Artistic Toy

Change Marketing

2010-04-22T15:48:00.005-04:00

Change Your Market

Change Marketing is imperative for the 21st century and the name of Artistic Toy's campaign that informs marketing professionals how to think differently in terms of the products they are using and the messages they are sending to their customers.

Marketing is an attitude, not a department, and your client's marketing message is represented in everything they do from answering the phone to arriving at their next appointment. If they are not considering the psychological and emotional impact of routine business activities they are missing extremely valuable opportunities to connect with clients and prospects.

It is a well known fact that people buy more for emotional reasons than objective rationale. You need to know the ways to connect with the emotions of your target audience. Studies have shown that businesses who can emotionally connect their lead generation and lead conversion activities to their customers experience three times more business from those customers. Ever imagine why McDonald's would choose to fill their "happy" meal with lots of fun toys and games?

While the economic down turn has slashed marketing budgets, I challenge you to help your clients think differently. Develop successful strategies that emotionally connect before they re-invest in the same, worn out methods they were using before. It is change that has proven to drop to your bottom line.

Artistic Toy will be featuring sales tips and creative product information focused around our popular line of reversible puppets to help you engage your clients in the Change Marketing conversation. We will feature 7 products over the next 14 weeks focused on emotional triggers in the most popular industries. We challenge you to join us and change your market.

Character Ad Challenge

2010-03-17T14:25:00.015-04:00

One of the biggest barriers to selling plush toys is overcoming the intimidation factor.

"You want me to walk into my client's office and present a toy as a viable marketing strategy. That’s crazy…. Who would use such a bold and outrageous tactic? I have very serious clients who will throw me out of their office if I presented a childish gimmick."

This objection and consequently misconception is rampant in the minds of Promotional Product Distributors and their clients. That is why Artistic Toy has launched the Character Ad Challenge.

We challenge you within the next 30 days to review your favorite industry or business journal and tell us which advertisements you found with a reference to a Character. Last month I got my first copy of the Harvard Business Review and you may be interested to know what I found. See our new web page Characters In Marketing to review the results.

This type of market research is exactly what you need to overcome any hesitation you may have about presenting plush toys. The experience you gain from this search will equip you with confidence in your quest to build character and generate orders that can change your future. Everyone that participates in this challenge will find new lead opportunities and magazine results posted on our Characters In Marketing webpage. This webpage will soon become a place you can visit to see hundreds of advertisements with examples of characters being used in marketing. This will be a great foundation for you to present new ideas to your clients or prospects with confidence.

It’s the 21^st century, and to remain competitive you must innovate and you must commit to learning what it is you don’t know. You must continue to self-educate in order to see more clearly so that you and your business continue to grow. Be eager to learn, do something intentional to grow every day as you move closer to reaching your potential.

Artistic Toy is committed to principles that will help enable your organization to achieve its growth potential. We value your time and thank you for taking the Character Ad Challenge.

To participate in the Character Ad Challenge:

Send an e-mail to esocci@artistictoysmfg.com including the Publication Name, Publication Date, Page Number, and a brief description of the ad. Then check our Characters in Marketing webpage to see all submissions.

A New Year Filled with New Additions

2010-01-13T08:56:00.009-05:00

Typically each new year at Artistic Toy begins with meeting our new and current clients at the ASI - Orlando and PPAI - Expo in Las Vegas. This year we have had some exciting additions which is why you didn't see us at these trade shows. On December 5, 2009, the owners of Artistic Toy received their newest member of the family. His name is Maxwell David Socci. This Character came 30 days ahead of schedule, he was 17.25 inches and 4 lbs, 11 ounces. While we have some bigger toys in our line, we have nothing that resembles his beauty. This character is not for sale; however, we will share him with you anytime. He is particularly active from 11pm to 4am, so he would be happy to see you during those times. They say your life will never be the same when you have a child, I will verify that is an understatement.

In preparation for our first new addition, we made some more additions to our extended Artistic Toy family. On Monday, December 14, 2009, we added two new people to help us in our reception and administrative support areas. Our team carefully selected two candidates who represent the type of "characters" we look for at Artistic Toy. They are self-motivated, have leadership experience, and have an authentic charisma that attracts people to them.

It is my pleasure to introduce to you Amorie Rivera and Brooke Donaldson as our new team members. They have been trained to help you with most customer service and sales related questions like product configuration, timing, minimums, pricing, website, samples, catalogs, and quotes. If you have anything they can't help you with, they know who to ask to get you the answer.

So while we welcome our new additions to the family, our team is focused on giving you great service you can expect from Artistic Toy. In order to ensure that customer service does not slip through this transition period we decided that participation in the January trade shows would distract us from focusing on our most important assets -our employees and current customers!!!

Thank you for your continued business and we look forward to seeing you later this year.

CUSTOM PLUSH TOYS - No Re-Quote Necessary

2009-12-21T10:53:00.006-05:00

On December 18, 2009 the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted to extend the 1 year STAY on 3rd Party Independent Product Testing and General Certificates of Compliance (GCC) required to be performed and provided as part of the 2007 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) law. The STAY of enforcement on this component of the law is in effect until February 10, 2011.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOUR PRODUCT QUOTATION OR ORDER DOES NOT INCLUDE TESTING OR CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE COSTS.

Artistic Toy focuses on product safety from concept design through final production. If you need higher levels of assurance to protect your stakeholders we will provide separate price quotations for 3rd party safety testing and GCC's.

See www.artistictoysmfg.com/toysafety.html for more important news on safety testing procedures, sample reports, and FAQ's.

CUSTOM PLUSH TOYS: Re-Quote Now

2009-12-17T11:54:00.017-05:00

Due to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) scheduled expiration of the one year STAY ending on February 9, 2010, Artistic Toy has included Independent Product Safety Testing as part of all product price quotations after December 16, 2007. All custom toy products quoted and ordered after this date will be manufactured after the February 10, 2010 effective date. The further implementation of the CPSIA law will require third party testing for a large spectrum of promotional products.

DELIVERY REMINDER: Due to the Chinese New Year all custom plush toy orders received and approved on or before January 29, 2010 will deliver standard by sea to customers in April 2010. (See article Key Decision Dates to Navigate the Beginning of your 2010 Sales Cycle for details on Chinese New Year.)

We are notifying all customers who have open price quotations for Custom Plush Toys to check back in with clients to see if the project quoted is expected to be in the purchase plan for 2010. If the Custom Toy project is a 2010 possibility, we recommend that our distributor customer's contact us (info@artistictoysmfg.com or 888-288-TOYS) to request a re-quote immediately, so that all the required independent safety testing costs can be confirmed and communicated back to the client for inclusion in the final purchase decision.

All open price quotes or pending orders including Artistic Toy stock inventory product line will not need to be re-quoted for Independent Safety Testing. Products manufactured before February 10, 2010 will not require the Independent Product Safety Testing; however, do still require compliance with all other toy and CPSC product safety standards. During 2010 clients can expect to see a gradual increase in stock inventory product prices as older inventory is depleted, and new inventory is manufactured with the required third party safety testing costs.

Independent Product Safety Testing procedures and costs vary due to the complexity of the product design and could range from $500 to $2,500 based on the components of the product. (See article CPSIA “STAY” or “GONE” for more details on how to approach safety testing with your client.)

CPSIA “STAY” or “GONE”

2009-11-24T21:06:00.017-05:00

One major pain point that could cause frustration for salespeople in 2010 is the February 10, 2010 CPSIA “STAY” or “GONE” decision by the CPC. Many manufacturers and distributors will be lobbying for the CPSIA "STAY" extension that is expiring in February. Every industry discussion group I have attended indicates that the STAY will be GONE effective 2/10/10, which means the full requirements of the law will go into effect.

All Children’s and Child Care products manufactured after 2/10/10 will require an independent laboratory safety report before it is distributed. Products distributed without approved safety reports will be subject to substantial fines. This is important to salespeople who are thinking about selling stuffed plush toys this year. While your target market is clearly designed to reach audiences over 12 years old, the CPSIA may not support that decision if your promotional strategy looks like duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a Children’s Product or Childcare item.

