I Love You Teddy Bear and the Launch of the Steiff Bear

Was there ever a time in your life when you turned and whispered “I love you teddy bear” to your most cherished companion? The teddy bear that was with you, in your crib, from the day you were born? The one you came home and cried to when you fell off your bike and scraped your knee on the sidewalk? The one that kept you company when you were forced to remain indoors after your contracted chicken pox? If you never told your teddy bear how you felt about him or her, that would be a surprise. After all, teddy bears all over the world are used to hearing “I love you teddy bear,” at one time or another in their long lives.

Children everywhere (and even some adults), have been in love with their teddy bears ever since they were innocently first created as felt pincushions to be given to family and friends as gifts. What began as nothing more than a small elephant Margarete Steiff made in felt from a do-it-yourself pattern she found in a popular German magazine, turned into the most iconic plush toy of all time.

Maragarete was so pleased with the result of her first felt pincushion she decided to make others to give away. When children saw their mothers’ elephant pincushions, they claimed them for themselves, loving their size and softness. Margarete received so many requests for the pincushions, on December 29, 1889, she decided to start selling them. What had begun as merely a dressmaking business, quickly turned into the sale of soft toys (including lions, dogs, camels, monkeys, and donkeys), which eventually made up the majority of sales at Margarete’s company; 5,170 elephants were sold in 1886.

The company moved to larger premises in 1889 and went on to produce its first catalogue in 1892 which showcased its entire range of ‘toy’ animal products. In the same year, the company applied for a patent “for the making of animals and other figures to serve as playthings.” The launch of the first Steiff bear also took place in 1892 which was just one of many animals available for purchase in a set. The little bear was a hugely popular character and soon became the most important in the animal set.

The Steiff bear had begun its journey to what we would eventually see perfected and established as the world’s most popular toy.

And so too began the idea that one could be in love with their plush toys, specifically with the teddy bear. Saying “I love you teddy bear” to your favorite plush toy is no more unusual than saying it to the family dog or cat. Like with them, children and adults form close and passionate attachments to particular soft toys and as is the case, the “I love you teddy bear” sentiment really isn’t unusual at all.

Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010.

Special Tie Boxes That Can Help You Launch Your Brands Successfully

Everything about packaging is centered around creativity. Once you get it right the first time, you will achieve all round success in your business. Packaging is one of the factors that distinguishes one particular product from another of the same type. The specially customized tie boxes, with interesting color themes and schemes, have the capacity to attract potential buyers to your product. A lot of companies that are doing well in business today, especially with their sales figures and brand popularity have really invested a lot in their packaging, as well as the product itself. New companies, looking forward to launch their brands in the market, should ensure that the quality of their product’s packaging is worth looking at.

Another wonderful thing about the tie boxes, is the quality of material use for their production. This material, plays a very vital role in its presentation. Leading brands in the market today, have achieved some level of success today, courtesy of the packaging material used, as well as the styling of the box. So for producers that are new to the market, it is very important you take note of this and choose the right packaging for your brand. While there are many individuals out there, claiming to be professionals in the printing business, it is very important for you to make your research carefully, so as to choose the right one for your brands. For the tie boxes, having a nice design is not all that expensive. You can get them customized, with some added features, at a very convenient price. For instance, you can get a beautifully customized box to package your tie as gifts. This can be very amazing, especially when you are sending it as a gift to some one special.

Different men stores, makes use of the customized tie boxes, for branding and also endorsing their attires. You can also use the pop up display tie boxes. These types of boxes, are perfect for showcasing your various collections of ties in a unique way. There are spaces for you to place important accessories like tie clips as well as chains in these boxes, to make them very unique and appealing. You can win the credibility of your customers, when you provide boxes that are specially designed. For businesses that are selling handmade fabric tie packaging boxes, you also have the chance to make your brand stand out with your packaging style. For silk and designers tie, providing beautifully customized tie boxes will nail your target audience.

For wedding, valentines, Christmas and other important celebration, you can use the gift tie boxes to nail your target audience. For those individuals, producers or wholesalers that have large collection of ties and sorting them proves a hassle, using these boxes can be very helpful. You can have different designs of the tie boxes to store them. You can also have a big box, for storing your tie; you can store your casual, official as well as formal tie wears in this size of boxes. Printing companies can customize these boxes for you, into any sizes that you want. They can also use pertinent color tones on each of these boxes, to make them remarkable.

Your Product Creation Research Guide

Creating a product can be a challenging task without knowing what people already want to buy. But, it doesn’t have to be that way for you. You see, you’re about to discover what the pros who crank out best sellers over and over again know is the key to successful product creation.Research- the key to product creationWhen planning to create a product it is important to get as much data about the people who are in the market to buy it. Here are some sources for getting that valuable data:-· Internet: For market research the internet has proven to be an invaluable tool for pinpointing exactly what the problems your market need solving and what their desires are demanding you include in your product before they buy it from you. Gather as much info as you can from sources like ask.com, keyword research, niche forums, Google trends and even blogs to see what people are liking and disliking about current products and what they want and need. Just by putting these tips to work for you, you’re well on your way to a best selling product! Read on…· Print Media: Magazines, newspaper and journals enable businesses to gain information on the latest reviews of various products. Especially if you are looking to create a product that is in the IT field such as a new mobile phone solution. Then it is necessary to go through the various product reviews. Moreover these reviews can provide information on the latest reviews of the products including the current top providers of them.· Conferencing/meetings: Through meeting other professionals in the same industry as your market, new ideas can be gained regarding the production of the item. In fact,having a brain storming session with other professionals in the same industry will be a great source for new ideas sure to win.These are the main research areas that you can gain access to information while researching the market for product creation data. With access to these sources you can research all the info you need to provide features and benefits in your new product to whip up a buying frenzy for it before you even launch it!Of course, this info is the foundation, but what you really need is a step by step plan of action from the product creation pros to give you the keys to successfully creating best selling products as quickly and easily as possible.

Affiliate Marketing or Product Owner – What’s The Better Option?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of launching your Internet marketing career as an affiliate versus a product owner?As an affiliate marketer, you do not have to worry about creating a product or bear the costs of setting up the systems necessary for the business. These include shopping carts, list-building, design and copy writing. You just have to focus on the marketing – drive targeted traffic to a site and earn a handsome commission for each sale. The best money in the world? It is mostly true.The downside however is that you do not have control of the product itself. You are at times at the mercy of the product owners. And you face tremendous competition from other affiliates like yourself.You also do not have any say over the sales copy or extra incentives. And if the product owner botches the after sales service, you get equal share of the blame usually. After all, you referred the sale.But the product owner doesn’t have it all that easy either. You are tied to the entire product cycle from start to end. You are solely responsible for the idea, the product, the costs of production and just about everything there is in the product chain.And you need to successfully recruit an army of affiliates to promote your product for you. That usually entails creating the toolkits your affiliates will need to promote your product well.The upside is as a product owner, you retain the ability to tweak your sales process and improve conversions. This naturally leads to more money for you.All these begs the question, “Is one better than the other?” The answer can be found with keen observation. Do you see any established and successful marketers who are purely affiliate marketers? More often than not, they employ a combination of both strategies in their business.The trick really is to be a product owner. Then build both a strong affiliate team and customer base. You can always offer them affiliate products in the backend or as a cross sell. It works like a charm each time.