Being a good kid can be a strange thing sometimes. The incentive to get good grades, behave well and have punctual daily attendance in school is obvious…but only to adults. Perpetually practicing self-improvement and self-discipline throughout the formative educational journey from kindergartener to college senior in hopes of a successful and rewarding career seems simple enough in hindsight. After all, those are the hallmark characteristics of accomplished people, and we all want the children in our lives to mature into happy and successful adults.

However, when those pressure-packed long-term goals are thrown down in front of a five-year-old, they can seem daunting and definitely unrewarding. The unfortunate truth is that poor students and wild children usually garner the lion’s share of a teacher’s attention, and most childhood awards are reserved for athletics, not academics. While athletic accomplishment usually leads to popularity, academic success all too often leaves smart kids ostracized.

What are the short-term incentives for a kid to behave well and get good grades? Where’s the bonus?

Of course, kids with involved parents are often dealt with in a carrot-and-stick manner: encouragement and praise in one hand and the threat of being grounded for a week or two in the other. Still, those don’t really count as bonuses to a kid.

What then is the bonus—the report card? Don’t think so. For anyone who has ever been grounded for bad grades, report cards are more like walking papers justifying freedom from the jailhouse than an award.

The answer is recognition. Why would any educational institution award trophies and medals to athletes only, when success in athletics is not nearly as productive as success in academics? In today’s schools, when sports teams abound but there are no longer debate teams, math teams or chess clubs, it’s more important than ever to reward good students with tangible awards, and to give just a little extra incentive to kids who want to become better students.

It’s also only fair to point out that in these financially tough times, many parents may cut unnecessary expenses, such as the cost of playing a sport. They will also drive home, like never before, the importance of doing well in school in order to have a financially successful career.

There’s the reasoning behind academic awards. Now let’s look at the actual awards available, the best sellers among them and the best way to increase shop sales with those awards.

NUMBER & VARIETY

Commenting on the number and variety of scholastic awards available from JDS Industries in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Mike May tells us, “We have a wide variety of scholastic awards including Motion Mylars, standard mylar inserts, medals, ribbons, certificates, plastic figures, resin figures, scroll plaques and much more.”

The number and variety of scholastic awards is literally limitless. For, while there are many stock options out there, there are also a slew of custom options.

Bill Cavaness of Plastic Dress-Up (PDU) in South El Monte, California, says his company is a good example of this mix. He notes that PDU offers over 75 items, and he adds, “We have many different academic awards as well as a wide variety of component parts that can be assembled to create a custom award. Engraved plaques are also a great way to reward an academic award winner.”

Of course, they’re not the only company to offer both stock and custom scholastic awards. In addition to their custom options, Gerald Singer of Classic Medallics Inc., in Mount Vernon, New York, notes, “We offer over 400 items, including pins, medals, medallions, plaques and trophies.”

Other companies stick primarily to custom work. Catania Medallic Specialty, in Avon Lake, Ohio, is one of these companies, says Vince Frank. “We offer custom medals for all sizes. For example, we can make a medal for anything from a spelling bee contest to a graduation medal, and we offer custom lapel pins for many scholastic events. We also make some die-struck, high-end medals. But in most cases, the schools are looking to save money, and a cast medal will be sufficient for the event.”

For those seeking a full-color format in which to recognize scholastic achievement, Jennifer Foy of Unisub Color Product Solutions in Louisville, Kentucky, says, “Including our Streamline Awards line, plaques and trophy discs, we offer roughly 13 different kinds of awards that can be sublimated for scholastics.”

OVERACHIEVERS

Now that we have covered the range of possibilities, let’s take a look at some of the scholastic awards that made the dean’s list.

Among the vast options available from Unisub, Foy says their 9”x12” black edge plaque is a timeless item that nicely frames the final sublimated design.

Singer says Classic Medallics’ best sellers are medals, pins and medallions. However, he adds, “Trophies are starting to take a bigger portion since schools seem to be following the athletic market in recognizing students.”

May seems to confirm that, noting that for JDS, “Mylars, medals, ribbons and certificates are always popular with schools due to cost. Plastics figures, resin figures and plaques are usually sold in smaller quantities for the bigger awards.”

Frank says he has seen scholastic awards join the 21st century, pointing out that Catania Medallics’ most preferred products are their laser engravable cast medals.

“They can be engraved with a laser, and this saves the awards and engraving shop about 70% of the time it would require to rotary engrave a medal. It’s a good durable finish, and it’s fast,” says Frank.

DESIGN ELEMENTS & THEMES

Particularly for those who are new to this market segment, it is helpful to know which themes and designs for these awards have been most popular over the years.

The main theme for PDU’s academic awards, says Cavaness, are participation awards as well as honoring students for outstanding achievement.

Singer tells us that the major symbols are the lamp of learning, torches and individual symbols depicting the academic subject. Classic Medallics has also noticed that appropriate general wording has become very important. Singer adds, “We carry over 75 specific subjects, with an additional 95 stock imprints for our medals.”