Here are a few of things to expect from your trusted industry suppliers:

Increase minimum order quantities to offset the fixed cost of safety testing.
Safety testing now a standard component of product unit cost.
Separate line item analysis for toy safety testing.
Manage product safety from design to delivery including coordination with testing laboratories.

In order to battle this frustration, Artistic Toy will assist salespeople with strategies and case studies to look beyond the plush toy product and see into the exciting world of Character Marketing (TM). A Character Marketing (TM) campaign will provide salespeople the unique selling proposition to provide reasons to increase order sizes and further substantiating the testing costs. Challenge yourself to have a forward thinking approach to the fact that the STAY is GONE. You can seize this opportunity to discretely raise the bar for your client's advertising campaign. Instead of facing this challenge as a road block, use it as a tool to increase the purchase decision beyond a singular product and look at the broader campaign.

While facing the new safety requirements you should also be aware of some of the other challenges that will arise:

Increased delivery timing because more samples and approvals will need to be received before products are moved into production.
Toy Safety testing is required to be performed by an accredited laboratory.
Every product component must be individually evaluated for testing creating a variable price structure for independent toy testing. On average, prepare your client for spending approximately $1,000 to $2,000 for this testing.
Pricing for testing varies significantly between accredited safety laboratories.
Work with a supplier that understands the testing requirements and the design elements of your product so they can explain to your client's legal departments the requirements and negotiate with testing laboratories so you are not overcharged or delayed in production timing.

This is your opportunity to expand your client relationship and dig deeper into their business strategy. Call Artistic Toy if you need help developing a program that quacks as loud as AFLAC and won’t be stopped by CPSIA.

Key Decision Dates to Navigate the Beginning of your 2010 Sales Cycle

2009-11-24T21:05:00.013-05:00

Whether you are an industry veteran or newcomer, this is the time of year that suppliers talk about the impact of Chinese New Year on product delivery. The recognition that that world tilts off its axis for about 30 days can be an uneasy time for those of us in the Western Hemisphere. It never fails that the biggest clients always want to push up against the Chinese New Year and demand orders placed in December deliver before the end of February. We have always advocated on our client’s behalf to encourage the factory to rush the production or stop the workers from going home; however, it is a battle we have yet to win.

There seems to be an inevitable cycle of misunderstanding, frustration, and then remorse with salespeople and clients. In order to better equip you for the beginning of your 2010 selling season, we want to arm you with critical facts and important information about several key dates. You might want to print this out and put these dates and topical discussion points in your sales toolbox to battle the frustrations.

The annual frustration point to address is the February 14, 2010: Chinese New Year. We are fortunate to work in an industry where our clients are not dying on tables. Help yourself avoid remorse by being honest with your deadlines and work with your supply partner as if they have a vested interest in your success. If you don’t feel that way, get away while you can. The other pain staking truth is yes, it is going to cost more. The amazing thing is clients remain loyal and pay more for problem solvers. If your client has an important business problem to solve or key objective to meet in Q1, they will approve the resources necessary to get the work done.

Before you get approval to enlist herculean resources, you should know more about Chinese New Year and critical dates. Artistic Toy’s stuffed plush toy factories will be operating on the following holiday schedule:

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The last of all the managers and employees will have left the factory to visit their families in different provinces far from the factory’s city.

Saturday, February 14, 2010

February 14, 2010 marks the first day of the Chinese Year 4,707. You may have wondered why Chinese people live longer than other cultures. It’s because on the Chinese New Year, everyone becomes one year older. There is also an old Chinese secret you should know about. The New Year starts on a different day each year and is shorter than our 365-day year. So the year of the Tiger starts on February, 14 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011, while the following year of the Rabbit begins on February 3, 2011 and ends on January 27, 2012.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

All of the factory employees, who are likely to return to the factory in 2010, have arrived and are ready to resume production. It’s helpful to know that the Chinese New Year has significant cultural and economic implications on the workers and the factories. A growing percentage of factory workers do not return to the factory after the holiday season every year. So while a majority of the factory is back in operation by the end of February, you can expect to see a slower production line because some of your workforce has not returned and some of the workforce will be new and inexperienced.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

This is the expected sailing date for the first container leaving after the Chinese New Year holiday. When the factory closes its doors for a month they clean everything off the production line. In the perfect scenario your order molds, proofs, and fabric are all complete and sitting there ready to start production on February 27.

This Chinese New Year calendar can be a big frustration point for some clients; however, if you can communicate clearly the key decision dates below you will reclaim your prowess as the go-to product and campaign planning advisor. Encourage your clients to make quick decisions and get approvals back to you to achieve the following results:

Key Decision Dates

While these key dates are helpful, it’s also good to offer your clients alternatives like a partial order delivery by air freight or an alternative product from our stock plush toy line. Let’s challenge ourselves and our customer service team members to think creatively and provide positive energy into the process we know will consume many as the limitations prevail.

20 Years and Still Having Fun...

2009-10-16T12:20:00.010-04:00

This past month Artistic Toy celebrated a very important moment in history. The first employee to cross the 20 year anniversary with the Company.

This is monumental for a small business that has operated under a new name and new management for only 4 years.

Helen Haring of Easton, PA started working for Art's Toy Manufacturing, Inc. in 1989. She has served in many exciting roles including switchboard operator, new employee liaison, quality control inspector, production manager, box packer, t-shirt imprinter, sewer, and product assembler.

Helen has set a standard for hard work and quality control at Artistic Toy. She will not allow anything pass through her department unless she would feel comfortable giving the product to her grandchildren or other members of her family. Helen has an attention to detail and relentless pursuit for efficiency that cannot be touched by anyone. With Helen on our team, we never worry that a rush job or big order will not ship on time.

We asked Helen what was her secret to working 20 years at the same place and she replied without hesitation, "You gotta love what you do!" Helen's simple and yet profound advice inspires all of us find what we love to do and have fun doing it.

Helen has helped me realize that we have more than special plush toy products that needed to be promoted. Some of our greatest treasures are right inside our office doors and if we don't take the time celebrate, we will miss what is truly remarkable about our business. Thank you Helen for all your hard work and inspiration.

Jim Socci
President

Sperm Plush Toy Triggers 7% Duty & CPSIA Exclusion

2009-08-19T10:38:00.022-04:00

The U.S. Customs TEAM 717 has determined that they will re-classify some of Artistic Toy's plush toys as NON-Toys because they don't meet the the US Custom's definition of a toy. Our salespeople and customers need to be aware of this because it triggers a 7% duty to be paid on non-toys. The Consumer Product Commission (CPC) and the Promotional Products Industry need to be aware of this due to manufacturers getting conflicting messages from different government agencies. At the same time, more evaluation is required by manufactureres to stay in compliance.

Artistic Toy follows the basic classification guideline that all their products qualify under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act's (CPSIA) definition of Children's Toys; "a consumer product designed or intended by the manufacturer for a child up to 12 years of age for use by the child when the child plays"

U.S. Customs uses a general rule of thumb to define toys. "A toy must bring amusement to children or adults to be classified as a toy for US customs importing."

When U.S. Customs, determines that an Artistic Toy plush toy is a NON-TOY then a 7% duty is due. The new Customs reclassification will also trigger Artistic Toy to examine the NON-TOY classification and see if it will provide relief from the CPSIA law.

There could be some potentially good news for customers because it was assumed all Artistic Toy products were Children Toys and would require CPSIA enforcement. Upon further review by U.S. Customs, it was found not all of the products are considered toys. This non-toy ruling triggers some discussion and possible exclusion from the CPSIA regulations.

Below are some products examined by US Customs:

1. Sperm Toy - RULED NON-TOY - Subject to 7% Duty. Customs believes this product will sit on someone's desk, deemed miscellaneous textile product (6307.90.9889 HARM Code), and will not provided amusement of children or adults.

2. Baby Paper - RULED NON-TOY - Subject to 7% Duty. Deemed to be miscellaneous textile product because they couldn’t readily see it as a toy and how it would be played with by infants.

