Back to School with ACT

It’s that time of year again.  Summer is over and kids are headed back to school while parents are breathing a sigh of relief.

Although I’m no longer a student and I don’t have any children, I still think there is something exciting about the stacks of clean notebooks and sharpened crayons lining the store aisles.  Have you noticed that many large, big box retailers are offering printed Back to School Shopping Lists for customers inside the entrance of their stores?  I couldn’t resist picking up one of those lists and checking it out.  I immediately noticed that if you did your shopping with A Creative Touch, you could get customized, personalized versions of every essential back to school item!

We offer pens, pencils, calculators, markers, highlighters, erasers, rulers, lunch bags, binders, folders, pencil boxes, water bottles, tape dispensers, duffel bags, backpacks, totes, rulers, USB flash drives, lanyards, computer accessories, laptop cases, cell phone holders, sweatshirts, t-shirts,  laundry bags, footballs, basketballs, cheering accessories, calendars, and so much more!

Best of all, at  A Creative Touch, we promise we’ll never call from school to tell you your child is misbehaving.  If you’re a parent, and that happens to you, you can always take a cue from Little Johnny’s mother:

Summer vacation was over and Little Johnny returned back to school.  Only two days later his teacher phoned his mother to tell her that he was misbehaving.  “Wait a minute,” replied his mom. “I had Johnny with me for three months and I never called you once when he misbehaved!”

What Exactly is SWAG?

As a promotional products expert, I’ve been familiar with swag (or SWAG) for a long time.  In fact, you could say that I’m in the business of SWAG.  But if you’re like most people, you might be wondering, “What exactly is swag?”  In my world, swag is:

Any corporate or branded merchandise given away for free in order to promote the company or brand….Etymology of this term most likely stems from the middle-English use of the word ’swag’  in pirate circles or other criminal circles as a euphamism for loot or plunder.

Some people view SWAG as an acronym (thus all capital letters), but there is debate  as to what SWAG actually stands for.  Here are some of my favorite interpretations:

SWAG=Souvenirs, Wearables And Gifts
SWAG=Stuff We All Get
SWAG=Sealed with A Gift
SWAG=Stuff We Acquired Gratis

How do you use SWAG in a sentence?  Here’s an example:  “I went to the trade show and scored a ton of great SWAG.  Check out these t-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, and stress balls!”

I think it’s interesting to note that there is another definition of “swag”, which is short for “swagger”:

The way in which you carry yourself. Swag is made up of your overall confidence, style, and demeanor. Swag can also be expanded to refer to the one’s overall reputation. You gain swag, or “swag up”, by performing swag-worthy actions that improve this perception.

So, tell me….how’s your corporate swag?  Need some help “swagging up” at your next trade show, expo or conference?  Then, give me a call!  I’d be happy to help with some creative ideas to give you the kind of SWAG people rave about.

A Decade of Deadlines

Happy Anniversary to us!  It was the day after Veteran’s Day, ten years ago, that A Creative Touch promotional products company was launched.  To read the story of how Veteran’s Day inspired our Grand Opening, click here.

Since that fateful day, we’ve helped hundreds of customers all across the country with creative solutions to their promotional product needs.  Our goal has always been to provide creative, effective, targeted marketing solutions on time, every time.  In fact, we take pride in never missing a deadline.  Up until yesterday, our tagline and the signature on every email we send read:

IN OVER 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 YEARS - WE’VE

NEVER MISSED A DEADLINE!

We’re proud to announce that our tagline is changing.  After thousands of orders and a decade of outstanding customer service, our track record is still perfect:

IT’S BEEN A DECADE, AND WE’VE

NEVER MISSED A DEADLINE!

If you’re already a customer with A Creative Touch, let us take this opportunity to thank you for your support and your continued trust in us over the past ten years.  If you’re not an A Creative Touch customer, we encourage you to give us an opportunity to show you why we’re celebrating a solid decade of meeting deadlines and exceeding our clients’ expectations.  To read from some of our happy customers, visit our Testimonial Page.

Santa Claus on Facebook!?!

Although I am a strong believer in some things like God and Country, I confess that I am often skeptical.  I’m wary of slick sales pitches, get-rich quick schemes, and the bold claims of wrinkle creams, just to name a few.  I was also wary when this whole social media thing came on the scene.  You may have heard of it:  Web 2.0. 

As a business owner, it seemed that every seminar, every book, and everybody I came into contact with was touting blogs and then MySpace and then Facebook and then Twitter as the new modes of client development, business communication, and social interaction.  Yes, the social media train was leaving the station, and if I didn’t get onboard, my business would be left behind!  So, with lukewarm enthusiasm, I upgraded my website, started a blog, joined Facebook, and started to tweet (that’s what they call posting a message of 140 characters or less on Twitter). 

