Here, we’ve provided you with some of that knowledge… peruse it, have fun with it, use it in whatever way you can to put the power to work for you.

To check out our Apparel Site, just click the image here: 

Corporate Casual Statistics

Casual Fridays and Dress Down Days
In order to compete in the employment marketplace, employers in the 90s searched for creative options to attract new employees and retain present ones.

So, what happened?
Wearables shot to the #1 category in Promotional Products, up 3 points from 24% to 27% in one year.

Why did this happen?
- 90% of all US companies have casual day of some kind
- 1/3 of all companies allow casual clothing every day
- More the 40% of all companies have expanded their casual dress options in the last three years

Casualwear Businesswear Human Resources Survey
- 87% – improves morale
- 81% – perceived by employees as a benefit
- 51% – employees save money because of casual dress
- 47% – improves productivity

Given the chance, 96% of employees take advantage of dressing casual.

What employees said
- 81% – improves morale
- 57% – I’m judged now more on my performance than appearance
- 57% – better camaraderie with managers and co-workers
- 51% – do best work when casually dressed
- 43% – boss is more approachable

46% reported that if they were offered two equal positions, the employer who offered casual days every day would get preference.

Corporate Casual Levels

The 4 basic classifications of Corporate Casual at work today are:

Boardroom Casual
Apparel that’s different than the traditional business suit, but still appropriate for the boardroom. Blazers, oxfords, vests, ties, and scarves are the operative words here.

Business Casual
Professional dressing that’s perfectly suited to attend a meeting, conduct a seminar or to meet a client. Banded collar shirts, oxfords, denims, vests, sweaters and turtlenecks are your main menu here.

Relaxed Casual
Office-appropriate attire that’s professional enough to face customers, but comfortable enough to sit in front of the computer. Golf shirts reign supreme in this area, as well as denims, chambray shirts, fashion fleece, sweaters and turtlenecks.

Dress Down Casual
Casual apparel for a labor-intensive day such as cleaning out files or organizing your area. Tees, sweats and denim are your directions on this one.

The Benefit of Seasonal Gift Giving

When holiday time rolls around, showing appreciation to clients and the people on your team can prove to be a smart move for encouraging more business and productivity in the office. Give gifts of golf shirts, wovens, tees, fleece, or caps tastefully decorated with your logo, and you can increase the benefits to corporate identity programs.

Consider these opinions of small business owners when asked about holiday gift giving:
- Over 75% feel it helps improve their business
- Over 55% believe it leads to increased sales
- Over 70% consider it an important part of their marketing effort
- Over 85% believe it improves employee morale

Golf  Statistics

Still not sure if golf shirts are right for your team? As the game itself continues to skyrocket, so does the popularity and acceptability of golf shirts as a staple of corporate casual dress codes. And, with the numbers of people playing golf today, the odds are in your favor that the majority of your team will -at the very least- be wearing your golf shirt on the green. Just consider these stats about golfers:
- 21.5 million men
- 5.1 million women
- With 2.1 million, juniors (aged 12-17) represent the fastest-growing group
- With 7 million, the 30-39 year age group is the largest percentage at 26.4%
- 1 in every 4 golfers is a senior (2.7 million aged 65+)
- 43% hold Professional/Management/Administrative occupations

Factoids

Question:
Why do women’s shirts button on the opposite side than men’s?
Answer:
Way back in Medieval times, women did not usually dress themselves.They had handmaids to help them. Therefore, the dressmakers designed the garments so the buttons were in the proper position for the dressers, the person USING the buttons. The tradition continued throughout the ages and even into today’s styles.

Question:
What percentage of the American workforce is female?
Answer:
60%, making Ladies’ style shirts increasingly popular for all types of corporate casual decision makers.

Question:
What does “pre-shrunk” really mean?
Answer:
It is NOT pre-washing the fabric. It is a process where the bolted, uncut fabric is run through rollers containing tiny nubs that press the fabric over the nubs, creating grooves which condense it. This puckered shrinking effect then allows for real shrinking when washed. Therefore, the fabric not the shirt is pre-shrunk before it is even cut and sewn.

Question:
Where did the word “jersey” in jersey knit come from?
Answer:
It is called that because it was first knitted in the Jersey and Guernsey Islands in the English Channel.

Question:
What type of garments are embroidered more than any other?
Answer:
Golf shirts. They comprise 53% of all garments embroidered, followed by caps at 21%.

Question:
What is the origin of the pouch pocket that’s so popular in today’s fleece styles?
Answer:
It actually dates back to the 1800s when muffs became a fashionable accessory for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to keep their hands warm and conceal money and small treasures when traveling.

