Time to tune in and jump start your gears as school is back in session. With school come new students, new friends, and best of all NEW members for your clubs! What’s this whole deal about fraternities, sororities, and clubs? Well, for starters, sharing a common interest within your student body is the starting foundation that great friendships build off on. Working with those who share the same interests as you makes your cause—your organization more appealing to other people. So, reach out to your fellow student body and entice them with your organization’s purpose. Step out of your comfort zone, make the effort to be active and don’t forget to have fun! You’ll never know where you’ll find your most active members.
One of the best ways to market your organization is imprinted apparel. Haven’t you walked around campus and seen the same shirt on different people? I’ve even caught myself looking at their t-shirts and wondering what organization they’re representing. Create a cool design that best represents your group and your members will love it! Here at DTN tech, we specialize in customizing your apparel so that you can promote your organization and ultimately appeal to other people so they can join your cause.

Questions?  Comments?  Thoughts?  Let us know!

Until next time.  =)

Vanessa

Screenprinting began in the China during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE) – then was later spread out to other Asian countries and Europe. The term “silk screening” has been out of fashion since the 1960′s – in the good ol’ days, people printed shirts on screens made out of silk. Now, we use a polyester mesh material and use a “squeegee” to transfer ink onto the shirt.

Every once in a while, we have a customer who comes in and asks for a shirt to be printed within 30 minutes, as if we can print out a design and just iron it onto a t-shirt. Well, today we’re going to share how it’s a bit more complicated than that. So here are some fast facts on our PROCESS of screenprinting t-shirts.

OUTLINE OF THE PROCESS:

1. Design
2. Approval
3. Art Department – art is converted, sized, separated, and printed onto film
4. “Dark Room” type process – similar to photography process
5. Screen – taped, blocked, and squeegeed through to print
6. Ink goes through dryer
*All processes must be repeated for EACH color and EACH location design entails*

*******************************************

1.

First, you need a design! There are certain guidelines that must be followed in order to get the highest quality image on your printed t-shirt. Check out those guidelines on our website under “Client Portal.”

2.

We have a personal proof approval process between you and a DTNtech team member - that means one-on-one contact with a functionally creative customer service rep to get your order right. If you’ve ordered from us before, you know that we require a last confirmation approval before we get your order done. It’s a very simple process – you give us the sizes, colors, locations, what you want on the shirt, what brand of shirt you like, etc., and we take it all down in a composite proof for you to see how it will look on the item. We’ll work with your artwork, and the proof will show the ink colors you want us to print, print size dimensions, and confirm the print locations you have requested for us to print.

3.

After you are completely satisfied with your proof, the final design gets sent to the art department, where sizing layouts and each color of your design is separated onto different films. The films are then transferred onto the actual mesh screen – going through a process very similar to a PHOTOGRAPHY process (dark room), and areas of the screen are blocked off with a non-permeable material to form a stencil, which is a negative of the image to be printed; that is, the open spaces are where the ink will appear.

4.

The screen then gets washed out with a high pressure washer, and when dry and doublechecked for accuracy, it is finally ready to use in press! A special type of ink called plastisol is used, then “squeegeed” onto the shirt into the shape of your design. Each color is done separately, therefore the entire process is repeated each time for every color, and every location your design entails.

5.

After each color/location is printed, it is put through a dryer to dry the ink. This makes us able to print professional quality shirts for you!

———————————————————————-

Just imagine having to do this entire process for each tshirt – you may understand why the professional process was designed for garments ordered in bulk quantity.

(thanks to EN for the post and Minh Vu for the pictures)

On July 3, the Vietnamese Youth Convention had their 3rd conference at California State University, Long Beach! This three day event that occurs only once every three years, attracting Vietnamese youths from all of the United States and many parts of the world to gather, learn from one another, share their experiences, and celebrate their faith.

Many of the shirts you see in the video were printed and sponsored by DTNtech. We’re glad to have been a part of this historic event.

