPA would like to thank all the sponsors, exhibitors, members and attendees involved in the show to make it such a huge success. Throughout the event, the APPA team consistently received compliments about their uniforms so we would like to extend a special thank you to the team at PVH Brands for keeping everyone looking sharp! The team were dressed in a modern contemporary fit on both days; Day one being a navy single breasted two button plain twill Bracks jacket with matching ezifit pencil skirts for the ladies and ezifit trousers for men. Day two, PVH Brands opted for a brighter look shirt and dressed the team in a contemporary fitted suit in a denim blue.

CONVEX 2018 proved to be a great success, from attendee numbers up 13% on 2017, featuring innovative products and booth designs. It couldn’t have been done without the support of our members. The APPA team strives towards growing the industry and bringing value to our members and we look forward to seeing you at Roadshow 2019!

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 9

AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR TO WATCH

Total Image Group Tell us what being a part of Total Image Group means to you.

Pamela Jabbour CEO

To say Total Image Group is an integral part of who I am is an understatement. TIG started as just an idea and over the next 13 years evolved into the business it is today. Being my business, I have been through it all, the wins, the challenges, the growth and the setbacks, so for me TIG is at its core, an extension of who I am. To be able to bring my family onto the ride and to have a wonderful team behind me makes it furthermore so important to me. Essentially Total Image Group means to me – passion, determination, quality and family.

What three pieces of advice would you give to distributors looking to enter the promotional industry?

1. Create a point of difference.

2. It’s not easy. Nothing good comes easy, so yes the promotional industry is extremely competitive and a difficult market to crack. But if you are patient, passionate and persistent it can be a lot of fun, a great way to be creative and a really amazing industry to be a part of.

3. Cash is King. Like any start up business, you need to really watch cash flow, be very clear and firm with payment terms and look to have a mix of customers. Long term large clients, who expect terms and take longer to close, as well as a healthy portion of cash cow smaller clients who will pre-pay and keep the day-to-day of the business going.

What kind of culture exists in your organisation?

How do you establish this culture and why did you institute this particular type of culture?

As a family business I would say family is at the core of our culture. My Dad, brother and husband are all a part of the business and we also have a few husband/ wife, mother/son duos in the team. What does this mean? Family businesses have the potential to develop a workplace culture that’s inherently different – in a good way. Family business gives people a shared purpose. Staff can see the owners and founders are so heavily invested that they get invested, creating a team of really passionate people who feel they’re part of the journey.

How do you build a successful customer base?

By putting yourself and your business out there! Be it via networking events, industry memberships, online marketing, tradeshows, magazines or social media, it will be a trial and error process and I would suggest 10 – N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

trying a few different methods and then review and analyse what worked best. The more doors you knock on the higher your chances are for success.

How do you find people to bring into your organisation who truly care about the organisation the way you do?

We have put a lot of time and care into our recruitment process and all our advertisements and interview questions are built to attract people who have the same values as Total Image. We have a team of 40 and growing but I insist on meeting all potential candidates before confirming their employment regardless of what the role is. Final interviews are scheduled with me as I feel it is important for the potential new employee to get a vibe of our business and culture directly from an owner and for me to also feel comfortable that this person will be the right fit. We don’t always get it right but the above has significantly increased our success rate with new hires.

What motivates you?

At work: new client design projects that allow us to create a bespoke top to toe range. Nothing is more exciting than starting with concept and storyboard and then seeing the design come to life for our customers. I have to say our office space and team also really inspire and motivates me, we are really lucky to have such a great group of people who love what they do and what we do... that energy is contagious!

Personally: fashion, food, time outdoors and travel.

How do you generate new ideas?

I am constantly seeking inspiration through new experiences, travel, spending time outdoors as well as keeping up with fashion globally.

How many hours do you work a day on average?

It changes depending on the week, time of year, stage of the business and personal circumstances.

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?

Different companies for different reasons. From a fashion perspective I have always respected the brand journey of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

With such a strong presence from the founding family and staying true to their heritage and brand image while constantly reinventing themselves to

keep up with the times. From a business perspective I love the culture and company stories of Ford, Apple and Nike.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

I have to say both Mum and Dad for different reasons.

I grew up with business and watched Dad create, run, manage and close various businesses over the years. Watching his journey, eagerly waiting for him to get home each day and hear about the day – any challenges, successes and how he handled it. I remember all the details as if I went through them myself – this has helped me navigate my own challenges and successes as I feel I shared Dad’s experiences.

Growing up, Mum was known for her impeccable dress sense, always taking pride in her appearance, nails, hair and outfit always perfect. I remember idolising my Mum when I was young and the respect she commanded as a result of her appearance. It was at this point I realised the power of dressing and the impact/influence it had on personal or brand perception.

What book has inspired you the most?

(OR what is your favourite book?)

Too many to choose! Love Good to Great – Jim Collins, Shoe Dog – Phil Knight and always love a good fashion biography – DVF The Woman I Wanted To Be – Diane von Furstenberg and In my Shoes – Tamara Mellon.

Have there been any major changes within the industry in the past five years that have influenced how you operate today? How did you handle these?

Things are changing so rapidly that we find we are constantly evolving and reviewing the way we do things. Major industry milestones would be the crash of the US dollar which had significant impacts on costs and locked in contract pricing.

A lesson learnt the hard way, but it evolved the way we price our clients and how long we lock in pricing for.

great at sourcing off-site courses, presenting training and working out the best way to ensure our staff are getting the most out of their role.

Can you name a person who has had a great impact on you as a professional? Why and how did this person impact your career?

My Dad influenced my decision to take an active interest in running a business in the first place. As a successful businessman, he would always have inspiring stories to share at the dinner table and I witnessed firsthand the highs and lows of his achievements and disappointments. No matter the outcome, he had a passion that drove him and I wanted to have that same drive in my career.

How do you encourage creative thinking within your organisation?

Creative thinking is very important to us at TIG. We love being able to empower our team to think outside the box and in order to do so we make sure everyone is aware that we are here to listen.

Creative thinking can come from anywhere and inspiration is around every corner, so it is extremely important that we provide an environment that frames this without providing strict limits that can discourage growth.

How do you or others in your organisation communicate core values?

We constantly aim to bring our core values into everything we do.

Each quarter we focus on an individual value and build our social events, meetings and training around it. Although all values are present in everything we do, highlighting each one throughout the year helps remind staff of just how important these values are.

How do you ensure your organisation and its activities are aligned with your core values?

The rise of the online consumer – also created an extremely competitive market for us. We found we were spending lots of time sampling, quoting clients only to find they were working with us for the service but then searching the products online and finding cheaper, not serviced based companies, to buy the products from.

We have since become better at qualifying clients and implemented tougher sampling processes.

When we are developing ideas and activities for the business it is vital they align with our core values. I always try to lead by example, I can’t make sure everyone commits to our values if I don’t myself. I make sure our core values are a consistent feature throughout our business and are introduced from the very beginning. All our activities, whether communication (both internally and externally), meetings or team bonding sessions all stem from our company’s values as it is intrinsic to TIG.

Which key characteristics do you look for in a potential employee to fit in with your company culture?

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an industry professional?

One word: PASSION! I think skills can be taught but attitude can’t be changed. So if somebody has the right attitude, is passionate about what we do and really eager to learn and be a part of our culture they generally get the role.

How do you promote growth and education within your organisation?

Having open communication and a great HR team has been the key to how we promote growth and education. We encourage honest feedback from staff which helps us determine how we can do our very best to offer additional training and support. Our HR team is

Staying on top of the industry and its evolution is extremely important. I like to be quite hands-on in the business and in order to continually grow, I believe it is important to constantly be on the pulse of developments and change. In saying that however, we strive to be game-changers so through the knowledge we garner, we utilise it in ways that enable us to do things differently to shift and evolve the ways in which we operate for the better. We want to push boundaries and are never ones to rest on our laurels. The focus for myself and the business is to continually evolve. It’s what has got me to where I am today and continually drives me to the next goals.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 11

APPA LE ADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2019

Leadership Secrets of Successful Promotional Businesses

R Dave Staughton 2019 Leadership Conference Keynote Speaker

ecently I’ve been out visiting and interviewing lots of small business owners and discovered something truly remarkable.

YOU determine your results! Stop blaming the economy, your staff or even your location

So what sort of LEADER are you? Are you a run-around Rabbit or a wise Tortoise?

The turnover and profitability of any small business is mostly related to just ONE THING – the behaviour of the owner! It turns out that the way you behave determines the quality of the team you get, the customer service levels you deliver and how much PROFIT you make. This profit level then determines most of the value of your business and how easy it will be to sell. There are many buyers for large profitable businesses but only a few for smaller unprofitable businesses. You can get more than 3x EBITDA (profit + addbacks) for a managed modern business. Did you know that if you increase your profit by just $100k p.a. the value of your business can go up by around $300k+?

At many businesses I visited it was clear that the business owner was a “run-around Rabbit” – busy, busy, busy running around the business – a handson DIY type of guy – a technician trying to be involved and overseeing every job. Desperately needing some better staff but not much time to recruit, train or manage them well. Rabbits also complained of no time to look at the financials, do the marketing or take any time off. Tough gig and potential divorce. As TV Doctor Phil is fond of saying, “How’s that working out for you?”

YOU (the leader) determine whether your business turnover grows or declines over time. The bigger businesses and multi-business groups are typically run by owners who had built a great team, were better organised and focused on their sales and financial results. The businesses that struggled financially were run by overwhelmed owners, clueless and cranky staff and the business was untidy and cluttered.

The great news is that a 10% shift in your mindset (what you think and do) can improve your sales turnover by 10%+ and double your profitability.

Every team is a reflection of the mindset of the leader and the sales results are a reflection of that team.

Here are some of the success traits of the great business operators: • Teambuilder – willing to spend time finding, inspiring and keeping the best staff • Organised – following an agreed system or set of processes, house rules and team discipline • Disciplined and fair – upholding the agreed standards, rules and guidelines

12 – NOVEMBER 2018

• Positive and optimistic – grateful, friendly and appreciative (not a complaining bag of misery) • Planning for the future – focused on clear objectives and goals – daily, weekly, monthly.

Tortoises on the other hand, take the time to find the best people, use lots of processes and spent time coaching and training the team. They learned to delegate and trust their staff to follow their rules and systems. Easier life. Happy partner!

Any Rabbits who manage to expand to multibusiness operations without good systems or processes in place are usually back to running just one business real quick. It really is a case of learning how to build a trusted team and learning to recruit, train and delegate.

At the most profitable businesses and most well-run multi-business operations, the owner took time to be a wise Tortoise, working on the business NOT in the business. The place was well presented, the staff were working hard and it was well organised. Many also had a business coach, knew their financial numbers and took long overseas holidays.

So it’s really all about YOU – your attitude, belief, confidence, discipline, energy, focus and goals.

Stop living in BED (Blame, Excuses and Denial) – learn to SOAR in your business: Solutions, Ownership, Accountability and Responsibility.

Start with good people – recruiting is the key to success!

It was clear from the visits that some businesses had found and trained quality staff. It turns out that you really get the staff you truly deserve AND you get what you put up with. Some Rabbit owners told me they couldn’t find good staff and I said “there are PLENTY of good staff out there – they just don’t want to work for you” – OUCH! When I asked some great team members WHY they worked there – they told me they “liked the way the owner treated them with respect and really appreciated them”. Their previous boss “treated them disrespectfully – he just screamed at us and yelled when we did things wrong – he never taught us or told us what he wanted”. Do you expect your staff to read your mind?

Most small businesses need to find a core of just three to six great staff. Start with a plan – know exactly the type of person you want to hire and

what tasks they will be doing. Don’t hire dregs!

Stop hiring old industry guys with bad habits who wandered in off the street – recently sacked from the place up the road.

Hire people with a great attitude and spend the time to train your own team members in your own way of doing things. And take action fast if they don’t fit in “If in DOUBT, Chuck ‘em OUT” (before the 90 day trial). Remember the mantras: “Hire in haste, repent at leisure” and “Just one hour of good recruiting effort is worth hundreds of hours of trouble and strife”. Take the time to make more time.

I have observed that you can’t sack your way to success but you can recruit your way to success.

For more tips read the short book – The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard.

If you want some more ideas or a chat with Dave send an email to david@davidstaughton.com or phone 0408 375 100.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 13

AS FEATURED IN MARKETING MAGAZINE

APPA Awards for Promotional Excellence

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he APPA Awards for Promotional Excellence celebrates the most creative part of our industry recognising the outstanding use of promotional products in business and marketing programs. Proving the value of promotional products marketing as a means of driving brand activation, the award winners used a unique range of promotional products to drive strong engagement and profile elevation.

Platinum Award for Overall Excellence and Distributor Self Promotion Award APPA’s Platinum Award for Overall Excellence is awarded by the judging panel to the award entrant considered as the stand out of all the awards, recognised for their excellence.

Campaign: Promotional Forecaster Company: Sister Kate Marketing Sister Kate Marketing pride themselves on delivering creative, attention grabbing, promotional products. They believe it is important to illustrate their creative and imaginative take on products by sending memorable and unique items to their clients featuring Sister Kate branding. The strategy of this promotional campaign was to cement a position in their clients’ minds as a company that has a creative, fun and playful approach to their work while still delivering items that are well designed and convey a message through the messaging and product selection.

Event Merchandising Campaign: Oz Comic-Con Merchandise Company: Sweet Memories Promotional Gifts In 2016, Sweet Memories were approached by Reed Pop to assist with the Oz Comic-Con merchandise store. They were seeking a more eye-catching, must-have feel to add value to the Oz Comic-Con range.

By aiming to offer high-end, quality merchandise to appeal to a diverse age range of consumers across a variety of budgets, one of Reed Pop’s clear goals was to boost sales. Through the partnership with Sweet Memories, both Australian Comic-Con shows saw a marked improvement on the 2016 performance of t-shirt/promotional merchandise sales.

Limited Budget Campaign: Dolly’s Dream Company: Stickers and Stuff Dolly Everett was the victim of bullying, and tragically ended her own life at the young age of 14. Stickers and Stuff were approached two days before her funeral in Katherine, Northern Territory, and asked to supply stickers that could be distributed to mourners.

This campaign has gone from an original order of 500 stickers to distribute on the day, to subsequent orders for stickers and other products for fundraising purposes, contributing to a nationwide campaign for the now Dolly’s Dream Foundation. It is proof of the effectiveness of branded items and the humble sticker.

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Merchandise/Catalogue Programs

Not for Profit Promo

Campaign: Airbnb Asia Pacific Merchandise Program

Campaign: Daniel Morcombe Foundation Presentation

Company: APD Promotions

Company: The Branding Office

Airbnb is a US-based global company that has achieved rapid growth in almost every part of the world. They needed an Asia Pacific-based supplier who could provide a complete solution for their merchandise program within the region, and who would provide consistent branding and production of high-quality merchandise from conception to manufacturing with minimal delivery time and on-demand ready supply. The project required a complete solution for Airbnb encompassing design, production, warehousing and delivery across the Asia Pacific region.

Business to Business (B2B) Campaign: MYOB Inspiration Pack Company: Chilli Promotions The Box of Inspiration – this little MYOB branded box contained 12 famous inspirational quotes each on a separate card, packaged up with a small card holder stand. Each card carrying its own unique message, that can stand alone or equally slot back inside the rest of the pack. The cards were also designed using the MYOB brand (including secondary) colours as was the box, which also had a gradient of the logo on the cover to maximise brand awareness and reach.

Promotional Product Innovation and Design Campaign: Fulfil Promotional Truck and Furniture Company: 1800ForPromo

The client brief was to re-create a promotional vehicle and furniture solution that as a result would create an on-ground presence for the Fulfil Vitamin and Protein Bar brand while exhibiting at the Australian Fitness Show. The promotional truck and furniture were fit for purpose and designed to be used at future promotional opportunities and were an absolute success at the fitness expo creating a strong and commanding brand presence.

The Branding Office was commissioned to produce a vehicle to help the Daniel Morcombe Foundation deliver its message to key corporate and government contacts. The Branding Office supplied the foundation with an A5 LCD Brochure, utilising four high impact videos. This would give them the perfect vehicle, to first of all stand out from a standard sponsorship proposal and using video allowed for instant recognition and connection with decision makers.

Consumer Programs/GWP Campaign: Get Vestive!

Company: Inck Merchandise V Guarana Energy Drink is unique and renowned for its cheeky, quirky sense of humour and its positive, full-of-life attitude. The key goals of the campaign were to drive the brand’s penetration and drive the physical availability of V during the important Christmas selling period, engaging target shoppers in an irresistible way. To do this, the concept had to strongly appeal to the V Target Consumer of 18-24 yr olds. The Vestive Vest as a unique and desirable apparel item was a great link to the brand idea of: Me + V = A slightly better version of me.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 15

AUSTRALIAN AWARDS

Australian Awards Review APPA Australian Awards Gala Dinner 2018 Guests were welcomed with pre-drinks, finger food and fun at the photo booth sponsored by Gildan Brands before the dinner at The Star. Providing entertainment and hosting the night was stand-up comedian, Joel Ozborn. Joel introduced Tyson Adams from Equip Super, dinner sponsors of the APPA Awards Gala Dinner 2018.

B2B Award The first of the awards was the Business to Business category, deemed what is to have been an integral part of a campaign, increased sales and boosted overall brand awareness.

With many finalists in this category, the one that was selected as the most effective was Chilli Promotions. The MYOB Inspirational Quotes was well received and was a great brand awareness campaign as it brought on a halo effect of positive emotions with the brand.

Event Merchandise Championed for campaigns that have the most effective merchandise programs based on take up rate. With such a massive array of products for Oz Comic-con such as t-shirts, hoodies, balls, shot glasses and bags, the winner was Sweet Memories Promotional Gifts. It was said that their customer service was second to none.

