Want a quick way to get the party started at a nightclub? Throw out some free T-shirts. That tactic worked brilliantly for our editorial team last summer, when we were covering an event our company was holding at the Excalibur in Chicago. As we do often, our editors were there taping the scene for ASI TV, a video series we run in one of our e-newsletters. We wanted to hold a dance competition, whereby we’d video attendees’ best dance moves, and then have people vote online for their favorite dancers. Of course, some folks were a little shy at first to bust a move, but not to worry: We had the perfect plan. Just as the dancing got underway, we pulled out a bagful of ASI TV T-shirts, and promised them to whoever would cut the rug for our cameras.

You would have thought we were handing out hundred-dollar-bills. All of a sudden, even the meekest attendees in the room were raising the roof in hopes of getting one of our tees. Within a half hour, we had captured 20 dancers’ moves on video and had plenty of footage for our e-newsletter segment, including a guy who did robotic moves and another who (unfortunately) bared his flabby midriff for the camera. The video elicited thousands of hits to our Web site.

Make no mistake: Promotional T-shirts are in demand. In fact, tees are the number-one-selling promotional product on the market today. But not just any T-shirt will do. Consumers are only going to keep the kinds of tees that you see on retail shelves. Tees with wraparound graphics, unique embellishments (think bling), retro designs and distressed logos are in hot demand right now. Our feature story, “The New Crop of T-shirts” on page 50, highlights the 10 top T-shirt trends that you should be considering next time you want to include T-shirts in your promotional arsenal. Rip it out and highlight your favorite trends so that your promotional products distributor can help you find the look that’s right for your next program.

Speaking of promotional T-shirts, do you have a favorite in your drawer right now? One you’ve kept for 20 years or routinely don with pajama pants? If so, we want to see it. Send us a photo of you wearing your favorite logoed T-shirt, and if we run your photo in Successful Promotions, we’ll send you a $25 American Express Gift Card.

Enjoy the issue.

Melinda Ligos
mligos@asicentral.com.