Promotional Products Professionals! Are you a Patriot?
Promotional products professionals. Do you consider yourself a patriot? Is one of your greatest loves for your country, the United States of America?
Do you understand how patriotism starts with you and is driven by both American business and the promotional products business? Watch and respond!
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Call 1-250-661-4057 or email [email protected]
Call 1-250-661-4057 or email [email protected]
Call 1-250-661-4057 or email [email protected]
Are you a Patriot?
Can Promotional Products Save America or is the Promo Industry going to fail?
In July 2020 on the anniversary of the 244th year of the Declaration of Independence can America Save itself? Can Promotional Products help Save America?
Let me first give you some perspective on why I say this. I am a Canadian by birth but own an American promotional product supply company (Sage #51742). We specialize in sourcing and delivering creative custom factory direct promotional products.
When Covid-19 hit I settled down into our Canadian office in British Columbia. We are, like most of Canada, right on the American border. Did you know that 85% of our 35 Million people live within 50 miles of your northern border? In fact, I am only 80 miles due north of Seattle.
Canadians, yes we are a little different than Americans with our “ehs and abouuts” but if you were to look for any other country on the planet that had as many similarities to America, it would be Canada.
We watch the same TV as you, we have the same stores and products, we hate most of the things you hate and like most of the same things as you do.
We have many of the same problems and many of the same opportunities that a free society affords its citizens. In short, if you’re looking for your long-lost cousin or uncle that has been missing for a while, look out your window, look north just a bit and you will find them, here in Canada.
Covid-19
However, when Covid-19 came along we do differ from you quite a bit and as result I am here to show you how promotional products can save America.
Firstly, the Corona virus in Canada is no different than that in the US or anywhere else on the planet. It is a nasty bit of work that probably started in China and is most injurious to the elderly, those with underlying respiratory conditions and those with diabetes, heart conditions and such (about 40% of the population). Those who are 20-40 are unlikely to get really sick and very unlikely to die from it. Canada and USA are the same in this respect.
Unfortunately, those who are 20-40 and otherwise healthy can and are able to be asymptomatic. What does this mean? Two things really, and both are indisputable facts. The first is that you can have or have had the virus and not known it, but most importantly is the second fact and that is that you can unknowingly give it to your parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, clients, bosses and anyone. These are facts, based in science. No dispute.
When Covid-19 hit Canada our Federal Government (headed by Justin Trudeau) and our 13 Provincial leaders (Provinces are what we call our States) all came out said something to the effect…”we have a nasty virus here, the best way to stop it or make it manageable is to A) wash your hands, B) wear a mask, C) use hand sanitizer and D) for 2 months socially distance yourself.
We all HATED THE IDEA!
No one in Canada wanted to do this, everyone hated that this was happening to us and down to a person everyone of us blamed our government for not acting faster. Sound familiar?
However, we took a deep breath and listened to the experts on the virus and how to stop its spread and almost to a person took the experts advice to heart.
In British Columbia (with similar problems in the rest of Canada) in early to mid-March we were seeing upwards of 1000 new cases a day. At about that same time we started wearing masks, using hand sanitizer and stayed home unless it was absolutely necessary (such as going to the grocery story to stare at the empty toilet paper shelves? What was that all about?).
Around mid-May the number of new Covid-19 cases were coming down, hospitalization and ICU rates were also coming down. At the same time, our scientists and public leaders starting talking about what it needed to look like to reopen and when we would be able to reopen, but only if we continued to stay the course. Everyone in Canada wanted to get back to life and to business, faster. But we listened and agreed.
Proud to be a Reluctant Patriot
As of early June, we started to reopen, a little at first and a lot more as the days and weeks passed. As of the writing of this article, June 29th, 2020 I am proud to say that in British Columbia (population 3.5 million) there has only been 1 new case in the past 6 weeks! 1!
We are as close to the “old normal” as can be expected for now. There are no nightclubs or concerts but we probably wouldn’t go to them even if they were open. Why?
Why, because we are reluctant patriots. What we learned as Canadians out of all of this is that it was our patriotic duty to our neighbours (yes, spelt with a U) our family members and our communities in which we live with to put some trust in the science and leadership that advised us to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer. Guess what? We have the virus under control and we are now back having a beer and bullshitting with our buddies on the patio and all it took is a little patriotic courage a little common sense and some cheap masks and a bottle or 2 of hand sanitizer.
Is America as Patriotic as they claim to be?
Growing up so close to America one thing every Canadian learns is that America is the most patriotic country on the planet! There is nothing better than America, it’s the greatest country on the face of the earth, the place where everyone wants to come and where we look out for our own! America never leaves anyone behind! In short, America is as great as it is because you are the greatest patriots on the planet.
History even shows us this fact. Aside from winning 2 World Wars and defeating communism, America in the great Flu Pandemic of 1918-1920 (which killed 50-100 million worldwide) wore masks to prevent the spread of the virus. In fact, American’s wore masks as a matter of “Patriotic Pride!”
In 1918, American’s did not argue if this was a good idea or not, they knew it was the best way to save their neighbor, their community, their family and themselves. Guess what? They were right!
Can Promotional Products Save America?
I think not only can the promotional product business save America but it can save itself in the process.
In my opinion, there is no other business or government entity in the USA as uniquely positioned to defeat the virus as the promotional products business. With some 50,000 distributors in this country located in every corner of the land and with a reach into every possible business, sports team, school, club and organization in the country, no other group of American’s are in this position. Not the government, no one but you!
The power of patriotism is in the hands of the American Promotional Product Industry. Simply put if every club, school, business, team and organization in America wore a mask for 60 days when they went outside and used hand sanitizer often, the virus would virtually disappear. Now, we know not everyone would do this but if 75% did the same effect would take place.
If the promotional products business really got patriotic on masks and hand sanitizer they would certainly generate revenue but perhaps more importantly, would show their local businesses, teams and organizations that ”they go their back!”
It’s only my opinion, but if the American Promotional Product business wants to survive Covid-19 in the best way possible, being a Super Mask and Hand Sanitizer Patriot is how they will need to do it!
You want to get back to the “old normal” don’t you?
Just like the World Wars and the many other great tests to our way of life we faced such as 9/11, polio epidemic and the 1918 flu pandemic, let’s do what we do best.
Rise up to the challenge, get on our big boy pants, let’s get patriotic and get our head out of our butts and put on a mask. We can do this, can’t you?