Promotional Product Innovation and Design Next was the category of Promotional Product Innovation and Design, presented by Robert Taylor from Gildan Brands, the photo booth sponsor for the evening.

This category celebrates the innovative and creative development of promotional products or designs for use within the promotion product program. Having a client travel from Europe to see the final product and commenting that the result had far outweighed their expectation is no ordinary feat. With such a unique angle and creativity involved in the project, it was a great win for 1800ForPromo.

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Stickers and Stuff were presented the award for Limited Budget by PPI representative, Drew Fisher.

Best Boutique Supplier The Best Boutique Supplier category was presented

by Brenton Adams from Imaage 3D Crystal, providers of the amazing bespoke crystal awards for the evening. Based on customer service, product quality, creative response and response times on briefs and quote requests, Swanky Socks stood out among the rest with such a thorough and detailed submission presented alongside seven outstanding testimonials from APPA distributors.

Distributor Self Promotion Bryan Deng from award category sponsor, PromoCollection was the next to present the award for Distributor Self Promotion which highlights products/programs that have been designed to promote sales or refine a business’s brand. Sister Kate Marketing were winners for this category with the Weather Forecaster. It was judged as not only fun and playful but also very intriguing for their clients.

This desk item would cement the brand at the forefront of people’s minds and was executed beautifully.

Best Supplier Recognising excellence in customer service, product quality, creative response and response time is the Australian Best Supplier Award. It was presented by category sponsor and Victorian State Manager at Sidekicker, Dan Corridon.

With such an overwhelming level of quality in both their products and customer service, it is clear why distributors across Australia are driven to align their businesses with Trends Collection, voted the Best Supplier at the APPA Awards Gala Dinner in 2018!

Consumer Programs

Limited Budget

The next category award was Consumer Programs which focuses on the effectiveness of consumer promotion product marketing programs such as incentive programs whereby a gift is given away with the purchase of the client’s product.

Dolly’s Dream was a sad but powerful message on bullying that was received across the nation. The limited budget category focuses on the costs of producing the product to the value of $5 or less.

With such a creative and fun product, Inck Merchandise was a prime example of how using bold promotional products like their Get Vestive vest can deliver great results towards a younger and hard-to-get audience.

Distributor/Supplier Collaboration

Best Decoration Services

Following on was the inaugural Distributor/Supplier Collaboration category, recognised for the partnership between an APPA distributor and supplier. It is awarded for creativity and innovation, must meet the direct need of the client and also be supplied by a local supplier.

Christine Kankunnen from Personalised Freight Solutions was welcomed on stage as the next presenter for the award of Best Decoration Services category.

By coming up with a product that is definitely outside the box, award winners Yatama Technology and DKM Blue created an award winning collaboration.

Their Xbox Christmas ornaments were noted as: “Great products, customised, good quality and really fit with the brief. I can imagine these would have been in high demand and are something lasting that will be pulled out as a reminder every year – a campaign with a long tail”.

This award highlights all areas of decoration services to showcase one’s business process, how well they perform and ultimately maintain client relationships.

Doree took home the award with their extensive experience in the decoration industry. Doree have continually provided top tier customer service and recommendations for the customers and ultimately pride themselves on this as the cornerstone of their business.

Merchandise/Catalogue Programs After celebrating the creative collaboration between Yatama Technology and DKM Blue, Joel Ozborn moved on to the category of Merchandise/Catalogue Programs presented by Melanie Lindquist from the Australian Marketing Institute.

This category winner was selected for being the most effective at creating a range of products, held in stock and distributed via an online catalogue for an ongoing campaign.

Providing a huge range of high-quality merchandise for Airbnb was APD Promotions. With a series of positive feedback and an array of testimonials, APD Promotions were recognised in different regional offices of Airbnb around the world.

PR OMOTIONAL PR ODUC T S MARKE TING MAGA ZINE – 17

Not For Profit Leading up to the end of the night was Alan and Lisa Chanesman from APPA Travel who presented the next award for the Not for Profit category. By being the most effective not for profit campaign and creating a powerful message for social awareness using promotional products, The Brand Office won with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation campaign.

Delivering their message on child safety, judges commented that the campaign was well executed and professional throughout.

APPA Young Achiever – Gary Elphnick The Young Achiever Award acknowledges achievements of young APPA members who have excelled in the industry and are foreseen as the shape of the industry’s future. APPA’s CEO, Steve Granland, presented the award to Disrupt Sport’s Gary Elphnick.

Industry Distinction Award – Steve Skalla The APPA Industry Distinction Award recognises the efforts of individuals to advocate the value of branding and in doing so have made amazing contributions to the growth and success of the

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promotional products industry. Universally held in high regard APPA was delighted to recognise Steve Skalla for his efforts within the industry. Steve’s glowing endorsements spoke of the time and effort that he has given towards the success of the industry and the strengthening of our association.

Platinum Award – Sister Kate Marketing Nominees eagerly awaited the announcement of the prestigious 2018 Platinum Award for Promotional Excellence. Gala Dinner sponsor Tyson Adams from Equip Super was welcomed on stage to present the award to the nominee considered to have been a stand out among all the entries. This year’s 2018 APPA Platinum Award for Promotional Excellence was given to Sister Kate Marketing for their Weather Forecaster. Nothing short of creative and well thought out, the weather forecaster was a promotional product that was one of a kind.

APPA would like to thank all our sponsors and members involved in what was agreed to be the best APPA Awards Gala Dinner to date. The level of entertainment, preparation and execution would not have been possible without the support of our members.

APPA AWARDS

APPA Awards Collaboration – DKM Blue & Yatama Yatama Technology Gina Araiji General Manager DKM Blue David Kordahi Account Director

How does it feel to win an industry leading award?

Winning the award was a very rewarding experience.

A tremendous amount of hard work was put into this project and to have that recognised and celebrated by our peers was greatly appreciated by all involved.

Explain your experience in collaborating with an APPA member?

Being part of an industry association such as APPA provides an extensive amount of knowledge and learning tools and helps shape your working relationships. We understand what practices and conduct are expected. Knowing both DKM Blue and Yatama are long term members of APPA gave us that added reassurance. We both understand the standards and respect what APPA stands for.

Give three pieces of advice for members who are looking to collaborate for such an award • Think outside the box, your entry needs to be unique and we hate to say it, but it has to be something new.

• Ask the customer for input into the award response, they will provide a fresh perspective and information you may not have considered especially when it comes to ROI and campaign success.

Were there any key differences between working with an APPA member vs a nonmember?

Being a member of APPA means as an organisation you have committed to abide by the APPA Code of Conduct and Constitution. This is important when collaborating so closely with another organisation as you have the added peace of mind that both organisations are professional with the same shared values.

What gave you inspiration to collaborate with each other?

Yatama and DKM Blue have had a long-term working relationship and there was a lot of trust between the two organisations. To take on such a large project, custom design, distribution across multiple countries, tight lead time and a demanding customer, there had to be a level of trust and understanding between the two to ensure this was going to work. There was no option to not deliver or deliver late, etc. The job had a launch date and it had to be met so the lines of communication were wide open and both parties had to be willing to go beyond the norm to get this job completed, including multiple changes from the customer, middle of the night conference calls, etc.

What was the inspiration behind the product?

The promotion was around Christmas and Xbox gamers, so what better way to do this than to create a range of miniature lifelike replicas as Christmas tree ornaments. The promotion was a gift with purchase and they created so much buzz with customers going to specific stores to ensure they received a gift.

• Lastly, start the entry early, the entry really needs to be thorough and well thought out so you need time to ensure you put in your best effort.

Were there any challenges along the way that were overcome through your collaboration?

Like most large custom designed projects there were many challenges.

Firstly, the design: the Microsoft team wanted to create items that true gamers would be proud to display, they had to be a true and authentic replica.

Secondly, the approval process was across the Microsoft teams in both Sydney and New York, so time differences and strict brand guidelines were tricky to manage. Then, as most of us can relate to, tight lead times. Each challenge was managed by all stakeholders working closely together with open and honest communication.

What would you say to non-members who are considering joining APPA? APPA is an extremely important association to be a part of. APPA gives you an opportunity to gain valuable professional experience. It provides a network of peers you otherwise would not have.

Industry events, webinars and other educational events are also a benefit. But one of the most valuable aspects of investing in your APPA membership is that it shows potential customers you are a member of your industry association and you take your business seriously, it gives you an added level of legitimacy.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 19

APPA MEMBER UPDATE

Do We Really Need to Hide Our Suppliers?

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Paul Bergman Director Sales and Marketing Promo Brands

he “Packaged 2 Perfection Tour” set out to discover what would happen if you invited one of your clients to meet directly with a supplier.

One of the industry’s leaders in innovative ideas, Promo Brands, decided it was time to take a hands on approach to partnering with their distributors.

They created an idea of a co-hosted gift tour in which distributors could bring their clients to review products and brainstorm with the creative minds at Promo Brands.

“We wanted to create an immersive experience for the end user.” wrote Promo Brands Sales and Marketing Director Paul Bergman. “The idea was for Promo Brands and our distributors to come together for one common goal, generating ideas and opportunities.”

much fun coming up with ideas and co-hosting this with our distributors. It was a gold class experience.”

Many of the distributors seemed to share this sentiment providing the following feedback: “I invited a new corporate prospect and they connected with Paul immediately. The customer was so excited about this meeting that they sent through quite a substantial brief two days later! Amazing idea, when’s the next one?”

Key Account Manager, Blue Star Promote – Melbourne “Paul created a fantastic experience for our clients, who were excited about all his ideas.”

Account Manager, Promotive – Melbourne

The first leg of the tour targeted Melbourne and Sydney with just over one full day of private bookings in each metro. A hotel showroom was setup in each city with a specific theme geared towards corporate gifts and premiums. Distributors were able to book private one-hour time slots and invite an unlimited number of clients. Promo Brands Sales and Marketing Director, Paul Bergman, co-hosted the event with each distributor company, serving refreshments and creating a casual environment for brainstorming. “The event was setup as a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ where distributors could have me interact and brainstorm or just sit back and serve drinks and snacks” wrote Paul. “By far the most effective and opportunity generating meetings were those where distributors and I teamed up to brainstorm and really drill down into the needs of each client. The event was fantastic, and I had so

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“There are salesmen and then there are sales professionals! Paul’s greatest asset is his ability to seamlessly blend excellent product knowledge with a sales delivery that comes across as natural and appealing to customers. There is no ‘sales pitch’, there is just an understanding that purchasing makes sense.

My clients were blown away and I am confident serious sales will follow as a result. Great event Promo Brands!”

Business Development Director, Promotion Products – Sydney “Loved the concept and the attention to detail, and I LOVED the diamonds!”

Senior Account Manager, Winc – Sydney After the testing phase of this tour completes it is possible that Promo Brands will take the momentum and expand to other metros around the country. Paul advised, “We have distributors contacting us every day about Brisbane and Perth and the interest level is really impressive and exciting. We need to review all of the information and make sure we follow through with each and every opportunity, but I am definitely excited to consider taking this nationwide”.

Keep an eye out for the “Packaged 2 Perfection Tour” as it may very well be coming to a city near you soon.

APPA UPDATE

Introducing APPA Travel

APPA Travel

World-class services

APPA has partnered with the highly successful ITAG Travel Corporation. Designed to meet the travelling needs of APPA Travel members, we are a G RO U P full-service, licensed and accredited travel agency for business or leisure travellers in search Travel of inspiration planned by specialists who customise G RO U P options centred around your timetable, your interests and your individuality. We regularly offer a host of “first to market” travel deals plus a range of APPA Travel one-off specials to suit everyone.

As a member of the Independent Travel Group – Australia’s largest group of travel experts we offer consultation services, fares and itinerary options, exclusive one-off specials, exclusive rates for accommodation and transportation services, visa and entry facilities, discounted travel insurance rates, out of hours emergency assist… and much more.

ITAG ITAG

travel arrangements are fully protected via a ITAG TravelYour range of risk protection products and services, including

The benefits don’t just stop there!

• Consultation services

We will supply complete travel arrangements via our state-of-the-art online travel management reservations systems, delivered directly to your email inbox – e-tickets, itineraries, vouchers, receipts.

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supplier failure chargeback and merchant facility

• One-off specials

protection.

• Member only rates for accommodation and transportation services • Discounted travel insurance rates • Cruise specials • Tour specials.

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APPA Travel provides fantastic deals weekly, go to www.appatravel.com.au and subscribe to be notified of the latest specials and travel news that is exclusive to APPA members.

ITAG Travel G

Learn how to maximise your APPA membership by saving on your travel expenses now!

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For enquiries and to learn more about APPA Travel speak to us directly 1300 004 824 TODAY!

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 21

AUSTRALIAN SUPPLIER TO WATCH

Sara’s Garden As a brand new APPA member, tell us what being the winner of The Best New Product at CONVEX means to you?

Sara Farzan Founder

Being the winner was fantastic because it gave us tremendous confidence in our business and encouraged us to keep following our passion for creating unique products. We had many people come up to us after winning just to see our products, and nearly all of them were impressed and surprised by how different all our items were.

I work about 12 hours a day, but I try to take Saturday afternoon and Sundays off ☺️

Describe/outline your typical day • Breakfast while answering some emails.

• A couple of phone calls and more emails.

• Managing orders that need to be sent out that day.

• Booking couriers.

• Ordering supplies.

What three pieces of advice would you give to suppliers looking to enter the promotional industry?

• Product photography.

Research! The more you know about your industry, the more creative and innovative you can be with your products. Have amazing customer service to build long term partnerships with clients. Don’t be scared to try new things.

• More emails! Plus marketing and social media posts.

What kind of culture exists in your organisation? How do you establish this culture and why did you institute this particular type of culture?

We’ve worked hard to to cultivate a friendly, hardworking, open-minded and creative culture in our organisation because we truly believe that the only way to build a business (or live a life) is to do so in a positive fashion.

Everyone working at Sara’s Garden came from a corporate background and mostly felt, in those days, anxious about going to work because of the intensely impersonal corporate culture that existed in their respective office.

So when we started this business, we decided it was going to be fun, creative, outdoors and completely different to anything we’d done before.

How do you build a successful customer base?

• Daily walk.

• Accounting and invoicing.

• Checking on the health of our plants (watering/care).

• Gym and dinner.

• Think about creative collaborations etc before bed!

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?

I really admire Aesop, the cosmetics brand. They’re Australian and having high quality products is their most important goal.

They’re so innovative with each product and I love the way they present everything.

If you could meet one person from history, who would it be and why?

Since I’m from Iran, it would have to be Rumi, one of the greatest poets who ever lived.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

My Dad, who passed a way in 2017, is my greatest inspiration – he worked extremely hard in his life to give me a good education and upbringing. Two things I am benefiting from in incalculable ways now.

By maintaining excellent customer service and by being innovative – we’ve always believed that if we keep high quality, unique, up to date products, we can’t go wrong.

What book has inspired you the most?

(OR what is your favourite book?)

What motivates you?

Which key characteristics do you look for in a potential employee to fit in with your company culture?

Happy customers!

How do you generate new ideas?

By constantly getting feedback from our customers and studying the market.

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How many hours do you work a day on average?

The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle.

They must love working with plants (and insects!), pay attention to detail, and have an energetic/ positive attitude.

Which part of your APPA membership have you benefited from the most? Why? Definitely the APPA trade show! We were able to meet with customers face to face and showcase our latest products.

It was an amazing experience.

How do you promote growth and education within your organisation?

Just by making sure that everyone is doing the exact job they want to be doing. One of our catch phrases is “let love grow”, and we figured that if everyone is happy doing what they’re doing, things will grow. So far it has worked. We also want to set an example by sourcing products made with organic, recycled and recyclable materials, and encourage all our customers to learn about the materials our products are made from.

Can you name a person who has had a great impact on you as a professional? Why and how did this person impact your career?

My husband, who encouraged me to “follow my bliss” when I first came to Australia five years ago. He said that if I truly did follow what makes me happy, then I would love life and make money because if you love what you do, you can’t help but do it well and make others love it too.

How do you encourage creative thinking within your organisation?

Everyday we all go on a walk together as a team. If there’s something that needs brainstorming, we do it while walking and then put it up on a whiteboard under “creative ideas” when back in the office. We find generally that movement breeds creativity.

Luckily, a lot of what we do also involves being outside in nature, which is an inherently creative space.

Which is most important to your organisation and why – mission, core values or vision?

Core values, because without them you cannot be sure about where you’re going (vision) or how to get there (mission).

How do you or others in your organisation communicate core values?

In action and not just talking.

How do you ensure your organisation and its activities are aligned with your core values?

By reminding ourselves in action on a daily basis.

What advice would you give to someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Be flexible, focused, honest, clear and friendly.

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an industry professional?

We’re constantly collecting feedback from our clients and analysing market trends to see how we can best serve the needs of our industry.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 23

TAG HEADING

View the Indy Apron at: chefworks.com.au

24 – NOVEMBER 2018

2019 Tech Guide

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 25

2019 TECH GUIDE Brick Outdoor Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker – NOTTAGE

Atesso Light up Charge Cable – CAPRINA

Looking for a portable speaker? Take the Brick Outdoor Waterproof Speaker with you to the pool, on your hike, or to work. With 6-Watt output, a Bluetooth working range of 10 metres (33 feet), and a waterproof rating of IPX6, the Brick can fill any location with quality sound. Included with this product is a Micro USB Charging Cable and carabineer clip.

The Atesso 3-in-1 charge cable with its double-sided branding will bring your logo to life.

The cable is unique in that is anti-tangle and waterproof.

The LED you can have in a choice of different colours.

