A TRAVELING MESSAGE

Despite the grey weather, my husband and I decided to drive a few hours north to the island of Nantucket for a leisurely long weekend. Pink roses, houses sided in cedar shakes, lazy beaches, woven baskets, old lighthouses, cobblestone streets and bicycles (although we discovered quickly that cobblestone streets and bicycles are not a great pairing). Ahhhhhhh so quaint, idyllic and picturesque. And then of course - a rockin’ brewery/winery/distillery smack in the middle of the island. Yep, all three. Sample wine, beer or vodka. Your choice or try them all! We did - after all we were on bikes . Along with a swinging band and a few girls doing some funky things with a hula hoop, my husband had found his haven. Does it get any better?

The next day we caught a ferry back and then - lost luggage. Oh boy. Wow this happens on ferry rides too, huh? “The attendant told me Luggage Cart 37. But it’s not there,” my obviously frustrated husband said. Now I’m not sure if all the fun from the day before was catching up with my husband or the luggage was moved back to the correct cart but after checking the other 36 carts for his luggage, his very generic black bag suddenly appeared in Luggage Cart 37. “You need a bag that sticks out!”, I said. Or instead of replacing luggage – just attach a colorful, durable PVC luggage tag.

Have your message travel worldwide by simply handing out luggage tags. So visible on any airport carousel (and apparently ferry rides), a logo/identity literally pops for great exposure. Although travelers are staying closer to home this year, they’re still a great opportunity! After all, we in the promotional products business knows that everyone has a bag – gym, golf, carry on, tote! Time to dress them up and identify them with a vibrant one-of-a-kind tag. Doesn’t matter the business, a useful, practical item is always appreciated. The slip in tag makes a great vehicle for a larger message. Just slide in your business card, services, donation information, etc. And of course, I was thinking that anywhere along the way – the Ferry, the Inn, the Bike Rental Shop, the Brewery/Winery/Distillery - a luggage tag would have been a great memento for any of those businesses to give out, create great word of mouth and unbeatable, long lasting exposure.

RIGHT NOW OUR PVC IS ON EQP. To learn more about our custom colorful and practical PVC luggage tags

P.S. I took a bright orange ING luggage tag sample home to my husband. I don’t think that scenario is happening again.

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A YOUTHFUL CONNECTION

"Pleeeaaaase this place is booooring me" breathed my girlfriend as she tapped the side of her up glass. “Boy you are just straight out of a Candace Bushnell novel tonight” I said looking at her (Sex and the City for all you guys out there). I’m not sure what was so boooorrring. The beach bar was in full swing and with all the “skin” and the live band , there was enough activity to keep anyone entertained just simply watching. Reaching into her pocket book she pulled out what she thought was her pack of cigarettes and held it up in the air, trying to flag the bartender. “Do you have a light?,” she shouted down the bar, waving her box. “Ummmm, you know you are flagging him with a box of Beano, right?”. Well it was enough to send us all into a roar. And enough to get the attention of the cute female beverage company promoters, who decided it was time to decorate us all with plastic beads. That’s when my 20 years in the industry kicked in.

“What is this?!,” I said to the perky blonde. You know all these beads are going to end up in the garbage in about an hour right? Go back and tell your boss to invest his dollars in an item that won’t share space with napkins, plastic cups and cigarette butts.” “You scared her,” said my husband as she walked away looking as though she had just had an alien encounter. I looked around and immediately what caught my attention was, along with my friend who was booooored, there were dozens in the bar texting friends/family on their BlackBerrys, iPhones, etc. To me it seemed to make more sense to give all these young people something that was useful and at the moment, it sure seemed like a silicone cover for their smart phone devices would be a terrific choice. They probably would slip it on right away and the message would be there for as long as their Blackberrys, iPods, or iPhones were. No mold charges - all you do is pick the color of the case. Mix and match case sizes too. The logo or message you want is screened onto the back. It’s great protection for their connection and a super way to be visible in this hi tech world. These are ideal for any event or promotion that has a young adult audience. Looking to connect with Generation Y? Why not! Give them an item that in this day and age will create a buzz and is relevant.

