Mainstream Green Consumers

Mainstream green consumers, one of the largest and fastest growing markets nationwide, according to the Center for Media Research which also concludes not all green consumers are the same. In their brief they breakdown the green consumer into four main groups with demographic information. Only 23% of consumers say that they don't care about the environment. The study reports that online research is an important source for green information. There is very interesting analysis in the research brief. Please contact us in you would like a copy.

Shopping with Mrs Green

Garment Graphics is proud to host the Mrs Green e-commerce site. The site officially launched over the Thanksgiving Day weekend with wonderful eco-conscious products. Organic apparel, trendy We Be Bags made from recycled canvas bags, and organic soaps are just a few of the products available.

The Mrs Green store is also an example of our Signature Store e-commerce feature of our new site. Our new site launched at the beginning of November and includes the new Signature Stores feature. There will be more about all the uses of Signature Stores on future posts.

Golf Event Planning

Tournament Planner
Planning a golf tournament? Remember, the key to a successful golf outing is to keep it simple.

Who’s Running the Show?
Create a Tournament Committee to give the outing direction and keep it on track.
• Chairman (Tournament), Vice Chairman (Sponsors), Vice Chairman (Players), Vice Chairman (Awards and Prizes)

How Much Money Do We Have?
Figure out your budget.
• Entry fees as well as sponsorships will determine where you play, the types and amounts of food and beverages provided and the number and types of awards and prizes you give out.

We Need More Money!
Increase the proceeds with sponsorships.
• Tournament sponsor
• Food and beverage sponsor
• Tee sponsors (playing and non-playing)
• Golf cart sponsors

Where and When?
Once you know how much you have to spend, you can start looking at course costs and availability.
• Some courses require a deposit.
• Some courses require reservations a full year in advance.
• Always set a rain date.

To Scramble or Not to Scramble?
Determine the type of tournament you’re hosting: charity, competitive, members only or recreational. Choose a format that will be enjoyed by the majority of your participants.
• Determine whether your field is serious or just there to have fun.
• In most cases players enjoy a scramble (each player hits from the best spot) because there is less pressure, which makes it more enjoyable. And handicaps are seldom required.

Should We Limit the Number of Participants?
The more players you have, the more money you have to spend. But larger fields can cause problems too.
• Nobody wants to be on the golf course for 6 or 7 hours
• Make sure the course has enough carts or additional carts will have
to be ordered.

Something For Everybody!
In addition to the giveaways handed out at the registration table, you will have to determine
additional awards and prizes.
• Decide how many places you want to award
• Longest Drive
• Closest to the Pin
• Straightest Drive
• Longest Putt

Put It In Writing.
You’ll need a number of written materials before, during and after the event.
• Promotional flyers
• Player invitations
• Outing day agenda
• Team pairing sheets
• Rules sheet
• Prize sheet

I’m Hungry.
If you’re going to serve food and beverages you need to consider when, where and what you are going to serve.
• Breakfast, lunch or dinner
• Sit-down, buffet or out on the course
• Beverage cart
• Snacks placed in the welcome bag/kit

Did I Win?
Everybody likes to win, so the more awards and prizes, the more goodwill. Remember though, if everyone has a good time, winning isn’t nearly as important.

Contact us at Garment Graphics, we'll help you put on a great event!

The Golf Tournament

Local golf events are a marketing opportunity for every business. It helps if you like golf but even if you don't; these events are an excellent opportunity to promote your business and many times also support a great cause. The key is choosing the items that will make an impression on and off the golf course. The two basic golf events we will consider are the "corporate event" and the "charity/fundraising event".

The basic anatomy of a golf event includes:

• Pre-tournament: this always includes flyer's and sign-up materials and some events may multiple mediums i.e. web and email promotion, television, radio.



• Sponsorships: most tournaments will have multiple levels available for various price tags.



• The Actual Event: most events begin with what is called a "shotgun" start so that all the golfers begin at the same time and hopefully end at close to the same time. The event times can vary from early morning to late afternoon. Most however will include a time for the participants to gather for food, drink, and recognition. Large events may also be tied to an additional event i.e. dinner/auction.