The three connectors of Type C, Lightening and Micro will ensure all electronic products stay charged. Customise the packaging with a coloured insert.

Chipolo Bluetooth Item Finder (CLASSIC V2) – STUDIO SILO

Lumos Light Up Power Bank – TRENDS COLLECTION This futuristic looking 4000 mAh power bank combines style with technology. Manufactured with a clean heather style, woven poly-canvas finish, it pulls in attention to its screen that illuminates the brand. The power bank can easily be recharged within a span of five hours and has a total lifespan of over 500.

To top it off, there is an EVA carry case that can be added upon request.

The Chipolo Bluetooth Item Finder is the smartest way to find your belongings.

Attach Chipolo to your important items and never worry about misplacing your products ever again.

Connect it to the free Chipolo App and double press it to make it ring the chosen tag on your phone.

Even if your phone was set to silent, not only will the Chipolo have your phone ring but the app will even remember when and where you last had them. With a replaceable battery and an estimated life of at least nine months, backed with the highest app store satisfaction ratings this item finder is a standout among its competitors. On product and in app branding opportunities, voice control with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa means this Chipolo Classic V2 is the perfect item for clients finding the next promotional product.

Hover Wireless Charger/Mouse Pad – LOGO-LINE The Hover Wireless Charger/Mouse Pad is the latest wireless charging technology combined with a functional mouse pad. With a huge print area that utilises edge to edge printing for bigger graphics, simply place the phone on the mousepad and… voilà!

The phone is instantly charging, no more fighting with tangled cables.

When you’re ready to head out, just pick up your phone with the peace of mind that it has been effortlessly charging the whole time without you even touching it. If your phone has wireless charging you will love this mouse pad!

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Visto – NULA TECHNOLOGY

LivNow 4K Action Camera in EVA Case – LOGO-LINE

Delivering high quality products and introducing unique ways to illuminate the user is the principal mission of Visto. Visto products protect cyclists; the “BA189 Brake Tail Light” with a built-in accelerometer activates a light when it senses a sudden deceleration, much like that of a car brake light. For runners, LEDs that clip to shoes or a jacket that flash at the speed they’re running. These products use the most advanced technology combined with smart, easy to use functionality to create innovative products that last.

Waterproof 4K Ultra Action Camera. Shoot superior quality 4K video and 20MP images. Tough as nails and waterproof to 30m, this action camera is small but packs a big 4K sensor and comes complete with an EVA carry case and huge accessory kit.

It also boasts Wi-Fi, loop recording, time lapse, slow motion and motion detection!

Universal Magnetic Car Mount – PROMO BRANDS

Lumi Light Up Speaker – CAPRINA The Lumi Light Up Speaker is a stylish and highly functional bluetooth speaker with a white LED to enable your logo to be illuminated once the product is engraved.

It comes with a PU leather handle and a beautiful black gift box. The three watts of output and its 500 mAh lithium polymer battery means it can play up to 3-4 hours of nonstop music.

Digital Photo Frame – YATAMA TECHNOLOGY Digital Photo Frames are great for office or home use and make a great executive gift.

Featuring a 7.8 inch LCD display, built-in speaker and kickstand. Supports photo and video formats (JPEG and MPEG). Supports USB flash drive and SD card inputs. Perfect for displaying corporate information or personal memories.

The Universal Magnetic Car Mount is the perfect car accessory.

This product fits easily into most car vents and contains a powerful magnet built in. Each mount is complete with two adhesive mounting plates to attach to your smart phone – 1 x circle (40mm d) and 1 x rectangle (45mm x 65mm) shaped plate.

Each mount engraves to showcase stunning mirror finish decoration. The Universal Magnetic Car Mount comes packaged in a black matte gift box with silver line drawing design.

Augmented Reality option for Magic Concepts and Rubik’s Ranges – THE PROMOTIONS BANK Augmented Reality technology can now be incorporated into selected products in our iconic Magic Concepts and Rubik’s ranges, creating an interactive 3D experience.

Using the simple AR Magic Experience app on any smart device, point the camera at your product and see your chosen video, picture, or webpage appear on the screen. AR technology allows you to interact with the real world through your phone enhancing the advertising potential of your brand.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 27

2019 TECH GUIDE Geo 5000 mAh Powerbank and Wireless Charger – NULA TECHNOLOGY

Bluetooth Speaker – ORSO

The Geo Powerbank and Wireless Charger, although compact, can charge a smartphone 1.5 times on a single charge. Manufactured with a Grade A battery means that this power bank has an extensive lifespan of over 500 charges and will retain a charge for up to a year. Available in several different colours to choose from, this will be one of the biggest growth areas for 2019.

This impressive speaker features a metal finish in gunmetal and silver with silicone bands available in red, cyan, blue, black and white to create a sleek, sophisticated look.

Complete with pushbutton controls for volume, play/pause, forward/reverse and power switch on the base of the device, this product also features 10 metres connectivity range and a built-in microphone for answering incoming calls from a mobile phone. Running on a 500 mAh rechargeable battery, charging time is just one hour with up to four hours of playback.

Dashboard Camera – ORSO Featuring a 30mm wide x 20mm high screen and swivel head, this dashboard camera will automatically begin recording when the driver starts the ignition.

The dashboard camera also comprises a loop recording G sensor, parking control function, infrared night vision function, and suction cap. The perfect addition to any vehicle!

500ml Light Bulb Shaped Plastic Bottle – PROMOCOLLECTION The creative light bulb water bottle is a great promotional giveaway product that will fit the needs of your clients who are after something special.

A trendy and modern item that is appealing and practical, it is far more than a water bottle as it doubles as a decorative vase!

Available in different capacities, you can also choose to print your company name or advertising slogan in the bottle.

RFID Blocking Sleeve – YATAMA TECHNOLOGY Keep your credit and bank cards safe from potential identity theft with this RFID blocking sleeve. Place your cards inside the sleeve to block potential theft.

Lightweight and functional, the sleeve easily fits into your wallet to keep your information safe.

28 – NOVEMBER 2018

Electra Light Up Power Bank – CAPRINA Slim and elegant in design the rubber coated power bank offers a light up logo that changes colour based on the remaining battery life.

The three colours indicate the different levels of battery; with green showing 100% battery and red showing little battery left.

Otherwise you can have a white LED with colour change referencing the battery life. The Electra Power Bank has a 5000 mAh lithium polymer battery and allows for quick charge with its 2.0 Amps of output.

Flexible USB Hub – YATAMA TECHNOLOGY This simple and easy to use USB hub is a functional and stylish gift.

Features 4 x USB ports with high speed data transfer. Flexible design that can be rotated freely with stylish metal trim. No external power or drivers required, simply plug in to your computer’s USB port and you are ready to go.

TPE Lanyard Charging Cable – PROMOCOLLECTION

True Sound Wireless Earphones – NULA TECHNOLOGY

Looking for the perfect lanyard?

The multi-purpose TPE Lanyard Charging Cable is the ideal advertising cable, featuring both charging and data transfer functions. Providing you with ABS locking head and snap hook, it is ideal to wear around your neck, excellent for trade shows, conferences, concerts, and more.

The TPE Lanyard Charging Cable also includes a combining micro USB and 8Pin connectors.

Make your brand a true trend setter with these wireless earphones.

With noise cancelling technology (CVC 6.0), a built-in microphone for taking phone calls, and an ergonomic fit, the True Sound Wireless Earphones deliver up to six hours playtime and powerful sound, making these an excellent premium giveaway. Branding on the buds or the travel case (which doubles up as the charging station for the buds) is ideal for displaying multiple marketing messages.

Mondo Travel Adaptor – CAPRINA The rubber coated Mondo Travel Adaptor is compact and stylish providing two USB ports with 2.4A output. With its single plug safety feature, built in safety shutters, integrated fuse and surge protection the Mondo provides you peace of mind by allowing you to connect to power outlets in more than 150 countries world-wide.

Suitable for use with smart phones, tablets, video cameras, hairdryers, shavers etc. and includes a zippered pouch and user manual.

Cylon Bluetooth Speaker – TRENDS COLLECTION The aesthetically pleasing Cylon Smart Bluetooth Speaker stands apart from others with a front speaker panel covered in a tasteful heather style fabric. It offers high definition stereo sound and is compatible with all mobile devices that support Bluetooth.

Cylon has a wireless connectivity range of over 10 metres and a playing time of approximately 3-5 hours. The unit is easily recharged from a laptop, a power bank or a USB mains adapter and is supplied with a Micro USB cable and an instruction leaflet.

Custom PVC Wireless Charger – PROMOCOLLECTION Action Camera – ORSO Whether you’re a casual video recorder or a full-time adrenalin junkie, this action cam is the perfect video recorder for all occasions. Boasting full HD1080 at 30 frames per second and a 1.5-hour battery life, it can be submerged up to 30m to get those dreamy underwater footage. There is a full range of mounting accessories for the action camera so that users can attach it to equipment for all activities.

Create your own unique wireless charger from 100 pcs and promote your branding with the latest in charging technology, complete with an indicator light and protection circuitry.

To charge your phone, simply connect the charger to any power source and place your phone on the top of it.

This product is compatible with phones that offer wireless charging – Apple 8, 8 Plus and X, and suitable for Samsung Galaxy S6, S7, S8, S9.

It is also available with an optional adapter for use with phones that don’t support wireless charging.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 29

2019 TECH GUIDE Gift Set with Charger, 4Gb Lacquered Rotate Flash Drive and Hawk Pen – NOTTAGE Looking for the perfectly practical present? This gift set consists of a 4000 mAh Multi-Purpose Charger, a Ballpoint Pen and a Rotate Flash Drive with Lacquered Clip in 4Gb. Available in black, blue or white, these three products are available for purchase in this set or as individual items.

Products are thoughtfully presented in a custom made 2-piece gift box with EVA insert.

Serpent 3-in-1 Charging Cable – PROMO BRANDS No longer will you have to cuddle up with your nearest power point with the Serpent 3-in-1 Charging Cable now available. Comprising a huge 3-metre cable, this product lets you charge at a distance.

In addition to the amazing length, the 3-in-1 charging unit is equipped with a micro USB, lightning connector and USB C adaptor.

This product includes plastic storage tube for easy storing when not in use.

Harmony Bluetooth Speaker Set – LOGO-LINE With a unique stereo sound which plays the same song from both speakers, the Harmony Bluetooth Speaker Set can pair to any Bluetooth device, and will play incredible HD clear sound for up to four hours. This set comes complete with charging station with magnetic charge connectors, and 700 mAh Lithium-Ion rechargeable batteries.

Power Bank Omega – ORSO A 10,400 mAh premium power bank with three USB ports for multiple device charging, the Omega provides a 10,400 mAh capacity and a 3100 mA automated total output. Featuring an aluminium branding plate with Epoxy dome full colour branding available, the Omega also comes with a fast charge 30cm microUSB cable, black pouch and is packaged in a windowed gift box.

30 – NOVEMBER 2018

Rugged Fabric Waterproof Speaker – NOTTAGE Enjoy your favourite music playlist regardless of your location! With a ten-watt output (2 x 5W) and digital sound processor, the Rugged Fabric Waterproof Bluetooth speaker is perfect for the pool, on your hike, or your next house party, and will fill any location with quality sound.

With a waterproof rating of IPX6, the durable Rugged Fabric Waterproof Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker can be left in a rain storm or fall into a body of water without any damage being done.

With a Bluetooth working range of 10 metres (33 feet), enjoy up to four hours of music at max volume on a single charge.

Charging time is minimal at 2.5hrs, and the built-in microphone and music controls make for easy, hands-free operation. Included with this product is a micro USB charging cable and carrying string.

Urban Explorer Gadget Zip Case – PROMO BRANDS This ultra-convenient zippered gadget case is perfect for storing all your tech accessories and charging cables on the go!

Elastic straps that criss-cross inside allowing you to store items of all different sizes. The Urban Explorer Gadget Zip Case features inside zippered mesh pocket and USB holder inside.

Maximum Inductive Charger Power Bank – LOGO-LINE Taking wireless charging to a new level, the Maximum Inductive Power Bank combines wireless charging with portability. The power bank comes with an inbuilt Type C, Android and iOS cable to cater for all users and boasts an A Grade 5000 mAh Li-Po battery for lightning charge times.

Chipolo Card – STUDIO SILO

Activity Tracker Premium 2 – NULA TECHNOLOGY

The Chipolo Card is the thinnest wallet finder and with its simple and sleek design it can fit anywhere. This card finder maximises branding space opportunities both on the product and in the app. Like all Chipolo products, you can use it to track and ring your phone even if it is on silent and vice versa; ring your Chipolo from your phone. Lost your wallet and think someone has picked it up? The Chipolo allows you to track your product and see it on the map and even integrates a community search function to aid in the process. To top it off, it can be voice controlled with both the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

The Activity Fitness Tracker Premium 2 is a top of the range retail quality tracker monitoring heart rate, calories, steps, sleep and even UV-rays. You can set up groups via the free of charge App to challenge friends, family or colleagues.

Connected to your smartphone it will keep you posted on incoming calls, WhatsApp, Tweets, social media and calendar activities via vibration and on-screen notifications.

Subtle laser engraving of your logo makes for an ideal business gift.

Orbit Wireless Charger – TRENDS COLLECTION The next generation 4-Watt Orbit Wireless Charger is compatible with devices that are enabled for QI wireless charging. It will charge most modern phones including iPhone 8 upwards, Samsung Galaxy S6 upwards, and many more! Simply plug it into any USB port or a mains adapter and place a compatible device on it for convenient wireless charging. The Orbit is supplied with an 80cm Micro USB cable and an instruction leaflet.

Infinity Pen – PROMO BRANDS Twist action aluminium barrel pen with simple sleek lines.

Stylus tip allows for use with tablets and smart phones while the pen is equipped with a Black German ink refill and TC ballpoint. Each Infinity Pen is boxed in a slide out white box and includes a adhesive Lycra pen pouch. The pouch has a 3M adhesive back that allows it to stick to most smooth/clean surfaces, perfect for storing the pen when not in use.

Aquablaster with Amazon Alexa – NULA TECHNOLOGY For the first time you can take Alexa anywhere. The aquablaster 7Watt speaker comes with a powerful passive sub bass and five hours of playtime. It is the first Bluetooth (4.1) solution that you can take out of your home network and simply connect via the App. The App connection gives you the freedom to take it with you, on your bike, in your car, up a mountain or the beach! Fully waterproof (IPX7) and drop tested this rugged but stylish design comes fully loaded with all the accessories to keep the music where you want it; hang, carry, strap or wall mount. Other features include handsfree microphone for taking/receiving calls and play/pause music.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 31

7

PRODUCT SAFETY

TOP

Tips for Buying Tech This Season

W

you are buying?

Paul Bergman 2017 APPA Young Achiever

e all know how popular tech items like power banks, Bluetooth speakers and electronic accessories can be during the holiday season, but do you really know what

With so many choices on the market, what do we look for? What safeguards have suppliers put in place to ensure that their tech products are up to snuff? What about quality and value versus price, how do we know what the best options are?

These are all very important questions when sourcing tech items for your customers and there are a few good tips you can use to make sure you are “in the know”.

1. Understanding battery capacity mAh stands for mili ampere hour and is a measure of the storage capacity of a battery.

This measurement is often seen listed on power banks and Bluetooth speakers. For power banks this measurement helps to determine how much charge you’ll get out of the battery before it needs to be recharged. As a rough guide (because all phone batteries are different) 2200 mAh will provide a boost of 25-40% to your phone and 4000 mAh will provide a boost of 70-85%. It is important to note that power banks with under 3000 mAh are not recommended for use with tablets.

2. Understanding charging cables and adapters The hottest trending charging cables are a “three in one” model, which is also sometimes called a universal charging cable. The new models are equipped with a micro USB, lightning adapter, and USB C. It is important to note that USB C is the newest adapter and many phone models are now migrating to utilise this style. While these cables and charging cords are very popular choices (and sometimes included with power banks) it is important to note that all mobile phone providers and manufacturers caution against the use of third party products. Repair warranties and contracts can be voided by using third party “off brand” cables when charging your mobile devices (although this can be quite hard for mobile phone providers to prove).

32 – NOVEMBER 2018

3. Understanding speaker watts and volume At first glance we might think that a 10W speaker will be twice as loud as a 5W speaker, but this is not true. The increase in decibels is only about 3dB and for a speaker to have a perceived volume increase of 100% you need to be at 10dB. So, while a 10W speaker will have a noticeably louder sound compared to a 5W it is by no means doubled.

4. Understanding safety symbols on tech products Different symbols to mark conformity and compliance to regulation are used around the world.

Some of the more commonly used symbols are below, and keep in mind if you are purchasing tech and none of these symbols are shown, I strongly suggest you verify compliance before placing your order.

RCM (Regulatory Compliance Mark) used in Australia. All Level 1, 2 or 3 electrical equipment offered for sale Registered Responsible providers.

Federal Communications Commission Declaration of Conformity used in USA. This certifies that the electromagnetic interference from the device is under limit.

UL Listed and Certified used globally (heavily in the USA). UL is a global leader in testing, inspection, certification, auditing and validation.

European Conformity used in Europe.

CE marking is a certification mark that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards.

5. Understanding safety and compliance

7. The “Defining Rule” of the tech market

When you place tech orders with your suppliers (especially for items containing rechargeable batteries like power banks and speakers) always ask for access to all the safety and compliance documentation. Testing, MSDS, handling forms and certifications are helpful documents to pass along to your clients. These documents can assist with import/export, general inquiries, safety concerns and in some cases are required for permitting travel of items containing rechargeable batteries.

Don’t try to explain, sell or market what you don’t fully understand.