To learn more about the our Silicone iPod cases

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ABOVE AND BEYOND

He was a little redhead. Similar to Dennis the Menace, cuter but with just as much energy and curiosity. Now my nephew is 18, graduated from high school and heading into the Marines. Tall, thin, eyes still gleaming with the unexpected. We had a “Boot Camp is Going to Kick Your Butt” send off party for him this past weekend. My father, a veteran, didn’t let the opportunity to joke with his grandson escape. “You do know there’s no noon napping in the Marines, right? Did they leave that part out? They’ll be getting you up at the time you are used to coming in.” And of course the rest of us chimed in, teasing him as best we could. But it didn’t phase him, he sat back letting it all roll off his shoulders with that familiar mischievous smile on his face. As if he knew something we didn’t. What we did know was - Thank goodness for young men and women like him. Willing to give up so much to protect our way of life. And then he said “Instead of eating Grandma’s lasagna, you’re all going to be eating your words when I come home with a medal.”

A medal. Letting the world know you’ve gone “above and beyond.” And a way to let them know they’re appreciated. I’m sure it happens every day in the US services. In the corporate world too. And just like the services, employees need to know they’re appreciated, especially if they have gone above and beyond. After all, its those employees you want to retain. The weight and size of the medal will clearly let them and others know how much they are appreciated. Bigger than a lapel pin, easier to wear than crystal, doesn’t need shelf or wall space and yet still affordable. Avaline’s die struck brass medallions provide exceptional detail and superb quality. Each medal is individually struck with your custom logo and shape. With a medal you can design the perfect item for your clients next awards or recognition program. They don’t need to be circular, they can take on any shape (logo). Add ribbons using different colors to indicate levels of achievement, school colors, corporate colors, nations colors. Safety awards, service awards, sales award, outstanding achievement, if someone needs to be decorated, “say thanks and well done” with a medallion.

Awarded ASI’s Distributor Choice in the Emblematic Jewerly category for seven consecutive years, Avaline too, is used to going above and beyond. Put your client’s recognition program in the hands that so many other distributors have come to trust.

To learn more about the our Die Struck Medallions

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NEW! SCREENCLEAN!

We all have one – a good cell phone story. Mine happened several years ago when I jetted off to Vegas with some girlfriends for a bachelorette party. I could tell my husband was a bit twitchy about the trip, that’s when the “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” campaign was full throttle. It was Friday night and my husband was heading out to a pub to meet a friend. Before going he decided to call the other side of the continent to catch up with me. I had left my phone in the hotel room and I missed his call. Then he phoned his friend and told him he was running late but was on his way to meet up with him. The next morning, he decided to try me again and hit redial, forgetting he had called his friend after me. A throaty male voice answered what he believed was my phone. Shocked, my husband said he literally threw his phone across our living room (luckily it landed on our loveseat). Moments later, his friend called him back and was like “Listen if you’re going to call on a Saturday morning, don’t hang up!” Whew! That would have been a confusing, messy, icky, sticky conversation upon my return.

The truth is, our cell phones, Blackberrys and iPhones have become such a part of our life that we actually have stories to tell about them. They are always on us! They travel with us, go to work with us, go shopping with us, to the beach, we rarely go anywhere without them. So doesn’t it make sense to put your message there? Your message visible daily with our new ScreenClean microfiber disks. What are they? They have a PU Gel back which sticks to the back of your cell phone, blackberry, MP3 player (or anything with an LCD screen). When things get a bit smudgy (i.e. fingerprints and makeup), just remove and wipe your “screen clean”. We think they’re great for any business with a phone number (can you think of one?). How about take out & delivery, airlines, auto services, emergency numbers? A nice fundraising/cause awareness token. Perhaps a pink disk with a “Strive for a Cure” message. Also ideal for brand awareness. If you want a spotless image, make sure your message isn’t messy or icky. Make it stick with Avaline’s NEW ScreenCleans. Affordable and long lasting. Simply rinsing restores its adhesive quality. 500 are only $1.75 (R)

They’re NEW! Check them out.

I have another one. I called my girlfriend one day and while we were chatting I could hear she was rummaging around and her voice was getting excited. So I asked “What are you doing?”“I lost my cell phone, I can’t find it anywhere!!” she answered. “Ummmm, didn’t I call you on it, aren’t you talking on it?” Love it! Feel like sharing yours? Email me at lynn@avaline.com