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Best of CrooksView Creative DigestMichael Crooks (1,546)    Michael Crooks    Crooks Advertising Alliance H1N1 Swine Flu Defense: Choosing The Right Promotional SanitizerPosted Thursday, October 08, 2009 (31 days 4 hours ago.) Viewed 226 times. With all the talk of H1N1, Swine Flu and the regular flu, there is high interest among marketers in using hand sanitizers in their promotional marketing efforts. But before you jump on the hand sanitizer bandwagon, there's a few things you should know. What's the alcohol limit a hand sanitizer can possess and still be shipped UPS or Fed Ex? What's the difference between an alcohol-based sanitizer and a Benzalkonium Chloride-based sanitizer? Is a 40% alcohol hand sanitizer good enough? Do sanitizers replace hand washing? This article will answer those questions and help you determine which type of sanitizer may be best for your promotional marketing activities. According to the Center for Disease Control, hand sanitizers do not replace normal hand washing with soap and water. But it does say that when soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. While alcohol-based hand sanitizers have gotten the lion's share of the spotlight, there is another type of hand sanitizer available to the promotional market - Benzalkonium Chloride-based. This article will discuss both types and offer some guidelines to help you make an appropriate choice to suit your promotional marketing objectives. Alcohol-Based Sanitizers: With alcohol-based sanitizers (AB), you need to look at the percentage of alcohol in the sanitizer. Many AB sanitizers contain an alcohol percentage as low as 40% - a percentage deemed ineffective. In a letter posted on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website from James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mountain Home, Tennessee, "40% ethanol is a less effective bacterial antiseptic than 60% ethanol. Consumers should be alerted to check the alcohol concentration in hand sanitizers because substandard products may be marketed to the public." Read the letter: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no03/05-0955.htm Because of flammability, UPS/FedEx can't ship AB sanitizers with an alcohol percentage in excess of 62%, making 62% the highest concentration commonly available to the promotional market. Higher concentrations, used by hospitals, are available by ground shipment (truck) making them cost effective only in large quantities. If you choose an alcohol-based sanitizer, make sure it is 60% to 62% alcohol. While AB sanitizers are effective at killing germs, there are a couple drawbacks to them. 1) They are flammable. 2) They tend to dry the skin out with prolonged use. Some combat this by mixing in moisturizers that cuts down on the percentage of alcohol. 3)Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective for occasional use. But long-term, frequent use actually increases the skin's susceptibility to infection because alcohol solubilizes and strips away sebum and lipids that guard against bacterial infections of the skin. (1,2) 4) Alcohol-based hand sanitizers stop working the instant they dry. Now here's an interesting insight. It's common for alcohol-based sanitizer labels to claim that they kill 99.99% of most common germs that may cause disease in as little as 15 seconds. The problem is, alcohol-based hand sanitizers dry in 8-10 seconds.(3) In order for alcohol-based sanitizers to stay on your skin 15 seconds you have to apply quite a bit of it more than most people usually do. Now while the CDC says alcohol-based sanitizers are effective, some people may not wish to give an alcohol-based product to children or use a flammable sanitizer or may find that prolonged use has an adverse effect on their hands. Those people may wish to consider a Benzalkonium Chloride-based Sanitizer Benzalkonium Chloride-Based Sanitizer Benzalkonium Chloride may be the most common antiseptic in over-the-counter first aid preparations. You'll find it in such brand names as Bactine. Benzalkonium Chloride-based (SAB -Surfactant, Allantoin, Benzalkonium Chloride) sanitizer is not flammable. And while SAB sanitizers dry fast, they dry 10-15 seconds slower than alcohol-based hand sanitizers allowing more than the minimum contact time for complete efficacious coverage, including under fingernails. Additionally, SAB sanitizers deliver 2 to 4 hours of residual protection. In 1998, David L. Dyer, Kenneth B. Gerenraich, and Peter S. Wadhams published a study in the August issue of the AORN Journal titled, "Testing a new alcohol-free hand sanitizer to combat infection" In summary, the study showed: * the SAB hand sanitizer formula had a greater sustained degerming activity than the alcohol-containing hand sanitizer formula, * the alcohol-containing hand sanitizer became less effective with repeated use and irritated the hands of subjects, and * the SAB hand sanitizer formula became more effective without irritation after repeated use. Which Sanitizer To Use? Which type of hand sanitizer you choose depends a great deal on your specific application and use for the product. I can't possibly know that unless we talk and I hope you'll call me. But I can offer you some guidelines to consider. Consider Alcohol-Based Sanitizers: If you have access to soap and water and can wash your hands regularly. Or, if you're thinking of using the sanitizer in a promotion where the end user has frequent access to soap and water ie: your intent is for the end user to use the product in the home. Consider Benzalkonium Chloride-Based Sanitizers: If your access to soap and water is limited or if your targeted end-user has limited access to soap and water such as sales people, construction workers and teachers. Also, if you're faced with issues relating to alcohol or flammability. Finally, remember that according to the CDC, washing your hands frequently with soap and water is most effective. Hand sanitizers should supplement regular hand washing. 1) SC Harvey, "Antiseptics and disinfectants; fungicides; ectoparasiticides," in Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, sixth ed, AG Gilman, LS Goodman, A Gilman eds (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1980) 964-987; 2) GL Grove, CR Zerweck, JM Heilman (2000). Comparison of skin condition in a 5-day healthcare personnel hand washing using a new ethanol-emollient waterless antiseptic versus Purell or water. Atlanta, GA. Paper presented at the Centers of Disease Control 4th Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Healthcare-associated Infections. Abstracts P-S1-62. 3) Marples, RR, & Towers, AG (1979). A laboratory model for the investigation of contact transfer of microorganisms. The Journal of Hygiene, 82 (2), 237-248 
Permalink Comments (3) ReThinking Trade Show Giveaways: Stop Simply Giving Stuff Away!Posted Thursday, April 23, 2009 (199 days 4 hours ago.) Viewed 37 times. I was about to hammer a nail into a board when my 5 year old son asked if he could do it. Without thinking, I handed him the hammer and held the nail between my thumb and forefinger. With tongue sticking out the side of his mouth he began to take aim … giving me a minute to rethink the situation. I said, "Hang on a second", grabbed a pair of pliers and secured the nail between the gleaming steel jaws. "Go ahead", I said. He swung with everything he had, the hammer landing perfectly … on the pliers - in the exact spot my fingers had been just moments earlier.