Take the time to discuss and understand the features of each product with your supplier. Making assumptions in this category can be dangerous and without a complete understanding of what you are selling it is impossible to educate your client. Suppliers want to equip you with the knowledge to sell their products and investing a little time into this can have a big pay off in selling tech.

Here are a few examples of the questions you want to be asking.

“When was this product designed and inventoried?” (as technology advances itself quite rapidly each year). “What is the optimal operating conditions for this product?”, “What is this product compatible with?” “What is the life expectancy of this product with daily use?”, “What safety and compliance testing has been conducted on the product and/or its components, AND can I have a copy of this?”, “Does this product come with an instruction manual, AND can I have a copy emailed to me to review?” There are dozens of other questions you can ask, but this should get you started and in the mindset of doing a little research before making your offerings to clients.

6. Understanding pricing and value Technology is typically a category that is run with the golden rule of “you get what you pay for”. This is incredibly important to address when selecting options for your customers as chip technology, batteries, and “cool new features” tend to cost more and more as you dial up the quality. Cheap isn’t always cheerful, so make sure you are getting samples of the lower cost tech accessories to ensure your clients have realistic expectations. If you are purchasing a $4 Bluetooth speaker it will never compare to a $40 model and bargain hunters looking for tech items risk disappointment.

The One & Only Original TM

Identify with style PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 33

TECH APP UPDATE

Must Have Apps for 2019

A

ustralians love Apps!

According to Wave Digital (July 2017) Australians love them even more than most other countries. On average Aussies use 36 different Apps per month, that’s 20% more than the global average of thirty.

Paul Allen Director Nula Technology

Connected devices are increasingly becoming pivotal to the everyday consumer. They power the smart world we all live in. The connected consumer now wants to live in a connected city with optimised transport, a connected home which monitors air quality or re-order groceries, a smart desk which regulates the temperature of your beverage and connected cars which instantly play your favourite music and know your frequent routes.

All of this is managed through your connected device and multiple Apps.

According to Nielsen, 85% of our smartphone usage is in-App which equates to around an hour per day in Australia. This represents a fundamental shift in media consumption.

Global smartphone users are forecast to grow to 2.5 billion by 2019. With the anticipated launch of 5G and the continued accessibility of global mobile internet, people’s interest, engagement and dependency on Apps is only set to surge. Global mobile App store revenue reached $51 billion in 2016 and that’s predicted to double by 2020 given a sharp 138% increase of installed smartphones in the same period according to App Annie.

What does this mean for the promotional industry?

High quality promotional gifts will be increasingly bundled with smartphone Apps which opens up a wealth of opportunity for brands to use engaging and relevant content to continue to interact with the customer. Relevance is the heart and soul of the industry. If consumers are not offered a product that’s relevant and useful to their lifestyle and equally an App that works to the level they’re accustomed to, it’s a waste which leads to poor brand association, minimal brand recall (if any) and ultimately less brand affinity.

The number of people who use smart devices – such as fitness trackers, smart speakers, connected 3 4 – NOVEMBER 2018

gadgets for home, work, pets and many more has grown dramatically so let’s start offering people relevant products of the right quality in this space.

The majority of customers will soon (if they don’t already) prefer smart gadgets as promo gifts.

This innovative trend is quite affordable from a production point of view. The smart promo device category is set to vastly expand in 2019. To stay ahead, partner with suppliers who can not only provide the new smart solutions today, but do so with the highest levels of social compliance.

So, what are the App-based promotional products on the market, how can you position them to brands and how can you ensure there’s considerable exposure?

The easiest thing to do is break this down by need; fitness, health, security, convenience, time management or simply lifestyle.

Think about your client’s industry and consider accessories that complement their environment, enhance their lifestyle or provide access to consumer data they otherwise wouldn’t have had. By presenting your clients with smart App-based promotional products you’re not only likely showing them something new (and I know we all get the “What’s new?” question) but also positioning yourself as tech smart thought-leaders!

Health and wellbeing This range is far reaching; it not only resonates with brands in this everyday category but in fact any organisation that values the wellbeing of their customers and staff.

The modern consumer is increasingly demanding that brands are mission-driven, they have a purpose, they give back to a cause and act responsibly on behalf of their customers and shareholders. Health and wellbeing products are a quick and meaningful

way for brands to meet this consumer demand. One of the hottest products on the market is the “Activity Fitness Tracker”, these can measure your heart rate, calories, steps, sleep and even UV-rays with the data stored on the App. Some of the premium versions enable you to set up groups to challenge colleagues, friends, family and create league tables for the most active by week/month. We have smart thermos flasks and coasters that monitor your hydration.

These clever gadgets link via Bluetooth and an App to alert you when to drink and advise on hydration levels.

Security and safety The more gadgets and valued possessions we all have, the heightened need for more security or anti-loss protocols. There are some great products on the market that tick all these boxes. Smart Bluetooth padlocks are great for securing your bags or briefcase when travelling with locks operated via Bluetooth and an App. They’re small and easy to use but give the user an extra safety measure everyone needs.

With more everyday devices we need some loss-prevention.

Anti-loss alert technology in the form of a discreet smart gadget

which connects to your keyring or bag, notifies you if you misplace or leave a precious device – how convenient! So, the next time you walk away with your keys, but leave your phone behind the product alerts you via an alarm. The premium models come with enhanced functionality including last known location and GPS that tracks the tags, camera remote and even voice recording.

A summer hit What better product to present to the Australian and New Zealand market than an accessory that will turn them into a BBQ superhero!

With summer around the corner the barbies will be firing up and to make sure it’s all cooked to perfection we have BBQ smart thermometres. This App based wireless thermometer makes grilling and smoking easier, more convenient, faster and a whole lot smarter. Simply plug the probe of the thermometer into the meat, choose the food type and how you want it cooked. Then via the multi language App on your phone, you can see the real-time status of the meat up to 10 metres away. An alarm will go off when the food is ready, it couldn’t be easier!

Bon Appetit to your colleagues and customers.

STUNNING QUALITY AMAZING PRICES STOCK STYLES EXTENSIVE STANDARD RANGE OF STYLES

CUSTOM

YOU DREAM IT... WE’LL BUILD IT

– Caps and hats in this catalogue – Available plain off the shelf for pick-up or despatch today – Decorating, Printing & Embroidery – Tell us when you need it, we love urgent orders!

– Limitless choice – Great price saving – 144 piece minimum – We also customise bucket hats, beanies & visors

SUPER FAST OFFSHORE PRODUCTION 14-21 DAY DELIVERY FROM SAMPLE APPROVAL*

AMAZING EXPRESS PRODUCTION FROM CHINA, 3-4 WEEKS DELIVERY FROM SAMPLE APPROVAL

– Lower cost than stock styles & substantial cost saving for multi-position embroidery – Styles as per this catalogue – Complex fine detail and 3D embroidery – Stunning low minimum order quantities

– Minimum 144 Caps – Over 530 Styles, with 1000’s of colours – No limit on embroidery positions – Catalogue & price list available – Complex fine detail and 3D embroidery

*Subject to fabric availability

PERTH, ADELAIDE & NT T: (08) 9244 2688 E: hsw@headwear.com.au

MELBOURNE T: (03) 9562 8100 E: hsv@headwear.com.au

SYDNEY T: (02) 9838 9122 E: hsn@headwear.com.au

headwear.com.au BRISBANE T: (07) 3272 9777 E: hsq@headwear.com.au

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 35

APPA SERVICE PROVIDER UPDATE

Embroidered E-Textiles ZSK Australia

A playground for everyone Nowadays, the integration of electronics into textiles is a playground for textile, electronic and mechanical engineers as well as for people in the textile and fashion industry. However, the most prominent question asked by these developers concerns how to integrate the electronics into the textile in a production efficient way. Embroidery is the answer!

Through a single embroidery process, the electronic boards can be placed on the fabric and connected with conductive threads. The connection is reliable and fully automatic. Existing electronic boards like the Adafruit Playground boards (see Piano) or the especially for embroidery developed ZSK-E-TexBoards (see Dashboard) can be integrated into the textile to functionalise the fabric.

The piano example shows a prototype for the integration of an Adafruit board into a textile embroidery design. The piano keys are embroidered with conductive thread (Madeira HC 40) and each piano key is connected by embroidery with the Adafruit Playground board. Once you touch the piano keys, the Adafruit board plays the corresponding tone of the music scale. This way you can use it like a small textile piano. All connections are automatically embroidered by a ZSK embroidery machine.

36 – NOVEMBER 2018

for 175 € which includes cord, board, sensors and connections.

The Adafruit boards are electronic boards created for hobbiest and developers. Their design is especially practical for manual connections through hand sewing. Therefore, the Adafruit boards are very rigid, thick, and not optimised for an embroidered electrical connections. Furthermore, many applications require an electronic board that can control more capacitive touch sensors or motion sliders than the Adafruit boards. Furthermore, the sensors must be electrically designed in a way that they work even through foam and leather to control integrated LEDs. Because of the aforementioned limitations of the existing boards, ZSK developed its own ZSK-E-TexBoard. This board is especially designed to be used for embroidery. With its small size of Ø 40 mm and 2 mm thickness, the integration into a fabric is easier than ever.

The power supply (Mini USB) and programmer port is on a separate board which can also be attached to the fabric by embroidery. The flex data cable between these two parts can easily be covered over and hidden with standard embroidery as well. The E-Tex Board can control up to 19 LEDs depending on how many of the 14 sensors for control you have in use.

The conductive paths between the piano keys and the board connections are covered with a non-conductive embroidery thread to protect the conductive material against mechanical stress and to integrate even the connections into the design by using a colour similar to the fabric colour.

If you are interested in creating your own prototypes by using the ZSK-ETex- Board, you can buy these boards for 150 € at ZSK.

Even the USB cable, necessary for power supply, is integrated in the design by embroidery. A covering satin stitch over the USB cable integrates the cable into the design and protects the cable against unplugging. If you want to play with your own embroidered textile pianos, you can buy a piano

Functions: by sliding a finger over button 1 (Navi), 2 (Tel) or 3 (MP3), the LED 1, 2 or 3 will light up. By using the slider on the left side, by sliding over it the LED 4, 5 and 6 will light up. These sensors inputs can be easily modified by the purchaser to match their own custom project requirements.

A sample prototype obtained with the ZSK-E-TexBoard is used in a demonstration piece for a car dashboard with integrated LEDs.

by

APPA MEMBER UPDATE

Nottage – 25 Years of Innovation

N

ottage has been an industry leading supplier in the promotional industry for 25 years. Their three product ranges; The Range, Elevate and Bulletline carry an incredible 2,000 items which grew from an original product range of only 10 compendiums and office products. Touring Nottage last month, I was awestruck by the size and volume of stock being held in the 4,000 sqm purpose built facility, and as Chris was to inform me, the stock I was seeing was only from one range. Spending time with brothers Chris and Jonathan Terry, co-managing directors and owners of Nottage, it was clear to see their years of experience had not dimmed their enthusiasm – and it was contagious. We moved from one kitted out room to the next until we settled in the showroom where many products were expertly exhibited in categories for distributors and their clients to arrange a time to come and view. We sat with Jonathan and Chris and asked them to tell us about their journey so far.

Did you have a vision of the Nottage we see today when you first started the business?

Did you realise its potential?

JT Yes I guess we did. We had come from the stationery industry and always admired the larger wholesalers. We wanted to develop “The Range”

by Nottage into a recognised brand in the corporate market renowned for its innovation, quality and service.

I think we have been successful in achieving this.

Tell us about your impressive new location, how is it different, what are the improvements from your previous site?

CT We identified a couple of years ago that we would outgrow our facility, so went looking for a new facility that would allow us to grow. Our new facility is a Goodman Commercial property close to Olympic Park

(in Sydney). The position is great with easy access for couriers to major freeways and centrally located for our distributors. We built an open plan office with meeting areas and showroom which is inviting to distributors. The showroom is designed for distributors to use and bring their customers to view our product range. A number regularly hold showcases in the showroom utilising our facilities including the full kitchen. We racked our high storage warehouse and designed the layout with easy flow of orders into our purpose built printing shop. We will in time expand on the different forms of decoration we offer. Our new facility is large enough to accommodate our ever-expanding range.

What are the top three changes that you have seen in the industry and how it functions since the inception of Nottage?

JT The move to in-house decoration has been the biggest change since our inception. When we started, most wholesalers simply sold product and the distributors were the experts in how to decorate.

The diversity of product has also changed significantly, you only have to look at the clothing offered today compared to the early 90s. I see this continuing in the future as our market changes with society. Another change is the development and importance of online selling within our industry and its rapid advancement.

As the next generation have entered the workforce and become buyers of promotional merchandise, the way they want to buy has changed which in turn affects our marketing and the way we do business.

As a company we have heavily invested in this space to provide online services and to make it easier for distributors to market our products. We are launching our new www.niconcept.com.au website in November which will reset the bar for promotional suppliers.

If you could educate the industry on one thing, what would it be?

JT How to upsell and not chase the cheapest products on the market. The consumer deserves and demands better quality, on trend products to put their name to. The most successful promotional distributors in Australia are those that understand their customers’ needs.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

CT Our families. Our father John started Nottage and instilled in us a strong work ethic, the need to understand changing markets not just in Australia but also overseas and respect for all parts of the

3 8 – NOVEMBER 2018

supply chain from our vendors through to our customers. We were very fortunate to work so closely with John for many years before his passing late last year. It is also great to see the next generation start to become involved, whether in the warehouse, on the forklift or working a tradeshow, they are learning the business in their spare time from university or school.

Which is most important to Nottage and why – mission, core values or vision?

CT We believe it is difficult to separate all three and they go hand in hand.

How do you ensure Nottage and its activities are aligned with the above?

JT We remain true to ourselves as a company and keep a strong work ethic. These core values keep the mission and vision clear.

JT APPA Roadshows and CONVEX. We love engaging our distributors and showing them our new and innovative products.

JT Learn the industry first and understand how to sell into it. It’s a hard slog and you need to stick at it to succeed.

CT Nottage is a proud exclusive partner with Polyconcept in Australia and New Zealand. Polyconcept are a global organisation with PCNA in North America, PF Concepts in Europe and partners throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Our partnership gives us a number of benefits including access to an amazing product range, a professional product development team, unique brands, strict quality control and quality engineering advice. With the increasing need for better product compliance, safety, quality and social accountability, we are also able to utilise these resources from the largest wholesaler of promotional products in the world.

And finally, what impact do you want to make/ what mark would you like to leave on the industry? And why is that important to you?

Which part of your APPA membership have you benefited from the most? Why?

What piece of advice would you give to suppliers looking to enter the promotional industry?

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow, develop and remain relevant in the industry’s ever-changing landscape?

JT We owe a lot to the promotional industry and to APPA as our industry body and have tried to give back where possible. John, Jonathan and Chris have served on Regional and National boards and have been actively involved in most industry initiatives over the years. We want Nottage to be seen as increasing the professionalism of the industry, improving quality and compliance of products while offering a wider choice.

Promotional products are a large and effective part of the advertising market and we want our products and services to support that place in the market.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 39

APPA MEMBER MILESTONES

Member Milestones Disrupt Sports A win for Disrupt Sports this quarter has been the launch of their “Ecomm On Demand App” which now plugs into Shopify and Magento client stores, meaning distributors can design items and put them in the web stores. When ordered, Disrupt make and blind ship them without the distributor having to touch the products.

we are proud to have Robert launch his first podcast focused on the promotional industry. His special first guest is Bill Petrie from PromoCorner USA, in what is a totally unscripted podcast, it’s a bit of light-hearted fun and insight into the industry between Australia and the USA. Please post your feedback, share, comment, and keep listening, as Robert will launch another one in November and one in December! Some great speakers are coming on board so keep an eye out for great content!

Logo-Line

Chef Works and Entity Brands Chef Works and Entity Brands are delighted to welcome Mike Lyne as their marketing manager. Mike comes with extensive experience in the B2B garment industry, notably as national brand manager for Fully Promoted (formerly Embroidme), along with experience in the advertising and media industry.

“Having managed a B2B garment store myself, I’m excited these proven global brands are now available to our customers” says Mike. “I can’t wait to work with everybody on the shared goal of building the brands in the Australian market.”

Promo Bags Online Promo Bags Online has sadly said goodbye to long term employee Kristie Thompson after 11 years with the business. We wish her well and all the best in her future endeavors.

Taking over the role of Sales Manager is Johnny Rechchi who has over 30 years’ experience in the sales and hospitality industry. Being here only a short time Johnny has already made a positive impact on the company with his energetic and positive attitude “I am looking forward to getting out on the road meeting everyone in person,” he says.

Your Brand Unleashed After years of listening to podcasts from people such as Bill Petrie, Kirby Hasseman, Promo Kitchen and PPAI in the US, Robert has finally decided to take on the challenge and launch his own podcast for the Australian promotional industry. It took 12 months of thinking – what topics to pick, who to get on board, what to say, the target audience and ultimately deciding to bite the bullet. So, for 2018,

40 – NOVEMBER 2018

NEW NEW NEW – it’s all happening at Logo-Line. New refreshed Logo – to create a new beginning with new owners Simon Atkinson and Jason Turk. New third premises – Logo-Line have moved their screen-printing services into a dedicated facility, complete with dark room, separate lunch room and warehouse. New solar panels – they care about the environment and are working towards reducing their carbon footprint. To achieve this, Logo-Line have installed numerous solar panels to help power their expanding Queensland facility.

Personalised Freight Solutions For the fourth year in a row, Personalised Freight Solutions has been nominated as a Finalist in the Redlands Business and Retail Awards. This year they are in the running for Best Micro Business, which they won last year and are hoping to repeat this year. The Awards dinner will be held on 23 November and will be attended by leading businesses within the Redland City community.

