11/4/2009

Promotional product sales off 10.9% in third quarter

The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) reports that 2009 3rd quarter sales of promotional products were off 10.9% from the same period in 2008.  This is the fifth straight quarter of declines, however the percent of the drop is lessening, which could indicate that the market is stabilizing.

9/24/2009

Bama Jammer, Inc. Obtains Multiple Department of Defense Contracts

Bama Jammer, Inc., a Huntsville based company, was recently notified that the US Department of Defense has awarded multiple contracts to the company to furnish various identification, recruiting and promotional products to the Army.  This ended a long and intensive competition between businesses nationwide for these contracts.  Some of the contracts are multi-year contracts. The total value of the contracts is approximately $2.2 million.

“We are very excited and optimistic about the future of the company,” stated Bethany Steelman, Vice-President of Operations at Bama Jammer, Inc. “The acquisition of these contracts is certainly a big accomplishment for Bama Jammer and further positions us as a national competitor for future Department of Defense business,” she continued.

Bama Jammer, Inc. was incorporated on January 1, 2005 by sisters and co-owners, Natalie and Bethany Steelman.  What made this unusual was, at the time of incorporation, both girls were full-time students and cheerleaders at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  Bethany was a freshman and Natalie was a sophomore.  Although still in college and carrying a maximum load of classes, the girls devoted all their free time to the development and growth of the new enterprise. 

“These Army contracts are another milestone for our young company and we plan immediately to start production of the contract items,” stated Natalie Steelman, the company’s President. 

Bama Jammer, Inc. is an embroidery and screen printing company offering thousands of promotional and advertising specialty products to the government and to the private sector.

8/6/2009

Bama Jammer, Inc. Obtains Multiple Department of Defense Contracts

Promotional Products Distributors in Iowa worked together to obtain an exemption for promotional products from a law that bans gifts to doctors from pharmaceutical companies.  See full article at Iowa Gift Ban. Be sure to register for the SPPA Showcase of Holiday Ideas which will include an educational session on legislation that affect the promotional products industry.

7/1/2009

Customers Change Promotional Product Buying Habits in Tough Economy

Times Call of Colorado featured promotional products in an article about the economy.  "Promotional products are a common way for businesses to get their name out, but in this tough economy, companies that sell these products are noticing a change in their customers’ buying habits." See full article at TimesCall.com

7/1/2009

Bic Graphic Purchases Norwood

Bic Graphic USA will purchase Norwood Promotional Products Inc., a leading supplier of imprinted promotional products. Bic Graphic, a Florida-based subsidiary of Bic Corp., will pay $125 million, plus $37.5 million in assumed liabilities, Norwood said in a news release. Bic outbid Aurora Resurgence, a private equity firm based in California that originally had been tapped as the front-runner to buy the Indianapolis-based Norwood, which employs about 2,000 workers at plants across the country.

5/21/2009

PPAI Receives Platinum Creative Award

Promotional Products Association International's (PPAI) business media group received a Platinum Award in the 2009 Hermes creative Award competition.  This competition is judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), and is an international competition for creative professionals in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. Over 3,000 entries were judged with only 17 percent recognized at the platinum level. PPAI was recognized for its Publications Pub-opoly game, a customized Monopoly-like board game that was created as a tool to generate awareness of PPAI’s full range of publications.

5/21/2009

Promotional Items Influence Med Students

An Archives of Internal Medicine study concludes that "Subtle exposure to small pharmaceutical promotional items influences implicit attitudes toward marketed products among medical students".  This, according to a study at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.  "Policy discussions concerning pharmaceutical promotion often assume that small promotional items are unlikely to influence prescribing behavior."
Full article.