With that basic anatomy in mind you can plan the most effective exposure you will receive for supporting the event. Whether you are supporting the "corporate event" of your best customer or the "charity/fundraising event" of a terrific cause we recommend using great promotional products with strategic placement to make the most effective impression.

Strategic placement for a golf event is many times just for the asking. Most tournament sponsorships will include recognition i.e. signs on the course during play, banners, printed materials and promotional items allowed in the "goodie bag" (this is a bag of items that the golfer receives at the event). If you are going to have an item in the "goodie bag" it needs to stand out from the others we recommend against pens, post-its and other office related promotional products. We recommend trying to stay out of the bag and asking for other options. After the tournament the golfers typically gather in a banquet style setting why not ask if your items could be on the banquet tables. If you are sponsoring a hole for the tournament a staff member personally handing out your promotional message to the golfers on the course is a great strategy. This strategy also lends well to having a competitive option for the golfer to win a higher value item. If you are any good with a camera offer to be an amateur photographer for the tournament; take pictures of the golfers and offer to email them if they contact you after the tourney. Combining a great strategy with great promotional items from Garment Graphics is the best way to get involved with golf event marketing, even if you are not a golfer.

Green Marketing Hot Items

It's difficult for anyone to argue against the fact that we should be doing as much as we can to improve our environment and minimize our impact on it. With the dramatically growing "green awareness" the push towards eco-friendly product s is more than a fad. The hottest promotional items to help grow and differentiate your business with a green awareness are:

Tote Bags: made from either post recycled or organic materials are available in an endless array of choices and colors. They reduce our dependence on foreign oil and take the place of plastic bags. A tote bags have many applications and overall they get used and re-used and your marketing message or brand stays in place.

Environment-friendly Pens and Desk Items: recycled materials in pens, post-it notes, folders, calendars, notebooks, journals and many other everyday office items can have a marketing message and send the socially responsible message at the same time.

Staff Shirts and other Apparel: A full new line of products made from organic materials. Organic cottons available for high end knit and woven shirts to regular ring spun T-Shirts. Shirts made from bamboo have an added features of additional UV protection, hypoallergenic, and antimicrobial . Jackets and fleece produced from recycled materials.

Click on the title above or contact us info@garmentgraphics.net for more information on putting your message on eco-friendly products

What's a Garment Decorating Consultant?

It's not just a fancy title for a T-shirt salesperson. Setting a standard as a company is important for the ultimate value the client receives. As a promotional products distributor with in-house screen printing we analyze every client's needs and objectives to recommend the best products and strategies.

Focusing on T-shirts for just a moment, what's the best choice? This may not sound like a complicated subject but there can be a little more to it than meets the eye. Making the choices for the best combination of decorating and fabric is the first step of the process. Tom Vann writing for Impressions Magazine put it best in his article The Well-Chosen T-Shirt:

"The softness of ring-spun material comes at a price other than dollar amount. The loose fibers on the fabric’s surface make for a “furry” print surface that can show through the imprint. On dark-colored, ring-spun shirts, you’ll see more fibers showing through a white under base ink that you use heavier ink deposits. And that’s something printers try to avoid.
Finally, laundering ring-spun cotton has its quirks. After washing, those loose fibers break away from the fabric’s surface even more. Often, the fibers break away from the ink unless they’ve been matted down with heavy ink layers. Again heavy ink is undesirable and, in the case of four-color process work, is not an option."

This is a small sample of some of the things a "Garment Decorating Consultant" should take into account when working with a client.

Garment printing is so much more than the classic T-shirt. We like to see our clients take advantage of all the options available that will best match their business, school, or non-profit group. Many styles are available at similar or no additional cost. For example a business that caters to women should probably avoid the boxy T-shirt. V-neck, scoop neck and other women's styles are available at various price points.

Making the best choice for your organization should be a simple process when working with an expert in the wearables industry. That's why at Garment Graphics and Promotional Products our account executives are also qualified as a Garment Decorating Consultant.