3. Boobie Blanket- RULED TOY - NO DUTY - After physical examination determined that duck head on blanket qualifies product to be toy.

In the case of the Baby Paper and the Boobie Blanket products examined by U.S. Customs clients will be need to comply with both regulations(7% Duty + CPSIA). According to U.S. Customs the Boobie Blanket qualifies as a Toy because the duck head is seen as a toy a child would play with. You might be confused right now; however, could find it encouraging to know that there is a Ruling Database that can be researched and appealed for US customs decisions. Although you should be aware the appeal process can be long and costly.

The client who ordered the Sperm will be unhappy to know they now have a 7% duty to pay; however, they will have a favorable argument to exclude their product CPSIA's regulations because it would fall outside of the scope of the law. (i.e. Children's Product, Children's Toy, Child Care Article)

"Cause".... It Works!!!

2009-08-17T15:32:00.008-04:00

The holiday season is coming and your client wants to put together a marketing campaign that transcends community involvement. Take a look at how a national retailer built a cause promotion using a variety of soft stuffed plush toys to help the community, attract shoppers, and increase register sales.

This is a great concept targeting a $5.00 price point that generates a lot of support from customers. This plush toy program has helped contributed to over $126 million raised for children across the country.

See Kohl's website for more details on the program.

Free Custom Toy Winner - August 10

2009-08-10T12:44:00.004-04:00

This week's InstaQuote winner of the FREE CUSTOM Toy prototype is Cecil Bryan from FEA Merchandise. Cecil has a good lead on a 5" mouse that he thinks could turn into some recurring business. We will start creating the pattern, picking the fabric, and perfecting this character.

Character Starts Now!!!

2009-08-03T13:02:00.007-04:00

Artistic Toy launched a new program to "Help Build Character". Every week through the month of August Artistic Toy will be reviewing submissions through it's InstaQuote(TM) system and award 1 FREE custom plush toy prototype each week.

The special program is designed to help salespeople present new marketing ideas to clients and understand why Character Marketing is a superior marketing medium that big and small businesses can utilize to capture market share and make an impact on their audience.

The Monday August 3, 2009 FREE Custom Toy Winner is Karen Hahn from General Advertising Products.

The challenge will be to further develop a mattress character. We all know how important the Sheep is for Serta, so now we are going to see what we can do spark brand recognition for this mattress company.

If you have an idea for a Character please check out our videos and templates on this webpage. Also Submit your ideas via InstaQuote before this Friday (8/7) to be eligible to win next week's FREE Custom Plush Toy sample.

Artistic Toy's New Friends

2009-08-03T12:31:00.011-04:00

Our REFER A FRIEND program is off to a great start. I would like to take a minute to thank the people who think well enough of Artistic Toy to recommend friends to start doing business with us. It's these type of people and comments that get me excited about what we do every day.

Please enjoy these gracious comments from our friends:

Becky Moore (Impressionable Solutions) REFERS Julie Kneubuehl (Amazing Promotions)

Julie,
Here's an email from Artistic Toy/ASI#37122 you might enjoy. I ordered a sample from them for a marketing idea this past March & it was really cute. It was the Baseball Bear Mailer. With all of my marketing talk, this Baseball Bear is one of the neatest ideas I've come across and I hope to use it as a marketing tool eventually. Anyway, I know you can order samples if you'd like. I don't know if there's a fee for all the samples but my Baseball Bear is more elaborate in it's functionality. They have some links on ideas for marketing using the toys. Click on the Breast Cancer Bear & see this adorable pink bear for an October Breast Cancer Awareness idea. I would schedule a mammogram just to get this pink bear!

There's an idea for a school fundraiser that you might like to look at. Anyway, check it out. I've spent some time on their website & they have some cool ideas. When I ordered my Baseball Bear Mailer, they were very helpful over the phone. My sample baseball bear even has our company logo printed on the bear's shirt! How cool is that? There was a cost for my sample bear but it is the coolest bear I have! They also have a refer a friend program & you can get that same bear that I paid for - for free! I hope you get a chance to check their ideas out. - Becky

Linda Mangun (Peak Promotions - Aubrey, TX ) REFERS Shari Ave (Peak Promotions - McKinney, TX)

Jim - I started her by sending her the Fireman flyer and she has already sent it to 3 fire departments. Yeah!
We signed her up for your mailings and I told her you are a marketing genius and will help her sell.

If you have a good friend in the business please check out our REFER A FRIEND program by clicking here.

Thank you,

-Jim

PROMOTIONS EAST 2009 - Panel Discussion Delivers Great Value

2009-06-01T18:07:00.011-04:00

Here are 15 key takeaways from five industry leaders to help recharge and motivate your current strategies :
1. Focus on "OAR MTV" in your Client Meetings (Outcome, Assess Value, ROI, Message, Target, Vehicle)
2. Challenge clients to redirect spending. ("What's your ROI on your Newspaper Advertisement")
3. Know What You Do for a Living. ("I help clients attract customers and retain employees.")
4. Overcome the NO Budget Objection. ("Can You Explain to Me Your Objective Again.")
5. Use LinkedIn to research prospects, find shared connections, setup breakfast meetings, and receive introductions.
6. Don't put up road blocks when working with self motivated salespeople.
7. Keep in Touch with Clients... There is no substitute for Belly-to-Belly Meetings.
8. Believe in what You do and use more promotional products in your business.
9. Always take advantage of opportunities to mentor people in the industry.
10. PPAI Studies - Now More Than Ever
11. Hot Industries to Call On: Healthcare, Software, Training and Education, and research Venture Capital companies that are looking to market themselves.
12. Stay focused on your plan.
13. It's not an objection, it's a fact as they see it.
14. Promotional products work so well, they won't let doctors use them.
15. Get Back to the Fundamentals like Direct Mail and Making Phone Calls.

Sherri Lennarson, MAS (Bankers Advertising Company) moderated a panel discussion that provided solid strategies to succeed in any economy with the contributions from a well prepared group of panelists. Joe Scott, MAS (Scott & Associates), Fred Snyder, MAS (Geiger), and Kippie Helzel (CPS/Keystone Line) shared her thoughts and spoke on behalf of Julie Levi (Progressive Promotions).

Artistic Toy Kirby Bear Meets Larry King Live

2009-05-20T08:19:00.016-04:00

I recently learned that the Caylee Marie Anthony Foundation chose our 8" Kirby Brown Bear with imprinted t-shirt (S2158) to comfort families and children in distressed situations.

You can view the 2 minute segment from CNN's Larry King Live interview that explains the purpose of the foundation and how the bear will be used.

This is a testament to how a stuffed toy can outperform other forms of advertising and promotional marketing pieces. The creative team at Barker Specialty understands how to develop a cause promotion that serves a greater purpose. Not only will it help the foundation fulfill its mission to prevent child abduction through the creation of awareness of child safety measures, but will also provide support to families and law enforcement during child recovery efforts. This cause promotion assists in the well-being of children that need comfort and support during difficult and stressful times.

You can support the foundation by clicking here to donate. To learn more about the Caylee Bear Program click here.

Toys Touching Lives

2009-05-04T15:15:00.003-04:00

Carol Floyd, Blake Advertising Inc. (ASI/141075) used our 8" White Rabbit plush toy (S2041) in 100 Easter baskets in celebration for The Lovelady Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The pictures of the children with rabbits and baskets tell a wonderful story.

We are happy to hear and see the success of the event. It was a pleasure working with you.

Artistic Toy To The Rescue...

2009-04-06T22:22:00.005-04:00

Here is an actual, dyed in the wool, success story from Jeff Hamilton in Southern California on how a Patriot Vendor, Artistic Toy, got him out of a very tight spot:

My client had ordered 750 - 8" custom stuffed bears back in the beginning of December for an event that began this past Sunday,March 15th. After multiple assurances from the initial vendor, we were informed on Friday, March 6th at 2:35 PM PST that their order was not going to make it in time for their event.

