News/Blog
Welcome to the Koala Tee Blog and News Page!
We would love to share your company news with everyone in our Koala Tee Community! Keep reading for special event announcements, marketing and branding tips, and other helpful information...
8/30/10
The 20th Annual Sarasota Blues Fest is November 6th this year, across the street from (what was) Ed Smith Stadium. Koala Tee has been a part of this event for many, many years... who wouldn't want to spend the day listening to great blues music, soaking up the November sun, and selling lots and lots of souvenir t-shirts? Come out and see us and support this killer Sarasota festival... the music is incredible!
8/20/10
Promotional Products product category updates coming soon
Beginning today, we will be adding subcategories of our top selling promotional products to our website in order to help you in your search for creative new marketing and gift ideas for your staff and clients. This process will be gradual over the next few weeks, so you will slowly see more and more products appear. We hope to include pricing within the descriptions to give you a better idea of how each product fits your budget.
Thank you for your patience!
8/6/10
Survey Says Bags Are Top Trade Show Branding Tool
When it comes to promoting a business at a conference or event, conference bags are the best way to get a brand name across, according to a new survey. The study, released by Nexus Collections, found that 23% of respondents selected conference bags as the most effective branding option. "What people are looking for is exposure at the show – not necessarily that people are going to be using these bags afterwards," says Mark Klang, manager of PromosLogos (asi/300581), who says he is not surprised at the strong showing by bags. "Even if it's nothing wild that's really going to get a lot of interest, at least they have people walking around the trade show or the conference with those bags and you've got a nice imprint there."
Pens, conference notepads and lanyards followed on the rankings, with 13%, 12% and 10%, respectively. "Like the conference bags, both the pens and notepads have longevity with many delegates taking them away and using them on into the future," said Nick Jones, Nexus Collections managing director, in a statement. "I can also appreciate the popularity of lanyards as they are so visible at events, every delegate and member of the team sees not just their own, but the hundreds around them as well."
Among the lowest ranked branding efforts at trade shows were the less tangible ones. Sponsorships of educational sessions, programs and catering events held the bottom three spots, with 7%, 6% and 4% of respondents citing them, with advertising and posters with only a slightly better showing. "I'd say t-shirts and pens are my number-one seller," says Unice Latimer, owner of L&L Advertising Supplies (asi/246750), who expected that pens would be even higher on the list of promotions for conferences and events. "Pens are a good one for businesses just to give away for promotional items. It's always good so people can have one on hand or make a note."
Copyright 2010 Advertising Specialty Institute
7/28/10
17 Reasons to Use Promotional Products 
Do you really believe in promotional products? Sure, you use them to promote your company, but would you really like to be somewhere else in marketing? Do you dream of 60-second spots during the Super Bowl as you sign off on a promotional products order? Shame on you. Promotional products are the most cost-effective (make that most effective, period) ad vehicle around. If you've been ignoring your counselor's advice to harness their power even further, here are 17 reasons why you should wake up and smell the coffee (in a logo mug, of course).
1. They're cool - no, really
Many of the hottest trendsetters and savviest spin doctors use promotional products these days. That's because once consumers (read: your customers) are onto something special - they want to let everyone know how hip they are. And those behind the trend or fad are happy to oblige.
Consider this: The Blair Witch Project, the most profitable film in the history of the world (on a costs vs. revenues scale) used logoed merchandise early and often.
Made for $30,000, Blair Witch's worldwide grosses topped $200million. As soon as it was obvious the young filmmakers had captured something special, film distributor Artisan Entertainment sent 100college interns to local bookstores, hot clothing stores and coffee shops wearing Blair Witch T-shirts and passing out Blair Witch comic books.
Once things ignited at the box office, promoters kept the Blair Witch Web site humming. And the film's signature shot of actress Heather Donahue in extreme close-up is available on buttons, magnets and key tags. Elsewhere on the site are T-shirts, lighters, shot glasses and pins. "I've never seen a film marketed so well in my entire life," one film executive told USA Today.
2. Everybody's Doing It
There seem to be few entities that don't use logoed goods in some way. The Dismal Scientist's site of economic wonkery offers coffee mugs. The foul-mouthed kids on South Park have their own line of merchandise. Even Spam (the food, not the e-mail) has a 28-page catalog of promotional products.
