"For the first six years, I didn't see sunlight too much," Mr. Defino says. "I missed a lot of events, birthdays. I worked seven days a week. Sometimes I slept three hours."

His business demanded constant customer care, and there was no time for vacation. "It's unbelievable the time-consumption put into this business," he says.

  Read the full article at chicagobusiness.com

A handshake is one widely recognized form of greeting in many cultures. It’s meant to be a warm, friendly gesture, asking for nothing more than welcome and acceptance. This subtle “feel good” approach can also be applied to your marketing initiatives—and can be highly effective in influencing your target audience.

Humans are largely motivated by their emotions, with emotion stimulating the mind 3,000 times faster than rational thought. Recent published findings in neuroscience indicate it’s emotion, not reason, that primarily drives customers’ purchasing decisions. How your company makes a customer feel, how they believe your values align with theirs and your overall likability are all integral to creating clients who are highly favorable toward—and attached to—your business.

Read the full article here.

Reprint follows:

Company Supports 13th Annual Women in P-O-P Benefit to Fight Breast Cancer

Tukaiz, a leading provider of results-driven marketing communications services, is honored to be a Gold Corporate Benefactor for the 13th annual Women in P-O-P Benefit to Fight Breast Cancer. Held at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas at the close of the 2008 In-Store Marketing Expo, the well-attended benefit was billed as an “evening of hope,” honoring lives and celebrating survivors. With over $1 million donated to the cause since its inception, the annual event is made possible by the support of its Corporate Benefactors.

Last spring, the Franklin Park, Ill., company launched a baseball-themed campaign using print image personalization and state-of-the-art technology to show current and potential customers how the combination can bolster their marketing efforts. The one-time mailing was sent out in April (to coincide with baseball’s opening day) to more than 4,000 existing and potential clients nationwide…

Read the entire article at delivermagazine.com

Tukaiz, a leading provider of results-driven marketing communications services,  today announced it has produced new theme music and player banners for the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Chicago Blackhawks, becoming a major force behind the current revitalization of the team’s image.  The dynamic opening theme song, broadcast on WGN Radio across the country, is now playing for all games this year, while the banners will hang prominently around the United Center throughout the season.

“…before implementing a direct mail or email campaign using PURLs, take a moment to consider the power of personalization by itself. For instance, when you get the daily mail, what do you look at first? The grocery store flyer or catalog that everyone on the block has received, or the letter that has your name on it? If the address is handwritten, all the better, because in effect it also incorporates something personal from the sender. It says: This is "me" speaking directly to "you."

 Read the full article at salesandmarketing.com.

FRANKLIN PARK, Ill.--Tukaiz, a leading provider of results-driven marketing communications services, has expanded its strategic marketing partnership with WGN Radio, its first with a major consumer broadcasting company, to sell exclusive image-personalized 2009 calendars via WGN Radio’s website. This alliance represents a rare business-to-business-to-consumer relationship wherein the calendars are promoted on both companies’ websites as well as advertised on WGN Radio airtime. Already fast-selling at a rate of one order every five minutes, the calendars are enjoying widespread appeal as the perfect holiday present: a practical yet thoughtful keepsake gift that is reasonably priced and easy to create. The calendars have also been promoted on WGN TV and in the Chicago Tribune.

“Even the most inexpensive tactics on the production side of a direct mail cam­paign will fail if pieces are sent to recipients who are not interested in your offerings. Save the money you would have spent on printing and postage delivered to the masses — redirect your budget to more creative, higher-qual­ity personalized pieces that speak to each recipient's interests — and prompt action.”

Read the rest of "Get Creative to Cut Direct Mail Costs" at dmnews.com.

“At Tukaiz, the first thing we ask ourselves when producing self-promotional marketing material for our company is how we, as recipients, like to be marketed to,” says Defino. “Marketers are excited about using everything that is new and innovative like structural graphics, clear envelopes, new print technologies, picture personalization, and pURLs,” explains Defino. “I think as a technology becomes more widely available, more robust marketers will figure out how to take advantage of those elements and narrow it down to use in their own focused marketing campaigns.”

Read “Adding a Personalized Touch” at dpsmagazine.com.

Kudos to the Defino family at Tukaiz in Franklin Park, IL. The printer, a digital pioneer, now has 10 HP Indigo presses. The marketing communications specialist does a lot of imaging, print and interactive media work for WGN radio. A recent project, 2009 personalized calendars, are featured on the site Tukaiz created for the station (www.wgnradiocalendars.com). The printer, which recently announced a West Coast expansion, has a dedicated calendar site: www.tukaizcalendars.com/library.php.

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“To effectively reach customers you must present your capabilities and use the tools that you are selling to promote yourself.  Targeted advertising, trade shows, direct mail and public relations are the keys to branding and establishing market awareness in an ever changing technologically advanced culture,” says Frank Defino Jr, VP / Managing Director of Tukaiz