We called Jim Socci at Artistic Toys at 6:30 AM PST on the morning of Monday, March 9th. Jim and his crew pulled a miracle out of thin air. Not only did they deliver the bears on the morning of Thursday, March 12th, the client was elated with the new choice of bear provided versus their initial selection.

Our advice is, if you're doing stuffed animals, there is only one choice, Artistic Toys. Thanks again, Patriot vendor, Artistic Toys.

Jeff Hamilton
American Solutions for Business

Character Matters

2009-02-21T21:10:00.004-05:00

The last 3 weeks, Artistic Toy has been busy building character with its first Character Marketing Sales Team. The team consists of 23 top salespeople working together to implement Artistic Toy’s Character Marketing Sales Playbook. After three weeks of 1 hour web conferences over 70% of the team members are joined to a private Facebook group where they share ideas, case studies, proposals, prospecting campaigns, and presentations. In addition to sharing and learning, the team members have developed several proposals to introduce characters into existing and new client promotional marketing campaigns.
Character Marketing is a philosophy that leads to success, best stated by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“Sow a thought and you reap an action;
Sow an act and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit and you reap a character;
Sow a character and you reap a destiny."

While discussing the BINGO sheet (One Page Business Plan) with Jim Nixson, The Vernon Company, he realized the opportunities are abundant with characters in marketing and it would be nearly impossible to exhaust them all.

Leon Davidson, Promoshop – Sacramento, said he has worked with a large university for the last 10 years and he always knew there was an opportunity to develop a plush toy mascot for them, but he just needed some help to get the proposal together.

Walker-Clay Inc. - Amanda Clay is literally going to the bank with a proposal to help her bank client energize a savings program for children.

Cary Romanoff, Ice Box Promotions, is thinking about ways to make their very own “Ping” the penguin a hot character to draw more attention to their brand through the use of a stuffed plush toy miniature.

Ted Davies, Paradigm Partners, reports an opportunity to make a bear an important game piece in a grocery store promotion.

Win Oppel, Ad-Merica, is discussing ways to expand a regional utility company’s energy conservation program with a custom plush toy replica of a character in a coloring book currently being used in their marketing.

Sherrie Rhoads, Success Promotions, Inc, received an email from a hotel client inquiring about plush toys with a Caribbean theme for their children's amenity program and to sell in their retail shops. While responding to her client’s request she asked some key questions and made a recommendation to consider branding themselves with their very own plush toy character that a guest cannot find anywhere else to act as a powerful reminder of the resort. This recommendation landed her an appointment with the General Manager of the Hotel.

Even in the doom and gloom of the economic crisis, this cast of characters has realized that it’s their Character that will pull them through. The team has proven that it doesn’t matter if your client is in a serious business or fun business you can find ways to use characters as powerful marketing tools that can be used in any and all industries.

350 Chef Bear Mailers Sent to Clients

2009-02-09T15:44:00.004-05:00

Artistic Toy launched a trial campaign late last year and early this year to all the people that attended the Cliff Quicksell webinar or pre-registered to see us at the ASI Orlando Tradeshow to receive box mailer to 10 clients or prospects for FREE.

The mailer is being being shipped today (Feb 9) to over 350 distributor sales people's clients. We are very excited to learn about the results of this mailer.

It would be our intention that our participants would secure lots of plush toy orders from this mailer; however, our measurement is also on how many:

1. Phone Calls that New Prospects Take from You
2. Appointments You Make with Prospects / Customers
3. Presentation/Proposals Given
4. Quote Requests
5. New Orders (T-Shirts, Bears, Mugs, etc)

Please send us an email or leave a comment on our blog to let us know what reaction or benefits you are getting from the mail campaign.

Giving Campaign Featured In Counselor PromoGram

2009-01-17T09:32:00.008-05:00

Supplier Orchestrates Toy Giveaway

Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean the giving season is. Artistic Toy (asi/37122) is looking to counteract the negative perceptions of the economy and spread the word on product safety by orchestrating a massive toy giveaway over the next 30 days. "We got a lot of good inventory, it's been here too long, and we want to move it," says Artistic Toy president Jim Socci. "And I want to build relationships with distributors. It's really been a lot of intensive thinking about the best way to inspire and spark people to use promotional products. The best way I knew was to get products into people's hands. And if we can do that at little or no cost, and we can bring a lot of joy into the community, it's going to be a phenomenal result."

Artistic Toy is hoping to donate tens of thousands of stuffed animal plush toys to non profit and community organizations. The Allentown, PA-based supplier is relying on distributors to get the word out – and help earn themselves some much needed promotion and goodwill through the campaign. "We want to encourage and promote our distributors to get out there to make some phone calls," Socci says, noting that a wide selection of toys will be available with no set up charges or extra accessory costs for imprints.

Socci says that a key reason behind the campaign is to help clear up the increasing concerns about toy safety, particularly in the wake of last year's passing of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Through the giveaway and its products, Socci hopes to show what it means to be compliant, as Artistic Toy has tried to achieve under the new provisions. "There are requirements and deadlines that are rapidly approaching for compliance," he says. "We want to be on the forefront of that."

To that end, the company will also host a free Webinar on the subject on January 30 at 2:00 pm EST. Socci says the session will demonstrate the steps it takes to become compliant and how the changes could affect the industry. "Many people haven't heard the word yet or haven't had the time to realize that it's not just toys that are going to be impacted," he says. "Toys are the number one thing that people are concerned about for a while now. But it's also children's products. I have a suspicion that distributors and salespeople aren't there yet and don't understand that."

To read more visit Global Giving Campaign

Artistic Toy Launches Free Global Giving Campaign

2009-01-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

Artistic Toy recognizes the need to promote safety of its products and the value of working with qualified marketing and product experts to ensure that safety and security of everyone's prosterity is protected.

We have launched a global initiative to give away products to promote toy safety and our distributor partners.

To learn more...

Read Full Press Release
Signup for Free Webinar: CPSIA - Distributor's Responsibilities
Place Toy Order Request
Read our Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for your interest and assistance in this very important initiative

10 New Maxims of Marketing from Bobby Lehew

2009-01-03T22:27:00.015-05:00

I just attended the first day of ASI Orlando Show education seminars and wanted to share with you key marketing maxims taken from Bobby Lehew's seminar on Marketing in a Web 2.0 World: How Small Business Can be Heard in a Big Way. Bobby's zigging an zagging style of chasing rabbits through the fast pace world of promotional products marketing was a refreshing addition to practical marketing tips and tactics.

Top 10 Take Aways:

1. You are who Google says you are
2. You are what you publish
3. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of Advertising (founder of Facebook)
4. Today's Toys are tomorrow Tools
5. Fresh Content is King
6. People Still Buy From People they Know and Like
7. It's not about having a website, it's about your web presence.
8. Publish customer case studies and don't worry if your competitors watch
9. Become a contributor of something helpful to your network.
10. Interactive Web Marketing is a Lifestyle, don't expect to be good at it overnight.

These great maxims and much more were shared in this very exciting session. No matter if you are an esteemed "pencil" salesman or looking to build tangible marketing solutions with custom plush toys you need to establish your web presence. I highly recommend Bobby's seminar. After you attend, I would be surprised if you couldn't write 2 new job descriptions for people in your organization. You might be surprised at the number of inexpensive or free resources to boost your web presence.

Nice work Bobby!!!

-Jim

Introducing the Custom Plush Toy InstaQuote™ System

2008-11-24T14:57:00.003-05:00

The fastest way to get minimum quantities and pricing quotes for custom plush toys

Allentown, PA, November 21, 2008 - Artistic Toy launches InstaQuote™ its on-line pricing tool for salespeople to get information about custom plush toy orders within minutes. Two of the most common questions received in the promotional product industry is "What is the minimum?" and "What is the price?".