For many firms in the arts and entertainment industry, these items can be a new, steady stream of revenue. NBC sells logoed merchandise for Saturday Night Live. Disney-owned ABC recently mailed catalogs of merchandise tied to its shows. Outside the Brooklyn Museum of Art's controversial "Sensation" exhibit, the gift shop sold shark staplers and pillows, a reference to sculptor Damien Hirst.
Nor is the trend limited to big-bucks guys. Small towns - even neighborhoods - have their names on sweatshirts. Elementary schools have entire lines of logoed stuff. It doesn't take much critical mass before almost any company; organization or group can support a full slate of promotional products.
3. They're Inexpensive
One of the greatest things about promotional products is that they're so incredibly affordable. Counselor Greg Emmer uses the example of choosing between a local television commercial and a promotional products campaign. You might pay $3,000 for a package of six or seven 30-second commercials (including production costs), and you'll be lucky if more than one runs during a popular viewing slot. And while the TV station might say there'll be 5,000 viewers, how many of them will be visiting the facilities, grabbing a snack or channel surfing when your spot runs?
Now imagine you had a budget for 600 promotional products at $5 each. Think of the items you can get; specialties that would not only guarantee recipients won't be flushing a toilet when it makes its initial impression, but that those impressions will keep on coming as well.
Another thing: Promotional products are one of the few ad vehicles that can stand-alone. Most advertising needs to be supported with more advertising. Have a Web site? You need to advertise to get people to click on. How about television? Networks use millions of dollars of precious airtime to direct viewers to programs shown at other times. But a promotional product usually has the target audience coming to it - and vice-versa.
4. Anything's Imprintable
Now that the remote control has a permanent place on America's coffee table, the logo has become more important than ever. Commercials regularly feature an advertiser's logo. Networks put their logos in the corner of the screen. So anxious are advertisers to capture a few seconds of a channel-surfer's time that they'll sponsor scoreboards, race cars and and stadium signs.
Technology makes this trend stranger. There are now virtual ads - placements of logos on a TV screen that don't appear at the actual location. The center of a soccer field, for example, might be just grass in the stadium, but can sport a logo digitally placed on the screen. This allows different firms to have their logos on screen during different parts of the broadcast. East Coast viewers may see a different logo than West Coasters.
But perhaps the most remarkable placement of a logo occurred this past July. Pizza Hut put its logo on a 200-foot Russian Proton Rocket that delivered part of the International Space Station. Pizza Hut was banking that the exposure during launch time would justify its fee, said to be around $1 million. The logo helped roll out a campaign that included in-store promotions and other tie-ins.
5. It's The Medium That "Remains To be Seen"
Advertising types often measure the effectiveness of media in terms of number of impressions and cost-per-impression. Promotional products are one of the few media that defy these measurements. "Specialties are repeated impressions without repeated costs," Emmer says.
Bill Peck, a counselor, uses the example of a $6,000 order of 700 sound cards used by a major publisher. "Over $8.57 per exposure?" says Peck. "No. Recipients are still calling the publisher placing ads, as they continue to play with the cards.
6. People Take Them Personally
Promotional products used to be bought only by companies that wanted to spread their message. But now just about anyone can use them as a way to express a point of view.
Ohio State University superfan T. Michael McGuire printed up and sold some shirts that said "Beat Michigan." And remember; in such cases it's not only ordinary folks using logoed products as a mouthpiece. At the height of the Clinton impeachment proceedings, when NBC reporter Lisa Myers was perceived to be sitting on a big story of an alleged sexual misdeed by the president, a member of Congress started wearing a button reading "Free Lisa Myers." Broker Morgan Stanley holds strategy sessions with clients present and gives out T-shirts as prizes to forecasters making bad calls.
7. They Can Help You Hedge Your Bets
Almost every advertising trend that hits the market puts a side bet on promotional products. Think about it. When database marketing was new, didn't the most successful advertisers include a promotional product in their mailings? Or if they jumped on the demo/psychographics bandwagon, they did it with promotional products. When marketers tried things like stunt marketing - singing-dog contests at malls - you can bet they had a nearby booth stocked with logoed goods.