Frank explains that most Catania Medallic Specialty medals are round, but they have made many in the shape of the mascot of the school. “For example, if the school’s mascot is a tiger, we can design the medal to be shaped like a tiger paw. In other cases, we have designed medals to be shaped like a doghouse, which is good for mascots like the bulldogs or huskies. We have shaped many medals like pirates, arrowheads and Spartans just to name a few.”

“We also have made custom medals for each subject that is studied. We have made medals for Speech, Mythology and everything in between. We have even made custom medals for Spanish-speaking countries for their subjects. Catania also offers a stock medal for Student Special Achievement. This medal can be used for many items but mostly it is used for most-improved-student programs,” says Frank.

While many scholastic awards follow traditional themes, May notes that JDS Industries works hard to design attractive products with modern and distinctive graphics. As for the subjects they cover, he says, “JDS offers awards for academics, math, reading, science, perfect attendance and others.”

Due to their full-color capabilities, Unisub’s awards are often inherently modern as well, though it should be pointed out that full-color can complement classic designs very nicely. Foy tells us, “Our items are blank, yet consistently across www.Unisubgraphics.com for academic awards, we see book backgrounds and classic design elements such as marble or other patterns.” She adds Unisub’s blank items can be customized to fit any category.

SIGN ME UP!

If your shop does not already sell scholastic awards, you may be wondering how to get your foot in the door. Here are a few ideas on how to best to that.

“We believe it is a must that the stores call on the schools with a catalog that is just specific to the academic market,” says Singer. “When I use the word academic, I am referring to all the departments in a school, such as Music, Drama, Math, Science, English, foreign languages and school clubs. In addition, schools should be mailing the academic catalog to schools and trying to direct it to specific departments; the decision process on buying recognition products ranges from teachers to department heads to administration offices.”

Frank suggests approaching the principal or assistant principal with a program for most-improved students. He adds that shops may also want to pitch the concept of a custom medal designed with the school’s mascot incorporated into the design. He adds that Catania Medallic Specialty is doing more medals in Spanish for Mexico and some of the Caribbean Islands.

May says it is best to try a variety of marketing efforts, including letters, direct mail ad pieces, phone calls, visits to the school, websites, etc., in order to make sure that the decision-makers at the school know of your business and what you offer.

“The decision-maker can be the athletic director, secretary, principal, school mom, P.E. director or a variety of other positions within the school or at central planning offices,” says May.

Foy suggests referencing the free target marketing plans offered on www.unisub.com.

“We have a school spirit marketing plan listed specifically at www.unisub.com/worldof/wos_mkt-campaign.html. There is a school-focused Target Market Module Kit available. The bookstore is a great place to get the conversation started,” says Foy.

If your shop is already selling scholastic awards, there may also be some things you can do to increase those numbers.

“Since most of the shops already sell to the athletic department, they should use these contacts to make headway with teachers and administrators. We have produced a 36-page catalog which should be used as a mailing to prospects; the mailing cost is minimal. Schools are not the only customers for scholastic awards. There is a growing involvement by corporations in supporting academic studies and achievement,” says Singer.

Frank says the key is to be creative and try to design a program for all ages. Start with a custom kindergarten graduation medal and work up through each grade and school.

May says awards dealers can boost their sales to schools by increasing their marketing efforts and expanding the number of schools that they advertise to.

“Don’t forget about after-school programs and clubs, as well as your local public library or the educational sector of your area government. These are great opportunities to network. Schools of all grade levels offer scholastic awards. Don’t primarily focus on high schools or public schools,” says Foy.

FINAL EXAMS

These days, the influence of the economy is perceived in all things, and schools and their awards are no exception. Singer says every school budget is facing a challenging time in supporting their recognition of student achievement. The trend continues to be focused on medals, pins and inexpensive trophies.

Evidently, while the economy has forced schools to cut back on their recognition budgets, that has actually helped some businesses.

“Schools are finding that they can get a very nice custom medal at a lower cost than most other available awards. We are seeing the trend that a common-size medal may now be 1 3/4” to 2” instead of a larger medal that was common last year at 2 1/2”.” Frank adds that schools are also moving from the die-cast to the spin-cast medals.

May confirms the sentiments of Singer and Frank, noting that schools are feeling the pinch of the economic troubles and have changed their buying habits, “Many schools are scaling back on their awards and buying more ribbons and certificates.”

Whether you’re selling them high-end medals and awards or more economic trophies and ribbons, the potential for scholastic awards still exists.

Singer wraps up his comments, telling us, “Though these are very challenging times for schools, the demand for academic awards has always been there, and perhaps underserved by our industry. Over the years, there has been more concentration by retailers on the athletic market in schools. Our experience is that the athletic budgets are cut before any academic expenditure is reduced.”