When developing a custom made plush toy... See Full Press Release

Click Here to Get an InstaQuote™

The Hands-On Approach to 2009 Sales Growth

2008-11-24T14:25:00.005-05:00

--A pilot sales program that partners with promotional products salespeople to sell $100,000 Character Marketing Campaigns --

Allentown, PA, October 27, 2008 - Artistic Toy and The Promotion Coach announce today their plan to help 20 promotional product distributors build character. Jim Socci, President Artistic Toy, and Ted Davies, The Promotion Coach, have teamed up to help salespeople go deeper into clients’ marketing campaigns to discover sales opportunities they could be missing. The goal is to recruit 20 dedicated sales professionals who want to work hands on to implement their co-authored “Character Marketing Sales Playbook™”.

The pilot program will begin on Monday, January 19, 2009. The dynamic duo will use a series of web training sessions to implement the sections in the playbook. Within the program salespeople will receive:

• Guidance on Client Selection
• Assistance developing an award winning prospecting campaign
• Tips for securing appointments
• Presentation Assistance
• Access to case studies and proposal templates
• The Promotion Coach Sales Playbook – First Million Audio CDs

The cost of this pilot program is FREE, but is limited to 20 participants. Applications are being accepted online at www.artistictoysmfg.com/100kpilot.html through December 19, 2008. The selected participants will be announced on January 12, 2009 at the PPAI Las Vegas Trade Show.

View Press Release in PDF Format.

View recorded Webinar Playback to learn more about Jim and Ted's personal success stories with their Proactive Sales Approach: "Don't Leave $ on the Table."

"I am glad I attended the webinar because plush, especially custom, was not really on my radar as a unique, multi-industry promo item. I see now that there are some great universal possibilities, so thanks!"
Beverly Padratzik (Proforma House, Chicago, IL)

Boost Your Client's 4th Quarter Sales

2008-10-16T12:27:00.007-04:00

The current economy is on shaky ground and that ripples down uncertainty with clients you currently advise on promotional product, advertising, and marketing solutions. The last couple of months there was a “Cold Turkey” approach to cutting advertising dollars by many businesses across all industries.

Tama Swan, Associate Editor PPB Magazine, shares a fantastic article about how developing a promotional campaign that involves handing out creative promotional products can keep brands in consumers’ minds even when wallets are closed. The chances of boosting sales immediately are cautiously optimistic; however, retailers are going to need ideas that sizzle to bring the emotion back into this holiday season and more shoppers into the stores. The smart marketers are not getting discouraged though; they are building campaigns to stay connected to shoppers by dispensing free gifts and entertainment in shopping malls. I think I remember my grandmother telling me something about doing something and expecting nothing in return. It is likely that your customer gift giving campaign will NOT create an immediate ROI worth speaking about, unless of course you consider receiving 1 heartfelt thank you an acceptable return. Outside of that, Retailers have the opportunity to handout as many smiles as possible, which is the reason consumers are shopping and they so quickly forgot. Instead of giving them an extra 5% discount at the register this season, remind your shoppers what it’s all about and give them an experience they will not forget. Chances are this memorable shopping experience will generate the most beneficial marketing known to man, “word of mouth.”

In case you did not get a chance to pick up the October PPB article, I have selected the excerpt from her FAST FORWARD article.

Mall Madness
Handing out freebies and samples can keep brands in consumers’ minds even when wallets are closed.

In this tight economy where gas prices are high and funds are low, many families are opting for purchase-less mall excursions. There they can get out of the house and take in some sites, expending little more than the fuel it takes to get there and a couple of bucks for a Cinnabon. Savvy marketers are taking this opportunity to tantalize bored Americans with free gifts and maintain their brand images through tough economic times.

Last summer, when Coca-Cola wanted to promote its sponsorship of the 2008 Beijing Olypmics, the company offered thousands of free, commemorative Coke bottles specially designed by Chinese artists to visitors at Simon Malls. The free gifts came with cards prompting those who received them to visit Coke’s website and download free music associated with each bottle.

The promotion was part of a teen-focused event called Simon dTour Live and featured giveaways by other companies such as Sprint and ABC Family, which gave away network programming-based t-shirts that visitors could customize on-site.

In a Promo magazine article about the tour, Cathi Weiner, senior vice president of business development for Simon Brand Ventures, said “Consumers come to malls expecting entertainment. They are primed to shop and primed for messaging.” Before recommending this type of promotion to your client, take note of these facts:

• Most mall events occur in big, open spaces, such as the center court, to maximize exposure. It usually takes several months to plan these activities, but it’s possible to shorten the timeline to four to six weeks.

• The price depends on the size and scope of your event—such as whether you’re appearing at one mall or two dozen. One-day rental fees for mall space can range from a few thousand dollars to $10,000. The time of year can affect the price as well, as weekends and holidays are more expensive.

• Remember that hosting a mall event will require extra staffing, advertising and third-party event handlers. You may also want to purchase security, pre-promotional signage and décor.

Source: www.promomagazine.com

Press Release: Artistic Toy Stimulates Economic Recovery

2008-09-29T14:29:00.005-04:00

--Budget Friendly Assortments of Stuffed Plush Toys Stimulate Corporate PR Campaigns--

Allentown, PA, September 29, 2008 - Artistic Toy announces today their plan to stimulate public relation campaigns of Companies by offering high quality assorted stuffed plush toys at deep discounts. The campaign is geared towards corporations that want to support charity organizations by providing smiles to as many children and adults as possible. Making a toy donation to your church, school, and other Non-Profit Organization this holiday season could generate more return on your marketing dollar than you might expect. Well run community organizations are always eager to accept donations and promote Sponsors in the press and to all their members. The term "Goodwill Marketing" or "Cause Promotion" are not new strategies for many corporations; however, more difficult to justify the investment or ROI in this woeful economy. Many companies adopt a philosophy to give when times are good and pull back when times are tough. Intuitively that is a tough philosophy to argue against; however, the community needs you more NOW than before. Ted Davies, Jr. a 28 year veteran to Promotional Products Sales and Marketing reports the Fact: 77% of U.S. consumers want companies to commit to a specific cause for a long time, instead of running short promos with several causes. That's up from 66% since 1993 as published in an article in Promo Magazine.

"Staying committed to a single cause year after year sends a strong message to your community and your customers", says Jim Socci, President of Artistic Toy. A humble gift giving campaign provides transparency and visibility that consumers can trust in while they pick up the pieces from home foreclosures, corporate corruption, and understand what this government bailout means to their family.

If the gift giving gesture is done in sincerity with a modest assortment of stuffed plush toys to those in need, you may also see an increase in new customers or better yet retention of existing customers.

Visit http://www.artistictoysmfg.com/files/assorted_plush_toys.pdf for random assortments of stuffed plush toys available by the box ranging in size from 3"to 20".

Build a Powerful School Fundraiser Program

2008-08-06T10:23:00.004-04:00

Discount cards, candles, chocolate bars, cookie dough, entertainment books, magazines, and scratch cards. Been there, done that. And gaining profit from these goods means initially buying more products at cheaper bulk-prices and trying to sell them all for greater return. Wouldn’t it be better if the product was unique and generated more return on its own?

Fundraising Step One: the mascot.
Schools are identified by their mascot, such as the Buckeyes or the Scarlet Knights. Almost every school has a mascot that is displayed on sports jerseys, school banners, school apparel, and might even be a “live” costume mascot. What about using them for fundraisers too?
Plush toy mascots could not only generate profit for the school’s organization but also generate school spirit. Chocolate bars and discount coupons have no association to the school – customers may forget about that candy bar that was so quickly consumed, the useless wrapper that was thrown away, and the cause for which those few dollars were spent. Plush toy mascots are directly connected to the school, especially when accompanied with t-shirts that display the school’s logo or event that is being fundraised. So customers are getting a product that promotes the school’s activities as well as the school itself.
Consider a school whose mascot is the bulldog. Say the distributer buys 100 plush bulldogs, which will cost the distributor about $5 each. That equals $500 as the initial cost for this fundraiser. To generate profit, they might sell these bulldogs for $10. That’s 10x100 = $1000, which means $500 profit. For even more profit, the school could either sell more or increase the customer purchase price. Or they could read on…

Fundraising Step Two: extra effort = extra return.
Want to put in a little more oomph into the fundraising process? The results will prove to be well worth the extra effort.
I want to introduce a new idea for those same plush toys… the Interactive Plush Toy: Add a tag on each of the toys and you now have a mascot plush toy, a t-shirt with the school’s logo, and a tag that is redeemable for discounts at participating local businesses.
Extra effort: Organizers of the fundraiser will need to recruit some local businesses to be a part of their fundraising event. The tags on the mascots will be redeemable at one of the participating local businesses. The prize could be a free slice of pizza or 50% entrée at a new restaurant – whatever the businesses have agreed to offer.
Extra return: The customer is getting a toy and a discount offer at a local business. The event’s fundraising profit increases. The involved businesses are getting increased traffic at the cost of, say, just a few slices. Everyone profits!
Of course, with this new added feature, the mascots can be sold at a higher price.
The bulldogs will still cost $10 for the school ($500 initial website cost) if the school buys 100 toys. However, now sell the little mascots for $25, which adds up to 25x100 = $2500. That means $1500 profit. You just increased the return of your fundraiser! Now, why not go a little further?