Nostalgia marketing? Give away a classic image on a specialty and people clamor for them. Even arguably the most important trend in '90s advertising, the Internet, makes extraordinary use of gifts.
8. The Rise Of Affordable Four-Color Processing
It's like the day your family got its first color TV. Promotional products look better than ever, and one of the main reasons is that logos can now be rendered in four colors at prices previously only available on one- or two-color jobs. One of the big stories of the last decade has been the ability to reproduce colors with clarity and sophisticated registration on a silk-screened imprint.
There's more. Holograms and other 3-D effects continue to get play. And personalization is showing up more and more, as technology makes it more affordable.
9. They Constantly Re-Invent Themselves
There are well over 250,000 different promotional products currently available. Add to that the creativity your counselor brings, and you can make use of a new product, idea, twist to an old product, application, etc., nearly as often as you like.
10. The Web Loves Promotional Products
When chess master Garry Kasparov faced off against the world in a cyber-chess match sponsored by Microsoft, Visa was they're giving out "World Team" T-shirts if you signed up for a game. This is typical on the Net. Content providers have only a few seconds to get peoples' attention, and promotional products are often the bait to get them to linger a bit longer.
Net-surfers love promotional products too. A survey by the nonprofit think tank Privacy & American Business found that nearly nine out of 10 online respondents felt it was fair to give personal information to companies that gave them a "valuable benefit," which involved things like free e-mail and product discounts, but also a fair share of promotional products. And 59% said they wouldn't mind if their e-mail addresses were passed on to other reputable companies.
11. They're The Ultimate Traffic-Builder
Many firms not only give logoed stuff away once you're at their Web site, they also do it to get you there in the first place. In fact, is there any new development better suited for promotional products than a Web address? You have a short series of letters and symbols that opens up a whole world for the recipient. Less is more on a promotional product. If the address is simple enough, logoed products can really be walking hyperlinks. Passers-by can scribble down the Web site and then rush to their computers.
12. They Don't Cause Cancer
Don't laugh. Now that tobacco companies have agreed not to use promotional products to sell cigarettes, we can take to heart what the government said in the first place. In proposing a ban of cigarette brand names on promotional products, the FDA laid out quite a case for their effectiveness.
From the Federal Register: "This form of advertising is particularly effective with young people. Young people have relatively little disposable income, so promotions are appealing because they represent a means of getting something for nothing."
A federal court chimed in: "Printed advertising is customarily quickly read and discarded by typical customers. 'Utilitarian objects,' on the other hand, are retained precisely because they continue to have utility. They may be around for years. And each use of them brings a new reminder of the sponsor and his product." Now there's a testimonial.
13. Corporations Are Wising Up
Maybe they expect to make it up in volume, but the big trend in the computer world these days is to give things away. You see $30 software packages with a $30 rebate. Your 50-cent newspaper is free if you log on. Dozens of places offer free e-mail and fax service. You can get free electronic greeting cards.
The biggest computer promotion of last year involved a free machine if you signed up for one of several ISPs and mailed in a bunch of rebate slips. That's for those who didn't get a free computer and Net service in return for looking at a lot of on-screen ads.
All these businesspeople have figured out that by giving something away, they can get something in return that will pay off in the long run. That's the message promotional products have been sending for the last 125 years or so.
14. They're Now Available Yesterday
We admit it; it once seemed promotional products took their sweet time from the order pad to your desk. There was some rush service here and there, but for most products you simply had to wait. Not anymore. Almost a quarter of orders placed by companies like yours are completed in five days or less. In many cases, 48- or even 24-hour turnaround is possible.
15. It's The Only Form Of Advertising People Don't Mind
Not everybody hates all advertising. But let's face it; most of it is a drag to consumers. No one wants commercials interrupting their TV viewing (unless it's a really funny commercial or really bad show). No one likes icons blinking on the side of a Web site, even if the information center screen is free and valuable. "Advertising's designed to be intrusive," Emmer says.
In all cases but promotional products, that is. People want premiums and ad specialties. They pick them up in show booths, take them away from conferences, mail away coupons to get them and even make their workplace safer to earn them.