Question:
What makes Microfiber so much softer than other fabrics?
Answer:
Most other fabrics have 70-80 tendrils of yarn per strand. Microfiber has 216 tendrils per strand. It’s more finely woven, more luxurious, also windproof and waterproof.

Question:
Where does the name “henley” come from?
Answer:
Copies of this shirt, a no-collar knit with buttoned placket, were worn by rowers in Henley, England. It was originally a rower’s shirt.

Question:
What is a “half moon sweat patch” and what’s it really for?
Answer:
The inset back yoke of many upscale-type golf shirts. While called a “sweat patch,” it is actually there for decoration purposes and extra collar support.

Question:
Name three colors that are popular for trade show “uniforms” today?
Answer:
Any three bright colors. The brighter the color, the more booth staffers stand out as a team, so they can be found anywhere in the booth. The trade is calling them “Crayola colors.”

Question:
Where did the American T-shirt originate?
Answer:
The “great American T-shirt” actually originated overseas when American soldiers in WW I took a lesson from their European counterparts and started wearing cooler, light-weight, cotton undershirts instead of their wool uniforms in the hot summer climates.

Question:
Where does the term “denim” come from?
Answer:
From the French “serge de Nimes,” a twill fabric made in Nimes, France from blue vegetable dyes from the indigo plant, which is why deeper hues of blue denim are called “indigo.”

Question:
What does the term “ounces” of fabric refer to?
Answer:
The weight of the fabric based on one yard of fabric.

Question:
How does the fabric “sanded gabardine” get its soft finish?
Answer:
It is run through an actual belt sander so that the fabric is extra soft before it is cut and sewn.

Question:
Where does the word “khaki” come from?
Answer:
From the Hindu word meaning “dusty,” which applied to the light brown cotton of the Indian army uniforms. Troops in 1850’s India found their white uniforms would be dusty within hours and began soaking them in mud to turn the same practical khaki color.

Question:
Do recycled bottles actually play a role in apparel manufacturing?
Answer:
Yes! Recycled plastic bottles are cleaned, crushed, melted and extruded into the polyester fibers that make many of today’s most popular fleece clothing. It’s every bit as warm and durable as virgin polyester… but conserves more energy in processing.

Do keep in mind that that price is for Ready Artwork (in other words, you send me the art file, I verify it meets the print standards, and it’s ready to print).

And to sweeten the deal, I’ll also throw in 2 FREE Art Setups! What’s that? Well.. if you don’t have Ready Artwork, I’ll draw up two variations of what you are wanting printed and you can choose one of those to be printed! Normally we charge $65.00 an hour for artwork so that’s an added bonus if you don’t have Ready Artwork!

Yep, we are slow right now, so take advantage of it before things pick up!

-Brian Hardin II
www.CheetahSigns.com
870-834-4533

I’m talking about your vehicle. Your vehicle is a mobile form of advertising ready to work and promote your business regardless of where you go. Vehicle graphics enjoy up to about 600 visual impressions per mile!

Dollar for dollar, vehicle advertising is a clear winner when it comes to exposure for dollars spent on promoting your business.

Example:

Based on a standard “cost of 1,000 visual impressions” vehicle graphics are a rate of $0.15 per 1,000 impressions! Billboards are at $1.90 per 1,000 impressions, Newspapers are at $3.60 per 1,000 impressions, and TV commercials are at a whopping $10.00 per 1,000 impressions!

There are several forms of branding your vehicle for advertising, the most common being simply vinyl lettering. The vinyl lettering and graphics that CheetahSigns.com produces is made from high performance outdoor grade vinyl to ensure years of continued use. These graphics are installed on the doors of a vehicle and are used for basic identification of a business.

Van and truck graphics are generally more involved simply because the areas on those vehicles are larger and can accommodate more information. Sometimes these graphics will use elements of full color or digitally printed graphics.

Vehicle wraps are graphics that cover the vehicle. These packages bring the most impact and visibility to a vehicle. These are almost always printed in full color and are certain to make the vehicle (and the business it’s advertising) stand out among all the other cars on the road.

Okay, now for the important information, price.

Typically the budget range for simply door graphics is going to range around $200.00 however in some simple designs it can be as low as $50.00.
Van and Truck graphics, as seen in the photo above of the Alpha Promo World SUV will typically run between $300.00 and $700.00.
Full vehicle wraps will generally start off as low as $2500.00 but can range into the neighborhood of about $5,000.00 and up (depending of course on the design and size of the vehicle involved).

Consider this…

You just spent $3200.00 on that new television ad. At that price you might get a decent time slot, but in this day and age everyone uses Tivo or DVRs to record their shows and fast-forward through the commercials. Your viewing impressions just dropped right there.

