Social Media and M-commerce are examples of rising technologies

In a promotional marketing world where change is the name of the game, it is important to keep perspective on what is most important; your brand. It seems each month brings a slew of new techniques, new strategies, and new platforms. Of course, most of these end up either being flash-in-the-pan ideas or not relevant to your particular needs. There is always more work to be done in the promotional marketing world, and it is necessary to keep your ear to the ground for developing trends. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the most important part of any marketing endeavor is to grow your client base and convey a sense of value to your customers. That means always paying attention to the basics, no matter what particular technology or technique you are using.

The basics of promotional marketing are as such: brand identity, brand integrity, and brand value. No matter how your are reaching out to your clients, always be sure to use the medium to convey your message, rather than changing your message to suit the medium. Never sacrifice your brand integrity by communicating just for the sake of communicating.

A video on youtube describes who we are

Brand Identity: The first piece of the promotional marketing trifecta, it can be considered the foundation. The question you need to ask when looking at how best to define your brand identity is a deceptively simple one; “Who am I to my customers?” Before  you send one more promotional email, post one more tweet, or give one more tee shirt away, you need to have the answer to this question.

The complicated part of this question is that, we all know who we are, but do we really know who we are from our clients’ perspectives? Take Cadillac for example. From one perspective, they are a producer of luxury vehicles. They handle the sourcing, production, delivery of these vehicles, and maintain complex dealer relationships across the country. Another definition of Cadillac is a creator of, as their latest commercial puts it; “reinvented, re-imagined, re-inspired” vehicles that  “reignite the soul”. Which definition do you think is more relevant to their customer? It is obvious marketing speak, but the important things are there: “reinvented, re-imagined, and re-inspired” speak to not only the new and modern design characteristics, but also references the long Cadillac history and existing brand reputation. Reigniting the soul speaks to the excitement of finding something fresh and new; something invigorating.

The reality is that your customers don’t really need to know about, nor do they really care about 90% of what you do. They are only interested in the parts of your identity that directly affect them. Take care to hone your external identity with this in mind.

Mathews, one of our customers, a company expert at cross-branding and brand integrity

Brand Integrity: This is often one of the most overlooked aspects of consistent branding. With so many different mediums available in the modern marketing world, it can be incredibly difficult to struggle to maintain your brand identity across them all. This can be made much easier however, if you’ve adequately defined the first brand basic, and have a strong, coherent definition of who you are, and who you want to be to your clients.

One of the reasons so many companies have struggled with social media is not because it is so new, but because it offers a platform that is generally outside the realm of total control. Once you place your message out there, you have lost complete control of it contextually. This is something many brands have struggled with, while others have been able to thrive. Why? Because many brands have been able to successfully maintain their brand integrity while encouraging and embracing the communal nature of social media. Those that have not been able to bring their message along with them, however, have struggled in communicating directly with their audience. Not having a strong company definition, combined with not being able to properly communicate value to their customers across platforms, has led some organizations to struggle in modern marketing arenas.

Strong brand integrity is crucial in developing a cohesive branding platform. Again, be sure never to mold your message to your platform, but mold the platform to your message. Use your assets correctly, and you can build a strong, cohesive platform for promotion.

The Carbon Signature Series is an excellent example of communicating brand value

Brand Value: When engaging your audience, always consider the value that you provide. This is not to be interpreted as an excuse to SELL, SELL, SELL to your customers. It is more a reminder that your customers (and potential customers) derive value from your goods and/or services. Why would your customer choose your service over someone else? Are you faster in supplying what your clients need? Do you provide a more comprehensive solution? Be sure, when creating your marketing message, that you always keep your perceived value in mind.

In our industry, for example, our customers don’t particularly care that we deal with national and international logistics in sourcing, shipping, and production every day. Nor do they care that we face rapid production deadlines and complex production deadlines every hour of our day. What they care about, and the value we bring, is that we provide hassle-free cost effective customized promotional programs.

When we communicate with our audience, we focus on the value we bring as a provider of solutions, and someone who can help achieve goals. This allows us to more easily engage our customers, since we are talking about things that they care about and that bring value to them.

At the end of the day, you should come back to these three simple concepts: brand identity, brand integrity, and brand value. No matter what your strategy or platform, these three basic ideas should be at the core of your marketing message. To learn more about branding basics, contact our expert staff at (800) 588-7111. Contact us by email at: customerservice@powertexgroup.com

Alpha Shirts; Wide Product Line, Available Inventory, Great Value

Alpha Shirts; a key Powertex Group promotional product partner

Most people don’t realize it, but they have likely worn or at least seen one garment provided by Alpha Shirt Company at some point in their life. With the largest in-stock shirt selection anywhere, and their suite of high-quality brands, Powertex’s partnership with Alpha gives us a leg-up on the competition. This month, we are going to take a look at what separates Alpha from the competition, and why they are on Powertex Group’s preferred vendor list.