16. People Like To Get Free Stuff
A few years ago, the Philadelphia Inquirer asked readers for a list of things they always managed to get free. It found that while a pen aficionado might be willing to shell out big bucks for the latest turbo-charged ballpoint, he wouldn't think of paying for an office coffee mug. Many of us will go to our graves without ever buying another key tag or mouse pad.
That means your firm has the chance to become that key tag, mug or mouse pad. "Without promotional products, what would we put in our pockets?" asks promotional consultant Glen Holt. Wouldn't you love to have that kind of exposure?
17. They're The #1 Ad Medium In The Deepest Amazon Jungles
At least according to Holt. He found this out a bit unscientifically by watching a National Geographic special. The documentary crew was accompanying explorers looking for one of those forgotten tribes that have never been in contact with modern man. "They go through streams full of crocodiles, and cut through reeds with machetes," Holt says. "When the explorers finally meet someone from this lost tribe - surprise! He has a T-shirt that says, 'Pepsi Cola.'" Let's see TV match that kind of penetration!
COPYRIGHT © 2002 The Advertising Specialty Institute. All rights reserved. Connie O'Kane is senior writer of Imprint.
7/8/10
Let's start the week off right!
"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." - British Novelist and Dramatist, James Matthew Barre
We have plenty of sunshine here at Koala Tee, so give us a call if you need help getting motivated this week! 
6/17/10
I just received a cool promotional idea and wanted to share it with you all - Inscribed Motorcycle Key Chain and Cold Beverage Opener
Examples of our clients who this promotional item would work for:
Insurance agents that insure motorcycles
Banks who give loans for new motorcycle sales
Motorcycle retail sales and/or mototcycle parts stores
Driver/rider training schools
Event planners for the many motorcycle charity riding events
Any other customer that is related to the motorcycle business
Give us a call or drop us a line if this is something that might help you grow your business!
6/14/10
Koala Tee is very excited to be a new member of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce! We've enjoyed meeting the other members, new and old, and we look forward to attending the "Sarasota Prime Time - Exhibit, Meet, and Greet" on Wednesday, June 16th at the Sun 'N Fun RV Resort (7125 Fruitville Road). Here are the details...
Wednesday, June 16 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Loc: Sun 'N Fun RV Resort (7125 Fruitville Road)
Members - $5 / Future members - $15
Presented by: USF Sarasota - Manatee
Mark your calendars for an opportunity to network with an expected 300+ attendees at Sarasota Prime Time - exhibit • meet • greet. This quarterly event will be hosted at Sun 'N Fun RV Resort. For a $5 admission fee, you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow business men and women, while enjoying complimentary hors d'oeuvres provided by Chamber member restaurants (Ceviche Tapas Bar & Grill, Madfish Grill, Tropical Smoothie of Southwest Florida, Kilwin's of St. Armands, Cosimo's Brick Oven, Sundance Catering & Events) and visiting over 50 exhibitors.
During the evening, the Premier Volunteer Award of the quarter will be presented to a special volunteer who goes above and beyond. Music will be provided by Available Sound and a cash bar will be available.
For this quarters event, we have chosen the Suncoast Communities Blood Bank as our Non-Profit Partner Spotlight member in honor of 24 years of membership. The bloodmobile will be on site and accepting donations during the event.
No RSVP is required to attend this event. However, no credit cards will be accepted at the door the day of the event. If you wish to pay by credit card, please register online in advance.
If you're interested in exhibiting, please fill out the attached table top registration form. For $95, you'll receive one 6' table covered and skirted. There will be an exhibitor table top decorating contest carrying out the "Chamber Camp Out" event theme.
Don't miss the next opportunity to meet your next customer!
6/1/10
June is Safety Month
Check out these affordable promotional products that revolve around safety!
5/31/10
Set up a joint venture with friendly, indirect competitors. Partner with other businesses who are likely to sell to the same people you do. You can cross-promote each other to your client lists or even provide a finder's fee on any referred sales. Simply interacting with others who sell to the same people you do can spur ideas, sales and profits.
- David Blaise
5/26/10
Vary your approach. Sales success requires intelligent repetition of contact, which means you must keep it varied and interesting. If you've ever traveled in a car with small children, you understand why this is important.
