ASI Launches 2013 Idea Showcase: Schools Catalog

Over 75% of active distributors say catalogs are essential for promoting brands

TREVOSE, PA – May 2, 2013 – The Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI) today announced it’s already sold over 200,000 copies of the 2013 schools edition of the Idea Showcase^® catalog, a selling tool that over 75% of active distributors say is essential for selling, marketing and promoting their brands.

Studies show 55% of online buyers shop with a catalog in hand, and that customers keep catalogs and use them for reference, making them more valuable than television, radio and Web-based marketing. Idea Showcase focuses on one of the strongest markets in the industry: education. According to the latest Counselor State of the Industry report, schools and universities are the No. 2 market in the $19.4 billion promotional products industry, accounting for 11.1% of the ad specialty market in 2011.

Guaranteed circulation for the pocket-sized Idea Showcase: Schools™ is 250,000. It comes with free shipping until June 15, free full-color imprinting, a free envelope and a form letter to personalize.

The new, school-themed layout features a locker and yearbook motif and includes re-styled single product pages highlighting two advertisers. In addition, Idea Showcase comes with dynamic infographics from ASI’s latest Global Advertising Impressions Study, which proves promo products rank among the most influential, enduring and cost-effective ad mediums available.

Idea Showcase: Schools comes in a convenient size that works well as a leave-behind on sales calls. The catalog highlights a wide cross section of products, including flash drives, travel bottles and rulers and levels, and features:

• Selection: 390+ products from 50+ suppliers, priced between $1-$40
• Campaign ideas: for K-12, colleges and universities, after-school programs, PTAs, school suppliers, youth clubs and sports teams
• Options: Two custom covers to choose from

In addition, each copy of Idea Showcase can be imprinted with the distributor’s full-color logo and contact information on the cover any time throughout the year, creating a personalized marketing approach that differentiates distributors from their competition.

“There’s a reason catalogs helped ASI distributors earn an average of $19,000 last year – they’re low risk and high return,” said Dan Brown, ASI’s executive director of distributor services. “And Idea Showcase is the best way to impress clients interested in a wide range of products perfect for school, sports and youth club campaigns, across any budget.”

Idea Showcase: Schools is one of seven customized catalogs offered by ASI as sales-generating tools for suppliers to advertise a wide variety of products and for distributors to sell, market and promote their brands.