Display Systems Australia – 30 Years of Innovation John Previtera developed the BannerBug 18 years ago.

John says – “Display Systems Australia started 30 years ago. We were one of the original display companies back in those days when you could buy a pop-up display or panel system with fabric on the panel and you attached graphics with Velcro. At the time everything was made in Australia. That sort of solution based Portable Display company has disappeared apart from a couple of us.” Back in the 90s Display Systems used to farm out all of the printing. They would do a lot of murals for pop-ups using photographic processes. Obviously, digital became big in the 90s and in the late 90s John thought he could do it himself as machines became more reliable. When banner stands came on the market he

developed BannerBug, which they still manufacture here in Sydney and continue to export and sell locally – which we can’t believe has now been around for 18 years. Display Systems produce four to five hundred banner stands per month plus export, a clear indication of how strong DSA and BannerBug has been in that market.

Honeycomb When Jane Hamilton started Events Plus back in 2004, it was a small home-based business. Now, as word has spread of their creativity and exceptional service, they’ve engaged more clients and the team has grown. Twelve months ago, Honeycomb moved into their bigger office (which is now already bursting at the seams) and now, to acknowledge how far they’ve come and their big plans for a bright future, it was time to launch a new name!

Now known as the Honeycomb Agency, they are incorporating their specialised divisions, Honeycomb Promotional Products, Honeycomb Corporate Stores and Honeycomb Sponsorship Activation. Like a honeycomb, their divisions are connected to offer a more complete, streamlined service to clients. Honeycomb are grateful for the continued support from suppliers and the promotional products community and look forward to further building on these relationships as Honeycomb.

Sands Promotions Sands Promotions, the distributor based at Allambie Heights in Sydney, has acquired Prominent Profile.

The two companies have a long and distinguished history in the promotional product industry with Howard Jones, Managing Director of Sands Promotions, and Deborah Weller, Managing Director of Prominent Profile having both served on the APPA board of directors. The company will continue trading as Sands Promotions and will operate from its offices and warehouse facility at Allambie Heights. Deborah Weller will remain involved in a business development and consulting role.

“This is an exciting phase in the growth of our business that will deliver dividends to our clients and supply chain alike through an improved client offering and consolidation,” says Howard.

Banners Ink Congratulations to Banners Ink who are celebrating their eighth birthday. These valued members are a fixture at every APPA event.

To celebrate they are launching their new premises where they will have ample warehouse space for all their amazing products.

90Mile A Gippsland business has thrown its support behind the campaign to help Australian farmers affected by drought – and it’s doing so with t-shirts.

Gippsland’s sublimation and 3D printing specialists 90Mile have designed and produced a range of t-shirts and stickers to raise much-needed funds for Australian primary producers.

90Mile director Melissa Churches said all proceeds from the sale of the t-shirts and stickers are being donated to Blaze Aid. “My partner and I are farmers ourselves. We’ve got a small farm with 300 ewes and lambs in East Gippsland,” Melissa said.

“The team at 90Mile wanted to do something to help out and are now calling on our APPA Family to strengthen the campaign”.

“Many hands make light work, and our industry combined, have exceptional coverage, exposure and influence to assist in really making a positive impact for our Aussie Farmers. There are businesses across Australia doing what they can to help and this is our industry’s way of pitching in”.

The motif on the t-shirts and stickers was created by 90Mile’s graphic designer Sam Wilkie.

Promatica Congratulations to Promatica who are celebrating their 30th year in business.

www.PromoEssentials.com.au

For 30 years Promatica have been supplying the promotional industry with great customisable promotional products, which many will have seen at APPA tradeshows.

P R O M O T I O N A L P R O D U C T S M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E – 41

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY UPDATE

Revolutionising the Canadian Promotional Products Industry through Strategic Partnerships

T

he association that represents the promotional products industry in Canada is changing the way it operates, starting by establishing strategic partnerships with its counterparts south of the border.

In doing so, it is delivering one comprehensive membership solution to promotional products distributors and suppliers in the Canadian marketplace.

Earlier this year, Promotional Product Professionals of Canada (PPPC) made the exciting announcement of a strategic partnership with Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), the North American industry’s largest not-for-profit association based in the United States, and with SAGE, the industry’s leading technology provider.

Prior to the strategic partnerships with PPAI and SAGE, PPPC offered its members standard benefits related to networking and professional development, and a product search engine that was somewhat unreliable. Now with PPPC’s relationship with PPAI and SAGE though, its members will receive SAGE’s leading technology solutions and access to PPAI’s programs and resources – all by paying one PPPC membership.

About PPPC, PPAI and SAGE PPPC Founded in 1956, PPPC is the not-for-profit association of suppliers and distributors of promotional products in Canada. Its mission is to lead, inspire and advance the $1.8-billion industry through the strength of more than 6,000 companies involved in the industry and their 20,000+ employees across Canada. PPPC hosts several industry tradeshows across Canada every year, as well as a National Convention, attended by thousands.

PPAI Founded in 1903, PPAI is the world’s largest and oldest not-for-profit association serving more than 15,000 corporate members of the $23.3-billion promotional products industry, which is comprised 42 – NOVEMBER 2018

of more than 40,500 businesses and a workforce of more than 500,000 professionals. PPAI operates The PPAI Expo, the industry’s largest annual trade show.

SAGE Based in Addison, Texas, SAGE is the leading provider of information, marketing and business management solutions to the promotional products industry. SAGE is also the exclusive technology partner of PPAI and PPPC.

Why a partnership?

The idea for forming strategic partnerships emerged out of feedback from PPPC’s members. “We’ve spent the last number of months listening to our members and hearing exactly what they were asking for,” said Heidi Reimer-Epp, chair of the PPPC board of directors, when the partnership was announced in June of this year. “From there, we formulated our three goals for this year: providing our members with proven technology solutions, enhancing the value of our membership, and hosting tradeshows that are worth attending.”

Collaborating with like-minded organisations is also a growing trend among associations. In partnering with PPAI and SAGE, PPPC is taking steps to modernise its approach to the way it conducts its operations as a non-profit trade association “I think this is really representative of how organisations are not only looking forward to what their members need today, but what they need going forward,” says Paul Bellantone, CAE, President and CEO of PPAI. “We think that this is an opportunity for us to marshal our resources together, to grow, and protect the industry in ways we haven’t been able to do before.”

SAGE too can offer PPPC members some solid improvements in the way of technology enhancements. “SAGE has been the leader in bringing business management tools to the industry for over 26 years,” says David Natinsky, MAS, President of SAGE. “Given our experience in the industry, as well as our specific experience in the

SAGE supplier benefits PPPC supplier members can also take advantage of some key benefits through SAGE: they receive a SAGE Advantage Membership, which allows them to upload their data and verify their products in the user-friendly SAGE database, update their product and business information, and access marketing and advertising opportunities across all SAGE platforms and on distributors’ websites.

From L-R: Dale Denham, Board Chair, PPAI; Heidi Reimer-Epp, Board Chair, PPPC; Paul Bellantone, CAE – President and CEO, PPAI; and Jonathan Strauss, President and CEO, PPPC.

Overwhelming response

Canadian market, we’re confident that we can provide the tools and services that PPPC’s members have been craving to help them succeed in the Canadian promotional products market.”

New benefits for members, old and new One exciting part of the new partnerships is the growth that PPPC has seen in membership numbers.

By establishing this partnership, over 450 new distributor members have been added to the association, which represents an almost 70% increase in distributor members for the association!

Growing its base of distributor members will benefit supplier, multi-line and associate members, and will help grow PPPC tradeshows and events.

Another exciting added benefit that members can enjoy is the technological services of SAGE. SAGE is now offering many tailor-made features for the Canadian promotional products industry, including expanding its French language support, servicing PPPC’s French-speaking members.

Features for all members include distributor research and business management, client-facing email campaigns and distributor and company store websites, to name a few.

Indeed, these are very exciting times for the association and the promotional product industry in Canada. Since June, PPPC members have responded positively to the added benefits, and many have realised the incredible value that the partnership has brought to the association. Meanwhile, PPPC leadership is making plans for the future, looking for ways to deepen its relationship with PPAI and SAGE. “These are exactly the partnerships we’ve been looking for to help our members grow their businesses and strengthen the promotional products industry in Canada,” says Jonathan Strauss, President and CEO of PPPC. “Our members (were) telling us they need a technology solution that works, and we’re excited to have a proven partner with SAGE. We’re also looking forward to continuing to learn from all the success of PPAI and working together to grow our programs and services.”

For more information on PPPC, visit www.pppc.ca.

SAGE distributor benefits With the new partnership, PPPC distributor members now receive subscription to SAGE Total Access, which provides distributors with a suite of product research, presentations, CRM, order management and virtual sampling solutions.

In addition, distributor members receive a PPAI membership, providing access to educational resources, networking opportunities, legislative initiatives, and various business-saving benefits.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 43

AUSTRALIAN DECORATOR TO WATCH

Doree Embroidery and Screen Printing Tell us what being the winner of The Best APPA Decoration Services Award means to you?

Doree has been known for its quality of decoration and services for many decades and it means a lot to us to see that being recognised at a national level.

More so, it motivates our entire team to keep up the good work and keep pushing those boundaries in quality and service.

Prashant Giri Managing Director

What three pieces of advice would you give to decorators looking to enter the promotional industry?

1. Building trust: a very slow process but one of the most important aspects of any B2B business model. This is the part where your client can rely on your quality and service. I believe this is the foundation for longevity in this industry.

2. Attention to details: superior quality is the sum of various small things done well. It’s easy to get the large part of a logo correct however it is the smaller details which is hard to achieve, but once perfected it is what makes a logo pop. It is the difference between a good logo and a great one.

3. Transparency: either by an automated system like we have at Doree or by manually making your client aware of the production status of their product to give them peace of mind.

What kind of culture exists in your organisation?

How do you establish this culture and why did you institute this particular type of culture?

Our organisation is built on a strong family culture and we consider ourselves and operate as a big family. Once clients join us they become part of that family. Doree began its operation in 1934 and was run by one family until it was handed over to another in 2016. Its operations have always been very personal to its owners with their own kids growing up in and around the business on a day-to-day basis.

Working as a team we believe the family culture of operation gives our employees and clients a sense of trust where they believe that they can approach us without any hesitation and also work with greater satisfaction. For a client, they tell us how urgently they need something and sometimes they can get their things done while waiting in our lunch room having a cup of coffee. Across all our products we never charge extra if there is something that needs to be done urgently. For our staff they take a great sense of pride and ownership in their work and strong employee satisfaction from this culture is 4 6 – NOVEMBER 2018

evident in the long serving experienced team we have with us. For any organisation to work properly we do have a very structured system but operating within a family culture we listen to the needs of our family and we make ways to accommodate those needs for the mutual benefit of everyone involved.

How do you build a successful customer base?

A successful customer base is only possible after you build a trustworthy relationship. There is no such thing as quick money and in my opinion if you try to make quick money due to your client’s situation then you may lose customers and will constantly be looking for new ones.

Our customers place a lot of trust and faith in our service and quality and our open communication.

Sometimes honest and open communication is all it takes to make sure that your client base stays strong.

How do you find people to bring into your organisation that truly care about the organisation the way you do?

We have been blessed to have such a wonderful team who appreciates the family values that we have implemented. We genuinely care about our staff members and their wellbeing and support them at work as well as outside work in whatever capacity we can. This is the best part of a family culture that everyone looks after each other and cares for the success of the organisation.

What motivates you?

Apart from my family, which is the primary reason that we do anything, it’s the zeal for doing things the best way possible that motivates me. Sometimes we spend hours on a $2 logo to get it right but the satisfaction we achieve from the final result is something that is priceless.

How do you generate new ideas?

The constant belief in our abilities and the willingness to push our boundaries by innovation. I give a lot of credit to my clients for a lot of new ideas. Due to our diverse client base and our open communication we constantly have clients coming to us with their requests and we do our best to find ways to satisfy them.

I have always believed that any company specialised in a particular service should not only be a service provider but should use their experience and skill to become a solution provider.

Describe/outline your typical day My typical day starts with dropping my 5-year-old daughter to school. Those 10 minutes when we get to chat and sing along alone together on the way is priceless. Once I get to work I meet and greet each of my staff members including those on the production floor to make sure they feel I am available to them if they need me personally.

My next most important task is to respond to customer queries and do quotes which spreads sporadically over the day. The rest of the day is governed by what’s entered in my diary or assisting staff to help them achieve the high standards we strive for.

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?

I really admire businesses which are connected to social welfare.

If you could meet one person from history, who would it be and why?

Having Indian upbringing and culture deeply rooted within me I would be delighted to meet King Rama who ruled the Indian kingdom over 7,100 years ago. In Hindu culture he was considered as reincarnation of God because of his character and idealism. He was a king and considered as the most ideal leader, ideal husband, ideal son, ideal parent, ideal brother. In short he was known as the ideal human being.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

I believe that my greatest inspiration will always be my Dad who despite having great financial troubles and raising seven children, made great sacrifices for my education and raised me with strong family values to be the person that I am today.

Have there been any major changes within the industry within the past five years that have influenced how you operate today. How did you handle these?

There has been a lot of changes in the industry over the past few years. The lack of support of the Federal government towards the manufacturing sector especially in the textile industry has resulted in other countries taking control of textile and embellishment supply which has greatly affected the way we have to operate.

The government policy resulted in the shutdown of Pacific Brands causing a loss of 1,800 jobs. Pacific Brands were our biggest client due to our service and quality. We managed to survive and thrive in this business atmosphere by making sure that we stick to our core values which are providing great service and quality.

What do you foresee for the future of the promotional industry within the next 10 years?

As an optimistic person trying to look on the bright side of every scenario I believe that this is the industry for forever and will always thrive.

The digital marketing and social media campaign has only added to this ever-thriving industry and it can not be replaced by anything else. The form of promotional products may change due to advancement of technology but at the core it is a thriving industry.

Which key characteristics do you look for in a potential employee to fit in with your company culture?

Someone who is willing to work hard, take pride in their work and can work loyally as part of a team.

Which part of your APPA membership have you benefited from the most? Why? By participating in the trade show I got to meet so many new people.

Not only customers but also fellow businesses within the industry which has greatly expanded my business network. No business operates autonomously and there is so much to be learnt even from your competitors. Also the regular webinar and newsletters have been of immense help.

How do you promote growth and education within your organisation?

For a new employee we act as a mentor and give them proper training and enough opportunity to learn the particular job that they are hired for. Sometimes I come up with innovative ideas as part of problem solving for our customers which forces all of us to learn new things. We provide full flexibility in terms of work hours for our existing employees when they are studying and upskilling themselves.

Can you name a person who has had a great impact on you as a professional? Why and how did this person impact your career?

My professional career is varied and expansive. Being a business owner and manager is something I have only been involved in since purchasing Doree in 2015 and for the 20 years prior to that I was working in underground coal mining where I reached significant professional milestones.

Along the way there have been so many people who helped me to achieve my career aspirations. In this new business atmosphere I am constantly learning every day from my staff, customers and even competitors. But I must say across all these changes my wife Chavani has had the greatest impact on my life as a professional.

Her constant motivation and support has really driven me to push my boundaries and achieve greater things. She has proven the ageold saying that there is always a woman behind a man’s success.

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an industry professional?

We are in the process of expansion and the biggest thing for any expansion is to make sure that the groundwork is solid and ready for the expansion. We have extended our range of product offerings by introducing new machines and innovations using those same machines. We do have a big vision for Doree and each day we are moving towards that vision. As mentioned earlier we are doing a big overhaul of the entire system at this stage to ensure that our system can accommodate that expansion.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUC T S MARKE TING MAGA ZINE – 47

2018 APPA LE ADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Give Up the Need to Be Right

T Martin Grunstein Voted best speaker 2018 APPA Leadership Conference

he need to be right is a basic psychological human need and it is the catalyst for destruction of relationships, both personal and business. How innate is it?

See whether you relate to this as a parent.

You catch your toddler drawing with crayons on the wall. They have the crayons in their hand and a guilty smile on their face. You say to your little angel “Who did that?” and what does your child reply? “Not me, mummy!” I have given this scenario to audiences at many conferences and the response is almost universal – they can all relate to the above example.

Why? Because our need to be right, or more correctly, our need not to be proved wrong, is fundamental, and psychologists say that the younger your child is when he/she starts to lie, the more intelligent he/she is.

How does that apply to customer service? Very directly. Say you are the owner of a restaurant and a customer says the food is terrible. Your first instinct as a human being is to defend yourself from the heinous accusation. You may tell the customer that the chef is world renowned or that you have won awards for your food AND THAT IS THE WRONG THING TO DO and is more likely to lead to you losing that customer than the quality of the food itself.

Our need to prove ourselves right at the expense of the customer is the single major obstacle to becoming a business with a reputation for outstanding customer service.

The adage “the customer is always right” is definitely not true. Many times the customer is wrong and sometimes they are a pain in the neck. But the customer must walk away THINKING they are right if you want them to come back. And if there is a complaint, the customer must be able to save face as well as have the complaint resolved if they are to be a customer again in future. When customers are spending their money in any situation, fundamental to the relationship is that their ego is preserved during the experience by everyone they come in contact with.

If we stick with the restaurant theme, my wife and I were out at a restaurant with another couple and the waiter was taking our drinks order. I ordered a Coke and the waiter said they didn’t have Coke, they had Pepsi. I said that’s fine. I then said to my friends that I remember from my old marketing days that Pepsi used to beat Coke in blind product tests and most people couldn’t tell the difference anyway.

The waiter corrected me. He said that he had also

4 8 – NOVEMBER 2018

studied marketing and the recent evidence is that Coke beats Pepsi and people CAN tell the difference.

