Bruce Fox Blog

Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

 Why do you ever need a plaque?

• Giving one to an employee to recognize their years of service or for a job well done?
• As a plaque award or personalized plaque that is given to a special person or group?
• You’re looking for perpetual plaques to hang on a wall, recognizing and memorializing people?
• Do you need custom plaques that could be given out as a special gift to event-goers, maybe as a commemorative plaque?
• Or are you searching for professional signage, environmental branding, or branded artwork?

Estimated Read Time: 7 Minutes

…we were a species of storytellers.

 Prior to the development of written language, telling stories was the only way to reflect and pass knowledge and history from generation to generation. Stories were used to explain events and natural occurrences like fire, storms, and thunder. They related myths, legends, and gods in a way that bound people to common beliefs and cultures. Stories, in essence, were much of what made us human.

 And until not so long ago, we were pretty good at telling stories. Bedtime stories, ghost stories, war stories, jokes—all served a purpose to share and connect with other human beings.

 Heck, an endless parade of theme songs from TV shows are introductory stories—The Jeffersons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Flintstones, Cheers, The Addams Family. In fact, think about the first lines in the lyrics for The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

“Here's a story, of a lovely lady…”

“Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed…”

“Now this is a story all about how…”

 Yep…stories—literally.  I’ll give you a minute to finish singing.

Estimated Read Time: 20 Minutes

Your branding defines who you are – it states your mission, your name, your unique image, and who you are through all of your touchpoints. Branding also is to establish a consistent theme, voice, and standard throughout the company and various channels. However, at the end of the day, company branding is to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers and employees.

It doesn’t matter if you are a Fortune 500 company or a small business. Nor does it matter the industry you are in - branding is vital for your business. You may be a B2B focusing on excellent customer service and cost-effective products or you may be a B2C that specializes in a quality product and upscale atmosphere; however, no matter the mission statement, your branding sets the stage for people’s expectations.

Your brand is how the public, your clients, and even your employees, perceive your business. So, your business’ branding should never be neglected.

Estimated Read Time: 6 Minutes

Alright, this may be a simple question but, to some, it’s a trick question and answer.

Stand-off plaques are both - they are perfect for signage and recognition.

But how can a product have multiple applications, you may ask? That’s based on our creativity and your needs.

Besides, what is a plaque? It’s basically a piece that hangs on the wall, with something inscribed or decorated on it, right? So why can’t we utilize a plaque for professional, customized signage or award?

I’ll go over the applications for stand-off plaques and then you’ll understand that this product has rather flexible capabilities.

Estimated Read Time: 9 Minutes

The summer tends to be a “dry season” for many distributors. Between your staff’s vacations and your client’s, it feels like orders are stalled during this time.

Why does everyone want to take off right before the flurry of back to school season?

However, there are still a few things that you can do instead of gazing out the window dreaming of the lake or beach.

Estimated Read Time: 10 Minutes

There are so many stock options out there, you could easily get lost. The chucks of glass alone on SAGE or ESP could keep you busy for hours. Then if you are brave enough to venture out of the heaps of cheap stock options, it quickly turns into a lot of random products that semi-fall under the category of recognition mixed in with awards and other items.

With that being said, it’s good to have choices and options, especially when that fits your budget and other needs. Though, it’s better to have a partner supplier that you trust to be your go-to for awards rather than mindlessly scrolling through glass, acrylic, and etc. for hours.

However, what happens when your client asks for something unique that they’ve never seen before?

What happens when your client asks for something that fits them - their branding, their messaging, and their culture perfectly?

Estimated Read Time: 11.5 Minutes

When was the last time you took a hard look at your sales style, your company’s values, and the true direction you and your company are going?

It’s probably been a while, right? That’s pretty common when you’re busy selling, running a business, and dealing with the crazy day-to-day. It’s hard enough setting time aside for the monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals, much less finding time to reflect and analyze.

So, take a few minutes of your time, you’re already taking some time to read this blog anyway so you might as well use a little bit to consider what I’m discussing and then reflect.

Estimated Read Time: 19 Minutes

Whether through online chatter or by casual conversation, I have noticed an uptick in people asking a rather important question.

How do I track my promotional product campaigns?

Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

You see them at major stores– Employee of the Month, Authorized Dealer of XYZ brand, or the Company Promise.

Plaques are a standard in our culture.

And it doesn’t matter if you’ve seen the Employee of the Month episode on the Simpsons or the Employee of the Month episodes on SpongeBob Square Pants; you know that these plaques are coveted titles that people will compete for. They love having their names on the wall of pride.

Estimated Read Time: 22 Minutes

I mentioned in a recent blog that I worked at a digital marketing agency for years. It seems to have surprised some, but here I am. I made the jump from the innovative and cutting edge industry of digital agency life to the (and I hate saying it) lagging promo industry.

Ouch. I know.