To find out more: http://www.gioitre.org/

Video from VYC III: http://www.gioitre.org/vyc3/

To all of those attending this year’s ASB camp, DTNtech wishes you fun-filled days and many networking opportunities. Thanks to all of the ASBs who are showing their school spirit through screenprinted apparel from DTNtech!

Garden Grove High School ASB: Anvil Tank, SportTEK Baseball Shirt, American Apparel V-Neck Shirt

Genuine Business Lessons from Donald Trump
Shaun Rein

“At a time when Main Street is calling for the scalps of business titans from John Thain, the former chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch, to Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America, somehow Donald Trump remains unscathed. Not just unscathed but extremely popular….He has mastered the art of defining the core values of his brand and leveraging his brand equity to appeal to a wide customer base. In a time when consumers are seeking to stretch their shopping dollars further than ever before by buying brands they trust and know are of good value, companies absolutely need to define themselves and differentiate themselves. The winners will be those who carve out and cultivate their brand positions. They can take many cues from Trump.” -Excerpt from FORBES

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/04/donald-trump-marketing-leadership-managing-image.html

Like guerrilla warfare, guerrilla marketing uses ambush and mobility as tactics for success. There are several aspects that make up guerrilla marketing, one of them is known as fusion marketing.

As entrepreneurs and small business owners, it seems as if everything must be done individually. With fusion marketing however, collaborating is the key. Those who are the most likely to make alliances with you would be those who are termed “power partners”. Power partners are those who are in a similar market as you but do not necessarily compete with you. For example, a makeup artist and a photographer; a designer and a printer; an entrepreneur and an investor.

These collaborations can pave the way for a more successful business through joint coupons offered at the collaborating locations, incentives for purchases made for your product/your partner’s product, joint sales calls, joint advertisements – the possibilities are boundless.

Marketing requires a set of deliberate, planned-out steps with a persistent communication and execution. Though the probability to getting someone to act upon your offers is not immediate, the long run effect is increased revenue.

Seven steps to setting up your own fusion marketing arrangement:

Step 1: Define your power partners. Power partners are associates who are in a similar market but do not necessarily compete with you. They would be able to benefit from collaborating with you. (ie. Makeup artist and a photographer, massage therapist and a chiropractor)

Step 2: Figure out with your power partner what your offer will be. A graphic designer may give free small design while the printer offers 250 free business cards. A makeup artist can give a free trial and the photographer can give a discount on a minimum order of 10 portraits. Come up with a joint offer that works best.

Step 3: Write up a general letter of agreement. This document will state who does what and gets what so that there will be smoother communication. It does not have to be a major legal document.

Step 4: Package it up. Put together all the verbiage. Both businesses can write up separate documents (ie. sales letters, e-mail letters, marketing copies) and compare notes with one another.

Step 5: Combine mailing lists and communicate to both sets. It does not matter if you have more or less than your partner because ultimately when you combine both sets, everyone wins. You can do this through direct mail or e-mail.

Step 6: Be responsive to any responses. Fulfill offers and make it easy to sign up, buy, and keep track. Following up and giving attention to the prospects will convert them to regular clients.

Step 7: Follow up. Continue to market to the converted people as follow-up marketing.

- Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business by Jay Conrad Levinson ($14.95 – Borders)

- Guerrilla Marketing In 30 Days by Jay Conrad Levinson ($19.95 – Borders)

- Startup Guide to Guerrilla Marketing: A Simple Battle Plan for First-Time Marketers by Jeannie Levinson ($21.95 – Borders)

As the beginning of June starts to roll around, so does the beginning of summer. The students are out of school and families flock towards fun filled festivals, concerts, and events. However for the business minded, the summer brings upon many opportunities for increased sales, image building, and a growing customer base.

Events are a great way for businesses to get their name out there. In order to maximize the greatest return from an event, it’s crucial that the business has an actual presence at the event, whether it is through a booth, sponsorship, or providing services. Booths are a great way for the public to get to know more about the business, a sort of information center for their products and/or services. However with so many booths rallying for attention, it is vital that your booth stands out from the rest.