I wanted to tell the waiter to rack off!

It’s not his job to correct my errors. But his need to be right was greater than his need to have a satisfied customer. We laughed about the incident at the table but I was embarrassed and my wife and I have never returned to the restaurant and I have told many people about the experience and the restaurant in question.

The best story I heard of a customer being humiliated by a service professional came when I was doing work in the golf club industry. One of the female members complained that she was a vegan and there wasn’t sufficient variety in the club’s menu to keep her happy and she suggested that the club change its menu to accommodate her. The staff member (who was having a bad day – but that shouldn’t be the customer’s problem) told her “There’s plenty of grass out there. Why don’t you just have a munch on some of it while you are playing?”

Am I saying that we need to suppress a basic human need to be right to be providers of good customer service? Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying!

So what do we replace our first instinct of defence and justification with when we receive a complaint or hear something we don’t agree with? EMPATHY! When you are kept waiting by a dentist or an accountant or anyone in business for that matter, the first thing they should say is “I am terribly sorry for keeping you waiting. I appreciate your time is valuable”. AND VALIDATION! The last few weeks of my father’s life were very traumatic for me. I was at the hospital every day and I was becoming quite a pain in the neck to the staff when I couldn’t get answers to questions or talk to his doctor when I needed to. One day his doctor took me aside and said “I need to speak to you”. I thought he was going to reprimand me for my poor behaviour but he did exactly the opposite. He said “I appreciate your frustration but we are doing everything we can for your father. I also want to tell you that you are a very good son. You are here every day and many other patients don’t have a loved one who cares for them like you. I hope when my time comes, my son will be there for me like you are for your father”.

And I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and ceased to be a pain in the neck to the staff.

Sometimes when customers act poorly, there are other issues in their life that are causing that. A little empathy and validation that they are a good person

can make them much easier to deal with. I have taught the use of validation with great success in the child care and aged care industry. But it applies much wider than that.

When most businesspeople receive a complaint or hear something that makes them feel uncomfortable, their first response is to protest their innocence. The first step SHOULD be to acknowledge the concern of the customer. And this applies importantly to social media. If you receive criticism on Facebook, don’t fight with the customer online. When people complain on social media they are angry and often will embellish the story for increased effect. If you try to prove their accusation false or ridiculously exaggerated you can come across as unconcerned at best and a bully at worst.

People reading the communication will often relate to the customer rather than the service provider and may decide not to do business with you purely based on the way you communicate with the complaining customer.

When you receive criticism the first thing you should do is acknowledge the customer’s inconvenience and say how sorry you are that they feel the way they do. Don’t try to work out who’s right and wrong online. The best thing to do is to try and resolve the issue offline. Tell them you’d like to buy them a cup of coffee

and listen to them in more detail and help resolve the issue. Even if they don’t turn up for the coffee, the fact that you acknowledged them and offered goodwill to resolve the issue may stop them taking more revenge upon you by badmouthing your business AND people reading the communication see you as a business responsive to the needs of your customers rather than someone who abuses those who complain.

If we can change our instinctive response of defensiveness and justification (the adult version of “not me, mummy”) to empathy and a desire to make the customer happy, we can massively enhance the perception of our business in the minds of customers and those who they communicate with. I remember many years ago hearing Oprah Winfrey say on her show when talking about relationships “You can go through life being right or being successful and happy – but you can’t have both!” I am happy to give up the need to be right for a little bit more success and happiness. What about you?

Martin Grunstein’s outstanding results with over 500 Australian companies across over 100 industries have made him this country’s most in-demand speaker on customer service. He is contactable on 0414 933 249 or through his website www.martingrunstein.com.au

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 49

NEW ZEAL AND DISTRIBUTOR TO WATCH

Fundraise Factory What ignited the spark in you to start Fundraise Factory?

Bo Burns Director

​ fter 16 years in the B2B promotional branding A sector, I saw a gap in the market to help the not for profit/charitable sector, not just with branded product, but tools, ideas and education around how to fundraise smarter not harder. The concept is to earn the most profit with the least effort selling branded tangible products rather than bake sales, chocolate bars and sausage sizzles.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful distributor in the promotional products sphere?

Believing and loving what you do is the ultimate key to any business really, but I believe the three main skill sets for me are: • passionate about our customers • loyal to our suppliers • looking after our staff.

Focusing on these three factors has built us solid company values, strong industry friendships and overall people are naturally attracted to that environment and success.

How many hours do you work a day on average? ​ his question made me laugh out loud. What’s that T old saying? A women’s job is never done. I work like most parents around 16 hours a day. In the early days the work life balance was not great, probably 80% work, 20% focus on my family and friends. These days, and really with the internet and smart phones it has given me freedom to still work and be able to watch the kids at their events. I guess I work on average around 5-8 hours a day on the business.

Describe/outline your typical day I​ live by Google calendars, I print it out each day when I leave the office so I know what I have planned for the next day. ​Being prepared and organised is key for me. A typical day is hard to explain, as we all know in this industry there is never a day that is the same, I think that’s why after 17 years in the industry I still love it.

What motivates you?

I​ ultimately love helping people but I also love creating ideas and strategies to make companies profitable and even more so watching SMEs reaching their potential and goals through well thought out tangible campaigns.​ 50 – NOVEMBER 2018

How do you define success? ​ uccess is a healthy work life balance, respect in S the industry and general happiness. The size of my company is not important to me, it’s what my company and I do for people that is paramount to me. ​

What is the best way to achieve long-term success? ​ lanning and knowing what you want to achieve P from your business is important. Instead of chasing your tail day to day, week to week and year to year, you have something to work towards. It’s a challenge, but it’s an exciting challenge, and so rewarding when you achieve what is on your company goal list. I believe to celebrate everything, even the small weekly goals, as once you forget to celebrate, you have forgotten why you went into business to begin with.

How do you build a successful customer base?

I​ believe in understanding your customers’ needs, their brands and their company culture. Not just selling them products 24/7, but offering them friendship, guidance, free information, free tools, and respect. When you showcase this to your clients, it shows that you truly want to help them long term.

When you look after your customers, the customers look after you.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

This question is easy, my inspiration is Pip, my mother.

She is an incredible lady, who not only raised five children but has had so many successful businesses in her time. She has built and continues to build huge amounts of respect in all industries she has been in and in her local community. ​ She has taught all of her children compassion, to be competitive and loyal but most of all to work hard.

One of Pip’s favourite sayings is “A still tongue makes a wise head”. I’m still trying to implement this saying after all these years.

What book has inspired you the most?

(OR what is your favourite book?) ​ y favourite book is The Secret, I believe in visualising M your life, success and happiness. I recommend that everyone have a copy and read it often. ​

What would you say are the five key elements for starting and running a successful business? ​The five key elements for me would be • making your idea a reality • creating exciting and realistic company values

• helping your customers get results.

out on school events in the early days was tough, but as I said earlier I have created and learnt how to get a better work/life balance which is fabulous.

How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?

• creating and working weekly off a living working business plan • hiring your dream team

​ e structure a marketing plan every January, and we factor in most W areas of advertising. Social media plays a very big part for us, but another big one for us is hosting client events each year where we showcase what we do best, but we hold events for our customers and their families to enjoy a day or evening out.

​ here are so many, but if I was to look at a NZ business in our T industry, I would have to say I love the story and success of Tuapeka Gold Print. I am sure they share a lot of the same views I do, and I know they have created huge success from:

What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful business owner?

2. hiring awesome and helpful staff and

I​ remember our Small Business Minister of New Zealand saying that small business owners are the unsung heroes of our country, as we are the last to go to bed, the last to pay ourselves, last to have holidays and we put our staff, suppliers and customers first.

I think this pretty much sums it up, but I guess ultimately missing

1. loving what they do and being passionate about their products and our industry 3. they look after their clients no matter what your spend or size is.

They treat all their customers equally and they still strive to blow their customers’ expectations out of the water. From the early days of Jim stamping pens in his home in Lawrence to the successful empire it is today in Dunedin, it’s just outright impressive.

I’m sure many would agree.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUC TS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 51

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY UPDATE

Eliminating Client Friction for a Better Buying Experience

I

Bill Petrie PromoCorner

n the history of sales transactions there has never been a more complicated time.

Information is cheaper and easier to gather than ever before and most organisations are struggling to keep pace with an ever more knowledgeable buyer. The truth is that for the first time, consumers are in the driver’s seat of almost any sales transaction because they have access to more information and choices than ever before.

Because of this, complicated buying decisions are now made in real time and it’s up to selling organisations to keep customer friction points to a minimum.

The promotional products industry is no different than any other industry – you’re not in the business of selling things, you’re in the business of helping people buy things. The best way to help your clients buy promotional merchandise is by reducing, or even eliminating, the friction points in your sales process.

In a competitive industry, there are simply too many alternatives available should your client encounter friction. The fact is, friction kills the customer experience.

In every buying process, there are subtle friction points on the purchasing journey and the easiest way to eliminate that friction is to think like the consumer. Providing a purchasing journey that is as close to frictionless as possible depends on your ability to relate, empathise, and understand what your clients need in order to make their purchase.

In sales, we often wax poetic about the sales funnel and where prospects are at any given point along their individual purchasing journey. One thing that most in sales forget, however, is that the rules of gravity don’t apply to the sales funnel which means there’s no guarantee that a prospect will ever make their way to the bottom. The only way to keep a prospect moving through their purchasing journey and increase the chances they will make it to the bottom is to minimise friction.

52 – NOVEMBER 2018

it takes to make a purchasing decision. Your content – beginning with your website – should communicate exactly what your customers want to know in the most distilled form possible.

2. Customer experience – A brand is no longer what we tell consumers it is – it’s what consumers tell each other it is. Every single client touch point should fulfill your brand promise to drive a positive customer experience that people are willing to pay for again and again.

3. People – Salespeople and support staff often neglect to see the importance of reducing friction from the perspective of the client. Ensure that you remind your people to approach each sales transaction with empathy, as if they were making the purchasing decision themselves.

4. Relationships – The simple reality is that relationships with current and, most importantly, repeat clients eliminate friction. One of the largest points of friction – and the one that’s most difficult to overcome – is lack of trust. Relationships that are nurtured instill trust and is often the reason someone buys.

5. It’s a complicated time and businesses that are either unwilling or unable to adapt their models to reflect this client-dictated sales process will experience difficulties. For example, why didn’t the Yellow Pages come up with Google or why didn’t taxi companies develop Uber? Because they got stuck in their traditional way of approaching the customer experience and they didn’t consider the world from the viewpoint of their clients. As such, they were unable to empathise with their clients and, therefore, couldn’t recognise the friction points.

To minimise friction along the purchasing journey, you have to think like the customer in these specific areas:

By understanding the purchasing journey through the eyes of the customer, you can begin to eliminate friction and provide an experience that matters at each point in the sales funnel. Just like the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, the quickest way to escort your client through their purchasing journey is by eliminating your own friction points.

1. Content – Your website, blog, social media, and other marketing avenues require great content to generate leads and convert sales. In other words, supply prospects and clients with the knowledge

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PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 53

NEW ZEAL AND SUPPLIER TO WATCH

AquaPlus Tammy Nicholls

What three pieces of advice would you give to suppliers looking to enter the promotional industry?

Have great customer service. Be honest about timeframes. If you cannot supply, offer other suggestions, and be sincere in helping your client meet their needs.

What kind of culture exists in your organisation?

Positive, inclusive, open.

How do you establish this culture?

Any business where the team is happy can have fun, learn and still get the work done.

If you could meet one person from history, who would it be and why?

Einstein, I think. Imagine talking and listening to him and his absolute belief that there was more out there than what teachers told him and going and proving it.

And to this day, still be relevant.

We ask for input and ideas from everyone and take on board what they have to say. Also we have systems in place so everyone is one the same page.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

And why did you institute this particular type of culture?

Which key characteristics do you look for in a potential employee to fit in with your company culture?

If everyone has input they then know the basic reasoning and why things are happening or done.

In that way it can make them feel part of the decision. It makes it easier to implement or for the team to speak up if they think something is not quite working or even if they have a different idea.

How do you build a successful customer base?

By getting our brand and what we do out there, helping customers with their requests any way we can, doing what we say we would.

What motivates you?

That my kids see that anything can be done, when you stop trying (or making excuses) and actually do it, and failures or setbacks are learning tools, not a prompt to give up. Giving it my best shot and leaving it better then when I got here.

Kids, they make you think outside the box, as they do not realise/believe there is a box in the first place.

Hard working people with a give-it-a-go attitude, the extra mile type people and who have a sense of humour.

Do you have a particular interview question that you like to ask?

I ask “What do you like to do in your own time/hobby passion?” as people generally relax and start to open up. You can then get a good grasp of the actual person behind practised interview answers.

From which part of your APPA membership have you benefited from the most? Why? Being on the website as people do not necessarily think first of “custom branded bottled water” as a promo or giveaway.

How do you generate new ideas?

How do you promote growth and education within your organisation?

I am a pretty creative person, so my mind is always working on new ideas.

Training and coaching on and off site through organisations and personal mentors.

How many hours do you work a day on average?

How do you encourage creative thinking within your organisation?

Officially six, however every interaction may be a potential new customer so that can vary.

I ask for their ideas and listen when they bring an idea forward, and more importantly, where possible or practical, I implement it or some part of it.

Describe/outline your typical day I drop the kids at school and go into the office.

Check and reply to emails, follow up and generate leads, sort art work, deliveries, meet a couple of potential and existing customers, help out in the warehouse if needed and do the accounts. I also volunteer time for a local organisation.

5 4 – NOVEMBER 2018

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?

Which is most important to your organisation and why – mission, core values or vision?

Core values as I believe this brings customers back.

If you work and live by these then the mission and vision are easier to obtain.

How do you or others in your organisation communicate core values?

Be honest, no one (customers or staff) likes being keep in the dark or mislead.

I live them and lead by example. They are not just written down somewhere and forgotten, but are part of our culture and how we operate as a team.

Surround yourself with people who are as good if not better than you.

How do you ensure your organisation and its activities are aligned with your core values?

Talk to each other, follow up, ask questions, as we are not programmed robots. If you see someone struggling with these, ask why and find the best solution.

What advice would you give to someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Systems make it easy to find if there is a break in the chain, and everyone is on the same page.

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an industry professional?

Training, networking, reading books/articles and watch clips from people who have been there and done it, or are still learning from it.

Be genuine, treat everyone the same no matter where they are in the hierarchy.

Titles on business cards are just there so the complaints go straight to you. Take ownership of your team, and lead/teach them to reduce your complaints.

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PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 57

APPA SERVICE PROVIDER UPDATE

The Ultimate Guide to Promo Staffing

D

espite the rise of digital in the marketing mix, promotional marketing remains a key strategy for many businesses and brands to get their name (or products) in front of their desired customers in a quick and cost-effective way. Having the ability to target key demographics based on location ensures high-impact in a short timeframe.

In fact, in-person events have the power to sway a customer’s opinion regarding a brand, big or small, and often influence their purchasing decisions.

So, you have the perfect promotion – great location, snazzy giveaways and social media buzz – there is still one key component that will make or break your campaign...

Great promotional staff!

Without engaging, approachable, and vibrant promo staff to distribute your product or represent your brand, promotional marketing can fall extremely flat. With so much riding on this one component, it’s important you get this right.

What do promo staff do?

Promotional staff, particularly brand ambassadors, are megaphones for your brand. With essential qualities like enthusiasm, approachability, and confidence, they can get in front of your target audience and position your brand in an enticing way.

Brand ambassadors can be engaged to work in several ways to suit the type of product or service you are looking to promote. Say your fitness centre opened a new location, you can hire brand ambassadors to pass out flyers with a special offer for new visitors. If your company just released a new line of chocolate, product samplers can get your treat into the hands of the sweet-toothed passer-by.

Promotional staff are also a must-have at conferences and tradeshows, where getting people’s attention and drawing them to your booth is a hard task with many other brands competing for their attention.

Combine a smiling, outgoing brand ambassador with a promotional product or two, and your campaign or event is off to a great start. In fact, a huge 83% of people could recall the advertiser of a promotional product, and 20% of people went on to purchase from that brand, according to APPA’s Promotional Products Work website. Choosing the right brand

58 – NOVEMBER 2018

ambassador for your promotional marketing campaign is crucial. You are trusting these people to represent you and your company to the public.

Select the wrong person and you could do permanent damage to your brand, or at the very least, waste your marketing budget.

Keep these three things in mind when hiring the perfect promotional staff.

How to select the right staff 1. Consider your audience Whoever you hire must fit the bill of someone who would use your product OR someone your target audience aspires to be. For example, if you are promoting a gym, you will want to hire fit people, aka potential gym goers. If you are promoting a new home security system, you may want to hire someone who looks of the plausible age of someone who owns a home.

When you only have a few seconds to get people’s attention, or convince them to try something new, a brand ambassador’s appearance, from presentation to branded shirt, is important. It builds trust and allows people to instantly assess if what you’re offering is relevant to them.

2. Enthusiasm and zest You should be able to instantly tell if your potential promotional worker has the personality and charm of a stellar brand ambassador. Does their application statement use strong, pointed language or have a few too many exclamation marks? If so, chances are they are passionate and enthusiastic, and will be a great option for your campaign.

3. Past experience and reviews Like any job, experience is a key indicator of future performance. Having a list of past promotional roles, brands, and ratings from those jobs can certainly help you choose a perfect brand ambassador for your business. If they can talk about their favourite event or brand and demonstrate their contribution to the job, that’s a great start.

Making the most of your promo staff Once you’ve selected the staff you want to hire for the event or campaign, there are a few things still to consider.

