Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2012

For spring 2012 designers are inspired by diverse influences, showcasing a range ofstyles and lifestyles, from free and playful and light and breezy, to contemporary classics. Colors likewise reflect these differing moods, encapsulating vivid brights, soft muted tones and fun-loving pastels.

"Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism and the promise of a brighter day," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "They have learned how color can help them alter a mood and provide the vitality and enthusiasm that enables them to experiment with new looks and color combinations."
Provocative Tangerine Tango, an enticing juicy orange, is a vivacious and appealing refresher to enliven anyone's outlook this spring. Providing a jolt of energy, Solar Power radiates warmth and cheer.

Fanciful Bellflower, a distinct ornamental purple, exudes uniqueness and creativity. Scintillating and sexy, Cabaret is a sensual and intense rosy-red — an excellent choice for summer clothing and cosmetics.

Sodalite Blue, a classic maritime hue, brings order and calmness to mind. Like an anchor to a ship, this dependable shade works with every color in the palette. Cockatoo, a tactile blue-green, is sure to make your spirits soar. This unusual hue adds a whimsical touch to the palette and will surely make a statement this spring.
Margarita, a piquant yellow-green, lifts spirits with its refreshing and stimulating glow. Reminiscent of a blossoming garden on an early spring morning, fragrant Sweet Lilac evokes the fresh scents of summer. This delicate pinkish lilac adds a touch of romance to any wardrobe.

Natural versatile neutrals add practicality to this season's brights. Driftwood, an adaptable blend of beige and gray with a slightly weathered feel, and Starfish, a perfect warm summer neutral, complement all colors featured in this season's top 10.

For an ultra-bold vibrant look this spring, try mixing Bellflower with Tangerine Tango and Cabaret. Combine Margarita with Sweet Lilac and Cockatoo for a subtle alternative, or combine Margarita with Sweet Lilac and Driftwood for a more practical variation. Solar Power is best juxtaposed with Sodalite Blue. For a safer bet, add a natural neutral like Starfish to the mix.

For over 18 years, Pantone, the global authority on color, has surveyed the designers of New York Fashion Week and beyond to bring you the season's most important color trends. This report previews the most prominent hues for spring 2012.

Change...the real constant!

It is said that change is the only constant. In our business, truer words have never been spoken. Clients are changing their business models, their staff and their communication methods.In fact, I can honestly say, none do business the way they did two years ago. Change is good! We all provide a service. Ours is to understand our clients needs and deliver solutions which in turn deliver results! Recently I attended a talk given by one of my industry peers, Mark Graham. His talk was entitled "10 No-Nonsense Ways Social Media Can Be Applied To Your Promotional Products Business". Wow, I am a no nonsense type of guy so, yes, he had me a hello! During his talk, Mark used many case studies to demonstrate how through the use of various Social Media, one could do market research, solve problems etc. Basically, he raised the profile of his organization within his client base and our industry. The bigger message (read my big take away) was much more than being told to master "new" technologies. The message is the same one delivered in many a course given by many a sales guru. Know that your business is about your clients, NOT YOU! Know that if you are not listening to your clients and taking the action to provide the best products, solutions and service, then Bye Bye...See ya! It struck me funny that people who tossed questions during this talk were more worried about how much time was spent "playing on the Internet"! Hello...since when are we "playing" at our business? Listen, if my clients are interested in Polo, I have to learn about Polo. If they are into cake decorating, I had better know something about that. If my clients are using Social Media to enrich their businesses, then I need to be on that platform as well. Bottom line. Be where your clients are. Communicate with your clients in the manner they want to be communicated with. Help your clients find what they need. Even if you cannot provide the service yourself, find an associate who can. Your clients will change. You MUST be willing to change with them.

2011 Trending Now!

Using promotional products to promote your business is a proven method to generate results. However, the promotional world is shifting. Gone are the days when just your logo on a pen will suffice. More and more company's are looking to differentiate themselves through the branding of their promotional items. Products that reflect your brand and are relevant to the recipient have become the most important criteria.

By following a few key consumer and market trends when choosing your items, can dramatically increase the return on your investment.

Use Technology - Technology, social media & mobile accessibity now permiate our daily lives. Using features such as QR codes & Facebook page addresses will help drive your client to recieve further information from your organization.

Hassle-Free Travel - Traveling should be a stress free experience. With the ever changing security regulations, one needs a week at the spa just to unwind from a simple flight. Security-friendly laptop bags, backpacks and netbook cases, allow you clients to simply unzip their bags and lay them flat for their trip through the inspection machines at security. A great way to thank your clients is to de-stress their work day.

Stay Green - The unbiquitous Polypropylene tote bag has become a trade show standard. Wherever possible, look for the "green" option. Everything from pens, drinkware, wearables and even USB flash drives are being made with Organic or recycled material. Tell your client you care and they will listen to you.

Increase the Cool Factor - Look to the street. What are the fashion magazines showing. Look for colour trends, finishes and most of all wearable enhancements. A simple shot of a bold colour on any product you are currently using may be all you need to make the product POP!

Staying in touch with current trends or putting your logo on a "non-traditional" item may be all you need to increase the chances of your promotional products being used over and over again and allow you to increase the exposure of your brand!

Books that are making a difference for me

For me the end of any year usually is a time for reflecting on the successes of the past twelve months. This year is no different. Like all businesses, we have struggled with the economy and the challenges our client's have faced because of the changing business climate. Like all things in life, the events of the past year have precipitated the need to look inside ourselves to find the inner strength to move forward.