Fundraising Step Three: 100% no cost to you.
Get a business to fully sponsor your fundraiser. Their logo can go on the t-shirt: “Sponsored by…” The local business will pay the initial costs of the mascots and on-line redemption program. In the case of the bulldogs, that’s $500 + $500 for website. All the t-shirts will have an advertisement of the business, and a portion of the tags (whatever percentage the business approves) will be redeemable at that location.
The cost for you is $0. The profit for you is 20x100= $2,000. The profit for the promoted business is increased traffic via the tags and increased awareness via the t-shirt ad space. Sounds like a win-win situation.

More than 14 inch Golf Head Covers - $9.99(R)!

2008-07-13T11:37:00.015-04:00

Do you want more than a great product at a great price?

Click HERE to see our 14 inch Golf Head Cover Special!

Maybe you want to hit a long ball to be a top performer this year? Use Character Marketing to go for the green with precision and you can become a Top Performer in 2008.

You have less than 100 selling days left this year. It’s a tough call…you can wait for customers to call you with a big order or you can attack the fairways with a plan to get one customer worth $10,000 to $50,000 of new business this year. In today’s sales environment the “grip-it and rip-it” approach of finding new business typically never finds you on the fairway. Consider attending one of Artistic Toy’s FREE webinars on ways to build new business with precision shots that are guaranteed to get you noticed.

Click HERE to see list of upcoming webinars.

Join us to discuss topics like creative prospecting kits, character marketing campaigns, and new interactive toys that can produce immediate measurable results for your customers.

Kirby Bear Special - Why Am I Green?

2008-05-29T10:51:00.018-04:00

GREEN has different meanings to different people. Some people think if you are GREEN you must be inexperienced. Other people think that if you are GREEN you are made of recycled materials.

I’ve been promoting businesses for over 15 years and I am made out of ALL NEW MATERIALS for your Safety. I am bulk packed and do not use any foam packing peanuts when I travel. It is through my experience that I have been able to conclude that I am a GREEN product because people will not throw me away. Similar to my other plush toy character friends, I don’t run out of ink, I’m not easily broken, and I always find a great home for generations of enjoyment. Some of my cousins are now collectibles and others have executive offices around the world.

So if you are thinking of ways to make your advertising GREEN, think about me and remember what my old friend Kermit the Frog said, “It’s not easy being Green”.

Sincerely,

P.S. I’m interested to know if you think I’m GREEN worthy or not. Anyone who posts a comment on the blog and votes on the poll will receive a FREE – 24” version of me with an imprinted t-shirt with their next order.

Click Here to Leave a Comment

How to Sell a $50,000 Plush Toy Program

2008-04-28T16:32:00.020-04:00

On April 22, 2008, Artistic Toy hosted a FREE webinar on “How to Sell a $50,000 Plush Toy Program". This webinar introduced the concept of Character Marketing and how stuffed plush toys can be used in your marketing campaign.

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, a character toy is worth millions to your brand."

The response to the webinar was overwhelming with 184 attendees pre-registered and 96 in attendance. I know many of you could not make it. Please follow the link below to get the recorded playback.

If you’re not sure if you have time to listen to the webcast, please consider what others have said:

“Good job...I found the time spent will be worth it."

“Thanks for the webinar. I'm interested in the questions to help establish clear objectives with clients.”

“Thanks for such an informative and enjoyable event today."

“It was very informative and I hope to work with you on several large companies.”

“It was a pleasure attending the Web Conference.”

88% of attendees stated that they would like help mapping current customer’s to the character marketing applications discussed in the webinar.

94% of the attendees stated they were interested in learning more about our new Interactive Toy solutions that guarantee measurable results.

If you are looking for the responses to the FAQ’s Click Here.

If you want to Replay the Full Webinar Click Here.

If you want the Slide Presentation Click Here.

Please post a comment on this blog or email info@artistictoysmfg.com to get started using stuffed plush toys in character marketing campaigns.

Upon Request – ASI Social Network: Artistic Toy Credit Policy and Procedure

2008-03-25T23:36:00.000-04:00

Based on the 28 comments to Josiah’s (ASI/285446) Deposit and Payment In Full… topic posted on the ASI Social Network Forum it is good to see that most distributors are collecting deposits or payment in full before accepting orders from customers. I was excited to get requests from Anita Patterson and Donna Weaver to see Artistic Toy’s credit policy. I hope distributors find this policy helpful and let me know if you have suggestions or comments.

Standard Language on Quotes to Customers:

TERMS: 50% DUE WITH ORDER, NET DUE ON SHIPMENT. TERMS ONLY EXTENDED TO CUSTOMER WITH MORE THAN 3 ORDERS. TERMS GRANTED ONLY WITH APPROVED CREDIT. CUSTOMER WITH TERMS WHO DO NOT PAY WITHIN TERMS WILL LOSE TERM PRIVLEGES.

WE ACCEPT: AMX VISA MC DISCOVER

CARDHOLDER NAME: __________________________ CUSTOMER SIGNATURE: _______________________

CARD NO: _____________________________________ EXP DATE _____

SECURITY CODE ________

Customer message sent along with Sales Order Confirmation:

We received your purchase order acknowledgement. Attached is a Sales Order Confirmation, please call us if you have any questions.

The following information is critical to ensure efficient processing of your order:

1. No product proofs will be started until 50% deposit is collected.
2. No Credit Terms are extended to customers with less than 3 orders.
3. Invoice balance is due on date of shipment.
4. Customers with credit terms who do not pay within terms will lose term privileges.
5. Customers who pay by credit card at end of term will be assessed additional 2% credit card processing fee.
6. Order cancellation is subject to minimum 25% of total order.

Best Regards,

Accounts Receivable

Notes and Explanation for Policy Requirements:

After a customer has 3 orders and approved credit application, then we extended Net 15 day terms. Why not Net 30 day? We have found that customers have different interpretations for Net 30, meaning payments generally arrive closer to 45 days. To avoid confusion our terms are Net 15 with a 15 day grace period. On day 31, customer will receive a 10 Day Free Demand Letter from the collection agency and lose future term privileges.

This policy is not perfect, but it does eliminate a lot of stress with collections and cash flow. In situations when the orders ship to customers outside the United States or have a value in excess of our own financing abilities we require a Letter of Credit or payment in full before shipment.

Key Implementation Tip:

We have found that these policies and procedures to be most effective when communicated with customers upfront before a quote is prepared. This eliminates any confusion and gets the money issue out of the way in the beginning. Sometimes it’s better to tell a prospective customer, “While we would like to do business with you, we might not be the right fit for you.” If the customer and vendor are going to disagree it is better to agree to disagree early in the process. We all have choices on who we want to do business with and I continue to maintain that “The Customer is always right, just not always right for me.”

Artistic Toy Launches Interactive ToyTag™ at ASB Winter Conference

2008-03-04T08:57:00.010-05:00

It’s almost Spring and the creative minds at Artistic Toy have come out of hibernation. On March 1, 2008 we introduced our Interactive ToyTag™ to 600 distributor and exhibitor sales people at the American Solutions for Business Winter Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The response was overwhelming with show guests lining up 6 deep waiting to register to see which of the $80,000 worth of prizes they had won.