Appearance

On-demand was made for promotional marketing

Will you provide a branded shirt? Do you want them to wear a certain colour pants? Should they have their hair tied up? It’s all in the details if you want to have a big impact on the day. It’s a good idea to outline this information in your job request and remind the staff before the shift.

There is not a lot of data on employment trends for promotional workers, which is likely due to the general ad-hoc nature of the work. In our learned experience from hiring thousands of brand ambassador Sidekicks and connecting them to tens of thousands of promotional shifts, the demographic of this worker is generally travellers or students. It’s an easy and fun way to earn extra cash without needing many qualifications.

Sell to the seller Enthusiasm is contagious. Make sure whoever is briefing the brand ambassadors about what they are meant to do or say, has a high level of excitement and passion for the brand. Pump up the promo staff before sending them out to the public where they can transfer their excitement to your target audience.

Social opportunity Unlike most jobs where it’s frowned on to use your mobile on a shift, hiring promotional staff with an active social media presence could be some great (and cheap!) exposure for your brand. Encourage your staff to take photos of the promotion and share on social media with your campaign hashtag.

Rehire the same great staff Once you find an outstanding brand ambassador for your business, you’ll want to keep them around.

The trouble is, when you only need them on an ad-hoc basis, keeping them engaged can be tough.

Thousands of brands are enjoying a feature on the Sidekicker platform called Talent Pools. Using this feature, you can send shifts for your next activation straight to your favourite staff.

Not many people are employed in a full-time capacity in the promotional marketing space, so having access to the experienced staff you need when you need them, can be difficult.

That’s why many brands and agencies are turning to on-demand staffing. The cost-saving, time-shaving benefits of on-demand staffing are a no-brainer for companies looking to hire promotional staff for a one-off event or even a whole campaign. They love the total transparency and control of who they hire to represent them.

Businesses love being able to review profiles and client feedback on each Sidekick who’s applied for their shift. They enjoy rehiring the same staff time and time again without wasting wages on “busy work” during non-peak periods.

Every month, hundreds of businesses are using the Sidekicker platform for the first time. Every month after that, they’re using it again.

Find out more about how Sidekicker can help you the ideal representative for your brand business by visiting www.sidekicker.com.au today.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUC TS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 59

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APPA AWARDS

NZ APPA Awards Review

T

he APPA Awards for Promotional Products Marketing Excellence celebrate the most creative part of the New Zealand promotional products industry, bringing together industry professionals for one night in recognition of the best of the best in the industry.

Hosted at The Cordis Hotel, guests were welcomed with finger food, pre-drinks and pictures at the photobooth sponsored by Gildan. The MC for the evening in his encore performance, was stand-up comedian Ben Hurley.

Apparel/Wearable Products The first of the awards to be issued was from the Apparel/Wearable Products category in recognition of a branding campaign in the form of apparel, uniform or item that is used in a creative, flexible and effective application to convey a consistent brand message.

The Tui Catch a Million campaign was considered a great way to increase the brand social outreach and well received by the public, deeming Boost Promotions the winner for the category.

“Great design that fitted the brand, and excellent printing methods for longevity, quality and the summer weather.”

Business to Business The second category to be acknowledged was the Business to Business category, where one is to have achieved outstanding results towards increasing sales and boost their overall brand awareness. Being creative and having a humorous angle on their campaign, All About Promo’s Budgie Smugglers took the award home. Judges mentioned that this was a great way for them to connect with their target market and was a simple yet effective business goal.

“Fun products that reflect the brand. Would get great use over the summer.”

“Humorous concept, that is well branded.”

Best Integration to a Campaign Next was the Best Integration to a Campaign category which was presented by Masoud Ziba from BIC Graphic, the networking sponsor for the evening.

This category celebrates a strategy that has been cleverly integrated into a broader media campaign whether it be digital or traditional advertising.

Championed among the fierce competition was Boost Promotion for the ‘Steady The Ship Captains Hat’ campaign.

“This ticks all the boxes of smart thinking and execution.”

Consumer Programs Following up next was Consumer Programs which focuses on the effectiveness of consumer promotion product marketing programs such as incentive programs where a gift is given away with the purchase of the client’s product. With such a creative and fun product, BTL’s tote bag was a prime example of having great insight into the target market and how this results in beautiful branded products.

“Impactful and high quality. Great fit with the product.”

“Beautiful products that reflect the brand well.”

Sustainable/Eco Friendly Programs Sustainable/Eco Friendly Programs was the next category and was presented by Simon Atkinson from Logo-Line. This category focuses on products or programs that are created using recycled or are environmentally friendly products, focusing on fair trade and reducing wastage. Another measurement of success for this category is the ability of

PROMOTIONAL PRODUC TS MARKE TING MAGA ZINE – 61

APPA AWARDS

demonstrating how improved sustainability of the campaign is achieved through delivery without any packaging. The final decision for the winner was All About Promo for their sustainability-themed mission. This was awarded based on DHL’s promotions towards zero-emissions logistics by 2050 promoted through the bamboo cheeseboard, Ehlo pots and tree tins.

Not For Profit Continuing with campaigns with positive message awareness through promotional products was the Not for Profit Promo category.

Recognised for the most effective campaign based on behaviour, attitude change, and fundraising was Pinpoint Promotional Products “Wild About Reading”. Judges were very impressed with Pinpoint’s clever consideration of the product which kids could use in a variety of ways, the cups being the standout product. Overall, the campaign had a clear mission and was achieved in a simple yet effective manner and an indication of precision planning.

“Excellent negotiating and logistical management to deliver to budget and brief.”

“Simple yet excellent execution of the concept that is age appropriate.”

Made In New Zealand After a short break for guests to enjoy their main course, the awards recommenced with Jim Robertson from Trends presenting the Made in New Zealand category. Aimed at promoting and producing promotional products using New Zealand made components, this category must meet the requirement of the Fair-Trading Act for Country of Origin Labelling.

With such amazing results for this category, it was a difficult decision to award a single winner so for the first time in recent history, two winners were awarded: Boost Promotions Tourism NZ Apparel Range and Challenge Marketing’s Otago Polytechnic Chocolate Tablet Pack. Both entries were praised for their unique way of targeting the market and judges thought it was a great way for people to have a taste of New Zealand and the concepts created were a spectacular fit for such an amazing promotion.

“Exceptional result with ongoing benefits.”

Boost Promotions “The concepts created were spectacular and fit for such a promotion.”

“Great way to give people a unique, taste of New Zealand.”

Challenge Marketing 62 – NOVEMBER 2018

Merchandise/Catalogue Programs After celebrating the dual winning category, Ben Hurley moved on to the category of Merchandise/Catalogue Programs, presented

by Nick Donald from Premium Apparel. This category winner was selected for the most effective range of products held in stock, distributed via an online catalogue for an ongoing campaign.

Providing a huge range of high-quality merchandise for ANZ was Zinc, with proof of demonstrating a clear understanding of the requirements. Zinc was able to achieve great results.

“Clear requirements from a merchandise partner from a functional perspective.”

Best Decoration Service Next was the Best Decoration Service category, crowned for decoration quality, customer service and creativity/innovation.

This category presents an opportunity to demonstrate all areas of decoration, highlights successful business processes and demonstrates how this results in the final measurement of client relationships. Among the entries, one stood out for their innovation, quality of printing and exceptional customer service. Embroidery Works was presented the award for their ability to integrate people and technology for a great result and be rated as the best example of customer service. Furthermore, judges commented that investment in innovation is clearly demonstrated, ensuring a team that is fully engaged to produce spectacular designs.

“This entry shows evidence of fast response times and customer engagement along every step of the way.”

Event Merchandise Invited to the stage was Jim Robertson to present the next award category, Event Merchandise. This category demonstrates the most effective programs based on take up rates which includes give away brand reminders, branded merchandise and onsite event marketing. Boost Promotions was a clear example of high-quality products being used to reflect their clients’ values and building local relationships and were able to take home another award!

“High-quality products that reflect Eden Park and its values.

Clear effort of building local relationships.”

Best Boutique Supplier Drew Fisher from Promotional Products Insurance was welcomed to the stage as an award sponsor to present the category of Best Boutique Supplier. Judged on the result of customer service,

product quality, creative response and response time to briefs and quote requests, the boutique supplier award was won by Peros.

They achieved this through a proactive approach to customers and establishing clear targets and processes.

“Solid and sensible approach to ensure product quality throughout the supply chain.”

“There are clear targets demonstrated and the process in place to ensure these are achieved.”

Best Supplier Following the Best Boutique Supplier award was the Best Supplier Award. This category, like the Best Boutique Supplier, focuses on customer service, product quality, creative response and response times. This year’s Best Supplier of the NZ APPA Awards was Logo-Line. Judges mentioned that Logo-Line demonstrated great customer service. Furthermore, Logo-Line have shown attention to detail throughout all their processes to produce end products of the highest quality.

“Clear understanding of what makes great customer service.”

Distributor Self Promotion Award Distributor Self Promotion category was the next to be presented

by Jason Turk from Logo-Line as the award sponsor. This category highlights superior products/programs designed to promote sales or refine the brand of the distributor company. Taking home another award was Boost Promotions with another highly regarded submission. Boost was recognised for their stunning products that reflected the brand well and will be kept by clients. Additionally, judges stated that they had a great relationship building ethos through their stylish products.

“Excellent relevant design, and on target gift, very relevant.”

APPA Young Achiever – Keely Heremaia APPA CEO Steve Granland was next on the stage to present the APPA Young Achiever Award. This award is presented to a young APPA member who has excelled in the industry, is a stand out among leaders and ultimately foreseen to shape the industry’s future. The 2018 APPA Young Achiever Award for New Zealand was presented to Keely Heremaia. Congratulations Keely!

rendered outstanding and sustained service over a long period to the Association and its objectives and have made highly distinguished contributions to the industry, APPA Life Members have enhanced standing in the promotional products industry.

APPA Life Membership Honour – Jim Robertson The first life membership was given to Jim Robertson from Trends, who received a standing ovation from those in attendance.

With such a vast amount of knowledge and experience within the promotional products industry, there was no doubt that Jim was a deserving recipient. Jim spoke about his humble beginnings and life changing moments throughout his involvement in the promotional products industry and how he was able to achieve so much with the help of friends, family and other members in the industry.

APPA Life Membership Honour – Barbara McGrath The second life membership was awarded to Barbara McGrath from Pinpoint Promotional Products who expressed how humbled she was in receiving such an honour. Barbara left the stage with the final words of encouragement that the promotional products industry changes lives and that individuals should strive to do their best as there are many unexpected surprises along the way.

Platinum Award – Boost Promotions This year’s 2018 New Zealand APPA Platinum Award for Promotional Excellence was given to Boost Promotions for their Tui Catch a Million campaign! Nothing short of creative and a plan perfectly executed, the Tui Catch a Million campaign was one of a kind and well-deserving of an APPA Platinum Award.

“Great development of the original successful campaign, great brand exposure on TV.” “Love the integration of the traditional cricket vest with modern Mr Vintage t-shirt. Good quality tee and looks great on camera.”

“Great concepts that stood out and suited the purpose of the project.”

APPA Life Membership Following on from the Young Achiever Award was the recognition of APPA Life Members. Considered to be individuals that have PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 63

APPA New Zealand Awards for Promotional Excellence

T

he APPA New Zealand Awards for Promotional Excellence celebrates the most creative part of our industry recognising the outstanding use of promotional products in business and marketing programs. The award winners used a unique range of promotional products to drive strong engagement and profile elevation.

Platinum Award for Overall Excellence and Apparel/Wearable Products Award APPA’s Platinum Award for Overall Excellence is awarded by the judging panel to the award entrant considered the stand out of all the awards, recognised for their excellence.

Campaign: Tui Catch a Million Company: Boost Promotions Boost Promotions (Mr Vintage) worked with DB Breweries (Tui) to design and produce the latest Catch a Million T-Shirts for the 2017/2018 T20 and ODI summer cricket games in New Zealand.

The campaign gave fans the chance to win a share of $1 million if they caught the ball with one hand, while wearing the Tui T-Shirt.

The design was visually strong and seamlessly incorporated elements of the Tui, NZ Cricket and Mr Vintage brand. The t-Shirt featured the iconic cable knit vest, sublimated all over in vibrant Tui orange, with a custom Mr Vintage neck tag. The material used was a lightweight, 100% ring spun polyester, quick drying fabric with a UPF 50+ finish – perfect for summer cricket conditions. The design was on brand, of a high quality and the t-Shirt was available as a gift with purchase in liquor stores or to buy online at Mr Vintage or at the games. Boost handled the end-to-end distribution throughout the entire campaign. Mr Vintage promoted the t-shirts on search engines, email marketing, social media channels and had a dedicated landing page on their website.

As a leading promotional solution agency it is important for Boost to achieve high perceived value of promotional products and apparel, and we are proud to have accomplished this with the Tui Catch a Million T-Shirts.

6 4 – NOVEMBER 2018

Business to Business (B2B) Campaign: Camelspace campaign Company: All About Promo Camelspace – 100% New Zealand owned with 120 of the industry’s top staff, the best safety record, 10 years unparalleled experience and industry leading innovation as the country’s leading and most awarded scaffold, structures and height safety company. The business goal for the branded gifts was to thank both clients and suppliers for their contribution to the business’s success in a way that reflected the company ethos and matched other marketing activities. This award-winning business with a fun sense of humour stayed true to their company culture with a memorable gift that helped cement client/supplier relationships – and continues to be a great conversation starter.

Consumer Programs/GWP Campaign: Somersby Cider with Pear Tote Bags Company: BTL Somersby Cider is the #1 cider brand in New Zealand and is known for its premium European positioning and great flavour profile, appealing to young, social consumers who are studying or just starting out in their first full-time job.

They love experiences and the latest trends in fashion, beauty and music and enjoy their cider in relaxed moments with friends. Ensuring they were appealing to the target consumer and what was important to them, BTL identified the latest fashion trend of limited edition accessories and partnered with well-known and loved artist FLOX (a New Zealand aerosol and stencil artist) to create a bespoke print that brought the essence of the new pear flavour to life. This design was then printed onto custom-made canvas totebags that are very on trend with the target market. The bags were completely original to the New Zealand market, offering a money-can’t-buy appeal as consumers could not purchase them anywhere else.

Best Integration to a Campaign/ New Media Category

Merchandise/Catalogue Programs

Campaign: Steady The Ship Captains Hat

Company: ZINC

Company: Boost Promotions Mr Vintage were delighted to work with The Alternative Cricket Commentary (ACC) and Mammoth to produce the 2017/2018 Steady The Ship captains hat. The audience was encouraged to get involved in the campaign by purchasing Mammoth milk to receive their hat or alternatively purchasing the hat at Mr Vintage online. They were also encouraged to take pictures of themselves and post onto social media.

Sustainable/Eco Friendly/Recycling Programs and Initiatives

Campaign: ANZ Program

ANZ Bank run a merchandise program in New Zealand and Australia with Zinc providing a trans-Tasman solution for a trans-Tasman bank.

ANZ wanted to work with a merchandise partner who had a trans-Tasman presence to ensure brand consistency and had the capacity to produce and finance large quantities of stock. Part of the program was also that they required a merchandise partner to have the capacity to build and maintain a webstore through which their staff could purchase merchandise, and which was integrated into a monitored stock management system with processes and procedures in place to maintain minimum stock levels.

Event Merchandise

Campaign: DHL

Campaign: Eden Park Event Merchandise

Company: All About Promo

Company: Boost Promotions

For DHL – the future of logistics is green.

And they are paving the way with an ambitious vision: they want to reduce their logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050. It’s their way of contributing to the two-degree goal established by the UN and protecting our planet. A target this ambitious cannot be achieved overnight. With four interim goals and numerous innovative measures in place across the divisions, they’ve laid the groundwork for attaining their target of zero-emissions logistics by 2050.

Mr Vintage (Boost Promotions) is thrilled to work in partnership with Eden Park to create a locally designed stadium range of promotional t-shirts and branded accessories. Eden Park has a rich sporting history and its global profile is unmatched by any other stadium in the country. Mr Vintage is renowned for creatively capturing iconic New Zealand moments, brands and personalities. From Eden Park t-shirts, tea towels, commemorative limited edition pink cricket balls, hoodies, cricket sets and more, the ongoing campaigns and ranges have been a success.

Not for Profit Promo

Distributor Self Promotion

Campaign: Wild About Reading

Campaign: Boost Client Christmas Gifts

Company: Pinpoint Promotional Products

Company: Boost Promotions

Pinpoint Promotional Products was commissioned again by the libraries of the Eastern and Central Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Their mission is to produce library reading programs that appeal to children in New Zealand irrespective of their ethnicity, with a focus on family involvement and encouraging literacy.

The aim of the programs is to be fun for all involved, suitable for all libraries.

Every year at Christmas, Boost Promotions thank a selection of their clients with gifts. With the incorporation of Mr Vintage they took this opportunity to produce creative and Kiwiana inspired client Christmas gifts. As a leading promotional agency in New Zealand, it was a requirement that these gifts were branded, useful and summer related.

Everything we created was designed in-house. The gift was delivered in a Boost branded bag with a matte black box inside.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 65

NZ PROMO SHOW

NZ Promo Show Review

W

hat a great turn out from our New Zealand members for the Promo Show! With an increase in numbers from 2017, attendees came to see the new, unique and innovative products by our Kiwi exhibitors.

APPA member Aqua Plus sponsored the day’s water with on trend pop top bottles.

The day began with a Logo-Line sponsored education session with Tony Mitchell, one of New Zealand’s Top 40 CEO’s. Tony focused on what’s on the minds of top chief marketing officers with examples of how marketers are changing customer perceptions and repositioning brands.