One of the ways I personally have found to help improve my outlook and more importantly my actions, was to revisit and recommit to my our personal development. To that end, I thought I would share a few of the titles which have become very useful to me over the past few months.

1 - Keith Ferrazi's - "Who's got your back"

It's a great read on how to find a tight group of people who have your best interest at heart and are not scared to hold you accountable for any action you take.

2 - Jack Canfield's - "The Success Principles - How to get from where you are to where you want to be"

This book is the gamplan to a more successful life. A step by step instruction manual on how to take control of all you do and want. It all starts with taking Responsibilty of ALL of your actions.

3 - Timothy Ferris' - "The 4 Hour Work Week"

Even if you only take (and impliment) one or two ideas from this book your life will be forever changed.

4 - Alan Frew's - "The Action Sandwich"

Frew is the former lead singer of one of Canada's leading rock bands. His book gives you the kick in the pants to ensure you realize that the key to success is taking action!

So, what does it all mean? Ready Fire Aim. Do it Now. Just DO it. TAKE ACTION!

You'll never reach your dreams or aspirations sitting on youre butt!

As someone once said...

Successful people do the uncomfortable and face facts squarely. What can you do today that you have been avoiding!

5 Ways to Waste Your Money on Promotional Products

Over the past 30 years, we have seen many clients come to us with promotional products which just don't work. Frankly, these client's have wasted their money! Promotional products are the most measurable form of advertising out there. So, if you are going to advertise, why not start with the result in mind?

Here is a list of things to avoid when considering the purchase of promotional products.

1 - The item does not have value. This is where the term "trinkets and trash" comes from. Purchasing cheap promotional items for the sake of just giving something away is a real waste of money. Ask yourself if the item will have a long term use.

2 - People not willing to hand out these business promotional products. These marketing business items do no good in a closet. They are advertising! Get the maximum exposure of your logo.

3 - Information overload on the item. If your goal is to get your name out there, than do that (always with some contact info like a phone number or web address) this overload of information makes the item less likely to be used and in many cases, becomes illegible.

4 - Don't clearly explain your message. Be consistent with your message through all your graphic communications. All your print, multi-media and promo items should be consistent with your brand.

5 - No Plan! If you do not have a goal in mind for the product how can you tell if it is working for you. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

In summation, look for items which professionally promote your brand and your corporate message. Plan for success by buying the correct item for your target audience. Most of all have a plan and measure the results.

A Basic Explanation of Ink on Paper (101)

Mike Vitamvas of Wall Printing Company recently sent this great explaination of ink colours and how they reproduce onto paper. Hopefully you will find it useful information.

"I want to give you a brief education about ink and how paper effects it. I find I get a lot of questions about this subject so I decided to write this short piece explaining it.

There are two basic ways to make a colour. Most colour standards are set by using the Pantone Matching System (PMS). It covers spot colours as well as colours made by four colour process. If you've ever had the same job printed a couple of times, either at the same place or at two different printing facilities you probably experienced the challenges of the PMS system.

Offset ink is partially transparent, which means that the color you get is going to be partly determined by the color of stock you pick. The same job will look different if it is printed on a cast coated (high gloss coated stock) gloss stock or uncoated stock. That is because ink is absorbed by each of the stocks differently, which affects the colour. This is true if you are using spot or process colours. Pantone books use a standard coated and uncoated cover when they have the books printed. (If you put two pantone books down side by side you will probably get two different colours).

In theory you can make most spot colours out of process, although they will not look exactly the same. Process to spot colours will vary from one printing facility to another. The reason is that there are different technologies for making the dot pattern and different types of printing equipment. Generally the finer the line screen the closer process comes to matching a pantone colour. Another factor that affects the colour is whether the press is running a conventional or waterless system.

So with all the factors, how do you insure that your job looks the way you want it to? I want to tell you it is getting better. Ten years ago almost everyone was using film to make their plates and provide proofs. They were very consistent at least within each printing facility. Then direct to plate started to become popular. It gave advantages such as faster make ready and better plate consistency. However proofs when from anolog to digital and the consistency went down. Today digital proofs can be calibrated to match a particular press and many automatically recalibrate to make sure the colour stays consistent.

There are a number of challenges still to overcome. Toner based machines are getting better but getting them to match the color of offset continues to be a challenge. Also proofing on colours other than white stock is a issue that still needs to be addressed.I hope this information will help you in your understanding of how ink is put down on paper."

What we are seeing - the trends for 2009

As the internet becomes the media of choice for most companies with any kind of ad budget at all, most of our clients ad dollars have been moving away from traditional media over the past few years as well.

Those same dollars are migrating to online media, promotional products and other non-traditional media. So far, companies have been able to gradually boost their spending online and on promotions without abandoning traditional media entirely, but we feel 2009 will be different.

With so many companies strapped for cash, budgets will be slashed and there will be some big losers, probably TV, radio and print, while more cost effective, flexible and targeted outlets, like search marketing and guerrilla marketing will receive a bigger share of the (smaller) pie than ever.

As for what products will be in demand, we see a combination of two obvious trends. First, low cost promos will be popular as companies and organizations try to make the most with limited budgets. Second, eco-friendly promos are going to be desirable...if people can afford them.

Which brings us to our prediction: recycled products are going to do very well, particularly items like non-woven bags which are actually less expensive than nylon or cotton. Other winners will be recycled paper products and recycled plastic products, which are more eco-friendly than promos made from virgin materials, but can be priced competitively. Other eco-friendly options like organic cottons may be a tougher sell. However, if some of the recent demand for organic cotton dies down, that may also lower prices there a bit, too.