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How about now?” they will ask repeatedly. That is not intelligent repetition of contact, yet some people take a similar approach in business. “Are you ready to buy? Would you like to place an order? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”
Vary your approach with different marketing methods. Instead of repeatedly calling clients and prospects on the phone and leaving messages, try sending a letter in the mail, followed by a phone call and e-mail, or package up a nice self-promotion item.
When we use a combination of tools and approaches to get our information in front of people, it changes things up a bit and avoids the “are-we-there-yet” approach to sales.
- David Blaise
5/19/10
Reach prospects and clients with an aggressive marketing campaign. Aggressive doesn’t have to mean expensive. In fact, it shouldn't be. If it is, you’re either not targeting well enough, or you don’t have a proven customer-acquisition process in place.
Get through to your targeted prospects. Quickly determine those that are qualified to do business with you and those that are not. Focus your time and effort only on the qualified prospects.
- David Blaise
5/12/10
Target better. Instead of just waiting to see who stumbles through your door, proactively choose your prospects. Compile a list of the Top 25 companies you think you’d like to do business with right now. Contact them, learn the names of their buyers and put them through your customer-acquisition process. Don’t have one? Shame on you. Every wildly successful business has a proven process for bringing clients through the door.
- David Blaise
5/5/10
Reactivate your current and former prospects and clients. Now is the time to talk to the people you know. Take their pulses and find out what's going on in their heads. Ask how things are affecting them.
Regardless of the economy, there always are two kinds of people: those who are ready to do something and those who are not. Find out where each of your existing prospects and clients stand.
- David Blaise
4/28/10
Recognize that an economic downturn doesn’t have to be your downturn. This is not your recession. You didn’t order it, so you don’t have to take delivery of it.
I’m not saying you should pretend the situation doesn’t exist. Rather, you can simply refuse to participate. Don’t automatically accept the idea that a downturn is inevitable for you. Some of the greatest fortunes in the world began during the Great Depression.
When we hear things are bad, our inclination may be to pull back. But very often, that’s the wrong response. If some prospects are not receptive right now because of the economy, we have two choices:
1.) Blame the recession, say nobody's buying right now and pull back, or
2.) Find prospects that are receptive and sell to them.
Blindly accepting economic defeat often creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- David Blaise
4/21/10
We've been taking advise lately from David Blaise, an entrepreneur and business consultant with more than 20 years of experience in the wearables and promotional products industries. The next few posts will focus on the following idea: A troubled economy doesn't have to mean trouble for you. In fact, while some businesses are trying to scrimp, save and cost-cut their way to success, others are gobbling up market share and racking up record sales — taking a proactive approach to growth while others are too afraid to move.
4/7/10
"A Common Character Trait of Top Performers " by David Blaise
It takes a lot of self-discipline to buckle down and consistently do what we know we need to do on a daily basis. In fact, it takes a lot of self-discipline just to force ourselves to determine exactly what we need to do on a daily basis.
We all know how important it is to prioritize our actions, but very often we fail to do it. As a result, we end up working on things that don't bring us any closer to our goals.
What is the one, single most important thing you need to accomplish this week? Think about it. I mean really consider it. If you could accomplish just one important thing this week, what would it be? Write it down immediately and begin to think about how you can make it happen. Toss it around in your brain. Then force yourself to begin taking action on it. This single issue will be your Prime Directive for the week. Put it to work for you.
3/31/10
3 Hot Tips on Cold Calling...
1. One of the easiest ways to "warm up" cold calls is to send prospects a small -- and unique -- promotional product. (It's amazing. A $2.15 crazy little item you send out can help you to land Fortune 500 accounts.) When you do make the call, they'll say, "Oh yeah....you were the one that sent me that..." It gets you remembered. It makes you immediately stand out from the crowd.
2. The sole objective of your cold call is to get an appointment. For this reason, you may not want to send out brochures in advance. If they already have the information on your company's products and services, why would they need to meet with you? You are likely much more effective salesperson in person than any brochure is.
3. Another technique that is recommended is to directly ask for an appointment at a certain time. Instead of saying, "Would there be a chance to meet with you sometime next week?," say, "Would next week on Tuesday at 10:30 be a good time to meet?"
Tips found in Inc. Magazine
3/19/10
Check out Koala Tee's Facebook Page... we'd love for you to become a fan!