"Good thing you rethought that, huh dad", my son said sheepishly. "Yeah", I replied. "Good thing". Sometimes rethinking our position or rethinking a situation can yield an eye-opening or finger-saving revelation. In the world of promotional marketing and the use of promotional products, rethinking may not save a finger … but it can save money, time, effort and frustration. I'll bet you know of plenty of cases where things are being done … because, well … because they've always been done that way. Every so often, someone has the time to step back and rethink the status quo. And many times, a better way emerges. My trade show message is simple. Stop simply giving stuff away. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Would you stand out front of your business and hand everyone who walks by your business card … and a quarter? How about 50 cents or maybe even a dollar? You know. Sort of reverse panhanding. No? Why not? Think about that for a minute before you continue. Then why, as people walk by your trade show booth, would you hand them an item with your contact information that cost you .25¢, 50¢ or even $1 or more? Is it because: 1) You believe they'll look at it and fall all over themselves to do business with you? 2) You believe that at some future point in time they'll have a need for your product or service and suddenly remember that pen they stuck in the drawer, pull it out and call you? 3) "Everyone else is doing it"? 4) You really never gave it much thought? Every day, companies spend a lot of time, trouble and money to participate in a trade show … so they can give a bunch of stuff away. Their return on investment is dismal. They have little or no actionable data to follow up on, thus, few qualified prospects. If you wouldn't stand out front of your business and give away money, then perhaps it's time to rethink your trade show protocol. Ask yourself, "Why do I stand at a trade show booth and give away money in the form of promotional products?" And when you stop simply giving stuff away, it begs the question, "What DO I do?" And thus you begin, ReThinking trade show giveaways. Michael Crooks is author of the soon to be released eBook, "ReThinking Trade Show Giveaways: Stop Simply Giving Stuff Away!" A short book to help guide you toward using promotional products effectively to promote your company and enhance your prospecting efforts at trade shows. For more information visit PromoReThink
Permalink Comments (1) ReThinking Promotional Marketing: 3 Problems With Top 10 Lists Your Distributor Won't Tell You.Posted Friday, December 19, 2008 (323 days 21 hours ago.) Viewed 39 times. There are promotional products distributors and internet merchants who will tell you that they have a perfect list of hot promotional items for trade shows sort of a one-size-fits-all list of products that will work for every situation. Do yourself a favor: Run from those people. The truth is, the perfect promotional product for your particular trade show situation depends on a lot of variables including but not limited to: your budget, your audience, the format of distribution, the product or service you offer, what you want to accomplish, location of the trade show in relation to your business. All list-peddlers want to do is separate you from your money. What's important to know about a top 10 list. What's it based on? If the list is compiled by a manufacturer, it's probably based on the top 10 items they sell to distributors. If the list is complied by an industry trade association its likely a list of the top items sold by distributors nationwide. The 3 Problems With Top 10 Lists And that's the first problem with top 10 lists , they are often compiled based on sales volume not effectiveness. For a top 10 list to be truly effective, it would have to be specific. For instance, you'd want a top 10 list of promotional items for your industry based on R.O.I. For the sake of argument, let's say that type of list is available for your specific product or service. And let's say the #1 item is book matches. Fine. So you buy a boatload of book matches. The question remains: What do you do with them? And that's the second problem with top 10 lists : the list doesn't tell you HOW to effectively utilize the wonderfully popular products. And as for the list-peddlers? They focus on the products and speak in generalities such as, "This is a neat item", "People will love this", or "This is a VERY popular item". But they don't tell you how to effectively use the product to prospect or promote your product or service. When faced with a list peddler, ask them this question, "How do I effectively use that item to positively affect my prospecting ROI without simply giving it away?" Their blank stare will speak volumes. If they finally do stammer out something along the lines of, "Well, you hand it out to those who come by your booth. Your name will stay in front of them until they're ready to buy from you" run. And here's the third problem with top 10 lists : If you're buying one of the top 10 most popular products, then others have probably bought the same product or else it wouldn't be on the top 10 list. Top 10 lists sound like a good idea at first. But when you realize how they are created, you quickly realize that they are a sucker's bet. Next time a promotional product distributor says, "Well, here's a list of the top 10 most popular items", show them this article - then show them the door. This is an excerpt from Michael's e-book, "ReThinking Trade Show Giveaways: stop Simply Giving Stuff Away". Visit www.PromoReThink.com for more information.
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