Recession Success Stories (Overcoming the Downturn: Some distributors are seeing their best year ever despite the economy)

In a perfect world, promotional products would be a line item on every organization’s budget not to be scratched come bad economy or cutbacks. They would be thought of as an investment, not an expense. And their inherent value would be understood by all.

Unfortunately, we do not live in that world. But PPAI Chairman of the Board Stan Breckenridge hopes to get us all a little closer. Through his post, Breckenridge aspires this year to spread the message of speaking with “One Voice.” Here’s the pitch: We all know the value of promotional products; therefore, we take them for granted. Likewise, we are competing with every other advertising media for the all-coveted dollar. But, if we espouse the values of promotional products in one large, loud voice to our clients, friends, family and prospects, we can create a culture where they are an essential part of every organization’s budget and intrinsically included in every marketing plan.

“I have been saying in meetings and discussions with clients that now is a time when the value of promotional products is really illustrated,” affirms Vince Terracina with TAG Marketing Ltd. in Austin, Texas. “If you truly believe, like I do, that the value of promotional products exceeds the value provided by other advertising mediums, then the ‘bang for the buck’ argument carries more weight in periods of economic instability.”

As it turns out, this period of economic downturn may provide an opportunity to follow Breckenridge’s industry philosophy of speaking with one voice and creating a utopia with clients. Some of your peers are doing just that and, despite the tough economy, are profiting. At a recent event, one distributor explained he has picked up new clients who began their own businesses only after being laid off from their previous jobs. Another peer speculates that it’s primarily those who have focused on the recession who are feeling its bite.

Terracina says TAG began the year with more orders than last year, but average order size was smaller. “I think that as a general proposition, if you were to take a snapshot of our clients’ economic mood, it would be fair to say that they are