Members were offered free all-day coffee and refreshments in the members lounge with thanks to coffee sponsor Logo-Line. On arrival, attendees were provided trade bags sponsored by Prime Source and note books sponsored by Papillon.

66 – NOVEMBER 2018

We would like to thank all the sponsors, exhibitors, members and attendees involved in the show who helped to make it such a huge success. The APPA team strives towards growing the industry and bringing value to our members. We can’t wait to see you at NZ CONVEX 2019!

Latest products Hottest trends New Zealand’s biggest promotional products event

Wednesday, 10 April 2019 Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland

APPA SERVICE PROVIDERS 2018

Business Partner Association Insurance Australia and Association Insurance New Zealand Association Insurance Australia and Association Insurance New Zealand are the Association Insurance People®. Their business model is to be specialists, not generalists. AIA and AINZ were chosen to be APPA’s first Premium Business Partners. AIA and AINZ are Corporate Authorised Representatives of Insurance Advisernet, one of the largest and most respected General Insurance businesses in Australia and New Zealand, with an ever-growing network of over 180 insurance advisers across 140 locations. AIA and AINZ are well known for their knowledge and expertise working with associations and their members.

Sidekicker Sidekicker – A Better Way To Find Short-Term Staff.

Sidekicker is an on-demand staffing platform that allows you to easily connect with pre-vetted, qualified staff looking for short term work. Whether you need a business admin professional for a few days, extra hands experienced in warehousing and retail to help you during peak periods or an ongoing solution to manage fluctuating staff demands, Sidekicker makes the entire process easy, fast and cost effective.

To find staff on Sidekicker, all you have to do is jump online and post a request. You’ll be instantly matched with all suited and available staff, with the ability to view their ratings and reviews from previous hirers. This gives you the power to hand select who you want representing your brand.

Association Insurance Australia www.associationinsuranceaustralia.com.au T: 1800 ASSOCIATION (1800 277 624) E: info@associationia.com.au

Sidekicker also eliminates paperwork and admin involved in payroll for casual staff, offering one-click payment.

Association Insurance New Zealand www.associationinsurancenewzealand.co.nz T: 0800 4 ASSOCIATION (0800 427 762) E: info@associationinsurancenz.co.nz

CreditorWatch is a commercial credit reporting bureau dedicated to giving businesses the information they need to improve their credit management processes.

Equip Super Equip is one of Australia’s leading providers of profit-to-member superannuation and retirement benefits. We manage over $15 billion of retirement savings for more than 75,000 members right around Australia and are trusted by employers looking for assured and reliable superannuation services and support for themselves and their employees. Equip’s competitively priced financial planning services can provide advice on all aspects of your financial life and also operate on a not-for-profit basis.

We are now pleased to become partners with APPA employers to provide their staff with the experience, long-term investment performance and support they need to build a more secure financial future.

Contact: Tyson Adams, Manager, Business Partnerships T: (03) 9248 5940 Mob: 0488 988 256 www.equipsuper.com.au

Premium Service Providers APPA Travel – Powered by ITAG At APPA, we are always striving to enhance the value of our memberships and we are excited to announce a new partnership with ITAG Travel Corporation. As a fully registered and accredited national and international travel organisation, ITAG is a full-service travel company and a member of the Independent Travel Group – Australia’s largest group of independent travel experts. Founded and led by Alan and Lisa Chanesman, drawing on over 40 years’ unparalleled travel industry experience, ITAG Travel has become a world class travel provider for Association member companies, corporate clients and leisure travellers.

Contact: Alan Chanesman, Executive Managing Director T: 1300 004 824 | E: alan@itagtravel.com | www.itagtravel.com 6 8 – NOVEMBER 2018

CreditorWatch

APPA members will receive a 15-day free trial and 20 per cent off the monthly subscription.

Contact: Luke Demetriou Toll free: 1300 50 13 12 or (02) 8188 2025 E: luke.demetriou@creditorwatch.com.au

Gun Web Systems (GWS) Promotional Industry Software Solutions. Are you spending too much time quoting? Generate EXPRESS QUOTES in under 30 seconds. MyPromoSource is designed uniquely for the promotional products industry for fast, easy and accessible quoting. Need a job management solution? Create easy effortless production work flow. Talk to us about our Job Management platforms; Xebra and Promo Office.

Five per cent discount for APPA members.

Contact: Kaye Kelly T: +61 (02) 4302 0160 E: help@gunwebsystems.com.au www.gunwebsystems.com.au

Western Union Business Solutions Western Union Business Solutions is one of the world’s leading providers of cross-border business payments. We enable companies of all sizes to send and receive cross-border payments and manage foreign exchange.

With deep expertise in moving funds around the globe, access to over 130 currencies, and a global financial network spanning more than 200 countries and territories, we help companies spend less time managing international financial transactions and more time growing their businesses.

Contact: Justin Hall, Australian Affiliate & Partnership Manager E: marketing_anz@westernunion.com www.business.westernunion.com.au

World First

Office Beacon

APPA has teamed up with WorldFirst, experts in International Money Transfers and awarded 5-star by Canstar for outstanding value two years in a row. Get preferential rates and pay no transfer fees as an APPA member. WorldFirst exchange rates are up to seven times cheaper than the big four banks and you can make transfers 24/7 online, over-the-phone, or through their mobile App. Whatever the reason for your transfer – making a one-off payment, moving overseas, buying or selling property, repatriating salary or to make payments for your business, WorldFirst can help.

Office Beacon is a global leader providing services and software solutions to suppliers and distributors, and promotional product companies.

We offer preferential exchange rates and zero fees to all APPA members.

T: Client Relations 1800 835 506, 02 8298 4960, NZ 0800 666 114 E: auspartnerships@worldfirst.com

Service Providers ArtworkservicesUSA Order Entry and Artwork Processing Back Office Services offered

by ArtworkservicesUSA have saved 30-40% costs and time for the top promotional products companies. AWS assigns, and trains dedicated teams that become expert in your work. These teams work on your systems to deliver the turnaround times and the quality of the work that you want. AWS processes 20,000 orders a day and has 400 websites live, over the last 18 years. Website Solutions of AWS offer very high-quality marketing and sales functionality to our customers on all digital channels/devices.

ArtworkservicesUSA is a committed partner of APPA. Contact: Shantanu Kamat E: sales@artworkservicesusa.com

Baldwins Baldwins is a leading intellectual property firm practising in Australia and New Zealand. Baldwins would like to offer APPA members a complimentary “IP Boost”. This involves a 30-minute consultation with Baldwins in person or over the phone at no cost.

APPA members also receive 15 per cent off the fee component of their first bill.

T: +64 9 373 3137 E: sue.ironside@baldwins.com

Bellingham Wallace Bellingham Wallace is a contemporary firm, unrestricted by tradition or rigid outdated principles. Instead we encourage fresh thinking and expansive strategies that challenge convention. We also challenge ourselves to always add value. Because for us, it’s all about the “plus” – plus experience, plus inspiration, plus energy, plus insight, plus empathy; it’s everything we add to accountancy that makes the difference.

Contact: Matthew Bellingham T: +64 9309 7851 E: matthew.bellingham@hayesknight.co.nz

With over 2,700 full-time employees globally, Office Beacon provides significant competitive advantages to its customers including artwork and order entry processing, accounting, language support, websites, and call centre services.

Contact: Sukhi Singh E: sukhi@officebeacon.com

Sew Simple Sew Simple has been trading now for some 40 years in the industry representing Toyota and ZSK with embroidery machines, together with ZSK GIS and Wilcom software in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

We have installations as far away as Tonga in the Pacific and Lae in New Guinea. We offer service to most brands of machines on the Australian market with a quality range of support products with our new ZP7 Cut away that tears away, and FuFu Embroidery rayon threads.

Our newest range is our Smake web to production systems incorporating Ricoh DTG printers and embroidery machines.

Free appraisals on used embroidery machines for purpose and trading for APPA members.

T: 02 6282 7144 or 0412 623 838 E: luke@sewsimple.com.au www.sewsimple.com.au

SGS SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. We are recognised as the global benchmark for quality and integrity.

Our core services can be divided into four categories: • Inspection: our comprehensive range of world-leading inspection and verification services, such as checking the condition and weight of traded goods at trans-shipment, help you to control quantity and quality.

• Testing: our global network of testing facilities, staffed by knowledgeable and experienced personnel, enable you to reduce risks, shorten time to market and test the quality, safety and performance of your products.

• Certification: we enable you to demonstrate that your products, processes, systems or services are compliant with either national or international standards.

• Verification: we ensure that products and services comply with global standards and local regulations.

Contact: Kamal Bedi, Business Development Manager T: +61(0) 3 9574 3271 E: kamal.bedi@sgs.com

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 69

APPA SERVICE PROVIDERS 2018

Tajima Australia

2Star Logistics

Tajima Australia is proud to offer you a selection of the very best in embroidery machinery. We are the only Authorised Tajima Dealer in Australia, with a sales and technical network located in all major cities in Australia. Our senior technicians are trained in Japan and collectively have over 125 years of experience.

2Star Logistics are a full-service third-party-logistics provider, specifically designed for the Australian promotional marketing merchandise space.

All our industrial machines that we offer are designed and made in Tajima’s factory in Japan and are made to the highest standard delivering the highest stitch quality and will stand the test of time with longevity. We are also the sole Australian agent for MADEIRA quality threads offering rayon, polyester and fire-retardant embroidery threads and the largest range of consumables and accessories.

• Domestic and international freight options

Contact: Darren Chisholm T: 03 9484 5898 | E: darren@tajimaaustralia.com.au www.tajimaaustralia.com.au

WLF Accounting and Advisory Every business in the promotional products industry is looking for an edge – something that sets them apart from the competition and sets them up for success. It might be an undiscovered efficiency, an untapped opportunity or even a risk avoided, or getting the day-to-day essentials right. We service all of Australia and businesses of all sizes, providing expertise in the latest cloud accounting solutions, cashflow budgeting, tax minimisation, business planning and how best to protect your business, family and key assets.

Free first meeting and fixed price quote available for peace of mind.

Contact: Paul Lyons, Partner E: paul.lyons@wlf.com.au

Premium Freight Service Providers Personalised Freight Solutions Personalised Freight Solutions is an international freight forwarding company, facilitating the movement of cargo globally.

They have a combined 25 years’ experience in dealing with international shipping, border clearance and importing known brand products with trademark procedures.

Their specialist account managers with promotional industry experience will ensure that you are “in the know” every step of the way.

APPA member special offer:

• Direct-to-customer and direct-to-business fulfillment projects • Core-range business merchandise handling • Offshore freight and customs clearance • Container receive and cross-docking operations.

With a flexible approach to your varied briefs, 2Star are there to provide whatever handling services you or your client need for their stock. With amazing freight and handling rates, 2Star are able to save clients on their traditional costs, as well as reduce the time involved in handling materials yourself. Additionally, with warehouses in China Free-Trade-Zones, 2Star gives greater access to logistics services for products made in China.

APPA member special offer: 10% off our standard handling and storage charges.

Contact: Travis Roy T: 02 9188 5835 E: info@2starlogistics.com.au

Freight Service Providers Australia Post Australia Post’s large network and range of tailored shipping solutions means they can deliver you more value and convenience than ever before, no matter what size your business. Choose from a range of services depending on speed and coverage required: Sending within Australia Post. Courier Post: Same business day delivery, metro to metro within the same state. Express Post: Next business day delivery. Parcel Post: Delivery in two or more business days. Sending Internationally. Economy, Standard, Express or Courier depending on speed required.

Call 13POST for more information or visit www.auspost.com.au Contact: Lorraine Asher T: 0459 873 038 | E: Lorraine.asher@auspost.com.au

CourierPost CourierPost is one of New Zealand’s premier courier providers, with a reputation for speedy and reliable delivery. CourierPost is now offering exclusive additional benefits to APPA members.

E: nzinfo@appa.net.nz

DHL Express

• Discounts on Domestic cartage.

DHL Express are an Air Express provider offering fantastic rates in Australia and New Zealand on international express courier services for APPA members. To be contacted by a DHL representative, go to: Australia visit: shipping.dhl.com.au/appa New Zealand visit: simplydhl.com/nz/appa

Contact: Amanda Terblanche T: 0455 500 347 E: amanda@my-pfs.com

DHL will contact APPA to confirm membership before exclusive rates are applied.

T: 131 406 (Australia) 0800 800 020 (New Zealand)

• Free Freight Health Check (valued at AUD$150.00) • Personalised Freight Calculator (valued at AUD$75.00) • Discounts on International Parcel Freight bookings

70 – NOVEMBER 2018

DHL Global

Total Freight Solutions

DHL Global offers flexible air or ocean freight solutions to suit the speed or service you require. Simple door-to-door or door-to-port solutions. You can speak to your local contact Rosanna in Australia or Stu in New Zealand to assist you with using DHL Global Forwarding. APPA members can now access discounted shipping rates with DHL Global Forwarding.

Total Freight Solutions (TFS) operate a freight brokerage service, providing global and domestic freight forwarding solutions.

Services range from overnight envelopes to large cargo. Shipping via FedEx into New Zealand is a particularly strong area for TFS as well as a focus on customer service and providing the most cost effective and efficient freight solution available. Our exclusive offer to APPA members is the ability to process documentation and arrange bookings for all transport movements without any additional administration fees. The ease of transaction that no one else provides. With TFS you talk to real people in a real office.

Contact: Helen Fitzgibbon, Lead Qualifier T: +61 3 9344 8484 | Fax: +61 3 9344 8995 E: Helen.fitzgibbon@dhl.com

Ryders Customs and Forwarding Ltd Ryders Customs and Forwarding specialise in international freight forwarding with a major focus on the Australian and China markets both into and out of New Zealand for sea and airfreight. We have worked with many APPA members for in excess of 15 years both in New Zealand and Australia to offer best rates, service and solutions to get freight from international suppliers to the end user. We offer customs clearance, warehousing, insurance, trucking, tracking etc through our worldwide network of agents. If you are in need of a door to door rate to your client, then you need to be talking to us and enjoying the APPA discount.

Contact: Mark Clark, Account Manager T: (03) 6248 4012 | M: 0417 002 530 E: mclark@totalfreightsolutions.com.au www.totalfreightsolutions.com.au

Transtar International Transtar International Freight understand your industry.

Our vision is to be the leading provider of freight and logistics services in the Asia-Pacific market. Free Customs clearance special for APPA members only for the first five custom entry fees.

APPA member special offer: Packaged discounted deals for APPA members apply.

Contact: David Lambert, NSW Branch Manager T: 1800 941 161 | M: 0447 246 049 E: info@syd.transtar.net | www.transtar.net

Contact: Glenn Ryder T: + 64 09 2755225 or +64 021 780275 | E: glenn@ryders.co.nz

Member Benefits

Sendle We’re always looking for new ways to bring added value to your APPA membership and we know that delivering parcels can be a big part of running your business. Sendle provides parcel pickup and delivery services at low, flat-rates that are guaranteed 15-70% cheaper than lining up at the post office. It’s convenient, cost effective and 100% carbon neutral. Sendle won a Telstra Business Award last year and The Australian Financial Review awarded Sendle “Australia’s Most Innovative Business Model” in 2016.

APPA members can sign up for a free Premium account with Sendle. This gives you access to simple, reliable and affordable shipping and you’ll get an extra $1 off every parcel you send for 12 months from the time you sign on.

APPA member special offer: Free Premium Account Contact: Eva Ross | T: 0401971116 E: eva.ross@sendle.com

TNT TNT offers discounted rates for APPA members in Australia and New Zealand. A FedEx company and one of the world’s largest express delivery companies, TNT offers road and air delivery services throughout Australia and New Zealand and in Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Request your letter of authorisation from APPA to take advantage of our exclusive APPA member rates.

Contact: Philippe Dauwalder T: +61 2 8304 8795 | E: philippe_dauwalder@tnt.com.au Contact: Victoria Rasmussen T: +64 0 9 212 9076 | E: victoria.rasmussen@fedex.com

New Zealand Chambers of Commerce The New Zealand Chambers of Commerce is a body of some 30 Chambers throughout New Zealand, supporting over 12,000 members and representing over 40 million businesses. Each Chambers’ role is to support and inspire business vitality and success. As not-for-profit business membership associations, the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce promote, support and encourage sustainable, profitable business growth. You can build business connections, access business expertise, find staff and save on business expenses. As a Chamber member you can market to 12,000 other business decision makers throughout the Auckland region who have networked to do better business, together.

APPA member Associate Annual Rate: $189.11 (incl GST).

T: (09) 309 6100 | E: lsmart@chamber.co.nz www.aucklandchamber.co.nz

SEAGA Group Australia Pantone is the world-renowned authority on colour and provider of colour systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of colour across a variety of industries.

APPA member special offer: 10% off Pantone PMS books T: 03 9457 6077 | E: sales@seagagroup.com.au

The Qantas Club A verification of membership letter from APPA is required to redeem this benefit. Joining Fee: $240 (save $130), 1 year: $442.80 (save $100), 2 years: $803.60 (save $175). E: info@appa.com.au PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS MARKETING MAGA ZINE – 71

CUSTOM AWA R D S

Customise Shape, Size, Colour & Decoration Method APPA CONVEX 2018 AWARDS SUPPLIER

COLOUR

PRINTING On Crystal, Glass & Acrylic

N O W

A V A I L A B L E !

3D CRYSTAL Australia’s Largest Manufacturer for over 15 years

(02) 4970 4494 | corporate@imaage.com.au | www.imaage.com.au/corporate

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1800 MY APPA (1800 69 2772) Australia | 0800 45 1117 NZ Suite 7, 407 Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills, VIC 3127 www.appa.com.au | www.appa.co.nz www.promotionalproductswork.com.au | www.promotionalproductswork.co.nz