Now, take that same $3200.00 and invest it into a wrap for your vehicle and start rolling down the street, you are going to turn some heads. The best part is, you can take your vehicle anywhere you choose to go! Going on vacation? Your vehicle is right along side, advertising mile for mile all the way to the beach and reaching even potential customers that live outside of your normal business grasp.

Feel free to contact us for a quote on your vehicle project. For more information feel free to visit our main website!

This is for 10 (ten) 18″x24″ Coroplast signs with step-stakes! 18×24 inch coroplast signs are perhaps one of the most common sizes seen today. Coroplast is a polypropylene copolymer, and as such is eco-friendly and can even be recycled with you detergent and milk bottles!

Because of a great deal we get on the material we are able to offer these 18″x24″ signs in quantities of 10 (they also include the metal step stakes) for a low price of $145.00. That’s $14.50 EACH! Most shops will charge you $35.00 EACH for a simple 1 color sign of that size! Ours are double sided and FULL COLOR!

That price includes:
FULL COLOR on BOTH sides!
Step stake
Artwork Setup
2 Proof choices

We also have a current special on Business Cards runs until the end of the year and is for a quantity of 1,000 full color double sided business cards priced $99.00 (normally $120.00). We also include a UV Coating on both sides to prevent fading at no extra charge.

We also have a special on Post Cards right now too! Our current special on Post Cards runs until the end of the year and is for a quantity of 1,000 full color double sided post cards printed on durable 16point card stock. They measure 8.5″ x 5.5″. The normal price is $275.00, we are running a holiday special at $225.00 (that gets it delivered right to your door!) We also include a UV Coating on both sides to prevent fading at no extra charge! Each design can be custom fit for you with your name and company logo.

We also offer vehicle magnetics, banners, presentation folders, rolodex cards, and much more.

In addition to doing business cards, we also do about 800,000 different types of Promotional Products. To visit our search engine please check out http://www.distributorcentral.com/websites/CheetahSigns/ and just click on Product Catalog. If you are looking for something that you cannot find please do not hesitate to contact me.

If this is something that you or someone in your office would be interested in, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many Thanks,

Brian Hardin II
www.CheetahSigns.com
870-834-4533

Almost every successful company out there has used a Promotional Product at one point or another. In fact, glance over at your mouse or coffee mug or nearest pen. Chances are it has someone’s logo or company information on it.
What makes them effective?  Why should they be considered when marketing your company?  What can you do to ensure the person(s) given these items will keep them and not toss them into the trash?
The list of questions can go on and on, but these are the Top 3.  Master them, and your Promotional Products will be far superior.

What makes them effective?
Simply put, their usefulness.  A Pen will always be in need (I’m always looking for one), and can convey all of your useful information.  It’s functional (because you can DO something with it; IE write) and it also displays your company’s information.  There are hundreds of thousands of items out there, but the pen is perhaps one of the most effective promotional producs.

Why should they be considered when marketing your company?
Promotional Products are a key factor in marketing.  Even your business card is considered a promotional product.  Now, let’s take that a step further, almost all promotional products are, in effect, a business card!  How’s that?  Let’s say you have a car dealership.  You can get toy cars with your information printed on them; what this accomplishes is, the “business card” car gets played with (I have two that zoom around on my desk when I get bored) and it also displays your company’s information!  Let’s look at vanity license plates.  EACH car that you sell and drives out of your lot should ALWAYS have a vanity plate with your information on it.  Why?  Exposure!  There is a reason that we see so many commercials for McDonalds on television.  Repetitive exposure.  Get the word out about your business, over and over.  The more exposure, the more business.

What can you do to ensure the person(s) given these items will keep them and not toss them into the trash?
This is a simple one, but the answer is two-fold.  First, we want to make the item attractive!  We want to use our business logo (or font) in an arrangement on the item and make it look attractive.  Second, we want to make sure that we give these promotional products out to a target audience.
That’s not to say that you can hand one out to every person, you can, but by targeting specific types of clients, you can maximize the exposure.

A dentist might not find a frisbee with their information on it very useful, but a stress reliever in the shape of a tooth, now that’s pure genious!  Give it to the patient when they are in the chair, and tell em they can take it home with them!  A) you gave that patient something to help with his nerves, and B) you gave that patient a fun (and effective) “business card” because it has your name and office contact information printed on it!

A Real Estate agent might not need a Fun Foam Fingers (like what you see at football or basketball games) so they would more than likely not be very effective.  However, a simple object like a pen is always perfect for a real estate agent.  Why?  Just like the stress reliever in the dentist’s office, this pen is functional and also displays the real estate agent’s information.  It’s a business card that functions, it writes!

Regardless of the industry you are in, promotional products can always be used as a tool to help you grow your business.  The prices range all over, depending on exactly what you are looking for and the quantity.
Contact us, and we can help you with any of your Promotional Product needs!