Incentive - January/February 2010 - (Page 32)

Electronics: 3D TV Is Coming PAGE 35 Box-office champ Avatar foreshadows next-generation, eye-popping TV technology from Sony and others Gift Cards: E-Personalization PAGE 37 Online card creation and ordering lets planners customize messages and card graphics for truly personalized awards It’s All About the Brand—Period Sophomore “brand.” incentive merchandise pavilion at PPAI show gains clout BY WILLIAM NG T he Promotional Products Association International’s catchphrase for the “brand.” incentive product showcase at PPAI Expo 2010 in January was, “Be labeled a success.” That is what incentive merchandise exhibitors there are labeling the show-within-a-show, which was staged for the second straight year at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Created by PPAI for promotional product distributors looking to add incentive merchandise to their offerings, brand. conversely gave companies including Sony and Hinda Incentives a focused outlet to source business out that those who stopped at their booths knew firmly what they wanted and were ready to buy. “We’re doing business with promotional product houses and marketing companies,” John Eason, eastern manager of Sony’s Premium Incentive Sales Group, told Incentive between meetings with booth visitors. Just before clinching an order, Matt Kentner, national sales manager of cor- “I expect more incentive companies at brand. next year.” –Pete Mitchell, director of business-to-business sales, Samsonite opportunities beyond the traditional incentive channel. While they noted that the number of visitors shrunk compared to 2009’s brand., exhibitors pointed porate markets for Leatherman Tool Group, noted, “The quality of visitors has been great. We’re here to stay at brand.” Janet Duff, Philips’ senior chan| incentivemag.com nel manager for loyalty and incentives, noted the high ratio of quality leads. “This is our first time at brand. and we will come back,” she said. Bose, Certif-AGift, Power Sales and Advertising, Tumi, and Movado Group were some other exhibitors. In past years, incentive companies that exhibited at PPAI Expo found themselves scattered on the show floor, somewhat lost among the broader promotional products crowd. Pete Mitchell, director of business-to-business sales for exhibitor Samsonite, says now there is a venue for incentives at the Expo, where companies can connect with promotional distributors in a more intimate environment. He said the first brand. showcase in 2009 “exceeded expectations.” “The promotional product companies that visit brand. understand the incentive market and want to do business with us,” Mitchell said. “And incentive players have dabbled in promotional product distribution, which is unplowed ground. I expect more incentive companies at brand. next year.” (The Incentive Marketing Association believes the potential for crossover business is so great that it has established the Promotional Products Strategic Industry Group and recruited members at PPAI Expo. See story on p. 34.) Gaining momentum, is upstart brand.—also being staged at Promotions East 2010 in Atlantic City in June and at the Specialty Advertising Association of California show in Long Beach, CA, in August—the new darling of merchandise shows? Mitchell and numerous others said they still intend to exhibit at the industry’s grande dame, the Motivation Show, despite acknowledging that the show has retrenched recently. continued on page 34 32 | Incentive | January/February 2010 http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January/February 2010

Incentive - January/February 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note: Shift Happens
Headlines
Cover Story: Incentive’s 2009 Grand Motivation Master Winner
7 Steps for Running a Non-Sales Program
Original Research: Incentive’s 2010 Reader Forecast Survey
Primer: 3 Tips for Getting Through Airport Security
Strategies: Calculations and Conversations
Travel News: Where to Go
CityCenter Opens, Aiming to Redefine Las Vegas(Again)
Bermuda Still Works
Potentials: Here and Now
Electronics: The Revolution Will Be Televised...in 3D!
Online Gift Cards Make It Easy

Incentive - January/February 2010