A fourth grade student in Florida created a hand-drawn University of Tennessee T-shirt for a school spirit day. After he was bullied over the shirt, the university sent him a care package full of swag, and turned turned the design into an official T-shirt for a good cause. It was so popular that it crashed the Vols Store website…
Read MoreAuthor: Brendan Menapace
Promo History Lesson: The World’s First Movie Poster Was a Promotional Failure (But Still Sold for $70K at Sotheby’s)
Today’s lesson comes to us from 19th Century French cinema—specifically, the poster that is believed to be the first film poster in history. It was unsuccessful at driving people to the theater, but it was successful at raking in some cash more than 100 years later. The poster for Auguste and Louis Jean Lumiére’s film, which was also the first public movie screening, only garnered 30 attendees out of an invited 100…
Read MoreSony Music UK Bought Its Own Music Merchandise Company
Though record sales are what people often use to measure a band’s or artist’s success, everyone knows that its the touring and merchandise sales that really generate money. It’s such a vital part of the job, and knowing that it’s the most direct way of supporting artists you love financially is usually enough to ignore…
Read MoreFourth Quarter Fun: Fill Up on Q4 Promo Products and Sales Ideas
It seems like just yesterday we were scraping New Year’s Eve confetti off of our shoes and checking the weather for snowstorms. But, thanks to time’s ability to fly, 2019 is almost over. And many distributors are deep in the throes of planning for their fourth quarter sales. If you’re not, that’s OK! There’s still time to get the ball rolling. But now is the time to start thinking about what Q4 promo products clients are looking for at year’s end…
Read MoreThis Twitter Account Posts Old Movie Promo Products (And It’s Our New Favorite Follow)
We had some time to cruise social media during Labor Day weekend, and that gave us an opportunity to stumble on quite possibly one of the most exciting Twitter accounts we’ve found in a while. It’s called Movie Promo Merch Unlimited, and operates under the username @NightPromoting. It’s a celebration of promotional merchandise released alongside…
Read MorePM Summer Rewind: Recapping a Busy Last Few Months in Promotional Products
Well, folks, here we are at the start of Labor Day Weekend. For many, it’s the official end of summer and the window of time where it’s acceptable to wear white clothes. How 2019 has flown by so quickly, we’ll never know. What we do know is that it was an eventful summer in the…
Read MoreTSA Bans Disney’s (Awesome) Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Coca-Cola Bottles From Flights
Disney’s rad thermal-detonator-shaped Coca-Cola bottles are back in the news, but for a less fun reason. If you’re visiting the immersive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park locations in California or Florida, then you can throw around the bottles as much as you want. Just don’t plan on taking them home as a souvenir from your trip to a galaxy far, far away. That is, at least, if you’re flying home…
Read MoreCBD, Fanny Packs and Mr. Potato Head—What’s In the VMA Swag Bag
The VMAs might not be getting the viewership of other big-name entertainment parties, like the Grammys or the Oscars, but the show is still a major party in the music biz. And, because of that, the organizers don’t typically skimp on the swag bags that attendees receive. Like other events, there are glitzy gifts—shopping sprees,…
Read MoreGemline Announces New President, CEO and VP of Marketing
Gemline, Lawrence, Mass., announced multiple personnel moves yesterday: Frank Carpenito appointed as company president; Jonathan Isaacson promoted to chairman and CEO; and Saadia Bryant promoted to vice president of marketing, product and design. Carpenito has been on the Gemline board since 2014, and in his new role will be responsible for handling the company’s day-to-day operations…
Read MoreReflecting on the Busy Weekend in the Trade War
On Friday, China announced further retaliatory tariffs, which prompted the president to “order” U.S. companies out of China. What followed was a weekend of more speculation, incendiary speech and uncertainty for U.S. businesses.
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