3/5/10
Coming up on April 17th is the Pacific Tomato Growers 11th Annual Golf Classic that benefits the Migrant Education Program at USF. Koala Tee is busy embroidering dri-fit performance tees, hats, and golf shirts for the event. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor and/or playing in the event, please contact us so that we can get you involved!
2/26/10
Share your news story with us! Remember, we're in the business of promoting YOUR business!
2/10/10
The Children First Golf Tournament will take place next Friday, Feb. 19th! Sponsorship opportunities are available, and it all goes toward helping the kiddies. As a plus, goodie bags will include a sharp Koala Tee embroidered golf shirt, and the winners receive Nike golf caps! :)
2/2/10
Koala Tee welcomes Rob Harman as our newest Account Manager for the Florida Suncoast!
In his position, Harman will be responsible for managing and increasing Koala Tee’s contacts and relationships to promote and sell Koala Tee products from Tampa to Ft. Myers.
"We are very excited to have Rob join the Koala Tee team,” said Carmen Manley, VP of Business Development. “Rob’s many years of experience and success in our industry will greatly benefit our sales network and our clients. I know that he will exceed our clients’ expectations with the level of service that he is committed to providing.”
Harman brings over 17 years of experience in the imprinted sportswear industry, having managed sales and business development for various companies. He is a 30 year resident of Sarasota where he lives with his wife and two children.
1/29/10
Koala Tee was excited to print event t-shirts for the golfer goodie bags for the First Annual Mote Marine Golf Tournament. Proceeds from the event will benefit an educational live mangrove exhibit in the Mote Aquarium. We are proud to be one of Mote Marine Laboratory's Corporate Partners. Check out this link to the Mote Marine website to see how to get involved!
1/18/10
Don't miss the Sarasota Family YMCA's Ringling Bridge Run this Saturday, January 23!!! Get a one-of-a-kind Koala Tee souvineer t-shirt when you register!! :)
11/11/09
Can't figure out how to get more out of your employees? Try employee incentives! And you don't need to stop with your salespeople... production workers and customer service reps can also be motivated to increase their efficiency and productivity with incentives as well. When your entire team is inspired, everybody wins! Give everyone a set of goals with the right incentive program in place, and you will see results! Koala Tee has suggestions for these incentives on the Promotional Products page of our website!
10/27/09
Check out this great article by Karen Gedney: Increasing Readership for Your E-Newsletter!
10/14/09
The Quick and Easy Way to Request Testimonials Via Email
When asking for testimonials, it is helpful to provide guidance for your client. By asking them to answer questions they can quickly focus on what to say.
The following 3 questions should provide answers that can be combined for a strong testimonial. (NOTE - insert your own words if needed to replace the text in brackets)
1. Which factors encouraged you to choose me (my business) to assist you with (the outcome your client wanted)?
2. Please think about the service I provided. Explain how you believe the process I used (or, what you did for them) will help you (or, their business), or how it contributed to you achieving your objectives.
3. If you were to recommend me to a colleague, friend, or business associate, how would you describe the way I provided my service to you (or, the way I helped you achieve xyz).
When you have those answers they can often be placed together to form a complete testimonial, saying (why they chose you), followed by (how you helped them), followed by (why they would recommend you).
10/7/09
Using Promotional Items to Help with Cold Calling
I was reading this article on "Inc. Magazine's" website and came across a great piece of advice from Pat Cavanaugh on using promotional items to help with cold calling... "At my company, we like to "warm up" cold calls by sometimes sending prospects a small -- and unique -- promotional product. (It's amazing. A $2.15 crazy little item we've sent out has helped us get Fortune 500 accounts.) When we call, they say, "Oh yeah....you were the one that sent me that..." It gets us remembered. It makes us immediately stand out from the crowd."
9/27/09
Here is an interesting 2 part article about setting your company apart from the competition...
9/20/09
What's new with us? Well, one of the most exciting things that has happened at Koala Tee recently is that the Gulf Coast Business Review asked to write an article about our company and how we are surviving the recession. Check out our cover story...
Gulf Coast Business Review Article on Koala Tee, Inc. 9-18-09
What made the summer even more exciting was that Koala Tee was awarded the "Best of Sarasota 2009 Award for Silk Screen Design" by the US Commerce Association. Congratulations to our steller design team!
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