Did my customers and business associates really care what I ate for breakfast, where I was traveling to next, or what I thought of the latest movie on the big screen?  And, just as importantly, did I want to know all of that about them?  Months went by, and I continued to follow people as they followed me, updating my status from time to time while wondering if any of this would really translate into a big win for me or my business.  Well, my friends, I’m here to tell you that I am now a believer because I didn’t just win, I hit the social media jackpot! 

But first, let me back up that train and introduce you to my conductor, my business coach, Reggie Shropshire.  He is a part of ActionCOACH, the world’s largest business coaching franchise operating in 26 countries and more than 1,000 offices around the world.  Reggie was instrumental in getting me up and running with all of those social media forums, and one day he told me: “You should become a fan of Brad Sugars on FaceBook.” 

Brad Sugars is Reggie’s boss, the CEO of this huge, international coaching organization.  He’s a big deal in the business world.  It was as if Reggie had said to me:  “You know, you should really tell Donald Trump you’re a fan and ask him to be your friend.”  “Are you kidding?” I replied incredulously.  “Brad Sugars doesn’t need me as his fan.  He has thousands of them (5054 at this writing).”  Nevertheless, I have learned to listen to my business coach even when I don’t want to.  I became a fan.  Occasionally, I would see Brad Sugars post new updates on his Facebook page, but to be honest, I didn’t pay them much attention.

Then, right before the holidays, Brad Sugars told all of his fans that he was looking for a holiday nickname.  Should he be Santa Sugars or Sugars Claus?  I was amused, but I didn’t really have an opinion, so I didn’t chime in.  Besides, I had much more important things to do like finding a way to fund a new strategic plan for the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary.  We had just asked a consulting firm for a quote on helping us develop a new strategic marketing plan, and their $30K proposal was staggering!

As I dealt with the demands of my own growing business, my personal preparations for the holiday season, and my responsibility to help the DAVA, I noticed that Brad’s fans had settled on the name:  Sugars Claus.  Next thing I know, the Australian business-savvy version of S.C. makes a very interesting proposal–he is going to grant a Christmas wish to one of his Facebook friends.

Requests start pouring in.  Brad Sugars certainly has an interesting group of friends and fans.  They asked for all sorts of things:  a trip to Italy, a down payment for a house, a new car, a break in the modeling business, airline tickets, a puppy, face-time with Brad, feedback on a sales pitch, a donation for Leukemia Research and this:

“I have wanted boob implants and a tummy tuck for many years now after having my first baby at age 15 and number 5 by 30.  The cost of this is about $20,000 although I would be very happy with just the boobs at $11,000.”  I kid you not! 

It seemed that every time I checked my messages, there were more requests and more posts by Sugars Claus encouraging his fans and friends to make their wishes while there was still time.  I was on my way to an appointment, when I received another message from Brad S.C.  It read:  “Brad Sugars is playing Sugars Clause…what are you asking Santa for this year..I am picking one friend and granting their Christmas wish…Only 4 hours to decide.”

“Why not?”, I thought, quickly texting my Christmas wish into my phone before my appointment began:  “Dear Santa Sugars:  I would love to have ActionCOACH services for one year for the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary (non-profit).  This organization is dedicated to helping disabled veterans and their families.  We are working on a strategic plan and need lots of help.  If that isn’t possible, I would like to a Gold Sponsor for the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.”

Of course, you realize by now, that Sugars Clause renewed my faith in Santa and turned me into a Facebook believer.  Not only did he grant me my wish, he very generously gave to three other people as well:  Jon got a trailer to feed the homeless, Karen got presents for her kids at Christmas, and Jenny got books for the children’s hospitals in her area.

The only way to describe my excitement was to say that I felt just like a kid at Christmas.  I am overjoyed that the DAVA, the organization so near and dear to my heart, will benefit from a year of strategic consulting from the world’s foremost business coaching expert.  Now, it’s my turn to play the role of conductor, asking all of you to get onboard with that Social Media train.  If you have a Facebook account, please become a fan of Brad Sugars (aka Sugars Claus) and write a little note on his wall telling him how much we appreciate his gift to the DAVA.

World’s Most Expensive Pin

The Cartier Panther Brooch just may be the most expensive of its kind.  Made of 18-karat white gold and platinum, it boasts 868 brilliant diamonds totaling 16.4 carats. The panther’s eyes are emeralds totaling 1.1 carats, and those blue panther spots are 102 Cabochon sapphires totaling 10.7 carats. Suspended from the panther’s front paws is an enormous 65.9 Ceylon sapphire. This elegant brooch is part of Cartier’s High Jewelry Collection and sells for $1.1 million. Now that’s what I call one expensive lapel pin!

Looking for more reasonably priced lapel pins? Unlike the rare jewels at Cartier, our rates for promotional lapel pins are very competitive.