History:

American Apparel is just one of the many brands offered by Alpha

Alpha was founded in 1931 as a wholesaler of mens dress shirts, hosiery, and undergarments in the New England area. The organization, at that time, provided products to accessory and sportswear outlets. It wasn’t until the 70’s that Alpha began to radically evolve as into the organization we know today. It was at that time the imprintable t-shirt industry was really taking shape, and Alpha aggressively hitched their businesses model to this rising trend to much success.

Fast forward through incorporation in the 1990’s and rapid expansion that continues even today, and we have the industry leader you see today.

The Alpha Advantage:

The numbers are impressive: 2.5 million square feet of warehousing space, 35 different product lines, 18 distribution centers nation-wide and expanded 1-day delivery service. It is easy to be impressed with the scale of Alpha’s organization. However, what really separates Alpha from their competition are the unquantifiable aspects of their business.

Alpha Shirts is a provider of high-end brands such as Devon & Jones

Despite their immense size, Alpha has never lost sight of their commitment to customer service and customer satisfaction.  As a promotional partner, Alpha Shirts has consistently delivered on goods and within time lines that many other vendors won’t or can’t. Their organization understands their customer’s needs, and will go out of their way to ensure our clients get the products they need, when they need them, and at a fair price.

Casting a wide net:

Alpha offers over 800 unique products spread across 35 brand names. Their offerings include: t-shirts, fleece wear, sport shirts, wovens, outerwear, hats, bags, and accessories. Alpha’s items are featured under several partner brands including names such as Dickies, Champion, and Adidas Golf. Factor in their own various private labels, Devon & Jones, Hyp, and Authentic Pigment, for an incredibly wide catalog of quality products. From ultra-trendy garments to business wear, you’ll likely find what you are looking for with Alpha.

Delivering when it counts:

One of the major contributors to Alpha’s success is their expertise in strategically positioning their distribution centers across the U.S. for quick fulfillment. Alpha Shirts features 18 distribution centers nation-wide with 8 of them labeled as Express Centers. These Express centers are stocked with only the most popular styles for quick shipment. This leaves Alpha strategically positioned to get their most popular items to almost anywhere nation-wide within a day. Their distribution network ships thousands of shipments to hundreds of locations each day. With over 2.5million square feet of warehousing space, their ample inventories drastically increase the odds that Powertex, in partnership with Alpha, can get your items to you for your next tight deadline.

Alpha has a number of strategically positioned distribution centers around the U.S. for quick turnaround times.

Business and promotions move fast. You need not only committed partners, but strategically positioned partners to get you the products you need. That is why Powertex depends on Alpha Shirts as one of our preferred core vendors. They are one of several keys in providing our customers the highest service levels available. To learn more about our key partners and how we can impact your organization, give us a call at (800) 588-7111, or email us at customerservice@powertexgroup.com.

Contact: William Rhamey
Tel. (800) 588-7111
Email: customerservice@powertexgroup.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOOKING FOR SKI-DOO® GIFTS & NOVELTIES? LOOK NO FURTHER.

BRP Canada Officially Licensed Products Online Store

The Shop BRP online store features officially licensed products for the Ski-Doo®,
Sea-Doo®, and Can-Am™ brands at http://www.shop-brp.com.

(Eau-Claire, Wisconsin, 10 July 2009) – The Shop BRP Gifts and Novelties store, located at http://www.shop-brp.com, allows BRP brand enthusiasts to order Ski-Doo® branded merchandise such as mouse pads, coffee mugs and key chains directly online at any time, from anywhere.

Powertex Group, a Wisconsin based promotional marketing company, lent its expertise in order to make the online store a reality. “This new platform is a great opportunity to extend BRP’s reach to its customers,” said Gray Powers, General Manager at Powertex Group, “with this launch, Ski-Doo fans can now have the merchandise they want at their fingertips.” Shop BRP features officially licensed products from the Sea-Doo® and
Can-Am™ lines, so enthusiasts – and their friends looking for the perfect gift – can find something for every season.

Powertex Group also offers exclusive products and special pricing to authorized BRP dealers who visit the site and register for an exclusive dealer account.

To learn more, or to view the available selection visit: http://www.shop-brp.com.

About Powertex Group:

Powertex Group Main Facility

Powertex Group is your full-service promotional marketing source. They aid their clients in simplifying e-commerce, promotional item distribution, warehousing, and promotional branding. They carefully mix and match from their portfolio of services to develop custom programs such as employee incentive programs, dealer distribution, and e-commerce programs. Powertex Group’s evolution and dynamic growth has been attributed to its innovative, forward-thinking approach to the unique promotional marketing challenges their clients provide.

® and ™ are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc, used under license.

For more information:

William Rhamey
(800) 588-7111
customerservice@powertexgroup.com