There is so much doom and gloom around at the moment, it would make some sense to try and counter that and although a blog posting on a promotional gifts website wont change the world, I will feel better knowing I have put my thoughts out there for people to stumble across.

Without drilling down into fine detail on what is going on “out there”, that would not be right and is unnecessary – we are hearing it too much as it is.

The press must be feeling very good about themselves right now. Aside from whether you support the government, they are a target and their attempts and errors are stripped down and plastered everywhere to put the “woolies up us all”. They will say they are reporting what is going on but are churning out negativity on a daily and hourly basis. The modern day access we have to “news” on television, radio, online and via mobile phones means we cannot avoid hearing about how bad it is at some stage each day. I long for a report from China about the birth of a baby panda!

Is everything really that bad?  I have no doubt it is dreadful for a great many people, and I also believe there are few people that have not been affected in some way. Negativity does spread like a virus, is hard to prevent and is hard not to get dragged into.  If any company / industry is genuinely flying at the moment – I am delighted for them, and I mean that.

I spoke yesterday to a friend who is involved in construction – he has his own business, he is genuinely buoyant and he is working really hard and reaping the rewards. He remains positive and he cannot see a downturn. I am pleased as punch for him. He has been speaking to the trade and is hearing loud whispers that Q2 2009 will be the turning point for constructors who are currently quiet, this is what they believe and are working to.  This is a positive sign and to hear it more than once is a good signal of intent. It is not a hope, it is in their planning.

Up until recent years, the old saying would be “at the first sign of downturn, marketing spend is cut” – this just isn’t the case anymore. Marketing is the area now relied upon, it is seen as vital, it is part of a company’s strategy.  I heard recently “When the tough gets going, the tough market” – companies are looking at maintaining contact with clients, building new clients, advertising, PR, business gifts, being one step ahead of the competition, showing your presence.

We are trying to stay as positive at Steel City Marketing. We have a great team, we work with good suppliers who support us and we have a good broad client base. We believe clients want to spend, we can tell there is nervousness and uncertainty out there so we are more than happy discuss cheaper alternative promotional items, or something new that promotes a company well – spread the word…. “lets try and be positive”!

Given all the technological advances in society in the past 20 years you might expect the top selling items in the business gifts industry to look significantly different in 2008 than they did in 1988 but this is not the case and most sellers lists, then and now, will be dominated by promotional pens, clothing, promotional mugs, and bags!!

Often there will be the odd item, which makes it into the top sellers for a relatively short space of time and items such as USB Flashdrives didn’t even exist 20 years ago! So why does this consistency exist? All these gifts have a practical application and they all are consumables with a distinct shelf life – people want them and need to replace them, if they were not given they would be purchased – that makes the gift ‘needed’ and appreciated when given.

As with all consumerism there is a modern day desire to see the ecological impact reduced, and there is now usually a ‘green’ product alternative in most ranges and especially amongst promotional pens where both recycled and recyclable items exist. So the recycled & eco promotional products aren’t a new product area in their own right really, they are an extension of best selling ranges – showing that what was popular “back then” is still popular now, but we can make it eco friendly!

Should you wish to discuss a regular seller from the last 20 years(!!) or something unique and new, please contact a member of the sales team who will be more than happy to assist.

Steel City Directory Covers 1988 & 2008

Over the last few months, Bic Graphic have launched a “greener version” of 5 best selling promotional pens – “Ecolutions” – where a percentage of the final pen is made from recycled materials.

The “white” refers to the fact that all the barrels in this Ecolutions range of pens are white, with other (non recycled) components such as caps, plugs and clips being available in numerous colours.

This range is not therefore fully recycled – but Bic never pretend that they are, an honest business approach they continually demonstrate.

The pens available up to now as “Ecolutions” options (priced approx 10% higher than the standard range) :

Ecolutions Round Stic : Barrel is 99% recycled, pen is 40% overall recycled. Great priced cap pen.

Ecolutions Media Clic : Barrel is 87% recycled and the pen contains 48% recycled material. Also available as a mechanical pencil.

Ecolutions Clic Stic : Barrel is 99% recycled with the entire pen made up of 33% recycled material.

Ecolutions Media Max : 87% recycled barrel, making the overall pen 32% recycled. There is a mechanical pencil version and this pen can have full colour digital wrap print to the entire barrel.

Print options are not restricted on the new range, with at least 2 print positions (sometimes 3) on each pen, allowing multiple print colours on at least one of these positions.

Lead times are fantastic for a “recycled” pen range, 7-10 working days for screen printing and 10-12 for the full colour digital print. These lead times allow the mix & matching of trim colour components and option on blue or black ink, proving that Bic have maintained their quick turnaround when developing this new area.

Should you be interested in this great new range of pens, or any other promotional gifts, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the sales team who will be happy to discuss your requirements further.

The Ecolution Range