You may have heard of the popular brand of stuffed toys called Webkinz™. Well the product development teams at Artistic Toy and Ego-ID have taken the concept of web based toys in a different direction. A key problem identified by many marketing and financial professionals is that it is difficult to measure return on investment or return on objective when utilizing traditional promotional products.

That is why Artistic Toy and Ego-ID have partnered together to deliver a new application for Ego-ID’s successful brand of Dog Tags™ and developed the Interactive ToyTag™ by Artistic Toy. The tags are applied to Artistic Toy’s products. The tags have unique variable data printed codes on them redeemable for prizes on-line. The adorable soft cuddly toy is your initial prize given to a suspect for spending 1 minute collecting a few pieces of contact information. Then instantly they have become a winner of another fantastic prize. This prize however is not an ordinary prize; it is a NO RISK OFFER that separates the suspects from the prospects. The primary purpose of the prize is to provide a call to action for your visitor to see if they would like to move to the next step in building a business relationship with your company or its partners. Typically, this is something that cannot be achieved with an ordinary promotional product give-away.

If you think this is something you would like to present to a customer please send us an email to info@artistictoysmfg.com and we will send you marketing material and detail information about how to sell and present the Interactive ToyTag™ in your next marketing campaign. If you saw the ToyTag™ product at the American Solutions for Business Winter Conference and have any feedback please post a comment.

Jim

Artistic Toy Exhibits at the Promota International Show for the Second Year in a Row

2008-02-26T15:01:00.002-05:00

Several distributors asked me why we decided to get into the UK market. That is a good question and it took me some time to sort through my business plan to find the real reason why Artistic Toy is in the UK. “We want to be different!” Artistic Toy is a different kind of Company with the ability to build its character anywhere in the world. Our product offerings and value proposition is different than what is currently available in the UK market.

When you work with Artistic Toy, it is a partnership relationship from the start. Our goal is to be remarkable because our fear is that if we are not helping you develop new, different, and creative marketing applications for your Customers, Artistic Toy and its Distributors will be invisible in any market.

When you partner with Artistic Toy you can expect remarkable things like:

1. InstAQuote™
2. ArtisticAlerts™
3. Above and Beyond Guarantee
4. Inspected by Helen™
5. The Perfect Match System
6. Over 10,000 Different Toys and 750,000 Toys in Stock
7. Safety First
8. Create Your Own in 24 hours

Please email this subject line “I’m interested in The A-Team of Distributors” to learn more about this amazing partnership opportunity. Also, join us in developing the hottest product to be launched to the UK market next year. Remember to cast your vote in the blog poll.

Sincerely,

Jim

PPAI Expo - Were You A Big Winner?

2008-01-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

Wow.... What an awesome show! It is always difficult to measure the return on investment from trade shows but when you gather over 961 prospect names in 2.5 days we certainly increase our chances. Almost 200 prospects provided us specific information related to customer projects. Thank you for taking the time to exchange ideas and discuss opportunities. We are obsessed with reaching out to everyone. We have spent the last week carefully reviewing each scan and business card to make sure we have accurate contact information.

I suspect some distributors are frustrated with the amount of time it takes to get requested information from suppliers. I also suspect some distributors are frustrated with the over abundance of communications and information received from suppliers. Is there achievable balance here? Do you have any suggestions, techniques, or comments? If you have a tip or opinion please post a comment to this blog or participate in our "DISTRIBUTOR FRUSTRATION" pole.

The BIG Winners in Vegas are:

1. Nancy Gordon - Creative Specialty Promotions, Inc. - Paramus, NJ

2. Susan Raymond - Shamrock Specialities - Whitehouse, OH

3. Glenn Aultman - Allstar Corporate Promotions - San Antonio, TX

Each of the above people will have their choice of either $400 Cash, an iPhone, or 100 pcs of our 9" Peter Bear w/imprinted t-shirt. Winners need to post their selection on the Blog and we will contact you to schedule delivery.

We appreciate your interest in our Company and want everyone to leave Las Vegas feeling like a winner and with tangible concepts and products that will help them this year. To that end we are offering a promotion to all of our 961 participants. Please order a FREE "Best Selling Pack" and select some of our Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day or Easter hot products listed below. Please also view the thousands of other items we have in stock for this holiday season. If you decide to take advantage of this offer please reference promotion code "PPAIX08"

3" I Love You Heart or 8" Bear w/ Heart

3" Rabbit w/ Wings or 8" Rabbit

5" Shamrock or 8" Leprechaun Bear

Good Luck this selling season and we look forward to working with you soon.

Sincerely,

Jim Socci

ASI Orlando - iPhone Winner

2008-01-07T17:39:00.001-05:00

Thank you for visiting us in Orlando at the ASI Show. I hope this was a good start to your 2008 selling season. The response rate to the iPhone promotion was tremendous. More importantly the exchange of ideas, conversation, and relationships built with customers exceeded my expectations. I have done over 20 tradeshows in the last 2 years and this was by far the best. We gathered over 340 distributor salespeople's names.

Unfortunately, we could only pick one winner for the iPhone because I only saved $400 when I switched to GEICO.

The Grand Prize Winner of the Apple iPhone was:

Tony O'Donnell - Imagemark ASI / 230137

Last night I decided there had to be something more I could do for everyone that stopped at the booth, so I decided to add 2 additional categories.

The 2nd Prize Winner - Free Self Promo Toy Pack (S2142) - Martha Lohman - M M Grinann & Company ASI /214646

The 3rd Prize Winner - Free Custom Toy Sample - Matt Browning - Surge Promotions - ASI /238600

In the spirit of creating of win-win atmosphere at Artistic Toy, I want to thank everyone who stopped by our booth and invite you to become a registered member of our website. In exchange for joining our preferred network of distributors you can order our BEST SELLING TOYS PACK (S2138). Please enter promotion code ASIORL08 to redeem this item for free.

Good luck this year and I look forward to working with you!

Jim

Vote Early and Often!

2007-10-06T22:54:00.001-04:00

It's getting to be that time of year again when the campaigning begins. Your industry organizations and suppliers need your support. Please let me know what trade shows you are planning to attend in 2008. We will use this information to plan our trade show schedule for 2008. You can see from the list of 20 trade shows it would be impossible for us to attend each one because some Shows overlap each other.

I am also interested in your comments and experiences at some of the Shows listed because I have not been to all of them and I need some encouragement to make some changes to our routine schedule of all the big ASI and PPAI shows.

After looking at all these trade shows and dates, I have one burning question.... Who enjoys going to trade shows on weekends? Maybe I'm selfish, but I get the sense from a lot of people that they would rather be home with their families on weekends. It appears like more trade shows are starting to be hosted over weekends. Does that bother any distributors out there? If you see the advantage of weekend shows please explain. Do you see any disadvantages of the weekend shows?

In recognition for voicing your comments on this blog, we will give you a free artwork set-up charge ($60 value) on your next order. Write promotion code "Blog1010"

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

-Jim

P.S. Our reversible Donkey Elephant Reversible Puppet is the perfect campaign promotion for all the news organizations (i.e. TV, Radio, Newspapers) that claim non-partisan views.

If you have 3 customers you want to target with samples, just click Order Sample button by following the link to this product on our website.

Hot Seasonal Toy Picks

2007-10-06T22:38:00.009-04:00

Last month's Blog Poll indicated that the majority of Distributors are interested in hearing more about year-end specials. Right now we are running specials on Fire Related Items and Breast Cancer Bears. Next week we will send out a flyer on Election related products for all the Donkeys and Elephants out there. We also have a flyer that is being distributed weekly in the SmartBlast virtual catalog that advertises our newest and biggest Kirby Bears along with an assortment of our most popular Holiday toys at great prices.