This is where promotional items come into play. The key to picking successful promotional items lies in its purpose and appropriateness for the event. At a marathon for example, your business can pass out your own branded water bottles, visors, and towels. The water bottles, which are used immediately, would prompt conversation at the event itself. The visors and towels, items that are not so easily discarded, will serve to bring the brand home. The consistent appearance of your business’ name would prompt interest in the guests. Pens, brochures, and notebooks assembled in eco-friendly tote bags emblazoned with the business logo can be handed out easily to passerbys; to be looked over when they reach home.

This summer when you’re out there promoting your business at a local festival, remember to have fun while you’re at it. Not only does it make you more approachable, it serves as a representation of your company. Look at Best Buy for example, even though the prices may be more expensive than another competitor, what makes the consumer spend that extra $50 is the great customer service. Owning a business isn’t just about making money, it’s about loving what you do and making an impact on those around you.

My topic of study for the past week has been Sub-Saharan Africa. Though the region as a whole was an interesting topic, what captivated me the most was the country of Botswana. Botswana produces the 2^nd highest GDP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, right after South Africa. What sets Botswana apart from South Africa is that Botswana does not have a mixed economy, but relies upon one main source of income: diamonds.

De Beers, a high-end luxury brand of jewelry known for engagement rings, originated from South Africa. The development of diamonds as a scarce resource was actually a pretty recent development. In the late 1800s when large diamond mines were being discovered by the ton, the British financiers who organized the mines came to the realization that their investments were in danger and that the high price of diamonds depended on their scarcity. In 1888, the major investors of the diamond mines merged together to form De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., in South Africa. This single entity was powerful enough to control the production and create the illusion of the scarcity of diamonds.

 Now you’re reading this and you’re wondering, what does this have to do with marketing? I’ll tell you.

During the Depression when people were more worried about putting bread on the table than buying diamonds, the price of diamonds dropped. In order to bring the price up, De Beers had to come up with a strategy that would make people want to buy diamonds but not resell them. Their solution was the engagement ring and the motto “A diamond is forever”. Even though diamonds can be shattered, chipped, discolored, or incinerated into ash, the concept of eternity was branded.

De Beers branded the idea to the diamond through relentless marketing in the media, schools, and everyday social life. Three years after the launch of the campaign, it was reported that the sale of diamonds had increased 55% in the United States. De Beers will later on find extreme successes in other countries such as Japan, Germany, and Brazil. Through well-orchestrated advertising and public-relations campaigns, one company was able to change their market with the idea that the larger and finer the diamond, the greater the expression of love.

Now that is the power of marketing.

Marketing flourishes with reinvention and innovation. The competition is fierce for the sound bite length of a consumer’s attention…and that sound bite determines the success of failure of a campaign.

As a student of marketing, I make an effort to learn as much as I can from the marketing industry. Several of my peers and I went on a tour today at The Designory, an interactive marketing agency whose broad range of clients include Infiniti, Universal, and Fatburger. Located in downtown Long Beach, the drive there was a bit hectic due to crowd attracted to the Toyota Grand Prix. However, the tour of The Designory made up for all of it.

Within those four stories of marketing goodness, it’s difficult to tell the state of the outside economy. When I spoke with Eric, the “talent scout” of the agency, he made a point to emphasize that it was due to good communication and great customer service that sets Designory apart from their competitors. Furthermore, innovative techniques such as making pamphlets where potential clients and interactively explore a new car brings them ahead of the game. (ie. One of their campaigns for Nissan Cube included a CD that and perforated cards that allowed the consumer to interact with the vehicle in 3D)

So all in all, innovation and great customer service goes a long way. A company does not need to spend a lot of money in order to be creative. Do not view hard times and lack of finances as a barrier to creativity, but the foundation for creativity.