A Real or Fools Rebound

The happy dance days are here again if you watch the financial news networks.  Each week we hear more about fundamentals and the economic strength of the economy.  Last week wild projections were once again made on the price of oil suggesting a serious climb.  No mention was made that the expert quoted had oil prices pegged three times higher than actual just six months ago. 

The positive psychological impact is undeniable though as buying activity continues to steadily increase.  The first quarter was a disaster for many in the promotional industry with widespread reports of distributor and manufacturer sales being down as much as 50 percent.  To counter the turn there are many deals available including the Enterprise Pique Polo which is far above the entry level golf shirt you would have seen a year or two ago at a local convention.  Featuring three buttons and made of cotton this polo looks beautiful with your logo emblazoned across the front or back.  For the more budget conscience this same manufacturer offers the Vantage Velocity Cotton Pique Polo for a little less but as it turns out with the nature of the market the far superior Enterprise is available at nearly the same price point.  Vantage makes a premium product under the name Vansport Tournament Double-Tuck Pique Polo which includes sophisticated moisture management in the actual 65/35 cotton/polyester blend.  The entire Vansport line is considered the upscale version of traditional Vantage shirts with the major difference being the material.  As you move up their line you get into softer and smoother materials including shirts that wick moisture away from the body similar to much more expensive brands.

Shirts can provide an inexpensive incentive during these difficult times but even apparel sales are struggling badly.  The industry is typically dominated by apparel sales with close to fifty percent of the entire industry business being done out of this category.  The tshirt segment has been so saturated over the years that the impact of a custom t-shirt can be muted.  Think about it, when was the last time you really bothered to look at what was on a shirt?  This is where product placement is critical in selecting an item people actually care about and will wear outside of mowing their lawns or taking their dog for a walk.  If you give them a five dollar shirt that shrinks to the point of being one of those form fitting body shirts after two washes will anyone ever see your message?  Worse will the boss that ordered the purchase of those shirts ever come back to you again?  We see this quite frequently, you can always tell who ordered the cheap shirt when everyone is walking around with shirts tight to the bicep.  You are almost guaranteed that someone thought they could skimp on the shirt price as the samples they looked at fit.  The manufacturers will argue that nobody followed the washing instructions which usually require the cheap shirts be washed in cool water and only dried on low or medium.  Nobody ever follows those instructions and what you end up with is a frustrated customer or client.  What we like about the entire Vantage line is that the products are solid quality and do not shrink or fall apart like the bargain brands.  As we talked about in putting some thunder into your message it is critical that you select products that others will deem valuable. 

We will see in the upcoming week whether the economy is roaring or whimpering back to life.  We still do not know the answer even though our original piece was written weeks ago.   Despite the terrible economy there are still many unique opportunities in the economy and what it mostly comes down to is capitalizing on the existing situation through hard work that is both more efficient and better directed than your competition.