The bad news is we just sold out of our last 1200 pcs of our 8" Turkey for Thanksgiving and will not have any more before the Thanksgiving holiday. The good news is we are getting 12,000 pcs of our 4" Turkey (S1073) next week. Don't waste any time, we already have several thousand committed on back order. It is also important to recognize that we eliminated the Key Chain after popular demand to remove it on most of the orders last year.

I think our hottest product for this Holiday Season is the Giftcard Holder Santa Bear (S2026-HG).

This is a product we developed last year and now have perfected for the Advertising Speciality industry by finding a way to place the imprint permanently inside the giftcard holder so that when the giftcard or business card is removed, your customer's logo remains. Once this product gets into shopping malls, casinos, airports, and other retail venues it will be a great way to promote gift cards sales and increase registrations for players cards or frequent flyer memberships.

If you are excited about this product and think you can target 3 customers with it, please post a comment and order samples on our website from the link above and we will mock up samples with your customer's logo on them so you can present this product to them. Enter promotion code 1007BLOG.

Bear with US... Artistic Toy Moves to Allentown, PA

2007-10-04T18:28:00.003-04:00

Our new facility is approximately three times larger than our previous facility. This expansion will enable us to better serve you by enhancing our Custom Toy Design area as well as providing more warehouse space to inventory larger quantities of our most popular catalog toys.

We promise the same level of customer service we have always provided including Custom Toy Prototypes in 24 – 48 hours and imprinted Stock Toy Delivery in 10 – 15 days; however, please “BEAR with US” as we settle into our new home. Through the end of October 2007, every order we receive that includes “BEAR with US” within it will receive a FREE 24” T-Shirt Kirby Bear with your logo on it as a friendly reminder to change our contact information in your system.

How much is loyalty worth?

2007-09-01T13:35:00.001-04:00

Thank you for the support and positive comments posted to the Blog last month. I really enjoyed reading each comment. This promotion far surpassed all of my expectations and currently is the most successful advertisement for our Company. Please enjoy the statistics….increased traffic to our website by 30,000 hits per day for 5 straight days, 106 comments, and generated 75 orders for the self promo toy pack which will put 1,875 of our toys into the hands of people who now have a reason to sell and buy Artistic Toys. I know there are some distributors that may have been frustrated with technology, but after it’s all said and done I know it will be time well spent. I hope this Blog will be the glue that keeps us connected as well as provides opportunities to help us grow and learn from each other.

We received 93 votes on the distributor poll that asked “What would you like to hear about in the next blog? It was a tight race with Distributor Incentives surpassing Industry Problems. The goal of this post is to deliver on what was promised; however, it would be irresponsible if I did not first mention the crisis that was unveiled this month in China with the recall of millions of toys by Mattel and Toys R US. Due to this global concern I have decided to incorporate product safety testing into Distributor Incentives. It is also important to mention that Artistic Toy has received written confirmation from its Chinese suppliers that they are not using hazardous materials, including lead based paints in the manufacturing process. At present there is no knowledge that warrants concern over the quality or safety of any toys manufactured with the Artistic Toy label; however, we have ordered independent testing on a sample of our most popular products to be 100% certain and calm the concerns of our buyers.

Artistic Toy has developed a 3 tier program for its loyal distributors. A loyal distributor calls Artistic Toy first when a customer needs a plush toy. The loyal distributor understands payment terms and all the details needed to process an order. Objectively, this Distributor evidences loyalty through sales order volume. Subjectively, this Distributor is on a first name basis with our office staff and has probably shared at least one story about their dog, grandchild, or last doctor’s visit. The best distributor relationships usually started with a flying toy to the back of the head at a tradeshow.

Since Artistic Toy strives to be on the cutting edge of innovation, there will be objective, subjective, and technical requirements to be eligible for loyal distributor incentives. The objective measure will be your sales volume. The subjective measure will be the story you post to the Blog telling other distributors about your experience working with Artistic Toy. The technical requirement will be measured by checking to see you are subscribed to this Blog, enrolled to our catalog mailing and email list, as well as registered on our website. We promise to be selective in our communications and we will not burden you with undue information.

The loyal distributor incentives are designed to make doing business with Artistic Toy seamless and easy. The benefits will include things like free shipping on requested stock toy samples; free custom toy prototypes, flexible payment term programs, special advertised prices held for the full fiscal year, and free toy safety testing. I also encourage you post a comment and let me know about things you like about working with us or your other best suppliers. We will do our best to incorporate those things into our procedures or programs. The 3 program levels will be called Silver, Platinum, and Gold and the qualifying sales amount will be set annually for each distributor company. This year, distributors who sold over $5,000 will qualify for Silver incentives, $20,000 will qualify for Platinum incentives, and $50,000 will qualify for Gold incentives.

If you want to confirm your 2007 sales volume with us, please post a comment with your Company name and first and last name. All distributors who meet the objective requirements will be sent a letter asking them to meet the subjective and technical requirements with a detailed description of all the benefits ready for them to enjoy.

Please use this example as a template for your Blog to be eligible for incentives:

ABC Promo Co – Jim Socci, DOB Sep. 7. Thanks for the Birthday card. Your Company is really thoughtful and takes time to know its Distributors. At first I wasn’t impressed with your Company because you hit me in the back of the head with a toy at PPAI Vegas, but since we recently worked together on a 10,000 pc parrot order, the initial pain and embarrassment was comforted with your customer service and delivery. Please send me a confirmation letter that includes my Artistic Toy annual sales volume and the Loyal Distributor Incentives that I am eligible to receive.

If you are reading this Blog and saying, “How does this help the distributor who is not doing big business right now and needs help getting to that next level?” Easy…log onto our website, locate the Best Selling Toys Pack - S2138 select button that says order sample, complete form, include “SEP BLOG” in promotion code field and you will receive a pack of our best selling toys for free.

Truly,

Jim

Why Blog???

2007-07-26T17:29:00.001-04:00

There are many reasons to Blog once you understand the benefits it can provide. Fortunately for me, my younger brother is a technology guru and gave me a 10 minute run down on how this free service works. It occurred to me that the Blog may potentially fix a problem with e-mail blasts, podcasts, and virtual web trade shows. While these mediums provide effective chances of meeting a target audience, they are missing the personal touch.

So, now there is this new/old technology called the "Blog" that presents a unique way to reach the masses in a personal way without jamming it down their throat. A good Blog needs to provide you something of value in order to encourage you to use this service. Likewise, a good business will also need to provide you value to earn your business. Therefore, this Blog is designed to present ideas and facts that will drive value in your busines and mine.

I am excited that you have logged on to my Blog and look forward to getting your comments and suggestions for future topics. I have created a poll on some topics of interest to see what you would like to hear about. My plan is to use your responses to create one blog per month based on comments and poll results.

Please remember to subscribe to my blog by clicking here to keep you updated on future blog posts (Use Firefox if using a mac instead of Safari). We also need you to leave a comment with your full name and ASI# if you would like to receive a free SELF PROMO DISTRIBUTOR PACK valued at $200. Please read the instructions below on how to receive your Free Distributor Self Promo Pack.

EDIT 8/6/07:
To receive your Free Distributor Self Promo Pack:
1. You need to read Jim’s Blog and leave a comment by clicking “Comments” at the bottom of his post under his signature. (Be sure to leave your Full Name and Company Name OR ASI# for us to identify you. Once you leave a comment, Jim must approve it before it will be displayed. Please give up to an hour for it to be displayed.)
2. If you aren’t registered, you must register on our website by clicking login or here.
3. After we verify your account, you must request a sample by clicking Distributor Sample Packs on the left of the site of our website, then click the Self Promo Toy Pack - S2142 image or click here.
4. Then click the red Sample button to the left of the self promo pack image.
5. Fill out the order form, under Products, be sure the Item says S2142 – Self Promo Toy Pack.
6. Input Quantity of 1.
7. Choose your Shipping Company of choice.
8. Input your shipping number.
9. Then click Submit.
10. You will receive a confirmation e-mail when completed and we will call to setup the details of your toys with a free full color imprint and one free accessory (white t-shirt, scarf, or tie).